that is actually the most important factor in beating the zone, win the contested ball. If they're winning the ball and attacking first, they just setup behind the ball carrier so that when you do win back the ball they are ready. Adelaide perfected play against the zone last season and after geelong prob played it the best. Has to be a mixture of very quick sharp transitional play and PLENTY of overlap/options to confuse those in the zone downfield. Hence solid footskills over 20-30 metres will be required no compromises!
Unfortunately as a rule, our defensive unit as a whole has never really been known as a running/overlap type unit which is why we look so lost against zones. No linebreakers! hello newman/mcguane/moore/thursfield. We need the likes of tambling/connors/edwards/webberley/dea, even mcmahon! (clutcing at straws?) and other hard runners to have the balls to stand up defensively bc offensively these are the guys that have the game to take n and break the zone up. Newman needs to get out of the defensive zone, doesnt run hard enough. Players like mcmahon, edwards and webberley show they have the run but do they have the defensive qualities, must be able to shutdown, otherwise will get exposed like both mcmahon/King and edwards were last season