This post on St K's drafting/list is so goddamn on the money ...

[David-Lee]

Just did some light addition on the investment in Freezer for all the resources invested my estimate is $195000. To trade him with ZERO affective return churns my guts as a businessman.

Are you excluding his wage?

No wage component just resources spent. ALOT of expensive ALLIED HEALTH professionals.

[David-Lee]

Just did some light addition on the investment in Freezer for all the resources invested my estimate is $195000. To trade him with ZERO affective return churns my guts as a businessman.

“Businessman?” Interesting.

Any business decision involves a degree of risk.

You move on, quickly.

It’s a sunk cost anyway.

Any good “businessman” worth their salt would know that.

Business may involve risk.
Success is costly.

No business person on earth walks away from an unproven investment. 2 games that were okay was a good start on a potential return. A healthy preseason may equal significant return.

If he failed to stay healthy in the preseason that is when a clever choice would be made.

I never work my ass off then say feck it just when it starts to trickle a return.

[SaintPav]

Just did some light addition on the investment in Freezer for all the resources invested my estimate is $195000. To trade him with ZERO affective return churns my guts as a businessman.

“Businessman?” Interesting.

Any business decision involves a degree of risk.

You move on, quickly.

It’s a sunk cost anyway.

Any good “businessman” worth their salt would know that.

Business may involve risk.
Success is costly.

No business person on earth walks away from an unproven investment. 2 games that were okay was a good start on a potential return. A healthy preseason may equal significant return.

If he failed to stay healthy in the preseason that is when a clever choice would be made.

I never work my ass off then say feck it just when it starts to trickle a return.

I'd have kept him and Goddard, but..

My point is, which others have made on here as well, is that you don't let your future business decision making be influenced or blinded by past decisions including costs already incurred. Bad strategy.

[maverick]

I've noticed we generally get hold of the footy more than the enemy. What though, are our stats' for metres gained?

I reckon they'd show that our possession numbers and 'disposal efficiency' are falsely boosted due to going backwards and sideways.

The why-we-get-beaten kick for us has long been that key kick to the player who is actually in a position to hurt the enemy.
This post is spot on

We will never know
Because this is the kick that does not have the margin for error of the easy kick to a bloke on his own behind the play.

This is the kick that requires the precision skills.

Spot on! Exactly how I see it.

Statistics are misleading, as usual. Rodgerfox is reading the disposal stats outside of the context of a real game.
I think, because of our team's overall poor kicking skills (in general play), we've been coached (especially in our back line - but even across the middle of the ground) to chip the ball around with some backwards and sideways stuff, say 2 or 3 chipping kicks across our backline, first, before we kick it long to release a player who's managed to isolate themselves - where they have run 3 or 4 metres clear of their opponent. So even our poor kicking skills are sufficient to deliver the long releasing ball to them - given this 3 or 4 metre gap.

All this chipping around will of course boost the disposal efficiency stat. But it's not going to win you games and is just postponing the inevitable.
Because in general play - we're not talking about chipping here - that's where the Burgoynes, the MacVeighs etc..these players with elite kicking skills - they can kick the ball to a team mate half a metre clear of their opponent. They can operate with this minimal margin of error - of a half a metre.
What's more, the ball gets to their team mate (or to their team mate's advantage) quickly - with minimal air time. And that's when our collective jaws drop.These elite users of the ball can do this even when they are put under pressure.

It's that final kick into our forward 50 that's really letting us down badly - and it's not because we've been coached to bomb it in, it's because we lack accurate, penetrating kicks - that can get the ball quickly and accurately to a team mate forward.
We need to recruit players like that. We need a core of these elite disposers of the ball -- to be a good team.
(We let one good one go in Tom Lynch - we could have used his long, low, penetrating kicks hitting our forwards lace out, instead of the Adelaide forwards).

Great post
We invite the pressure because of the chipping around which causes players to rush and panic and then turn it over
The confidence goes and then we give up
All of that is gameplan and coaching
It is why richo has to go
I still believe we have enough talent to be in the 8
If clarko coached us and richo coached the Hawks we would almost swap spots in the 8
We will never know sadly

[Cairnsman]

Just did some light addition on the investment in Freezer for all the resources invested my estimate is $195000. To trade him with ZERO affective return churns my guts as a businessman.

Would he have been on the minimum wage contract, is it 80k/year?

Was he with us for 5 years?

There's 400k right there, as a minimum.

Did you leave of a zero?

[whiskers3614]

Just did some light addition on the investment in Freezer for all the resources invested my estimate is $195000. To trade him with ZERO affective return churns my guts as a businessman.

Would he have been on the minimum wage contract, is it 80k/year?

Was he with us for 5 years?

There's 400k right there, as a minimum.

Did you leave of a zero?

No was with us 3years at a reported $300k per annum!
The million plus wasted on him is no reason to hold on to him if they believe he was not up to it.
Let's wait and apply the principle often applied to GT, i.e. if he is so good some other team will pick him up for a bargain.
Guess many on here fear another Joel Smith situation!

[samoht]

Great post
We invite the pressure because of the chipping around which causes players to rush and panic and then turn it over
The confidence goes and then we give up
All of that is gameplan and coaching
It is why richo has to go
I still believe we have enough talent to be in the 8
If clarko coached us and richo coached the Hawks we would almost swap spots in the 8
We will never know sadly

Nice try!
We didn't recruit elite users of the ball over the last 5-12 years, that's why we're a bottom team (and the injuries haven't helped us this year).
Despite this, no team was able to really get a hold of us this year - our biggest loss was only 54 points. We didn't capitulate.

When Hawthorn was picking players with elite skills like Burgoyne, etc, and the other top teams were also bringing in silk ... our recruiters were picking their nose.
Our recruiters have brought us to where we're at.
Did Buckley suddenly become a great coach - or does he have his recruiters to thank? Same with Hardwick? The answer is they both have their recruiters to thank!
Clarko does too!!

[maverick]

Great post
We invite the pressure because of the chipping around which causes players to rush and panic and then turn it over
The confidence goes and then we give up
All of that is gameplan and coaching
It is why richo has to go
I still believe we have enough talent to be in the 8
If clarko coached us and richo coached the Hawks we would almost swap spots in the 8
We will never know sadly

Nice try!
We didn't recruit elite users of the ball over the last 5-12 years, that's why we're a bottom team (and the injuries haven't helped us this year).
When Hawthorn was picking Burgoyne, etc, and the other top teams were also bringing in silk ... our recruiters were picking their nose.
Despite this, no team was able to really get a hold of us this year - our biggest loss was only 54 points. We didn't capitulate.

Really
Billings
Membrey
Sinclair
Gresham

All elite users of the ball
But what has happened to them?
Ball movement is appalling and confidence shot
Can't blame recruiting or skills
It's solely development

[samoht]

Ball movement is appalling because we don't have A grade players with elite skills - relative to the better teams. And I wonder why that is??

Really, these players you've named are good under pressure? Gresham is the only one maybe (as he twists and turns) - and Membrey is a forward - so we need to get the ball to him.
Billings skills don't hold up under pressure. He's good when he's running free.

Steele (who you haven't named) is the only player that I'd consider has skills that hold up under pressure - and he developed under Richo. (and I'm not saying Richo or anyone is a good coach - Steele developed himself, as far as I'm concerned).
Who are our A grade midfielders who are elite users of the ball? Ross - no, Steven - no, Dunstan - no --- who?? Can you think of one?

We needed A grade midfielders with elite skills - but our recruiters had other ideas.

So how do we expect to compete against the better teams with their A grade elite-skilled players?

[maverick]

Steven - no
Ross - good
Gresham - yes hff
Acres - yes hbf
Billings - yes hff
Dunstan - no
Steele - yes
Clark - yes hbf
Coffield - yes hbf
Armitage - good
Newnes - good hbf

Problem is how many of them are mids?
Not the ball use in question it's the type of player and recruit we pick

Hawks have plenty of poor users
Stratton
Hardwick
Dureya
Frawley
Shiels
Brand

All poor ball users
They just have guns around them and are coached to have more time. How many times do you see Hawks players under pressure. We wouldn't even know what their skills are like under pressure

[samoht]

Steven - no
Ross - good
Gresham - yes hff
Acres - yes hbf
Billings - yes hff
Dunstan - no
Steele - yes
Clark - yes hbf
Coffield - yes hbf
Armitage - good
Newnes - good hbf

Problem is how many of them are mids?
Not the ball use in question it's the type of player and recruit we pick

Hawks have plenty of poor users
Stratton
Hardwick
Dureya
Frawley
Shiels
Brand

All poor ball users
They just have guns around them and are coached to have more time. How many times do you see Hawks players under pressure. We wouldn't even know what their skills are like under pressure

The Hawk's worst is our best.
Ross is not an elite user of the ball (far from it), Clark and Coffield are just kids and are in an out of the team (they may eventually become A grade and elite), Armo is not an elite user of the ball. Acres is average. Everyone was tearing shreds off Newnes for butchering the ball, now he's good?
We really do need to improve our recruiting and start going after these A grade elite users - our players may need to take a pay cut, like the Hawk players were prepared to - so that we can go after the A graders.
Hardwick is an elite user - the opposite of what you said.
Above all, we need A grade midfielders who are excellent users of the ball (and have needed them for years - even one would be nice) - we'll see what our recruiters do about it.

[maverick]

Yep he butchers the ball in midfield and up forward not at half back
Watch him hit up perfect kicks in the last game against north off half back
Coached out of position
Good doesn't mean elite but it doesn't mean crap
I would have thought the last 5 years drafting means last year too but hey

[maverick]

Hardwick is a spud of the highest order

[samoht]

Hardwick is a spud of the highest order

But a spud who's an excellent user of the ball - even it's off half back. He was also a noted sharp shooter up forward - you must be judging him on one game.

Anyway, back to us - we need A grade midfielders. A couple would be nice.

The article was spot on regarding our scattergun approach to recruiting - our recruiting needs to improve.
As I keep saying, you can always replace a coach and/or change a game plan and reset - that's easy - but there's no coming back from poor recruiting.

[rodgerfox]

Hardwick is a spud of the highest order

But a spud who's an excellent user of the ball - even it's off half back. He was also a noted sharp shooter up forward - you must be judging him on one game.

Anyway, back to us - we need A grade midfielders. A couple would be nice.

The article was spot on regarding our scattergun approach to recruiting - our recruiting needs to improve.
As I keep saying, you can always replace a coach and/or change a game plan and reset - that's easy - but there's no coming back from poor recruiting.

But who did we miss that we should have got? Not 'could' have got, as there are hundreds of them for all clubs - but 'should' have got?

[The_President]

Freeman call was the right one. Anyone who thinks any different believes in fairytales.

5 years, two games. No explosiveness, no penetration in his kicking. Anyone who watched a handful of Sandy games could see that. Got a lot of handballs and then hit a target with a Rob Harvey 15-25m pass.

This is the first sign of the club being ruthless and moving forward.

If by all accounts some young guys want out because of Richo, I hope he is next in line.


I’ve always been confused by how quick the media and then the supporters have been to say how poor our list is.
Going in to 2018 we had the second or third youngest lost and the equal second least experienced list... those guys all got some experience.

Billings will be a jet, when he isn’t played as a deep forward and is allowed to roam around the middle free, he is elite in kicking and goal assists.
Gresham kicked something like 35.20 for the year and had 20+ assists. He kicked 22 of his goals against the top 8. Kid will be a star.

Membrey will only get better when he kicks straight all year and isn’t the number 1 target.

Acres was on fire early before getting injured. Give him a solid pre season and play him on a wing all year and see what he can develop

Jack Steele is going to be an absolute gun for us. From memory he hasn’t had much of a pre season the last two years(?) his finish to the season was pretty incredible.

Ben Long will excite for years to come

The Marshall/Pierce combo actually looks impressive

I think our main issue right now is that our list is really unbalanced and we need to look at it and just be ruthless.

Membrey, Paddy, Bruce, Battle, Marshall - They don’t all fit, who misses out?
Membrey has probably been the most consistent. Bruce kicked 50 a few years ago but has been disappointing since.
Marshall has show a lot of promise and I really hope we keep going with him next year


Ross, Steele, Dunstan, Armo, Steven, Acres
Just seems very one dimensional. None of these guys have really been effective when played anywhere else other than the middle. Steven is an elite line breaker when he isn’t getting tagged and Steele is just going to be a monster.
Acres is still up in the air.


Hickey, Longer, Marshall, Pierce
Please just keep going with the two young guys


Gilbo, Savage, Webster, Geary, Rice, White, Roberton, McKenzie
All of them are that small/medium sized defender who can run and kick but none of them have really progressed into anything other than that. At what point do we start getting more games into White/Rice instead of Gilbo/Savage/McKenzie?


List management just need to sit down, decide what combo’s they think will give us the most going forward and then use the others to either get players to fill the gaps that we have or get pucks and draft to fill those voids.

[samoht]

Hardwick is a spud of the highest order

But a spud who's an excellent user of the ball - even it's off half back. He was also a noted sharp shooter up forward - you must be judging him on one game.

Anyway, back to us - we need A grade midfielders. A couple would be nice.

The article was spot on regarding our scattergun approach to recruiting - our recruiting needs to improve.
As I keep saying, you can always replace a coach and/or change a game plan and reset - that's easy - but there's no coming back from poor recruiting.

But who did we miss that we should have got? Not 'could' have got, as there are hundreds of them for all clubs - but 'should' have got?

It's not only about who we should have got, it's also about finally having a plan, understanding our needs and going after quality.
For instance, if we need A grade midfielders - that's what we should be going after - and we should be single-minded about it.

We have 3 or 4 C grade ruckmen, already , so why are we looking at Lycett, another C grader (if the rumour is true)?
We need to focus on the next Burgoyne, Treloar, Mitchell, Gaff, Dangerfield, Kelly etc..- especially the A grade midfielders who are elite users of the ball - save our bickies for that.
Rankine sounds like he has the X factor we need? It'll be interesting to see what we end up doing with this pick - I wouldn't put anything past our recruiters.
We have a lot of catching up - we've recruited haphazardly over so many years. We need to focus on our needs - go in with a plan - and nail our recruiting from now on.

[rodgerfox]

Hardwick is a spud of the highest order

But a spud who's an excellent user of the ball - even it's off half back. He was also a noted sharp shooter up forward - you must be judging him on one game.

Anyway, back to us - we need A grade midfielders. A couple would be nice.

The article was spot on regarding our scattergun approach to recruiting - our recruiting needs to improve.
As I keep saying, you can always replace a coach and/or change a game plan and reset - that's easy - but there's no coming back from poor recruiting.

But who did we miss that we should have got? Not 'could' have got, as there are hundreds of them for all clubs - but 'should' have got?

It's not only about who we should have got, it's also about finally having a plan, understanding our needs and going after quality.
For instance, if we need A grade midfielders - that's what we should be going after - and we should be single-minded about it.

We have 3 or 4 C grade ruckmen, already , so why are we looking at Lycett, another C grader (if the rumour is true)?
We need to focus on the next Burgoyne, Treloar, Mitchell, Gaff, Dangerfield, Kelly etc..- especially the A grade midfielders who are elite users of the ball - save our bickies for that.
Rankine sounds like he has the X factor we need? It'll be interesting to see what we end up doing with this pick - I wouldn't put anything past our recruiters.
We have a lot of catching up - we've recruited haphazardly over so many years. We need to focus on our needs - go in with a plan - and nail our recruiting from now on.

But without getting Hickey and Longer - who would we have? We'd be sitting here bemoaning a lack of ruckmen.

If we didn't get Bruce and Membrey, we'd be bemoaning a lack of key forwards.

If we didn't get Carlisle and Brown and Austin we'd be bemoaning a lack of key position defenders.

I read a post about two years ago stating that running backs was our achilles heal - but the club addressed this and has recruited a few and tried to develop others in that role.

The club did recruit Steele, Gresham and Billings. And then Clark and Coffield. Gresham and Billings were considered 'elite' kicks in the U18s and were both touted as mids. Jack Steven is out best player, and I'd wager they anticipated guys like Newnes becoming mids too.


I don't think the recruitment has been all that haphazard at all. It's been very much in line with Richardson's philosophy on football.

My opinion is simply that we have no decent senior group, which stifles the development of the middle tier and young guys. Add to that, we're pathetically coached with no AFL level system and game plan to work with.

[rodgerfox]

Freeman call was the right one. Anyone who thinks any different believes in fairytales.

5 years, two games. No explosiveness, no penetration in his kicking. Anyone who watched a handful of Sandy games could see that. Got a lot of handballs and then hit a target with a Rob Harvey 15-25m pass.

This is the first sign of the club being ruthless and moving forward.

I do agree, however he did make the point on the radio the other day that he's never done a pre-season.


I wouldn't have argued if they at least gave him that opportunity to see what level he could improve to.

[rodgerfox]

We have 3 or 4 C grade ruckmen, already , so why are we looking at Lycett, another C grader (if the rumour is true)?

I actually that as yet another indictment on Richardson and his philosophies.


Pierce has by a mile, outperformed both Longer and Hickey in the couple of games he played.

The club would be off their nut to not keep playing him. Watching him, you immediately think to yourself "s***, that dude is a genuine 250 game ruckman in the making".

Yet not only was he not getting picked ahead of Hickey and Longer - he wasn't even playing at Sandy!!


I don't blame the club one bit for sussing out Lycett at the half way mark of the season. Being in our team with Longer or Hickey as your no. 1 ruck makes your job nigh on impossible! However we had a genuinely decent young ruckman on the list already!

Now, I look at Pierce and think the club would be off their nut to pay big bucks to Lycett!


You just have to wonder how many other decent players there are in the two's either being taught how to play like an unskilled plodder, or being played out of the position entirely and not getting a look in behind Richardson's favourites.

[minneapolis]

Well going by the two ITKs on BF tonight a number of our better younger players want to be traded.

List seems to be in turmoil.

I am just hoping like hell we end up with a reasonable list once the dust is settled. But I am fearful that we will lose some good younger players and bring in a fleet of mature players, but all of whom have question marks on them.

And confirmining this... a recent post in another thread.

It’s begun. J.B. Has requested a trade if changes aren’t made. Don’t think I have to tell you what the change has to be. Three others will follow suit.

Correct

As I said, you could tell by looking at his face and his demeanour after kicking a goal that he wasn't sure he wanted to be there.

[rodgerfox]

We have 3 or 4 C grade ruckmen, already , so why are we looking at Lycett, another C grader (if the rumour is true)?

I actually that as yet another indictment on Richardson and his philosophies.


Pierce has by a mile, outperformed both Longer and Hickey in the couple of games he played.

The club would be off their nut to not keep playing him. Watching him, you immediately think to yourself "s***, that dude is a genuine 250 game ruckman in the making".

Yet not only was he not getting picked ahead of Hickey and Longer - he wasn't even playing at Sandy!!


I don't blame the club one bit for sussing out Lycett at the half way mark of the season. Being in our team with Longer or Hickey as your no. 1 ruck makes your job nigh on impossible! However we had a genuinely decent young ruckman on the list already!

Now, I look at Pierce and think the club would be off their nut to pay big bucks to Lycett!


You just have to wonder how many other decent players there are in the two's either being taught how to play like an unskilled plodder, or being played out of the position entirely and not getting a look in behind Richardson's favourites.

[maverick]

We have 3 or 4 C grade ruckmen, already , so why are we looking at Lycett, another C grader (if the rumour is true)?

I actually that as yet another indictment on Richardson and his philosophies.


Pierce has by a mile, outperformed both Longer and Hickey in the couple of games he played.

The club would be off their nut to not keep playing him. Watching him, you immediately think to yourself "s***, that dude is a genuine 250 game ruckman in the making".

Yet not only was he not getting picked ahead of Hickey and Longer - he wasn't even playing at Sandy!!


I don't blame the club one bit for sussing out Lycett at the half way mark of the season. Being in our team with Longer or Hickey as your no. 1 ruck makes your job nigh on impossible! However we had a genuinely decent young ruckman on the list already!

Now, I look at Pierce and think the club would be off their nut to pay big bucks to Lycett!


You just have to wonder how many other decent players there are in the two's either being taught how to play like an unskilled plodder, or being played out of the position entirely and not getting a look in behind Richardson's favourites.

So true
The pierce thing is strange, how he can come in and play that well and richo hasn't even seen him live is astounding.
I will keep saying our coaches and gameplan bring pressure on and assist poor disposal and decision making.

[guitars4]

We have 3 or 4 C grade ruckmen, already , so why are we looking at Lycett, another C grader (if the rumour is true)?

I actually that as yet another indictment on Richardson and his philosophies.


Pierce has by a mile, outperformed both Longer and Hickey in the couple of games he played.

The club would be off their nut to not keep playing him. Watching him, you immediately think to yourself "s***, that dude is a genuine 250 game ruckman in the making".

Yet not only was he not getting picked ahead of Hickey and Longer - he wasn't even playing at Sandy!!


I don't blame the club one bit for sussing out Lycett at the half way mark of the season. Being in our team with Longer or Hickey as your no. 1 ruck makes your job nigh on impossible! However we had a genuinely decent young ruckman on the list already!

Now, I look at Pierce and think the club would be off their nut to pay big bucks to Lycett!


You just have to wonder how many other decent players there are in the two's either being taught how to play like an unskilled plodder, or being played out of the position entirely and not getting a look in behind Richardson's favourites.

So true
The pierce thing is strange, how he can come in and play that well and richo hasn't even seen him live is astounding.
I will keep saying our coaches and gameplan bring pressure on and assist poor disposal and decision making.

I agree with you but do we really have a game plan? We usually get blown out of the water in the first quarter & spend the the next 3 making sure we come away with an honourable 30/40 point loss so Richo can go to the press conference & say
we were smashed in the contested ball & just butchered the ball but it was really pleasing the way we got back into the contest & we can take some positives out of the game & will will hit the track & train really strongly & we will coach really strongly ,leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the problem

[Dave McNamara]

I've noticed we generally get hold of the footy more than the enemy. What though, are our stats' for metres gained?

I reckon they'd show that our possession numbers and 'disposal efficiency' are falsely boosted due to going backwards and sideways.

The why-we-get-beaten kick for us has long been that key kick to the player who is actually in a position to hurt the enemy.

Because this is the kick that does not have the margin for error of the easy kick to a bloke on his own behind the play.

This is the kick that requires the precision skills.

Spot on! Exactly how I see it.

Statistics are misleading, as usual. Rodgerfox is reading the disposal stats outside of the context of a real game.
I think, because of our team's overall poor kicking skills (in general play), we've been coached (especially in our back line - but even across the middle of the ground) to chip the ball around with some backwards and sideways stuff, say 2 or 3 chipping kicks across our backline, first, before we kick it long to release a player who's managed to isolate themselves - where they have run 3 or 4 metres clear of their opponent. So even our poor kicking skills are sufficient to deliver the long releasing ball to them - given this 3 or 4 metre gap.

All this chipping around will of course boost the disposal efficiency stat. But it's not going to win you games and is just postponing the inevitable.
Because in general play - we're not talking about chipping here - that's where the Burgoynes, the MacVeighs etc..these players with elite kicking skills - they can kick the ball to a team mate half a metre clear of their opponent. They can operate with this minimal margin of error - of a half a metre.
What's more, the ball gets to their team mate (or to their team mate's advantage) quickly - with minimal air time. And that's when our collective jaws drop.These elite users of the ball can do this even when they are put under pressure.

It's that final kick into our forward 50 that's really letting us down badly - and it's not because we've been coached to bomb it in, it's because we lack accurate, penetrating kicks - that can get the ball quickly and accurately to a team mate forward.
We need to recruit players like that. We need a core of these elite disposers of the ball -- to be a good team.
(We let one good one go in Tom Lynch - we could have used his long, low, penetrating kicks hitting our forwards lace out, instead of the Adelaide forwards).

I think you worded it a bit better than me Sam. So thanks.

The issue therefore is what to do about this. Long term answer is recruit blokes who can kick.

In the interim,
IMHO we should be utilizing our best current best kicks to be the blokes with ball in hand when it's time for the crucial kick to be executed.
So the bloke delivering into our forward line should be the likes of Billings, Sinclair, Sav (on a switched on day), Clarke, Coffield, Robbo' (we sure missed you), Jimmy W (just concentrate though Jimmy!), White (ha, hah, that's if Richo' will actually play you mate), Snowy... and most ideally of all... the best bloody kick in the whole team... Bailey Rice! (Sack Ben Dixon, and give his gig to Bails'!)

The long bomb is a very legitimate tactic. But use it sparingly, and appropriately! It's especially appropriate when we get a chance to kick to even numbers in our forward line. (Oh, wait on... ) And with the long bomb, even a poor kick can direct their kick in the general direction of the right or the left of the contest that they're kicking to, so as to put it to our bloke's advantage.

Similarly, if our bloke is in front, the kick should err on the short side, and if our bloke is behind, kick the hell out of the thing and try to clear the enemy defender.


As for our 'lesser skilled' kicks, like Gears'... they should be played further back, so if they have to kick, it will generally be the lower risk 'backline' type kicks. Or better still, they don't kick it. Instead someone runs past for the handball. This is why the kicking of the likes of Gears' or Gilbo shouldn't actually have to be such a problem for us. And the other bonus... stops us being stagnant.

The caveat to all this, is that when we're hemmed into defense, we need to get some of our better kicks back their also, as that's when backline kicks can also require precision.

Alternatively, one short kick or handball, then, shepherd for the receiver to be able to run 10-20+ metres, then bomb it long straight down the guts and over the opposition press. That tactic requires us to also have our fastest blokes in position for the subsequent foot race. Doing this will keep the opposition press a bit more honest too.


So basically, set up the game plan/s to cater for the skill set of the blokes that we currently have! (This IMHO, strikes me as arguably Richo's greatest coaching failure of all, btw.)