Here is a look at some of the trends that emerged from the JLT Community Series, and what we could expect this season.
1. Direct ball movement
Richmond's small forwards Daniel Rioli, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna earned plaudits for their forward pressure last season. The trio was an important element of the Tigers' success, but so too was the club's aggressive and direct ball movement. Even with a 1-5 forward setup, Richmond was prepared to kick long to contests and get the ball inside forward 50 at all costs. If Jack Riewoldt didn't mark the footy, his job was to bring it to ground and let Rioli, Butler, Castagna, Kane Lambert and Jacob Townsend swarm the opposition and outnumber them at the fall of the ball. Quick ball movement was something we saw from some teams through the JLT series. There was less of an emphasis on switching the ball or going back to 'anchor' players behind the ball, and more of a focus on moving the ball with speed. Avoiding giving up ground to rivals is going to be imperative this season, according to one opposition scout. Essendon, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn and Sydney all demonstrated their willingness to move the ball through the corridor. Champion Data figures show corridor usage increased to 49.1
2. High defensive presses with risk/reward element
One drawback of teams adopting a high defensive press is the rate at which teams are able to get out the back of that zone formation and kick cheap goals. Teams will have no hesitation rolling their defenders up past halfway, often having them sitting off their direct opponents and filling space in the defensive zone. With clubs compressing the ground and trying to stifle the opposition's ball movement out of the back half, there will be occasions when defensive zones break down and are made to look second-rate. With the territory battle crucial, coaches are prepared to put up with the odd occasion where the opposition breaks through their defensive systems. The loss of Brodie Smith, who will miss most of the season with a serious knee injury, will hurt Adelaide. He has the ability to penetrate a team's defensive structure with his long kicking.
3. Star midfielders spending more time forward
Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield and Richmond's Dustin Martin were successful in
4. The role of the seventh defender
When teams are trying to slow the momentum of an opponent or get the game back on their terms, they often shift multiple players to critical spots. Teams create the 'loose' or the 'extra' by rolling one of their wingman to the back of the centre square, thus making him a defender. A high half-forward then moves on to the wing and plays as a midfielder, leaving a five-man forward line. In general play stoppages, most teams play with a 'skinny' and 'fat-side' winger. The 'skinny' wingman is set up parallel to the contest to provide defensive coverage, while the 'fat' winger stations himself on a 45-degree angle to the stoppage and inboard, enable him to attack or defend where necessary.
5. Length and width
Although corridor use was a priority for many teams, making the ground ‘wider’ to break down an all-team defensive zone was a focus of others. The counter-tactic against a team trying to compress the ground and create a smaller area to defend is to spread numbers wide, making that defensive task more difficult. Melbourne worked on this widening method often in training drills over summer. The Demons are instructed to hold their width, with teammates knowing they are there for the bail-out kick if needed. Look also for teams to 'lengthen' the game. When players are in open space streaming toward
