COACHING MODERN FOOTBALL CHAPTER 19 - LENGTH SPACE

 

Back in round 2 of the 2026 season I came across a new-ish tactic being used by the Swans more so than anyone else but it is also an extension of what the Lions have been doing for a year or 2 now.

Here’s what I posted back in March this year on “the most important space in football today”:

“…AFL in 2026 has come with a bunch of rule changes but also with a shift in how teams are moving the ball on offense.

Yes, the stand rule allows for play tempo to be maintained but teams are already on the run anyway, they're now just more confident continuing to go fast and to not hold the ball up.

The biggest change for mine has been the use of handball through the center of the ground that some teams were doing previously (GWS/Hawks especially with their high half forwards), but it is wide-spread now and in a variety of ways.

Last week I highlighted how Sydney were using space through the center of the ground and I doubled-down on watching for it this round and it was pretty clear at times.

Like most tactics/strategies, once you see it you can’t stop seeing it!

The Swans tended to open this space up to run and handball through the middle of the ground, the Lions have more of a kicking focus and Gold Coast were doing it early in the season for kick or handball when they were up and going early in the season.

Other teams represented in the following clips are Geelong and Port Adelaide.

I’ll run through how different teams use this from different parts of the ground starting from kick out and finishing with from the mid 50.

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AFLW ROUND 10 GAME ANALYSIS PART 3/3

 

Team-by-team:

Giants - a top 3 win in their history or least the last 5 years and managed 20 scores from just 32 inside 50's, showing rare connection at that end of the ground by moving the quicker than Wales could get back and become an intercept marker from the ruck position

Hawks - I'm backing up the topsy-turvy season call from last week and actually puts them in a tough spot going into 2027 because you're good enough (beat North Melbourne) but the gap between your best and worse is way too wide for a finals team, let alone contender (lost to GWS) so what level of change do you make?

Bombers - came out with positive play with relatively aggressive offense and excellent defensive pressure but they just don't have the experience and quality to hold that from quarter-to-quarter. let alone against the best team ever and weren't blown away in any stat either except for uncontested possession (-40) where scoring dries up when you can't maintain possession

Kangaroos - actually had to work for this one which isn't a bad thing for them as they don't have the hardest run home (Adelaide/Richmond) and straighter kicking could emphasised this win more

Dockers - were challenged by the Saints but having, knowing and playing your brand v a team that doesn't have an ounce of one gets you over the line in these types of games

Saints - led for just the 2nd time at 3/4 time for 2026 (last week the 1st) so there is progress in how long they can compete for but couldn't hold it but they leave too much potential offense on the table with their lack of creative offense 

Today we look at:

• Gay Forward Press Defense
• Essendon Defending in D50
• North Melbourne Transitioning from Center Bounce Clearance
• Freo Forward 50 Stoppage Goal
• Saints Cutting Length
• St Kilda Missed Handball
• Saints Corridor Fail

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AFLW ROUND 10 GAME ANALYSIS PART 2/3

 

Team-by team:

Lions - some definite game play alterations in this one (+24 handballs, +21 disposals, -7 contested possession, +29 uncontested possession, +7 marks all v season average), albeit too late to save the season

Power - 1st in hit outs and 4th in clearances but blast kick out of there repeatedly + last for uncontested possession + last for handballs and thus last for disposal efficiency = 3rd worst offense down from 4th best last year

Eagles - the real battle is at the Eagles doorstep and that is of long-term development where I'm not sure of any player who has markedly improved from last season to this season, and with a young list this off/pre-season is paramount

Cats - if they kicked 18.8 they would have kicked a record score and that was really the only blemish in this game where they went +115 in disposals, +82 in handballs, +18 inside 50's, +15% disposal efficiency, +6 clearance, +15 contested possession, +113 uncontested possession, +20% time in possession, +30 marks, +13 marks inside forward 50 and even won the tackle count by 10! 

Magpies - don't have the depth to cover injuries but worse than that a severe lack of leadership from the top down in regards to the women's program doesn't even give them a chance and with Schleicher gone what keeps Centra there after next season?  

Swans - forwards got right on top with 3 players kicking 3 goals and another kicking 2 from 13 marks inside forward 50 (+7 on season average) and +5 scoring shots on the season as well

Today we look at:

• Power at Center Bounce
• Implications of Kicking Behind the Receiver
• Geelong at Center Bounce
• West Coast in Transition
• Sydney Going Inside 50
• Collingwood Ball Watching
• GWS Handball Receive
• Implications of Not Continuing the Handball Chain
• Kick of the Year

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AFLW ROUND 10 GAME ANALYSIS PART 1/3

 

A few surprising, possibly upset, results this week with the Crows over the Suns, the Dogs over the Blues by that margin and GWS over the Hawks who have the most topsy-turvy season possibly in AFLW history.

Team-by-team over 3 posts this week:

Demons - were playing at no more than 70% in this one and still won by 62pts but would still love some of those injuries back with the Dogs next round.

Tigers - Dees had 14 goals, 7 from within 10m out and another 6 from within 20m out at a total goal distance of 176m at 12.6m/goal with goal sources from f50 loose ball get x 4, d50 turnovers x 4, off the ground kicks x 4 and set shot x 3 and with the high scoring Suns away on the horizon then any attention spent on defense of any sort will be a positive thing

Crows - great goal kicking got them over the line in a tight and surprisingly tense contest where they were -10 for inside 50's

Suns - as well as the inside 50 advantage they won the hit outs by 10 but lost clearance by 4 with too much left for Rowbottom (12) by everyone else (next best 3 by Price a ruck)

Blues - just did not seem ready for the pressure the Dogs brough this one from the outset and could not find an exit for the life of them rendering a mammoth intercept game from Cordner (18) useless

Bulldogs - I'd love to know the scores from forward half in this one, especially in the first half - a "real deal" performance form the Dogs here who could roll the Dees this weekend coming and finish top 4!

Today we look at:

• Tigers Transition Defense
• Richmond's Defensive Defense
• Richmond Going Inside Forward 50
• Tigers Defense...Again!
• Dees Not Kicking to Advantage
• Gold Coast Going Inside Forward 50
• Suns at Center Bounce Clearance
• Gold Coast Ruck Loose Behind the Ball 

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AFLW ROUND 9 GAME ANALYSIS PART 3/3

Part 3 are all clips from the North Melbourne/Fremantle game where the Roos didn't have it all their own way but their class always rises to the top.

The Dockers wanted to keep the ball in motion using a short kick/mark possession game but weren't assertive enough early while expanding energy doing so and then once they became comfortable with it, and had some success with it, then they were too far behind to catch up.

A team with better connection across the ground that uses more forward kicks should study this game as it did provide some pretty good looks deep inside 50 for the Dockers.

The Dockers matched the Roos in  a lot of areas such as kicks (+5), clearances (+2), time in possession (+2%), marks (+16) and tackles (+8) but I'd look to look at meters gained numbers as Freo have a lot of possession on a weekly basis these days but their threat rating is very low and thus so is their efficiency.

Today we look at:

• Freo on Transition Defense Fail x 2
• Dockers Outnumber Advantage Fail x 2
• North at Center Bounce Clearance + Dockers Outnumber Advantage Win
• Randall Length and Leading Patterns
• Freo Going Inside Forward 50

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AFLW ROUND 9 GAME ANALYSIS PART 2/3

 

Finishing off the team-by-team for round 9:

Suns - recording their highest possession total for the season (327) and highest marks total (75) yet were -8 in clearance but they just starved Melbourne of the ball (+75 disposals, +64 uncontested possession, +7% time in possession and +33 in marks)

Demons - +1 for inside 50's but was always going to struggle to score with Hore and Austin both missing and have scored just 34 v Roos, 42 v Pies and 39 v Suns after not scoring less than 58 in any game previous to that but have Richmond this week to get their scoring dress back on  

Kangaroos - with Essendon, Adelaide and Richmond to come and top spot sewn up it's all about nailing the finer details and managing player health from here out

Dockers - gave North some food for thought and had a pretty good plan going in but just don't have the cattle to carry that out against someone that good but I'd like to see them try it again v the Saints and see what it looks like then

Hawks - the hawks have lost, won, won, lost, won, won, lost, lost, won in a topsy turvy season where they've beaten North but lost to Adeliade by 28pts and could win 2 finals win zero

Lions - have lost 5 in a row, this will be their lowest finish to a season and the refresh cannot come quick enough 

Swans - just hanging on to a finals spot and have Collingwood, West Coast and Freo to come and need to win 2 of those to keep Port (Brisbane, Collingwood and St Kilda to come) in 9th but win just 1 and it's all about % 

Blues - have just been going along recently but we'll find out what they're about (and the Dogs for that matter) after this weekend in a potential finish-top 4 clash

Today we look at:

• Geelong at Center Bounce x 2
• GWS on Fast Play
• Melbourne Going Inside Forward 50
• Melbourne in Possession
• Gold Coast at Center Bounce
• Sydney on Kick Out

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AFLW ROUND 9 GAME ANALYSIS PART 1/3

The Saints broke through for their 1st win of the season and a rare come from behind win at that, Geelong offense is still off the charts and the Suns beat an undermanned Dees.

Dogs - unpeeled another layer of development with a 2nd quarter defensive effort that fuelled a 4.2 to 0.1 2nd quarter that put the gap in the game

Bombers - had some early momentum but could not take their chances forward when they had them (2 goals from 26 entries + 10 behinds from 12 scoring shots) and they don't defend anywhere near well enough not to

Saints - were almost down and out at half time after being goalless for 6 quarters over 2 games but completely turned this on its head with a 4.5 to 1.0 3rd quarter with that 25 point quarter being equal or higher than total scores in 5 of their 9 games this season 

Pies - looked to be progressing but then gave this one away and coupled with the news coming out about player contracts at the moment you can't see Centra wanting to reup her contract for season 2028

Power - played a team that plays exactly like them but not as good so just scrapped by with a 4pt win

Eagles - can't transition and score with any efficiency but went to work at center bounce going 6-0 in clearance there while losing hit outs 23 - 35 but when Port win time in possession by 9% and marks by 28 then your ball movement needs an overhaul

Cats - 46-0 start was almost expected are currently sit 98pts ahead of North at the top of the offense tree - take away their 27 in their only loss in round 1 and they're averaging 78pts/game so who cares about defense

Giants - was never going to be pretty and it wasn't...-102 for disposals, -59 for handballs, -18 for inside 50's, -14 in clearance, -81 in uncontested possession and -18% for time in possession but what's changing?

Tigers - they can look good on offense the Tiges but seem to not even have a defensive coach this year as teams just walk through them through the middle of the ground 

Crows - really should have won by more in this one given they were +118 for disposals, +55 in kicks, +64 in handballs, +20 inside 50's, +88 in uncontested possession, +12% time in possessions and only -10 in tackles

Over 3 videos today we look at:

• Bulldogs Too Slow
• Saints Outnumber Advantage Fail
• St Kilda Going Corridor x 2
• Hogan Supreme Balance
• Pies at Center Bounce
• Dalgleish Crumb
• Eagles Forward 50 Stoppage Goal
• West Coast at Center Bounce
• Port Forward 50 Stoppage Goal

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