Hardwick has never coached well against a team that floods back & hits us the counter attack with run from behind the ball. Too often the mids, centre line & even half backs get sucked towards the ball & we get flogged going the other way.
Nth & the Dogs did exactly that to us last year. The solution is to hold our own lines & use extra numbers to run it inside 50. Don’t clog our own forward 50 with midfielders & wingers. Plus with numbers set back - it counters the fast break of the opposition.
Centreline players shouldn’t go inside 50 arc & halfbacks should form line across the centre. Agree with comment to have long kickers take shots from the top of the arc.
Yes, yes, yes. For every negative tactic there is a counter-attack but Dimma just isn''t a great strategist.
- Take your last point - Balta was wasted today: this guy can really mark it, runs hard and can kick it 60m. But Dimma never thought of utilising him just forward of the centre moving into CHF where he would have offered another threat that could have pulled some of the pack of defenders lurking deep just awaiting our long bombs into Tom/Jack territory. This was possible with Balta since Swans hardly had a tall forward in. Could have covered him by sending Pickett or KMac back.
- Could have gone really tall with Chol sent forward in bursts too while Soldo rucked. Surely someone could have clunked a few.
- Overall, if Swans playing so many back, equal up more to force a free, turnover, or just get snap shots at goal. Lock the ball in, scale up the pressure until their defence cracks.
- We are struggling to score because we have become so predictable in attack. Have very little presence on the ground I50; lack of pressure, lack of reading the ball off the packs, lack of shots on goal. (Felt Papley was the most dangerous forward in the game, always looked a threat. By contrast, our FL looks like a desert once the ball is spoilt in the air. Rioli no presence; Castagna continuall stuff-ups, can no longer read where the ball's going, poor positioning)
- Does he ever think of telling Tom to play the decoy; currently opp knows wher our kicks are going about 80% of i50s (today to a guy with a bung hand)
- Our only other option was marking in a forward pocket, but low % to score
- Too often guys won't just kick it over the pack for a goal when within range, instead just lob it into the melee in front of our goals - hot-spot, for another rebound out.
Overall, Dimma is a great people-person, not a great tactician. We really miss the astuteness of Caracella IMHO.
