As Jarrod Cameron ran into an open goal late in the third quarter of West Coast’s 22-point win over the Blues at Optus Stadium, he kicked his side’s fifth consecutive goal of the quarter.
For the Blues it capped a regular pattern, as it was the 12th time in the last 21 games they have conceded a run of five or more goals to their opposition.
In 2020, the Blues have conceded runs of four or more goals in seven of their 10 games.
Football is a game of momentum. Developing teams learn how to capitalise on their own momentum swings, and how to absorb and diminish their opponent’s momentum when required.
Five of the Blues 12 runs of 5+ goals against them have happened within the one quarter, limiting the impact of coaching instructions during these periods.
It’s at these times that having a clearly defined “game call” that leaders can use on the field is especially important. Examples of these might be to play a seventh defender, bring an extra forward up into midfield stoppages, or control the ball with slower kick and mark possession.
The remaining seven of the Blues 12 runs of 5+ goals against them came across quarter time breaks. This creates an opportunity for coaches to address specific areas of concern with their players.
The ability of the coaching staff to clearly identify the cause of the opposition momentum is crucial in these moments.
Are they scoring from our turnover? Is that because we are too aggressive with the ball or are they creating contest turnovers? Is our stoppage structure giving them an advantage? How much of their momentum is coming from factors within our control?
On Sunday afternoon at Optus Stadium, the Blues started the third quarter with a quick Zac Fisher goal from the opening centre bounce, giving them a 19-point lead. Josh Kennedy responded with the first of the Eagles five consecutive goals at the 5-minute mark.
Over the next 12 minutes of play the Blues played their emerging brand of football. They took the game on off half back and had considerable periods of locking the ball in their forward half.
The Eagles second goal came from a scrappy ground ball play in their forward 50, where Jake Waterman showed good composure to find Josh Kennedy. Kennedy kicked truly with under four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Momentum is identified by players and coaches most readily by the scoreboard but also by the “feel” of the game. An opponent might have a run of inside 50s where they cannot score, but the momentum is clearly on their side.
At this stage of the third quarter the Blues would only have had minor concerns. The quarter had largely been played in their half, though Kennedy had now had two shots at goal in quick succession.
Centre bounce is the best opportunity to either capitalise and negate momentum swings. A won centre clearance gets the ball inside forward 50, creating both an opportunity to score or to lock the ball in the forward half with a stoppage.
For West Coast, the next two centre bounces were crucial. The first, where the Eagles won a scrappy clearance but generated a deep inside 50, resulted in a controversial free kick against Sam Petrevski-Seton. Jamie Cripps converted and the Blues 19-point lead was now down to one point.
The two quick goals in succession are a clear sign of a change in momentum, especially in a game away from home where the rabid Eagles supporters are full of voice.
The first base for the Blues is to nullify the centre bounce. They must ensure their best centre bounce combination is on ball, and look to use a defensive centre bounce structure.
Nic Naitanui’s great range in hitouts makes planning difficult, but his most dangerous hits are immediately forward towards goal or tight hits to the defensive side of the centre circles, where midfielders such as Tim Kelly or Luke Shuey will wrap around on the move and clear the ball with speed.
In the centre bounce following Jamie Cripps’ goal, the Blues are man-on-man inside the centre bounce, which is a good structure for the situation. Patrick Cripps has body on Luke Shuey, who receives the Naitanui hit under pressure, but Will Setterfield gets drawn into Shuey, allowing his opponent, Tim Kelly, space to receive a handball and burst out of the stoppage.
The 6-6-6 rule means any clear break from the centre gives forwards space to lead into. Jack Darling marks Kelly’s kick deep inside 50 and converts to give the Eagles a five-point lead.
With the Eagles now having kicked four consecutive goals, including three in the last four minutes, the Blues go to a seventh defender.
Sam Docherty starts on the wing, as close to the Blues defensive 50 as possible, and rolls straight back as the seven defender. The aim for the Blues now must be to control possession with kick and mark play, to wind down the clock and get to three quarter time.
Inside the centre bounce, the Blues midfield is able to halve the immediate contest, but a series of surge handballs forward lead to a turnover to Andrew Gaff.
With Docherty loose behind the ball as a seventh, the Eagles have a spare defender as well, which allows them into their own kick and mark game. The instruction for the five remaining Blues forwards must be to leave the Eagles spare as far from the ball as possible.
While the Blues ultimately force the Eagles into a long down the line kick, the ball is allowed over the back of the contest and bounces over Docherty as the spare. After a pressured kick from Allen lands in Cameron’s lap, he runs in to kick the Eagles fifth goal and give them an 11-point lead.
The structural components for the Blues were good, but small lapses in execution – bodywork at the centre bounce, allowing the ball over the back from a long kick down the line – keep the Blues under pressure.
The Blues 19-point lead is now an 11-point deficit, in the space of 19 minutes of football.
Key points out of the game:
When the opposition have momentum, what are we trying to achieve?
Reset field position
A deep inside 50 entry for a score or a F50 stoppage is our priority
Take time off the clock
Control possession with kick and mark chains to end the quarter
How is it done?
No easy exits from stoppage
The Blues had good Centre Bounce structure but a lapse in concentration and positioning allowed Kelly a clear path clearance
Communicate the structural game call
The Blues organised Docherty as a seventh defender after the Darling goal and got him into position well.
The next step is to understand that when deploying an extra defender, the Blues need to find a mark to control possession. If unable to find a mark and force to kick under pressure, kick long and wide and force a stoppage.
In 2020 the Blues have had five games where they conceded a 5+ goal streak to their opponents, and four of the five have been in losses. Only once has the loss been by greater than five goals.
Halting these opposition momentum swings will be a big step in the Blues on-going progression towards being a top eight team.
Rob Harding is currently a midfield coach at Vic Metro and former strategy coach at Essendon, Adelaide, Geelong and North Melbourne