Diamond_Jim

Thanks Dr Gonzo....... great and simple explanation. That explains perfectly why teams who have players who can run and carry for say twenty to thirty metres such as Harvey at North Melbourne are so vital to overcoming a zone defence. Similarly while over commitment to a zone (moving up too far) can come back to bite you so easily. Another question.... how many players are usually playing the zone defence at any one time. I realise it can vary but in this thread we are criticizing our backs in the main whereas the zone seems to encompass a few more than 4-6 players.

Amazing to consider the change in personnel since that game. Including Grimes there are 10 players in that team that are either uncertain or definitely not in the coming weekend's team.

Hi I have been following this site for many years including the down years which seem to have lasted most of my life !! Would just like to say that I love threads like this where rather than one line comments, many knowledgeable posters have taken the time to analyse the tactics employed by the team. I must say I have difficulty imagining how a zone defence works on such large expanses as the MCG by comparison to a basket ball court or even an NFL field. In the first example one is a relatively small sized court while with NFL each play starts with players in an almost identical position as compared to the previous play. By contrast in AFL the permutations for where a ball can come from and how it can arrive are enormous. Keep it up and many thanks to the administrators for this valuable and entertaining resource.