Halfback solution

[Poupou Escobar]

Exactly.

People who think our backup squad members are the problem have no idea.

We need thirty-five players on full time contracts. Any of them that get released will need to be replaced by other backups on similar contracts.

It's simple f**king arithmetic; it's not rocket surgery.

 

[The EELiminator]

It's simple f**king arithmetic; it's not rocket surgery.

 

[The Engineers Room]

What enabled Hayne in 2009 was the same thing missing last year - a second option in attack. In '09 that was Feleti Mateo.

We certainly do need more than just "solid players to feed him the ball in a timely manner". We need attacking threats who can commit defenders.

What it was the positive attacking style we were playing. Forwards were prepared to offload the ball and pass the ball. We had players backing up and the passes were sticking. Some of our lesser known players were playing out of their skins.

Mateo wasn't a factor at all. In fact he struggled at first when he came back in.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

What it was the positive attacking style we were playing.

By 'positive' you mean 'high risk'? It was corner-cutting footy, and as we saw in 2010 it was unsustainable in the face of defensive adaptation.

Meanwhile Melbourne just showed how hard it is to defend against low-risk, simple football when it is executed well.

Forwards were prepared to offload the ball and pass the ball.

You're missing the key point in that our forwards were able to offload the ball. Offloading isn't as simple as a coach telling players to do it and then have them drop it out the back for a massive gain. There is a substantial risk of losing ground and momentum from offloading poorly or at the wrong time. It is a skill that not all players have.

This was proven by two of our best offloaders in '09 being outside backs (Inu and Grothe).

We had players backing up and the passes were sticking. Some of our lesser known players were playing out of their skins.

Mateo wasn't a factor at all. In fact he struggled at first when he came back in.

He missed half the season and still topped our LBA stats that year. Anyway I was referring more to the '09 finals and 2010 when Hayne became a playmaker.

 

[lingard]

By 'positive' you mean 'high risk'? It was corner-cutting footy, and as we saw in 2010 it was unsustainable in the face of defensive adaptation.

Meanwhile Melbourne just showed how hard it is to defend against low-risk, simple football when it is executed well.



You're missing the key point in that our forwards were able to offload the ball. Offloading isn't as simple as a coach telling players to do it and then have them drop it out the back for a massive gain. There is a substantial risk of losing ground and momentum from offloading poorly or at the wrong time. It is a skill that not all players have.

This was proven by two of our best offloaders in '09 being outside backs (Inu and Grothe).



He missed half the season and still topped our LBA stats that year. Anyway I was referring more to the '09 finals and 2010 when Hayne became a playmaker.

You`re probably right about that. But it`s always puzzled me why players can`t be taught how to off-load like Arthur Beetson, Feleti Mateo or even Nathan Cayless. If a player can be coached to improve other skills, why not that one? It mystifies me. It seems very difficult to get a player (like Mateo or David Solomona) to be more judicious with their off-loading, too. A puzzling situation.

 

[Pazza]

Mateo and Solomona were very good basketball players.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Right on cue, Roy Masters writes an article on forwards passing the ball: Tried and proven tactics put a strangle hold on the chain-passing revolution

Interesting read.

 

[caylo]

You`re probably right about that. But it`s always puzzled me why players can`t be taught how to off-load like Arthur Beetson, Feleti Mateo or even Nathan Cayless. If a player can be coached to improve other skills, why not that one? It mystifies me. It seems very difficult to get a player (like Mateo or David Solomona) to be more judicious with their off-loading, too. A puzzling situation.

Players can develop an offload its just very difficult because it requires you to change the way that you run. It is like trying to get a player to learn how to fend, it's just unnatural to some because of maybe which arm they hold the ball, how they hold the ball and which shoulder they lead with.

In Mateo and Solomona case they hold the ball in one hand, most players can't do that while running. Inu and grothe were others that held the ball like that and they also offloaded a lot.

Someone like Cayless offload a heap but the was body position more then anything, tucking it under his right arm and leading with his left means his right arm is free to offload. This sort of offloading can be taught because most players carry the ball under their arm but it will never tried as many offloads as someone like Mateo.

Then there is obvious other factors such as ability to wrestle out of tables to get as free and confidence to pass the ball in traffic. Some of these things can't be taught either.

 

[WA Eel]

Interesting how Roy Masters describes the idea of forwards passing the ball as a "revolution". Wasn't that was was done both at the Dogs and Parra when Dymock and Smith were playing? Also, from memory, our forwards did a lot of passing in 2001.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Interesting how Roy Masters describes the idea of forwards passing the ball as a "revolution". Wasn't that was was done both at the Dogs and Parra when Dymock and Smith were playing? Also, from memory, our forwards did a lot of passing in 2001.

There's a fair distinction these days between edge forwards and tight forwards. Usually 'forwards' these days refers to the forwards in the middle third of the field. Edge forwards (like Dymock and Smith) are effectively the same as backs, at least in attack - in defence they are adjacent to the middle third, but in attack they only have a centre and a winger outside them. Essentially it's the old inside centre position. This puts them in far more one-on-one situations, and when they receive early ball they have a lot of opportunity to pass before and at the line.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

Rubbish.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Fair point.

 

[lingard]

Players can develop an offload its just very difficult because it requires you to change the way that you run. It is like trying to get a player to learn how to fend, it's just unnatural to some because of maybe which arm they hold the ball, how they hold the ball and which shoulder they lead with.

In Mateo and Solomona case they hold the ball in one hand, most players can't do that while running. Inu and grothe were others that held the ball like that and they also offloaded a lot.

Someone like Cayless offload a heap but the was body position more then anything, tucking it under his right arm and leading with his left means his right arm is free to offload. This sort of offloading can be taught because most players carry the ball under their arm but it will never tried as many offloads as someone like Mateo.

Then there is obvious other factors such as ability to wrestle out of tables to get as free and confidence to pass the ball in traffic. Some of these things can't be taught either.

.......and there goes Mateo; he`s over the chair, he comes to the table, there`s a wrestle on, he breaks free, he`s racing for the door. Side-steps a pot plant, out onto the footpath. He looks right, then left, then right again. Out onto the street. Heavy traffic, but he moves through it. And he passes the ball! A beautiful off-load. Hope he can see that truck coming.