Close Game Structures

[Scoop Junior 3,132]

Considering we all hear about the evenness of the competition, which can be expected to produce close games, I'm surprised at how poor we have been in our losses to the Dogs and Roos at hanging onto a lead.

It's almost as if the players don't know what to do late in a close game and freeze up. Do we have structures and strategies in place to deal with close games?

In the Bulldogs game, we failed to drop numbers back after hitting the lead with 2 minutes to go. Do we learn from it? Hell no. Instead, we make three critical errors against the Roos.

1) We hit the lead with about 4 minutes to go yesterday. I don't think you can throw everyone back then, but surely when it got to about 2 minutes to go you do it. Every single player bar one forward should have been flooding the defensive half of the ground. Instead, we had about 4 forwards or so just standing close to goal.

2) The next problem was TJ's kick-in. I didn't think of it at the time but someone pointed it out to me today - why didn't he just rush the ball a few times until we had a player to kick to? ND said we didn't have our organisation right, as the players were tired. Well, we led by 5 points. So why didn't TJ play on, rush it, play on, rush it, to get it to 3 points the difference and give the players down the field the time to run to space and keep possession?

3) Then, the third stupid thing we did was not man up the Roos' flooders once they hit the lead. If we won the centre break, which we did, it was always going to be a rushed kick. North had like 5 players roaming loose at our 50 and they simply cleared the ball and held on to the win. The players should be taught that when a side floods with like 1 minute to go, you have to man them up and at least force a 50-50. It's basic footy strategy.

It's just infuriating to lose playing such dumb footy late in the game.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Scoop I totally agree.

I just could not believe the progress of play from the kick in to the Swallow goal.

We had TJ, Bizz, Holland, Ward and White with 10 years AFL experience each in the back line at that time. Surely but surely they cant all have a monumental brain fade at the one time.

I dont recall any player marshalling players to make a lead at the kick in or flood the throw in.

I just could not see that happening last year. In the corresponding game last year we did the opposite and played smart focussed football.

Not this year.

[Gorgoroth 12,447]

i was thinking the same, especially the rushing of the behind, we could have rushed 3 and wasted some time and as said given the players a chance to gather at CHB and then make a lead, all it needed was a short kick and mark, waste time and even run backwards and rush another point

we were all on the one side of the rucking contest at the boundary throw in and they had 4 and guess where it went?

[DeeBest 13]

The last 12 seconds of the game is interesting as well. Jones has the ball in our back 50, the risk of kicking out to the wing to TJ in a contest was far too high. If you look at the replay in slow motion as Jones has the ball (even better in widescreen), look at where Jeff White is and note the amount of space ahead of him in the corridor!!!! Jones needed to try and get it to White who could have loaded up long into our forward line, would probably have needed a mark but I think it might have been a better option. In any case when you are having your last roll of the dice, with less than 20 seconds left, a long kick directly into the forward line is the only way to go.

[deanox 9,006]

i thought the same thing, we didnt have time to have a big build up, we needed it quick and long, straight down the centre...

as for our tactics regarding flooding, why didnt we learn from the bulldogs game?

and boundary throw in that was just poor football wasnt it.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

The last 12 seconds of the game is interesting as well. Jones has the ball in our back 50, the risk of kicking out to the wing to TJ in a contest was far too high. If you look at the replay in slow motion as Jones has the ball (even better in widescreen), look at where Jeff White is and note the amount of space ahead of him in the corridor!!!! Jones needed to try and get it to White who could have loaded up long into our forward line, would probably have needed a mark but I think it might have been a better option. In any case when you are having your last roll of the dice, with less than 20 seconds left, a long kick directly into the forward line is the only way to go.

While he would have had an inkling that there was not much time left did Nathan Jones know he had only 15 to 20 seconds left?

What wonderful guidance did our on field leadership give a second year player under the pump? Probably nothing.

I am still dwelling the acts of bone stupidity from the TJ kick out to the Swallow goal. Just pathetic.

[DemonDoug 0]

Totally agree with you, we probably should have been 3 - 6 now. But we absolutely should be 1 - 8. TJ just had to know that his kick-in was the crucial factor in us winning the game. He had to retain possession to a Melbourne player. Must admit I had not thought of rushing a behind and wasting more time, obviously TJ did not either. But how on earth did some players not give short leads, it is the obvious thing in that situation. Why kick long which will turn it into a 50 - 50 contest. You kick it short, wste 20 seconds then short again, game over. We could till have been a finals chance if we were 3- 6

[45HG 1,539]

tough to whinge about this one set structure that could've saved as conceeding one goal at the end, when our overall structure should've had us 10 goals down for the day. i understand completely where you guys are coming from, and do agree, but i think our team has more pressing structural problems

[DeeBest 13]

While he would have had an inkling that there was not much time left did Nathan Jones know he had only 15 to 20 seconds left?

Probably not.

Essendon would've had John Barnes out there with his white cap on, flapping his arms around waving everyone around and yelling out how long to go. Probably telling the player (in our case Jones) where to kick it as well.

Maybe something we should try if, heaven forbid, we are in that situation again next week!

[Jaded No More 60,170]

On Footy Classifides last night they highlighted the set play which allowed Swallow to get his goal.

Firstly, Nathan Brown was on him, not James McDonland as stated elsewhere. Secondly, both Lyon and Carey said that it was basic football knowledge that the defender should always stand goal-side of the pack, so that his player can't run past him.

They also noted that Bruce, who was playing as a 'stopper' was probably too far away from the action, despite being unmanned.

Well if Lyon and Carey know this, why don't our players?

[45HG 1,539]

why am i not surprised to hear that bruce was too far from a contest? anyone see him run straight past grant in the 3rd quarter, clear past him, grant played on and goaled, only one of the quarter.

[Demon15 0]

It's almost as if the players don't know what to do late in a close game and freeze up. Do we have structures and strategies in place to deal with close games?

About time this came up.

BTW you forgot to mention Port Power. A winnable game lost if ever there was.

IMO, duirng the Port game, the shots of the coaches box showed lots of excitment, dare I say barracking.

Not acceptable from those in charge. This is a major flaw in ND's style.

In Northey's day, the dees were never beaten till the siren.

The reverse is/has been true for a long time under the current FD.

Last year excepted - but then we had Brock McLean doing the job himself.