GreatEx wrote:
Keogh is partly right that our bottom 6 isn't good enough. But it's not the bottom 6 of our best 22, it's the bottom 6 of our best 32, or 35 or whatever. First two games of the season we were getting contributions from top to bottom and many were satisfied with our depth, probably because the names not on the team sheet used to be regulars. Now once again we've been decimated by injuries in all the most vulnerable areas of the squad, and we're realising why those former regulars became depth players. Whoever mentioned good injury fortune as critical to success was right, as Richmond have demonstrated on both sides of the ledger. The system only gets you so far, you need top talent across the ground. Of course it isn't all luck, and we reap what we sow by recruiting players with bad injury records.
Correct. Our best 22 is as good as most. Our system failures were more costly. I look back at 2 of Schultz' goals and they were a result of our defensive system breaking down. Both times Saad had to make a decision to pick up another player entering the attacking 50 and both times was left trying to guard 2 players.
The system should be that the defender picks up the shorter option and the other defenders push across and defend the next nearest player.
At least if there is a spare forward, it's a longer kick with more hang time which enables the players to come across and defend the ball.
Saad was furious and so he should of been. Midfielders should have pushed back hard to defend and the defenders should be operating as a unit, consistently appraising the structure and reacting instead of selfishly sticking on their opponent.
It also highlighted the smarts and workrate of Brayshaw. He pushed into space inside 50 forcing Saad to make a choice. A well functioning defence would have been communicating and reacting.
Another time was Switkowski waltzing through a stoppage 15m out from goal and easily capitalising.
So when you consider we were without our ruckman from the start, our Coleman medallist was impeded from early in the first quarter and IMHO were without another4 of our best 22, our personnel isn't too bad.
We need to remember we're playing the team 2nd on the ladder, interstate and despite losing personnel, we were still 21 points down late in the game, I don't believe the loss was disastrous as some are making out.