The lockdown kings: ranking the backlines / Richmond ranked 4th best (afl site)

[one-eyed]

The lockdown kings: ranking the backlines

Travis King, Callum Twomey, Jennifer Phelan, Michael Whiting 
AFL.com.au
December 27, 2015 7:01 PM


DEFENCE wins premierships. That much we know.

Only twice (Hawthorn in 2012 and '13) in the past decade has a team won the flag without ranking top four in the AFL for fewest points against.

But how do you rate a backline? Should you only consider the qualities of each team's back six?

West Coast's undersized defence was outstanding in trying circumstances last season, but they couldn't have done it without pressure applied further up the ground.

And these days defenders do much more than simply defend.

The Western Bulldogs took a leap forward last year, partly by locking down opponents, but also by attacking in waves from half-back. So where should they rank?

These are just some of the questions AFL.com.au reporters considered when putting together a ladder rating each team's defence.

Fremantle's whole-team system was thought to be the League's best, with Ross Lyon having perfected the art of a shutdown.

Hawthorn – the AFL's tightest backline last season – came in second. Scoring against the Hawks is possible, but you’ve got to get the ball off them first.

Most of the better teams feature higher up in our rankings, although we've tried to predict how their defences might perform with new personnel and some off-season tinkering.

We're backing in the Swans, still optimistic about the Eagles despite their Grand Final woes and predicting more tough times for a couple of last season's cellar-dwellars.

1. Fremantle
2. Hawthorn
3. Sydney Swans

4. Richmond

The Tigers might not have won a final for a third-straight year but their defence held up well, with this year's club best and fairest winner and two-time All Australian Alex Rance leading from the front. They were third overall for points scored against and were particularly good at restricting the opposition from retaining the ball when they took it into attack. They were also in the top four for groundball get differential, showing they defended well at the coalface when required.

5. West Coast
6. Geelong
7. Adelaide
8. Greater Western Sydney
9. Essendon
10. Collingwood
11. Port Adelaide
12. North Melbourne
13. Melbourne
14. Western Bulldogs
15. St Kilda
16. Gold Coast
17. Carlton
18. Brisbane Lions

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-12-27/the-lockdown-kings

[JP Tiger]

I'm pretty happy with our back 6, the points against total shows we are doing plenty right back there.  But I have one possible change floating around in my noggin & wanted to see what people thought about it ... Cotchin as a small defender?!

I know, it seems like an odd thing to do on the surface, but the more I thought about it the more it seemed like a good move.  Firstly it gets Cotch away from the inevitable taggers, then it allows us to get Vlaustuin/Houli/Yarran/McIntosh into the middle or onto the wings.  Cotch has good strength, good tank, good speed (not elite speed but still usable), he reads the play brilliantly, uses the ball well, tackles hard & has the creative play making instincts to be more than just a dour back pocket plodder.  One thing we can expect from Cotch is that he will have a red-hot crack at the footy & fight it out to the death no matter where he is on the field.     
Could we use his abilities, experience, footy smarts & leadership down back to greater effect than what we get from him as a midfielder?     

[Diocletian]

Our back six is Rance, Vlastuin & Grimes carrying Larry, Moe & Curly....

[The Mole]

hmm

[Stalin]

Rance is very good

Vlastuin and grimes try hard

The half brains on here that reckon Richmond backline as a whole is good are well and truly wacko

[Diocletian]

Rance Vlastuin Grimes

Moore, Broad,  Astbury, Castagna, Elton, Griffiths ??????

[mat073]

Rance is very good

Vlastuin and grimes try hard

The half brains on here that reckon Richmond backline as a whole is good are well and truly fooled

Must be doing something right ....can't all be Rance.

least number of goals conceded 2016

1 ) Richmond 221
2) Hawthorn. 222
3) Sydney.     223
4) Fremantle. 225


18) Carlton.   349

[JP Tiger]

Dunne     Bourke     Malthouse
Landy       Jess        Strachan

^^  The best Richmond back 6 I have ever seen, but individually they all had their weaknesses, they all got beaten at times & the team lost games as a direct result.  That's football & that's the life of a defender! 
Dunne & Strachan were hardly classical footballers & Jess was prone to the odd spectacular jaw-dropping catastrophe, but they all worked together & covered for each other.  That was the key to their success as a back 6, you cant say it was all due to the efforts of Bourke, Malthouse & Landy.

Now I never said our back 6 are the best in the history of the game, but they were the third best out of the whole competition, that is worthy of some credit! 
Third place isn't first place, granted, but its still a fair achievement.  Just four points away from being equal second & twenty-one points off being first ... that's one rushed point per game away from being the best!   
 

[🏅Dooks]

Landy was an absolute gun.  Much underrated

The Ghost 

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Landy was an absolute gun.  Much underrated

The Ghost 

Great call on Landy - reckon The Ghost struggled with injury later in his career.

[Stalin]

"we have the greatest defense in the league" !!

"it was not the defense fault we got rolled in the ef, the midfield failed"

[Simonator]

Our defense is the least of our problems and is one of few reasons we are making finals. If you think otherwise than you're blind and don't watch the games.

[yandb]

Where do we get the idea we have a back six?

Hardwick plays a loose man in defence so we have a back 7 as a result we have a front 5 who struggle because Hardwick has robbed Peter to pay Paul.

Maybe our front 5 are not too bad playing a man short all the time.