Field Marshal: Richmond struggling to defend opposition Inside 50 entries in 2020
Essendon is set to be an active player in this year’s trade period, but what type of player do the Bombers need? These Champion Data numbers point in one clear direction. Plus why the Dogs struggle against top sides.
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Essendon appears to be paying a price for prioritising outside class over inside grunt in its midfield.
Champion Data stats reveal what is happening once the ball leaves a stoppage, and the numbers aren’t great for John Worsfold and Ben Rutten.
The Bombers rank dead last for post-clearance contested possession and 16th for post-clearance groundball differentials.
Pure midfielders Dylan Shiel (9.6 contested possessions), Andy McGrath (9.1), Darcy Parish (8.8) and Zach Merrett (8) are not bulls and overall the Dons are 16th for contested ball.
The Bombers plan on being an aggressive player in the off-season and you can bank on a big-bodied midfielder being high on the wish list.
DOGS MIDDLE OF THE ROAD
Western Bulldogs sit eighth on the ladder at 7-6 after finishing seventh last year.
Four years after their fairytale flag, that is a fair reflection of where this young team now sits.
In 2020 the Dogs haven’t beaten a team above them and have only lost to one team below them.
They are 0-5 with a percentage of 59.3 against top-eight teams and 7-1 with a percentage of 143.5 against bottom 10 teams.
The Dogs now face top-four outfits Geelong and West Coast and if they can’t take a scalp it’ll be impossible to argue they are anything but a 7th-10th team.
Defensively they’ve got some red flags despite restricting Melbourne to seven goals on Saturday.
In the past five weeks they rank 17th for conceding scores from stoppages (25.6 points), last for opponents marking their inside 50s (21.8 per cent), third-last for conceding scores per inside 50 (45.8 per cent) and 15th for points against (69.4).
Cats boast the No.1 attack and will look to expose that on Friday night as Alex Keath prepares for back-to-back roles on Coleman Medal leaders Tom Hawkins and Josh Kennedy.
IS THIS THE CHINK IN TIGERS’ ARMOUR?
Richmond boasts the fifth-best defence in the AFL, conceding just 55.4 points per game.
But the Tigers’ inability to defend opposition entries has been alarming in 2020.
Rivals are scoring from 42.7 per cent of inside-50s (ranked 15th) and, while they have committed the fewest defensive-half turnovers, opponents have scored from 34.9 per cent of them (18th).
Essendon booted 10 goals from just 24 entries on Saturday night, exposing the problem.
It is a by-product of Richmond’s aggressive system.
The Tigers push up the ground to create front-half turnovers, which can sometimes be their undoing because they are left wide open.
They are also ranked 17th for clearances (-4.4) and there is a strong correlation between scores from stoppages and Richmond’s success.
Before Saturday night the Tigers had lost or drawn every match where they had been outscored from that source.
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SIDEBOTTOM WILL BE SORELY MISSED
Nathan Buckley says Steele Sidebottom is “95 per cent pumped and 5 per cent bummed” to be jetting back to Melbourne for the birth of his first child.
You can probably flip those ratios for Magpies supporters hoping to watch their team play finals.
Sidebottom, 29, has reinvented himself as a mid-forward in 2020 and is averaging more SuperCoach points than similar types Dustin Martin, Michael Walters and Lachie Whitfield.
He, along with Scott Pendlebury, is the cream in Collingwood’s largely blue-collar midfield.
You only have to look at Sidebottom’s beautiful strike running towards goal at the start of the last quarter on Monday night to see that.
Sidebottom’s sheer running power and devastating ball use will be sorely missed in the run home, and you wonder whether his absence will giftwrap out-of-favour Jaidyn Stephenson a much-needed chance to reclaim a place in Buckley’s 22.
SAINTS MISS CHANCE
St Kilda aced its big tests against Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) and Richmond this year.
It should’ve received another high distinction against Brisbane Lions on Sunday. This was the one that got away, given their last-quarter domination.
In the final term the Saints won disposals by 18, contested ball by 13, clearances by four and had four more shots at goal as Jack Billings found an extra gear.
But the wasted chances – coupled with Hugh McCluggage’s desperate defensive smothers and Harris Andrews’ golden fist – helped the Lions hold on.
The Saints had five shots on goal for 1.3, which depicts a larger problem for Brett Ratten.
While his team’s accuracy of 52.3 per cent is ranked No.1 in the AFL, there is a chasm between their wins and losses.
St Kilda shoots at 60.1 per cent in wins and just 37.8 per cent in losses, which is even worse than last year’s 42.6 per cent (ranked 18th).
One shining light is Paddy Ryder and the armchair ride the recruit is giving the likes of Jack Steele and Seb Ross.
Ryder is the No.1 ruckman for hit-outs to advantage win rate (21.1 per cent), ahead of usual defender Ben McEvoy (19.4), Max Gawn (18.3), Nic Naitanui (18.1) and Fremantle’s Sean Darcy (16.5).
Ryder doesn’t rack up disposals (7.8) but the Saints are bucking the trend by pairing him with Rohan Marshall and they complement each other like spaghetti and meatballs.
“I believe Rohan plays better when I’m in the team,” Ryder said.
“He’s not spending all his time wrestling and jumping, and he can use his big engine to get around the ground.”
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Originally published as Field Marshal: Richmond struggling to defend opposition Inside 50 entries in 2020