Kick in

Diggers you are really riding high on the back of that Sydney victory on the weekend.

Never seen you post so much Essendon related advice.

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Not advice, rather an observation. This issue was spoken about earlier in the season, co-incidentally after losing a game most thought they’d win. Essendon aren’t the only side that runs it’s defensive re-entries this way. Every team does at stages during games. It’s not a negative Essendon only peculiarity like some portray it to be.

And the win was totally unexpected.

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It’s really been a prominent issue since Fletch retired

Under no circumstances should McKenna ever be kicking short from kick-ins, always a disaster. Either run and kick long. Also no kicking those 15m short wide kicks and then the slow long bomb afterwards, pointless. Would like to see Redman have some kicks.

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Maybe we should delegate kick ins to one of the mids, this might ensure they be bothered running into our defensive half

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Maybe the chip in kick is a strategy to get the opposition to close in so we can then get it over the press and run and gun???

Shouldn’t have been unexpected the majority in here warned you we’d ■■■■ it up big time.

Every time I see a chip wide it’s followed up by a bomb to a pack up field.

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To be fair no one said it was a good strategy

what about getting JoeDan to take the kick-ins?

That would introduce some real unpredictability - the ball could go anywhere.

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If only this rule was around when we had Fletcher.

Completely agree.

The thing with kicking it to a pack is that we suck at marking in a pack.

And in general, why do the players think kicking it to a 1 against 2 contest is good option?

The reason it’s done, is because a safer option can’t be identified. A contest is most likely going to end up being a ball-up or throw in. It’s a percentage choice.

Is a ball-up or throw what typically happens? It feels like we turn it over more than that happening.

But even if it does end up with a ball-up or throw in, it begs the question… "why don’t we work harder/smarter to provide a safer/better option?

First part - yes. That was explained to me by a coach.
Second - exactly. It works hand-in-hand. Making opportunities, then taking them.

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Quite simple actually. We dont lead to make space - ever - anywhere. Or if a player DOES, it is ignored.

sigh We need you Obi Wan Clarko, you’re our only hope

(Hawthorn are sooooo damn good at it, watched their game on the weekend deliberately just to watch how they go about it. Possession footy with long leads to space, rip a zone apart, then look for a short kick into the 50 to a lead target if there is one, bomb it in immediately if not. The LEADS, then the short kick, drag the extra defender out of the forward 50. And they KEEP their structures so damn well. EDIT: Also, whenever the leading player takes a mark, he goes back, waits for the lead, kicks it to the leader AND STAYS WHERE HE KICKED IT FROM - or goes back 20 metres. Means they are rarely caught out on the turnover as there are players behind the ball. Their backline doesnt all go sprinting into the forward line looking for overlap handball)

Hurley to Hooker was really successful as a strategy against Sydney. Hurley was delivering the ball beautifully to Hooker’s advantage at the start of the game and Hooker kept sticking the marks. Can see why they persisted with it.

Our problems aren’t with our backline, it’s with opposition midfields that continually seem to be able to break tackles, create the overlap with extra numbers, or simply find free men in the midfield.

We are constantly delivering the ball into our forward line under pressure and with opposition numbers back. Our opponents seem to be delivering with little pressure into their forward line and we seem to constantly have massive gaps in our defensive zone.

Work rate.
Structure.
Tackling technique.