Forwardline Pressure

[LENNY LEADS THE WAY]

Was really missing watching some footy so i decided to watch a few games from the streak Dvd.

There was 1 thing that stood out so clearly and that was forward line pressure.

The 2 masters of forwardline pressure in Hamill and Guerra are well and truly gone my question is who can replace these 2 in the pressurs stakes.

Roo and Kosi just to big and rarely chase down with Succes Milne we'll he's milne we all no the story there he's not exactly in the team for his abillity to put on pressure.

so in 08 who can turn the heat up and cause pressure?

Schneider, Gilbert, Baker (after round 5) Ball,

Any ideas i think our forwardline needs toughning up.

[mad saint guy]

Don't bring players in just to apply pressure. Every player on the list is capable of chasing and tackling. Not everyone needs to be Sam Gilbert or Aaron Hamill to apply effective forward line pressure.

Riewoldt can do it.
Kosi can do it.
Milne tries and when he tackles around the hips he usually brings the opposition player down. Too often though he either wraps his arms around their neck and gives away a free kick or tries to tackle around the chest.

Forwards should be in the side because they will create goals. Because they are in the side they should be expected to apply defensive pressure.

[kickittokosi!!!!]

i think this is the very reason why some people here are suggesting Baker up foward: quick(ish), not a bad kick + can tackle well.

But i would see this as a bit of a waste of his tagging abilities on the opposition's no.1 midfielder.

X Clarke is a name that springs to mind, but in order to be a successful 'forward pressure' type of player, he would certainly need to add a bit of bulk not to mention be able to run out a full game.

Hopefully X can have a big pre-season, otherwise... I think if Armitage cannot pull off a regular midfield position in 08, than this could be a project role for him (for next season).

Not sure re: schnieder... always seen him as a more attacking/pportunistic small forward (i.e Milne) rather than a player who can impose forward pressure. hopefully i'm wrong.

It will be interesting to see how RL plays it.
Go saints in 08!

[rodgerfox]

Hamill and Guerra were huge losses in that regard.

Milne played his best footy when Hamill was in the side, due mainly to the pressure that Hamill created. More pressure, more fumbles and more turnovers - therefore more loose balls and crumbs.

MadSaintGuy does raise a good point in that everyone has the abiliity to chase and tackle, however I do believe that it's something that comes more naturally to some players.

Lenny and Bally are brilliant tacklers. Hamill was the best I've ever seen.

X does put on pressure, but doesn't really make tackles stick. It's not just an issue in the F50 for us - tackles that stick are a problem all across the ground.

The AFL release stats on tackles, but I've never seen an 'effective tackles' stat. One where you either get a free kick, a loose ball or the opponent doesn't dispose of the ball. This is the one stat in footy that I really want to see.

That was the difference in that fateful Prelim in 05. Sydney's tackles stuck, ours didn't. When it really counted, we could break lines and Sydney could.

Bakes would help up forward with this, but as said above it is robbing Peter to pay Paul a bit. Although based on our scoring ability last year, I'd say Paul needs more help than Peter does at the moment.


People looked for all sorts of reasons for our 'downward spiral' from 04-07, but you need look no further than pressure and intensity. Pressure and intensity which injured players simply can't provide.

For mine the loss and injuries of Hamill, Lenny, Goose and Ball (and to a lsser extent Guerra) are the sole reason we don't have at least one more silver Cup in the cupboard at Moorabbin.

These guys apply pressure and intensity better than anyone. When they're not there are aren't fit, it hurts.

[Oh When the Saints]

Terrific post rodgerfox. Agree 100%.

[barneyboyz]

Hamill and Guerra were huge losses in that regard.

Milne played his best footy when Hamill was in the side, due mainly to the pressure that Hamill created. More pressure, more fumbles and more turnovers - therefore more loose balls and crumbs.

MadSaintGuy does raise a good point in that everyone has the abiliity to chase and tackle, however I do believe that it's something that comes more naturally to some players.

Lenny and Bally are brilliant tacklers. Hamill was the best I've ever seen.

X does put on pressure, but doesn't really make tackles stick. It's not just an issue in the F50 for us - tackles that stick are a problem all across the ground.

The AFL release stats on tackles, but I've never seen an 'effective tackles' stat. One where you either get a free kick, a loose ball or the opponent doesn't dispose of the ball. This is the one stat in footy that I really want to see.

That was the difference in that fateful Prelim in 05. Sydney's tackles stuck, ours didn't. When it really counted, we could break lines and Sydney could.

Bakes would help up forward with this, but as said above it is robbing Peter to pay Paul a bit. Although based on our scoring ability last year, I'd say Paul needs more help than Peter does at the moment.


People looked for all sorts of reasons for our 'downward spiral' from 04-07, but you need look no further than pressure and intensity. Pressure and intensity which injured players simply can't provide.

For mine the loss and injuries of Hamill, Lenny, Goose and Ball (and to a lsser extent Guerra) are the sole reason we don't have at least one more silver Cup in the cupboard at Moorabbin.

These guys apply pressure and intensity better than anyone. When they're not there are aren't fit, it hurts.

Interesting also that you could see these things taking place over the last few years; glaring holes in our systems (on ground), the simple fact that even one single injury these days, can take your ability to keep pressure up away, add to this the fact that getting them week in, week out simply blows the whole team confidence. there were times early this season, for instance, where they were frustrated (and ING), because they knew what to do, but had limited ability to actually do it.

I, for it's worth see a marked improvement in these areas next year, as alot of these issues are being finally looked at, make no mistake, this team is in very good hands and they are very much moving forward and I don't want this to turn into a GT this or a RL that, simply, things will be better

[rodgerfox]

I, for it's worth see a marked improvement in these areas next year, as alot of these issues are being finally looked at, make no mistake, this team is in very good hands and they are very much moving forward and I don't want this to turn into a GT this or a RL that, simply, things will be better

Well if Baker, Lenny, Bally and Goose for starters are fit - I think things will be much better. Naturally.

We haven't had all these fit since 04 - funnily enough, when we were very, very hard to beat.

[CURLY]

[

Well if Baker, Lenny, Bally and Goose for starters are fit - I think things will be much better. Naturally.

We haven't had all these fit since 04 - funnily enough, when we were very, very hard to beat.[/quote]

Why would having players fit make any differance to our performance, according to some people on here injuries arent an excuse.

[rodgerfox]

Well if Baker, Lenny, Bally and Goose for starters are fit - I think things will be much better. Naturally.

We haven't had all these fit since 04 - funnily enough, when we were very, very hard to beat.

Why would having players fit make any differance to our performance, according to some people on here injuries arent an excuse.

I'm not one of them.

It makes all the difference.

[CURLY]

Well if Baker, Lenny, Bally and Goose for starters are fit - I think things will be much better. Naturally.

We haven't had all these fit since 04 - funnily enough, when we were very, very hard to beat.

Why would having players fit make any differance to our performance, according to some people on here injuries arent an excuse.

I'm not one of them.

It makes all the difference.

I think some people think we have a stockpile of All Australians running around in the Scorps and all fit under the salary cap and have attracted no interest from any other clubs.

[rodgerfox]

Why would having players fit make any differance to our performance, according to some people on here injuries arent an excuse.

I'm not one of them.

It makes all the difference.

I think some people think we have a stockpile of All Australians running around in the Scorps and all fit under the salary cap and have attracted no interest from any other clubs.

Clearly. And if you can't replace your best and hardest players every week, you have failed in the 'depth' department.

[CURLY]

Why would having players fit make any differance to our performance, according to some people on here injuries arent an excuse.

I'm not one of them.

It makes all the difference.

I think some people think we have a stockpile of All Australians running around in the Scorps and all fit under the salary cap and have attracted no interest from any other clubs.

Clearly. And if you can't replace your best and hardest players every week, you have failed in the 'depth' department.[/quot

Also the one I find the funniest is when all threee of our key defenders were out they say things like play Watts hes 197cm on Brown hes only 193cm whats the problem