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binman

Life Member
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Everything posted by binman

  1. And really its pretty rare a ruck, even one as good as Max gets the perfect tap to a moving player for a unpressured kick from the centre.
  2. Good post. In all the years i have followed the dees i have never seen one of our players play better over a sustained period than max has in the first third of this home and away season. And that includes Robbie. And that is off the back of an immense 2020. His athleticism has gone up a level, as has his ball handling skills, particularly when the ball is on the deck. There was a brilliant example in the Swans game (i can't remember if it was the second or last quarter - we were kicking to the Punt Road end, which is where I was sitting). Max collected the ball off the ground right in the pocket, only a meter or so from their goal. From the distance i was watching it took me a sec to register that it was max, such was the way he smoothly picked it up, took some steps and delivered the ball by foot. The ball tic tacked up the ground and went out on our goal side of the wing. Max ran from the back pocket to take the ruck. I think he got a free from the throw in (or if not grabbed it) and kicked a perfect pass to Harmes who somehow dropped it over the line on our HF. He then went to the next throw in and tapped it brilliantly to a moving Oliver who if memory serves got it to Salem who kicked it to brown 20 meters out. Incredible skills. Incredible work rate. And the key actor in a critical goal. All while looking not 100% fit. And as occurs every week with how we play, after getting physically smashed in aerial contests and taking his turn tackling and being tackled. And again copping hits to the head from opposition players who know they can hit him with impunity. Max is a million miles away from being the problem. He is the solution.
  3. One thing we were definitely doing is setting up our mids closer to the center circle when the ball was bounced. Another, related, structural element was Max was not hitting to space as often (high risk, low reward as our mids are close to him). Which meant that bulls like Viney, Trac an Oliver were great chances of winning any contested ball that dropped close to the circle, as often happened (and still does - eg no clear tap, the opposition ruckman doesn't want to hit to space etc) - particularly when max is looking to tap it down directly to one of them. So we "won" lots of clearances with that structure. But often those clearances were messy and shallow because they were under pressure. Which goes along way to explain why we had such a poor inside 50 to score ratio, often winning inside 50s but losing the match. It also explains why we all got sick of seeing opposition defenders like McGovern take easy intercept marks. Did our collective heads in. Just as it must do for fans of teams that play us this year. And as many people on Demonland pointed out last year, opposition teams often started sweating on our players on the outside of the ring that our bulls were trying to handball. Basically allow us to do all the work to the win the ball and pick it off. When this worked they won the ball out in space an could hurt us with unpressured inside 50 kicks.
  4. Yes, in part. But mainly it show show good our all team pressure is. If Max, Jacko , the mids and anyone sliding into the square (eg Nibbler off HF or Langdon or Gus off the wing) do apply strong pressure on the opposition player who first gets hands on the ball, anyone else who receives the handball and the player kicking inside 50 then they have time and space to kick to the forwards advantage. And in that scenario it doesn't matter how good our defence is tam will hurt us, particularly the top sides. Our whole game plan is predicated on pressure. We will lose if we don't bring it. Pressure means they scrub a kick (often shallow) inside 50 and players with the nous of lever, hibbo, rivers and may can read it better than their opponent an either take an intercept mark, create a contest (which often we win, or at least create a stoppage) or win a ground ball. O course it helsp to have guns like Lever and may, but pressure is the key reason we are miles ahead in intercept marks, top the table of of least marks inside our 50 and are the best at stopping opposition score when they get inside 50. And once we win the ball - as we are doing more often than any other team from our back half - we control it, transition effectively and get territory. And once we do that we combine all of the above will more pressure and keep in trapped in our forward half as well as any team in the game.
  5. Because 'winning' a clearance that under pressure you are forced to kick a mongrel, scrubby, shallow entry kick that gets picked off by a defender and goes straight down the other end is not actually winning. But, say Oliver getting the ball in space, perhaps after a couple of quick high risk handballs (that when they breakdown often result in an opposition clearnce), at pace, with time to run a few steps and kick deep inside our 50? That's winning a clearnance.
  6. Heads up. Steve may about to be interviewed on abc footy
  7. I meant total clearance differential - stoppages AND centre square
  8. Total clearance differential table. Again, as I said abive (and in mutiple other posts about this topic) you don't want to lose centre square clearnces. But break even is fine. As evidenced by the stats about the tigers in your post. 15th, 11th and 8th in the last 3 years shows tbe shift in tbe game. I assume those rankings correspond to about break even?
  9. 100% agree. Which is why I said you don't want to lose centre square clearnces. But break even is fine.
  10. Exactly. Put yourself in the shoes of a swans supporter. They smashed us in centre clearances. And had more inside 50s. And lost. How frustrated would you be? Well, we all know the answer because in most games we have lost under goodie that has been us. We now have beaten last years two grand finalists, a side that won a final last year and a side sitting fourth this year after round 7. All have super midfields. And all very good teams. Yet our defence has held up. And we have prevailed. No reason why it won't against future opponents, assuming we apply our base line all team pressure as we did last night (and didn't do in the first half against the roos). Again, you don't want to lose centre square clearnces. But break even is fine. Whereas we used to aim for winning that metric, as evidenced by being near the top of clearnce differential tables under goody. In that same period the tigers have been bottom or near bottom of that table. And won three flags. This year when we are mirroring the tigers. And ate unbeaten after 8 rounds for the first time in 56 years. As problems go, it's fair to say the dees have much worse ones than our current clearance differential numbers. Our emphasis on clearances has changed. But one thing that hasn't - and won't- is the importance of pressure and winning the contest. As goody said in his presser - contest is king
  11. Ironic. Because I have called us the Redlegs all my lifetime
  12. It did. And their first for the game arguably (papley mark, setting up a crumbing goal). I can't recall another, but no doubt there was one. Given the 666 rule they would be frustrated they only got three goals from 17. I'm.not saying its great, or not a concern. Only having four is a worry, as is 13 differential obviously. Viney out must be a factor.
  13. True. But as is often the case for teams we play, the swan's entries were almost all messy, wide and shallow. . Because they blanketed lever, which was smart, we couldn't rebound as well as we have done. But even so, their centre square clearnanced generated bugger all scoring opportunities.
  14. I didn't pick up the roos tagging him. But at the ground tonight it was clear the swans did. Though really double teamed him, with Sinclair looking to help Heywood. Smart. And really limited how damaging Lever was. But you pay a price sacrificing a forward to negate a defender.
  15. He will be a star.
  16. That joke is so old Freud told it at his first conference
  17. Surprised harmes got the nod ahead of number 32. I wonder if they will run him as a hard tag on Kennedy, their best mid and even at his stage of his career arguably their most important player. Shut him down and they will really struggle getting it out to their outside players. Which will really help to negate their strengths and desired game plan. Not surprised melksham stays in. Laid 3 tackles last week and his pressure was better. And is arguably our most damaging kick.
  18. An old school journalist who has good contacts and cultivates and maintains those relationships. Reporting on rhe politics of football has it place, and is an important part of the reporting of football. Particularly as it relates to scrutinising the league and clubs. As stakeholders fans need to know there are some checks in place. Which is a key role of the press. And she has been the best at this for the better part of 30 odd years. Tough, uncompromising and writes well. In short good at her job. And has to do that up against two of the most sexist, patriarchal, boys club work cultures in Australia - footy and journalism. The problem now is that reporting on footy politics dominates the coverage game. And, is in turn dominated by ambulance chasers looking for 'scoops', clicks, and gotcha moments. And gossip. So much puerile gossip. This new wave take the trump approach - flood the zone with [censored]. Some will stick, some will get traction some will prove to be correct. But much will be bull [censored], which if actually called on it, the 'news breakers' will deflect and blame their source. But they hardly ever get called on it. Because the flood the zone strategy is very effective. So much rubbish, so often mean there is no time to analyse, or question, just move onto the next bit of gossip. There are a million examples. Tracc to pies just one recent one, which could well have been a strategic leak. Because a strategic leak is counted as a source these days. And never questioned. There will 5 more such examples today. Four of which will relate to the pies. And Caroline has to wade with the gossip mongers and amateurs in this zone flooded with [censored]. Must drive her spare.
  19. Agree. The best in the business. And not coincedentaly, a qualified journalist
  20. Just tommorow night's game
  21. Who would know. But looking at the AFL crapsite there is this tile ATM: https://www.afl.com.au/matches/team-lineups It says underneath the tile: announced 6:20 EST. However, it doesn't indicate which day. Of course
  22. Agree on all points. I watched all of the Casey game and was underwhelmed by Harmes' performance, as much as anything by his approach to the game. Sure he got his touches and looked a level above. And i get that it was a low standard opposition and low pressure game. But for mine he lacked intensity, and worse burnt teammates in better positions shooting for goal a couple of times. Which is a really bad look for a senior player wanting to get back into a team that has made selflessness a foundational principal. As you suggest he fares very poorly in any comparison with number 32. Agree he had a more rounded game, but also played with intensity Harmes lacked, was selfless and went full throttle from go to whoa. And whilst the opposition were not much chop I was really impressed with his decision making and execution. I'd be shocked if that performance is not rewarded. I think Harmes is limited player. Can be relied on to play his role, which is a real positive, and is fit, but i don't think he is in our best mid rotation. I don't think it is a coincidence he plays his best footy when tagging a gun opposition player who takes him to the ball. And its possible that he might come in tot the team only when there is that sort of role or him
  23. From the fox article linked above: NSW Health has declared that anyone who visited the Azure Cafe during that time frame is a casual contact, meaning they must get tested and self-isolate until receiving a negative result.

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