How to re-structure?

[hawk_88]

Reports currently suggest that Buddy is about a 20% chance of playing this weekend. So let's assume he isn't. We call ourselves coaches because we play supercoach or dreamteam. Let's try some real coaching and propose and debate how you would structure Hawthorn's 22 this weekend.

This should be a real test of footy nous because there isn't a simple solution, especially with Roughy and Gilly out as well. It is too late for me to put down my thoughts tonight, but I will soon. Go at it, post your structure and matchups, justify them and be ready to defend them!

[MTTY]

They are no doubt stronger without him and will lack height in their forward line. So if Buddy and Bailey were out Hawthorn in my opinion should go in next week with a side like this.

B- Stratton, Gibson, Murphy
HB- Burgoyne, Birchall, Suckling
C- Smith, Shiels, Lewis
HF- Bruest, Hodge , Rioli
F- Renouf, Hale, Osbourne
R- Johnson, Mitchell, Sewell
INTER- Ellis, Guerra, Puopolo
Sub - Young/Savage/Bateman

On the bolded players

Stratton - Needs to come straight back into the defence, to add soem height and balance to the backline.
Birchall - They need to make sure he or Suckling are freed up.
Smith - His run is vital, Hawthorn were at their best when he was tearing down that wing with a number of touches.
Hodge- With the lack of height up front he needs to play as a Key Forward.
Renouf- Needs to come back in to add height if Buddy is out will also allow Hale to play FF for the entire game, by being the one to give ruck support.
Hale- Needs to play FF at all times if Buddy is missing.
Johnson- Played well in round 24 and needs to be considered if Bailey is out, can also offer a lot as a forward.
Young/Savage/Bateman - Need to be added for pace.

[MarkPlow]

bateman should not play he is finished

[hawk_88]

Wow, that is some wholesale changes there. In summary:

Ins: Stratton, Renouf, Johnson, Ellis, Savage (Not including Young as his is still injured and injury has clearly ended Bateman's season)

Outs: Buddy (Bone Bruising), Bailey (calf), Bateman (soreness, I predict), Whitecross, (omit), Schoenmakers (omit)

First off it seems highly likely that Bailey will play this week. I would guess that in that case Johnson wouldn't play in your side.

Clearly you have felt the need to go very tall up forward. I'm not sure how necessary that is given that the Swans defence isn't the tallest. It also means Hale's contested marking around the ground is sacrificed where arguably his marking in our defensive 50 is more important to our structures in getting through the press than he is up forward. It also means you have Renouf rotating through the ruck but spending a lot of time up forward which is probably not his strength, you don't want him kicking for goal, he will predictably hand ball it off.

Not sure why Whitecross got the flick, was probably one of our best on the weekend and in the top 5 over the past month in my opinion.

Stratton is a risk. Hopefully he is match fit and has touch as we do need him.

[hawk_88]

OK, so at first you might look at my side and think it it a bit off. It is an unorthodox structure, but one I think will be effective and I am not playing people in positions they have never played before nor aren't suited to.

Ins: Bruce, Stratton, Savage
Outs: Franklin (bone bruising), Schoenmakers (omit), Bateman (soreness)

Puopolo	Gibson	Stratton
Suckling	Hodge	Birchall
Smith	Mitchell	Lewis
Bruce	Hale	Whitecross
Bruest	Rioli	Burgoyne
Bailey	Sewell	Shiels
Guerra	Murphy	Osbourne	Savage

OK, so there are really two issues that have to be addressed this week at selection.

The first, and the one most will focus on, is losing Buddy. So a plan to get goals has to be made.

The second is a defence that couldn't handle high amounts of contested marking.

Our midfield was poor last week, but there is little structurally you can change there, they just have to player better.


So, you have choices like bringing Lisle into the side. Is a very good leading/presenting forward and takes an OK contested mark. He is a strong option. Another is taking Schoenmakers out of defence where he is struggling and playing him as a forward, which is where he played all of his junior footy. You can make Hale the focal forward but then you lose him in the ruck and around the ground.

There are a few other options as well, but the option I went for was a quicker, shorter forward line. Hale will maintain his normal role, taking 30-40% of the ruck work, moving up the ground to counter the press and generally play as a traditional CHF beyond that. Rioli will play as a full forward, similar to what he did so well against Fremantle earlier in the year. Then you can rotate Bruce, Bruest and Burgoyne as leading 3rd and 4th talls in the forward line. This will make it difficult for the Swans defence to settle. We have all seen Bruest's ability to make a lead and kick through goals as well as his roving ability. Burgoyne started the year very successfully up forward and has spent the majority of the year across half back, but can be very dangerous. Bruce has played up forward at times throughout his career and is a very smart footballer. Savage, Whiecross and Osborne can all rotate through as small forwards. I expect Whitecross to tag Shaw most of the day with Osborne as relief.

The midfield is pretty standard as far as the Hawk's structure goes, the only omission is Hodge who moves down back. However, one of Burgoyne and Bruce and rotate through as a replacement when not up forward. Expect Lewis and Sewell to use a similar third man up and blocking techniques that were used against Judd at the stoppages on Goodes with Lewis to follow him if Goodes does up forward.

One of the keys to beating Sydney will be avoiding stoppages. Despite the Hawk's normal dominance in clearances, there is a great risk with the current form of Mumford. Our short kicking game will be critical to avoiding the Swan's shut down game. Moving Hodge down back will add another string to our bow of strong defensive kicks, with Guerra, Suckling, Gibson and Brichall.

Hodge's defensive efforts in previous seasons have been fantastic and the Hawk's should try and allow him to be the spare man going third up. The Swan's may try and put a defensive forward on him. In some ways, the more focus he gets, the more freedom it gives the other defenders who have rotated being the spare man all year. Gibson will most likely take Reid with his speed and high quality spoiling making him the perfect choice. If O'Keeffe moves forward, expect either Hodge or Guerra to go to him. Puopolo will most likely tag McGlynn for good chunks of the day.

[TheMailman]

Being a Swans Supporter I think you'll find Mcgylnn will be on someone like Mitchell
and O'keefe might try shut down hodge like he did brilliantly in 2010

You expect Lewis to go with goodes foward  ???
I'd expect Goodes to tear him up there (Might just be my bias)

[hawk_88]

Don't expect Goodes to go forward as a tall very much if at all.

O'Keeffe and McGlynn can be as dangerous offensively as they can defensively.It becomes a difficult battle to tag someone like that who can just as easily go to their opposition's best player to drop the tag.

I don't think the Hawk's will mind too much if either line up in the midfield tagging either in contested situations as they can be beaten by the team. Both can kick goals and the Hawks will be looking to minimise the Swan's score as much as possible (as opposed to played attacking high scoring footy). Either go up forward expect tags to follow.

[Rusty00]

Well teams are named: Stratton in, Breust out.

I think Breust is a bit unlucky, dropped after 1 bad game, but he may be a late inclusion for Buddy.

We really should of dropped Bateman. He is not fully fit which negates his biggest strength, his run. Savage is exactly the type of player that Bateman is/was when fully fit, and had played well this year until he got injured. I think it's a fair bet that O'Keefe will go to Hodge after his performance on Goddard last week. I would thiink that this would mean moving Hodge forward would be better than back, if you're going to take him out of the midfield.

[hawk_88]

Well most of what I said is no longer relevant given that Buddy is playing.

As for Hodge, he can play well anywhere. If our backs crumble like last week, expect him to move back during the game.

[PowerBug]

Despite being named, i think Franklin will miss tomorrow. No way he'll turn around that quickly.