(08-28-2022, 12:45 PM)DJC date Wrote:Always quick dismiss anyone else's ability to watch and analyse games of footy while enjoying the spectacle LP :Not dismissive at all, just observing stuff that really matters, but not ball watching. Perhaps the masterstroke was the MC, naming Mirkov but not playing him.
(08-28-2022, 01:05 PM)shawny link Wrote:Not sure how anyone who watched the game today can say with a straight face that Cripps was even serviceable.Next thing you will be posting that Kreuzer was a spud and we should draft Warnock.
The kid is miles off it and hardly touched the ball.
Just like Pittonet early in the AFL season, the influence Kreuzer has had over Cripps as a ruck coach was obvious yesterday. Taps are just about the least interesting or important aspect of the ruck play, there are so very few clean taps it's all the other stuff that is far more important, positioning, managing space, blocking and shepherds.
If you don't believe my "taps are not that important" assertion go back and watch AFL season highlights for whenever stoppages go uncontested and see how few work out effective.
Players like Dow or Setterfield cannot collect and dispose the footy if opposition rucks have a free run at pegging them, both benefitted greatly yesterday from Cripps working to control his opponents access to the footy or the ball carrier, something Mirkov is yet to learn and has been starkly shown to us in several games this season including the infamous Frankston game.
The Filth ran with two ultra-mobile ruck options, I presume they thought Mirkov was going to play and they would easily run off him because in the second half of this season he ball watches. But Mirkov didn't play and the Filth mobile rucks had little influence on the result.
Cripps and Akuei did a great job, but not the same job.
"Ruck, ruck, ruck, ruck ....... Ruck, ruck, ruck, ruck"