Re: Batley on Sunday. : Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:07 am  

Well I thought we had got it wrong first half based on years of how most other teams including Fax have previously approached the game plan at the Mount and the well known thought of (the slope is worth 2 or 3 scores.)
Something like.
Down the slope kick into the corners, pin them in their own half, make them work it up the hill from there, gradually build the pressure and wait for the opening or mistake.
On the day neither side went by this traditional approach for some reason and went about it tit for tat pretty much the same way.
To me that’s what made our second half performance so strong, two fairly even sides going at it full tilt and we got on top from the pack leading the way and the rest taking it on.
It wasn’t so noticeable at the bottom end but at the top end there was a pretty stiff breeze blowing up the slope that with the height on the kicks would have held the ball up whether that played a part?
In the after game interview SG was asked about the slope and more or less said they hadn’t given much thought to it?
One point about sloping pitches, everyone talks about how hard it is to run up the hill to attack but it’s the same for the side who are coming down the slope when defending having to get back the 10 meters onside.
In other words when defending it’s easier when playing up the slope to go down the hill 10 meters to get back onside than to go up the slope to do so, if I’m making sense?

Re: Batley on Sunday. : Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:27 am  

cowfax wrote:

On further reflection of the match I wonder if the kicking game had been part of the game plan. In the first half down hill we kicked landing well short of the Batley line. I now think rather than a poor kick it was intended in order that the ball didn`t go dead so The Bulldogs did not get an extra tackle starting at their 20. If I am right , smart work from coaching team.

I mentioned this also. It was noticeable that Batley employed the same tactic on their way down the slope too.