Our Defensive Nightmare! - "Up and In" has to Stop!!!

[gothestorm]

If there is only one change Bellamy has made to the team play this year then it has to be stopping the wingers from coming "up and in" when they defend and leaving space on the outside for teams to score.

We get caught on time and time again in this regard. It cost us the Premiership last year and will continue to cost us big games and even title hopes. Other teams take advantage of this and we can't afford to give away soft tries like this.

Turner and Quinn really need to improve this area of their game.

Any comments (please no abuse this time!) 

[nacho]

were trying to keep it a secret, be careful not to tell many people

[singlemalt]

Sure, some teams get around from time to time, but it also shuts down a lot of attacking plays early in the set.

But it is frustrating when it doesn't work

[Buzz]

I surely must be dreaming. In 2006, Storm had the 2nd best defensive record in the league (only 12 more points conceded that Brisbane) - total 404 points for regular season.

In 2007, Storm had the BEST defensive record in the league - only 277 points conceded and a staggering 100 fewer points than our nearest competitor - Manly at 377.

In 2008, Storm had the BEST defensive record in the league - only 282 points conceded - and STILL a staggering 73 points fewer than Manly at 355.

If we concede under 300 points in 2009, and are still miles ahead of any other team it won't be our up and in defence that looses the grand final for us.

No abuse, but surely a little research would ensure no egg on faces. Our gameplan is ever evolving with the revolving list of players - and we haven't even crossed the white line in anger yet! If we only give up 1 or 2 tries a week via the wingers, but our front line defence is sturdy, we'd be looking at under 200 points conceded. I'd be VERY happy with that!

[gothestorm]

There is always room for improvement is what I'm saying.

[Surandy]

Our defensive nightmare?

As Buzz pointed out, the only nightmares are for our opposition!

[Super Cronk]

its annoying when it goes wrong...but really in the end...if it comes off they can force an error ...and it honestly doesnt go wrong a hell of alot. i agree with buzz...our defence has been superb the past few years no need to call it a nightmare.

[Play the ball]

as for wingers rushing in,

its a difficult one, because i believe there are individuals who do it better than others,

Some are able  to rush in and perfect the timing , and hit a bloke when he is recieving or before he gets time to pass,

I believe to be good at it,  is almost an instinctive thing, knowing that split second when to go,

But like has been said, it looks bad when it goes wrong.

Matty Geyer was one I did'nt like doing it, he used to rush in and come up empty too often I thought.

[Bourbon Rat]

Preventing line breaks

Defending players aim to spread across the field in a single line and stop the attacking players from breaking this line. The 'Slide Defence' and the 'Umbrella Defence' tactics aim to curb the amount of breaks in the line.

   * The 'sliding defence' requires that gaps are left at either edge of the field at the end of the defensive line, which aims to squeeze more players around the area of play. This allows the line to be at its strongest around the position of play, thus leaving the attacking side less opportunity to run through the line. Should the attacking side move the ball towards one edge of the field in an attempt to go around the defensive line, then the entire defensive line will move in that direction; this is known as sliding.

   * The 'umbrella defence' (or 'up and in' defence) requires that players do not spread across the entire field. The defensive line is particularly vulnerable on the edges around the wings, therefore the best defensive measure in this case is a preventative measure. That is, the aim becomes to prevent the attacking team from going to the wings or to disrupt any passes towards the edge of the field. This requires that defensive players (wingers or centres) on the edge of the defensive line move up faster than those in the middle of the line.

I've seen both Sliding & Umbrella defensive structures used to great effect by Storm.I've also seen Zone used by muppett & we know how THAT turned out.
The Up & In is still our most effective defensive tool.I'm sure the coaching staff will have gone over the bits that went wrong last season & taken corrective action.Only time will tell  8)

[Super Cronk]

as for wingers rushing in,

its a difficult one, because i believe there are individuals who do it better than others,

Some are able  to rush in and perfect the timing , and hit a bloke when he is recieving or before he gets time to pass,

I believe to be good at it,  is almost an instinctive thing, knowing that split second when to go,

But like has been said, it looks bad when it goes wrong.

Matty Geyer was one I did'nt like doing it, he used to rush in and come up empty too often I thought.

yeah boofas replacement hip couldnt handle it towards the end 

[Michael :P]

Boy that up & in defence has really sucked the last few years

This style of defence is fine and Bellamy has fine tuned it alot more in that he demands that his wingers rush in to try stop the play. The key man in this defence is the center. He knows that his winger is going to rush in so its critical he doesnt get involved in a tackle so he can sweep across in cover. This is where Bellamys style differs from previous versions of the up & in style i.e the center never played such a crucial role and the cover tackle was usually left up to the fullback, or halfback if you go back even further.

[grey sub]

Super Cronk, speaking to Matty Geyer he says the problem was not his replacement hip or the senality but tyre choice!!!! He got a new tyre sponsor for his wheel chair and not being an Aussie brand the tyres weren't made for the conditions of the Graveyard and would slip and slid losing traction and valuable time, but that is now in the past lets move on, 

[Michael :P]

Matty Geyer was one I did'nt like doing it, he used to rush in and come up empty too often I thought.

The last thing you want playing this style is a slow, old winger.

[steaming stormer]

and in regards to the centre being crucial, that was the problem I had with Chambers before his injury last year, he was the one who so often got caught out of position, leaving the winger in no mans land as he knew he didn't have the cover for the up and in move, but he also couldn't just stand out and let the opposition centre stroll in untouched.  Hopefully that aspect has improved too

[Play the ball]

and in regards to the centre being crucial, that was the problem I had with Chambers before his injury last year, he was the one who so often got caught out of position, leaving the winger in no mans land as he knew he didn't have the cover for the up and in move, but he also couldn't just stand out and let the opposition centre stroll in untouched.  Hopefully that aspect has improved too

Yeah , just before he was injured , i was starting to think opposition teams were targatting chambers, he was starting to look flimsy in defence,

Hopefully that part of his game is sorted.