Blistering

3 hours ago, binman said:

@Blistering can't quite tell if this is a wind up.

But I'll assume not and play with a straight bat.

The high half forward (HHF) role has become one of the most important in AFL football.

Daniel Hoyne from champion data said many times last season that the key reason for the blues' turnaround was sorting the HFF role. Cotteral for example has become super important to them.

That's because the HFF role is key to the transition game and turning turnovers into scores and defending turnovers.

To excel in the HHF role a player needs to be an elite athlete with a huge tank who can cover ground quickly.

Similar to the role langers plays as a winger, it Involves gut running from box to box, in soccer parlance.

In footy it's forward pocket to back pocket all game providing defensive cover in defence as part of an all team zone defensive system.

The defensive cover includes direct defensive actions in rhe opponents forward half (ie helping our defence) like spoiling, smothers and tackles.

And indirect defensive actions like blocking switch options or sprinting to a mark to stop a player immediately playing on.

The HFF does those same defensive actions when the ball is in our forward half - with the indirect actions being critical in terms of making it harder to transition the ball from their back half.

When we transition the ball from our back half the HFF gut runs to get ahead of the ball to either spread the opposition (ie an opponent has to run and cover him) or be an option to kick to.

The latter includes being a target inside 50. 

And of course in addition to all of that, snag the occasional crumbing or stoppage goal.

Some HHFs might be more forward orientated and play a bit closer to goal. Chandler is a good example.

Others might have assists as a kpi and be one of the players teams want kicking inside 50 (though all will be expected to hit up leading targets). Miers is a good example.

The best HFF in the AFL?

Nibbla hands down.

Don't believe me? Have a listen to Andy's brilliant interview with Kade Chandler.

From 13.17 in the player at the top of this page Kade discusses the small forward role (but is referring to the HHF role). 

He defines it much more succinctly than I just have and pumps up nibbla as the HHF exemplar.

Def. not a wind up but rather, a real life situation. My son’s been given that role in his game this weekend and I’ve passed on your thoughts which agree with mine. Thanks.

Coach tells a mid sized player that his role this week is predominantly a between the arc high half forward. What does that involve and which player(s)’s game does that role resemble?

Asking for a friend.

This is a somewhat scandalous thing to bring up on Demonland but there’s a thing called The Tom $cully Medal which is the Brownlow for runners. Our own Ed Langdon is comfortably leading the pack with 15 votes which bears witness to the fact that he’s back in town this year after a couple of seasons below his Olympian standards of our 2021 premiership year.

Votes are awarded to the players with the most kilometres during each game on a 3-2-1 votes basis. I hope he wins so that we can start a campaign to rename it after Ed himself. 

I know that we should take things one week at a time but I looked at the future and noticed that we have a nice run of games at the MCG coming up. Between now and Round 16 (28 June) when we play the Lions at the Gabba, all of our games take place at the MCG with the exception of the Eagles at Optus Stadium which is our second home ground and the Dockers at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs which is nominally our home ground. All games except one against the bottom side at home or at least neutral territory. Only concern is the game coming off another five day break against Carlton. 

It’s time to claim the G as our own again, starting with tomorrow night against the feuding Lions from Brizvegas. 

Robbo says hello 👋 

What is the significance of Kynan Brown being categorized as a Category B rookie?

Also, we already have 2 Cat B rookies - is there a limit on their number?

Does anyone know the significance of Kynan being categorized as a Category B rookie?

Also, we already have 2 Cat B rookies - is there a limit on their number?

6. Hore 

5. Purcell 

4. Paxman 

3. West 

2. Gillard 

1. Hanks

1 hour ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The team has been fantastic - don't get me wrong - but looking at the four games played and the opposition in those games, it would be fair to say that we haven't really beaten a quality team. Two opponents have yet to win a game this year and the other two have one win each. Geelong is really the team's first real challenge for the current season.

So, we shouldn't get too carried away ... just yet.

Agreed - we shouldn’t be getting too far ahead of ourselves. As we’ve learned over the past two years, it’s not right to go the early crow.

How can you trade picks that are subject to future review?

So we can take it that Picks 5 and 24 are locked In because Freo are out of business for the rest of the year while Picks 15, 34 and 89 can fluctuate depending on what we do during the finals series.

Major advantage to the Bulldogs who had a rest at the weekend playing against a team coming off a six-day break. Typical VFL - no consideration for a fair competition.

Need to straighten up in front of goal. Last three matches, we’ve scored 26.43 to 27.23.

8 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I didn get a chance to watch the game yesterday but will try and sit down to watch replay later this week.

In the Coates league game I have seen him play he reminds me so much of Josh Daicos with his ability to do his work on the inside but also spread hard to run and receive on the outside.

Hoping that was on show yesterday.

If you promise to keep this as quiet as possible, I would compare him to an early Zac Butters … but hush.

May not elite?

In Hibberd Oliver

Out Bowey (concussed) Harmes (Gleesoned)

The article says -

“The match will be played as a curtain-closer to the round five AFL game between Brisbane and North Melbourne at Adelaide Hills (Summit Sports and Recreation Park, Mount Barker), commencing at 4pm ACST.”

According to my fixture, the Brisbane vs North Melbourne game starts at 1:10pm which makes that game the curtain raiser.

17 minutes ago, rjay said:

Not sure what GC saw in Mac Andrew to draft him so high.

I wonder if we would have taken him if he got through to our first pick.

You’re sitting at the draft table in 2021 and you have a choice at pick 19 -

Andrew or van Rooyen.

What’s your choice?

7 hours ago, dee-tox said:

Absolutely. Last two games we've only seen glimpses but the are impressive. Can kick a ball 50+ metres off one step, jump on an opponents shoulders and mark. Great agility. Will only get quicker and stronger.

You and vipercrunch would be content to wait another five years for a top 5 draft pick to prove his worth? But what about last night? Did Andrew justify his place in the side? IMO, his seven possession performance indicated he’s simply not yet ready for football at this level. He looked lost to me. He was playing at half back where he was supposed to be either guarding space or an opponent but too often it was neither. The Dockers often had the out number when the ball was kicked into the pack at the front of their goal and Mac was nowhere to be seen.

My concern for the kid is that being at Gold Coast is neither the right time or place for his development. If he was at a decent club, he would still be running around in the VFL to ensure that when the time comes, he would be ready to play the game.

MELBOURNE V SYDNEY – THE MONGREL REVIEW

And thanks to WJ for fixing up my post.

35 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

I have zero recollection of this game

Same goes for Eagle Luke Ryan.

A very big thank you to East Fremantle which produced two players from today’s winning team against the Sydney Swans:-

• Trent Rivers and

• Judd McVee

and to Claremont for giving us 

• Jacob van Rooyen

Also up and coming Taj Woewodin who is yet to debut but would be close but for the fact that he has an injured finger.

Luke Jackson was also a Shark!

Thanks to Jason Taylor and his team for their astute recruiting.

6. Clayton Oliver 
5. Brodie Grundy 
4. Christian Petracca 
3. James Jordon 
2. Ed Langdon 
1. Trent Rivers

I was informed 4 weeks ago by an Essendon insider that the Bombers were 99% certain to take Tsatas.