The over the top hand pass winning

[Auntie.Gerald]

Ive been watching the better teams exit out of contested zones

This was our area of expertise and obviously we are failing this season

We used to hunt in numbers ie rush the opposition in the contest with the idea being if we win it we can flood forward in numbers and be free of our opposition

The antidote is if a team can be rushed via two or three opposition players and still be successful in getting the ball away by hand because suddenly they have the advantage of two or three of their own players free and ahead of the contest

the Dogs as an example are brilliant at picking up the ball, attracting two or three opposition players to charge at them then drop the ball over the top by hand to their team mate who is suddenly free because he has no one marking him

I know this sounds crazy but the ability to get out of the contest by the likes of bontempelli using this dump over the top hand pass when nothing looks like it is on and he has sucked in 2 or 3 opposition players charging him works on so many levels

Using the Dogs as an example ......Firstly it allows the Dogs to break and get out of trouble but it also allows the 2 or 3 other Dogs players to get 10 to 15metres on their opposite number by flooding forward

Where this done is critical in the contest to achieve seperation and an advantage

Bontempelli stands behind or to the side of the contest or in the middle but very rarely in front of the contest

He has the opposition players rush him
They are heading the opposite way from goal
If bontempelli is successful with the over the top handpass it is perfect in sucking in opposition players and allowing his team mates to flood toward in numbers unmarked

I think it is time to recognise just charging and hunting in numbers only works if u win the ball

We need to be flexible in the contest in the way we extract

It has been to our peril being one dimensional this year at the contest

[111431]

Agree with this observation. Our stoppage strategy is to ping the ball around to players with ever diminishing space until it arrives in the hands of someone (usually Parker) who thinks he will break through a pack and is pinged for holding the ball. The idea of creating space from the stoppage seems to have been lost on us.

Who is to be our equivalent of the Bont ? Perhaps Sam Reid ?

[Auntie.Gerald]

I think all players can do it

Obviously the Bont is more effective due to height and exceptionally clean hands at ground level

I am concerned that our coaching doesn't appear to use it as a strategy to creat space and clean breaks

Kennedy is in the middle trying to do this dropping handpass from high but he has no time nor does the next person...... he is in the wrong spot.......let the smaller mids burrow it to keenedy standing slightly off to the side or behind of the contest so he can receive the ball hands high then suck in the rushing tacklers

our lack of understanding as a midfield and or our coaching - this hands high with the ball is a signal to break the opposite way !!! Because u have sucked in a high pressure defence that has committed two or more players in the contest

Bont does it generally from the back or side edge of the contest which sucks in the opposition midfield charging in numbers at him and he knows he will not get hammered in a tackle even though he is exposed because the umpires protect the ball carrier if he gets rid of the ball

The first player I noticed years ago that was awesome at standing still to have players rush at him but successfully pop the over the top hand pass to a team mate was Pendlebury, Judd then our own Kennedy, Parker and Dyson Heppell etc

I think that the free flowing rules of engagement around the contest have provided the ability to have the hands high with the ball in the ball carriers favour

Years gone past they would have go smashed in the rib cage

Years gone past it would have been almost considered half the time a dropped ball or throw

But the Dogs have been smarter then the competition in this area of the contest

Firstly they have half their players using the technique in contests which is simply effective anyway as it is efficient but importantly it allows u to access 360 degrees with ur hand pass very quickly and use either hand to strike with which saves u the milli seconds needed to offload - this is s massive advantage

The Dogs appear to be coached to stand tall and hold the ball high and if the opposition rush the ball carrier this is the cue for all team mates in the contest to pull back and get ready to receive the handpass over the top and break

And they break hard !!!