What to do with Dal

[spert]

I'm a bit worried about how NDS is progressing - great skills but after a few seasons, has still not learnt the art of breaking taggers and is tagged out of so many important games..seems a real one-paced player who doesn't lift when needed. Once tagged, he is a goner in our engine room. I would put him in the forward line and start looking at someone else to play the midfielder role????

[bigcarl]

I would put him in the forward line and start looking at someone else to play the midfielder role????

whack him on the forward flank for a while and chuck gilbert on the ball. win/win

[eppo67]

Agree with you spert BUT you will see a different Dal when he has a fully fit Ball and Hayes next to him. And when the left footed young Greg BURNS (Armo) develops he will explode.

He is an outside finishing player. At tht moment he is have to do too much inside bullocking stuff and that is just not his thing. It is not where his skill and value are. His skill is fwd of the clearences but we just cant release hin there yet until our slowish midfield develops further.

[meher baba]

He is an outside finishing player. At tht moment he is have to do too much inside bullocking stuff and that is just not his thing. It is not where his skill and value are.

Agree 100%, but not so sure I agree with the next comment.

His skill is fwd of the clearences but we just cant release hin there yet until our slowish midfield develops further.

NDS has certainly been playing either on the inside or towards the backline throughout most games this season. This was perfectly understandable when we down to 25 or so fit players, but Lyon has persisted with the tactic even when he does have other options.

It reminds me of the way we brought in Attard as a backup player and persisted with him past the point at which our team was crying out for more creativity. Then we finally did drop him and gave the likes of Raph a run against Freo, and look what happened.

As I have said before - and, for my sins, have been howled down by Torquemada wannabes like Teflon (look it up on Wikipedia, Teffers) - the current approach of our club (not just the coach, but the selectors too) is too inflexible and defensive.

They should led NDS off the leash against the Tigers and see what he can do.

[bigcarl]

for my sins, have been howled down by Torquemada wannabes like Teflon

what a sledge.

you're right. we have been too defensive and preoccupied with match-ups and it has probably cost us a crack at the flag this year. i've seen signs over the past fortnight that this is changing, but too late imo.

[Dan Warna]

how old are ball and dal? 22?23?

IMO he wont be at his best for a couple of seasons yet.

also we should seriously look at reimplimenting the strategy Loris and was it HD or HSV? noted the weanies used blake.

I can't see why we can't use it.

it worked for us till mid 04 when the umpires cleaned us up.

seems its not being umpired now, so lets use it.

give the ball to dal and have fiora/blake/goose step infront of his tagger and drop the shoulder into his chest a la whelan.

[eppo67]

Baba look at the goals he has kicked this year. Winning goal against W/Coast in Perth his goal against Freo etc. Only looks damaging when he is fwd of the clearence . He is wasted sweeping back.

I definately think he is a goal kicking flanker mid. He will be killed in we try and turn him into a J.Bowden type.

[Joffa Burns]

Pretty easy IMO.

Give him some midfield support, creat some blocks at stoppages and get a fitness base into him to gut run and he will be unstoppable.

[Dan Warna]

Pretty easy IMO.

Give him some midfield support, creat some blocks at stoppages and get a fitness base into him to gut run and he will be unstoppable.

IMO that is currently permitted we should use it.

I used to love powell stepping out and dropping his bony shoulder into the chest of his tagger.

[Joffa Burns]

Pretty easy IMO.

Give him some midfield support, creat some blocks at stoppages and get a fitness base into him to gut run and he will be unstoppable.

IMO that is currently permitted we should use it.

I used to love powell stepping out and dropping his bony shoulder into the chest of his tagger.

Maybe Bakes at centre bounces and bigger bodied players like Maguire around stoppages.

[Dan Warna]

Pretty easy IMO.

Give him some midfield support, creat some blocks at stoppages and get a fitness base into him to gut run and he will be unstoppable.

IMO that is currently permitted we should use it.

I used to love powell stepping out and dropping his bony shoulder into the chest of his tagger.

Maybe Bakes at centre bounces and bigger bodied players like Maguire around stoppages.

powell and baker used to do it from memory.

they would step out from behind the ruckman and get the tagger who was just not aware that the player was going to walk backwards or sideways etc.

IMO its something that any player can do if they are drilled and disciplined.

[Dal'sGal26]

Whatever we do, he better be out of the backline next year!!!!!

[carn_sainter]

Dal gets a hard time around here

Yes, he does get beaten from time to time, but the perception of him as fragile is unfair

The main thing that annoys me about dal is that he takes our kick ins

I think this is absurd…all our kick ins are just basic 30m passes to free men in the pocket…anyone can do them

But we let our best user, the guy you want with the ball kicking up to and beyond half forward, take this simple task

He then just hangs around in the D50 while we try and sort things out…he doesn’t get to run free and find space, he’s not given the opportunity

I reckon play him in milne’s role alternating with stints at the centre bounce

A half forward can get free up on the wing pretty easily, especially if he is changing from centre clearance to the edge of the square at the bounce

If the opposition wanna tag, make em tag guys like hayes and ball who do all their work with in close hands anyway and would be much more unaffected by taggers

If they still wanna tag dal when he is at half forward, they lose a stopper around the ball

It’s also easier to shake a tag if you’re leading up to the ball as opposed to having to win it at a clearance…give him decent delivery as he leads and the tagger won’t be able to do much…he then turns with the ball within 90m of goal and can do some damage with it…

[BAM! (shhhh)]

Personally, I think having Dal between the HB line and mids as his rotation is a good idea. He's such a good kick that it doesn't matter if the Saints are playing fast or slow, whether he's loose or in traffic, he'll find a good option.

He's one of the most effective ball users in the AFL, and can set up the play in ways our other mids cannot.

Of course, he'll be good wherever you put him, but if he can be that effective as an inside mid and playing towards the back end, will moving him to the outside and forward of the ball really lead to more goals? Or will it just create more quality players who aren't receiving the ball? I've certainly been a fan in the past when he's been moved forward to shake a tag, but in general, 18 disposals from a tagged Dal are still worth 21 from most other midfielders (and that's just doing the disposal eff. math, not taking into account vision, k/h ratio, or anything else I can't quantify) which would be considered a good result.