Over the last few years I have become a little concerned with some aspects of our general game plan. While I believe TW continues to develop our players, list and club collectively I would like to see more of a team focus instilled in the Tigers team. I want to see more of the old tiger grit and fire, putting your body on the line for your team mates and working for the club not simply for yourself.
What I want is players shepperding, block and laying screens for each other instead of always looking to recieve. If their is two tigers running towards an opposition, one should lay a shepperd to allow the other to continue to move forward with the ball not run ahead to look for the handball. IMHO our style of play needs addressing.
At the start of the year we played the Doggies and our contrasting styles stood out like...well let's just say their was contrasting plans
. When we ran in numbers our players ran ahead of the opposition to look for the quick handball and our ball carrier frequently was tackled and the ball was lost. Conversely, when the WB ran in numbers the players without the ball blocked for the ball carrier allowing them to run on into space.
This also gave the WB players more time to cleanly despose of the ball while the Tigers seemed far more pressured which cased turn overs or sloppy delievery.
In another game I watched against the Eagles, I marvelled at the way their midfield broke from the packs. Initially I thought it was all due to the skill of the players but then I started to watch off the ball and noticed how the other midfielders were blocking, screening and shepperding for the ball getters. While our midfielders were being mercilessly tagged out of the contest, their midfields were blocking our taggers allowing Kerr and Judd room to run onto the tap and straight out into space.
I also have noticed the room that other teams create for their forwards. Our forwards are constantly running into the same space, spoiling each other and creating packs. Other teams block the other forwards defenders allowing their best forwards space to lead before they lead themselves. I have rarely seen this happen ever in our forwardline.
Now I know that alot of the teammainship will occur when the team structure is more settled and players do not feel like they need to 'shine' individually to retain their spot in the team but I also believe this type of style of play needs to be instilled into our complete list and rewarded just as much, if not more, than simply gaining a disposal.
We need to work for each other, plain and simple. Kingy always does - use him as a model. We need to block, shepperd and screen. We need to look how we can best help each other before we just look how we can get the ball. It is the 1% that make a team and I believe this is what will make our team.
Soon the excuse of familiarity will wane and I only hope by then that we are playing as a unified, unselfish team by then.
Stripes
