THE LITTLE GUYS WITH BIG IMPACT
REMEMBER when Gary Ablett Sr was one-out in the goalsquare and Barry Stoneham was prowling the 50m arc?
Or when Tony Lockett was one-out in the goalsquare and Stewart Loewe was prowling the 50m arc?
It’s been about 25 years since that was normal. Then arrived the tall timber and a desperate need for clubs to have giants in the forward line.
Two years ago if your forward line wasn’t filled with man-mountains then your chances of victory diminished.
But the beauty of our game is that it allows all heights to take the field, and this year it’s becoming obvious that the need for two talls to kick goals has diminished.
Richmond is a wonderful case study.
For years it tried to make Tyrone Vickery work in tandem with Jack Riewoldt. It wasn’t successful. Riewoldt never looked happy, Vickery never showed skills elite enough to make it work.
With Vickery now at Hawthorn, well, Box Hill, Riewoldt is the forward line patroller, the tall target, and at his feet is the crew dubbed the mosquito fleet. Jason Castagna, Dan Butler and Daniel Rioli.
These zippy lads might not combine for stacks of goals, but they upset defensive structures of opposition teams and enable Riewoldt to get one-out in marking contests more often. If he fumbles and the ball falls to the ground then the mozzies pounce. It’s great to watch.
Now, I’m a big guy, so I’m not wishing the careers of future tall forwards to fall away, but I’m pretty chuffed that clubs have returned to a tried and true way to play exciting footy.
You’d never say to Joe Daniher, listen, you’re just too tall for this game, but if his teammate, Cale Hooker, got injured then the Bombers have minimonsters to step in and kick goals. There’s Josh Green, Orazio Fantasia and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
A changed forward struc- ture can really change a game, and a career.
For years Kurt Tippett has struggled to become a regular in the Swans line-up. With Lance Franklin as the big guy, the team has operated very well by using him as the imposing figure and having Gary Rohan, Luke Parker and skilful midfielders such as Zak Jones and Josh Kennedy run forward and hit the scoreboard.
Hawthorn’s defence was thrown into disarray when Patrick Dangerfield played one-out in the goalsquare after injuring his foot.
It was a fantastic game to watch. It was like we were back in the 1990s, without the Bon Jovi hair.
Now Jesse Hogan is out again for the Demons the club has a chance to mix up the structures again. Mitch Hannan has been a freaky find and a fabulous goal sneak, Jeff Garlett is having his best season and we’ve seen glimpses of Christian Petracca brilliance. Those three can become the Buzz Squad to rival the mosquito fleet. It’ll be exciting.
This reinvented whippersnapper brigade might mean clubs who have persisted with players due to their height and a perceived ability to nullify a defender may cut their losses and just go with a more talented smaller player.
Little man, big impact. It’s fun football.