Hypen, I don't consider we have played a good side this year, but even the lesser sides know that when they turn the ball over they can attack through the middle because our players are playing the boundary. If we use the corridor more, from the half back line, it opens up more options for attack, on both sides of a players body. But to do that you have to attack before the opposition get numbers there, not stuff around pointing, waving, and looking for the "best" option.
As for the notion we have more players ahead of the ball than the opposition, this year, the same applies. We haven't played the top sides yet. Also, our players ahead of the footy are too often running away from player with the ball, and running away from the contest, because they are part of the stampede to get numbers to the next contest. When this happens on attack, and we halve the contest in the middle, there is no outside support, when we halve the intercept contest on defense, we lose out because the opposition have the numbers at the contest to open up their forward line.
Our most successful and attractive footy this season (and last year) have been the times when we have turned the footy over and gone straight on the attack, through the middle, with players running outside the contest, not just trying to get into a forward line which doesn't, but should, have players already there providing genuine attacking leads. This kicking to a player running away from the player with the ball gets smashed by good opponents, and we will find that out again against the Cats, the Pies, and the Hawks.
