CaptnCarlton wrote:
The game will change once our defensive and midfield unit is much stronger. Or biggest weakness is our defence. Once we can rectify this area, we can entrust our players to win the ball in the defence half and with a dedicated midfield run the ball forward without the use for heavy flooding. This is remeniscent of the different soccer styles of play.
We have a potent forward line, blue collar midfield and weak defence. Our midfield has improved in the last couple of years (and still needs further work), but our defensive area still requires major work. Therefore, to win a game you need to strengthen your weakness and hence the use of the flood. The midfield being more a defence unit and the forward line playing as midfield-forwards and trying to run the ball up.
When we have a better defensive unit that can win the ball, we would not need to have so many people running back to help. It sounds very simplistic and I suppose that's how I am coneveying it, but in essence that what I believe it is. This is the reason why whitnall is on the backline and not playing forward. This is the reason we traded for a middle age defender last year. Once we can get some good players in defence, and our young midfield get better, you will see a different game style and more wins. If Livo and Hartlett can play some good footy, you will start seeing some changes in style.
Our defence isn't that bad, better than it was anyway, and is aided when we apply midfield pressure to the opposition runners. Flooding has cost us each time this year as the opposition still finds ways to kick goals It's something we struggle to do becasue we have no options forward of the centre as they are all behind the ball, hence falling well behind on the scoreboard. In each loss, once we've started attcking, because we're goals behind and have nothing to lose, we get right back into the game. I would rather risk a few hidings to have a better chance of scoring goals and winning. Sure we would've won the Freo and Swans games if we had been more attacking and been 3-0 at that stage. Then we would've have been talking something different. It comes down to our coach, who's simply way past it, and his game plan. Too busy worry about copping a hiding rather than being positive about winning. Time to get rid of him.