Bench rotation..

[tiger91]

I know that there has been a lot of talk regarding how Sheens uses the bench and the selection of our 14-17.

What I want to know is how would you select your bench?

Would you make changes to our starting pack and bench and how would you rotate the game time of each player?

What are the weaknesses we have with our bench and how can we overcome these?

For me, I see what one would see as a strength being turned into a weakness. When we only had two forwards on the bench last night, it was clear to me that Sheens believes in our back rowers ability to play the entire 80 minutes and his selection of only two props highlights this.

I also think that whilst Groat is talented and gas the potential to far in his footballing career, he is still too inexperienced for a starting spot and does not have the fitness and endurance that is required for the opening exchanges of the game, as is currently required of him. Coupled with the fact that Bell is very tight defensively and a solid front rower, I would promote Bell to the starting side.

So my pack would be (this week with no Farah or Galloway):
8\. Woods
9\. Politini
10\. Bell
11\. Blair
12\. Ellis
13\. Heighington

14\. Fulton
15\. Moors
16\. Groat
17\. BMM.

I would bring on Moors for Woods 15-20 minutes in, with Bell coming off for Groat around the 25 minute mark.

I would put Fulton in for Heighington around 25-30 minutes into the game, hoping to capitalise on his mobility around tiring defences.

To start the second half I would start with BMM and Bell up front with a back row of Blair, Ellis and Heighington. Fulton will start the 2nd 40 at hooker, giving Politini an extended breather after the break.

After the 50th minute I would like to bring Moors back on to replace Ellis, with BMM moving back into the 2nd row.

Midway through the second half I would see Politini back in the field with Fulton dropping back into the 2nd row for Blair to have a spell on the bench. I would also bring Groat on for Bell, to give Bell a rest before the end of the game, allowing him to come home strong late in the game. I will also bring Ellis back on to replace BMM in the second row.

At around the 65 minute mark I will bring Blair back on for Heighington, moving Fulton from 2nd row to lock. I would also bring Moors back to the bench and bring Woods back into the front row.

10 minutes from time I would bring Bell back on for Groat.

So during the last 10 minutes I would have a bench of Heighington, BMM, Moors and Groat, with one interchange left to cover for injuries.

There's an art to using the interchanges well and by no means am I saying I have hit the nail on the head.
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

 

[tiga4eva]

I know that there has been a lot of talk regarding how Sheens uses the bench and the selection of our 14-17.

What I want to know is how would you select your bench?

Would you make changes to our starting pack and bench and how would you rotate the game time of each player?

What are the weaknesses we have with our bench and how can we overcome these?

For me, I see what one would see as a strength being turned into a weakness. When we only had two forwards on the bench last night, it was clear to me that Sheens believes in our back rowers ability to play the entire 80 minutes and his selection of only two props highlights this.

I also think that whilst Groat is talented and gas the potential to far in his footballing career, he is still too inexperienced for a starting spot and does not have the fitness and endurance that is required for the opening exchanges of the game, as is currently required of him. Coupled with the fact that Bell is very tight defensively and a solid front rower, I would promote Bell to the starting side.

So my pack would be (this week with no Farah or Galloway):
8\. Woods
9\. Politini
10\. Bell
11\. Blair
12\. Ellis
13\. Heighington

14\. Fulton
15\. Moors
16\. Groat
17\. BMM.

I would bring on Moors for Woods 15-20 minutes in, with Bell coming off for Groat around the 25 minute mark.

I would put Fulton in for Heighington around 25-30 minutes into the game, hoping to capitalise on his mobility around tiring defences.

To start the second half I would start with BMM and Bell up front with a back row of Blair, Ellis and Heighington. Fulton will start the 2nd 40 at hooker, giving Politini an extended breather after the break.

After the 50th minute I would like to bring Moors back on to replace Ellis, with BMM moving back into the 2nd row.

Midway through the second half I would see Politini back in the field with Fulton dropping back into the 2nd row for Blair to have a spell on the bench. I would also bring Groat on for Bell, to give Bell a rest before the end of the game, allowing him to come home strong late in the game. I will also bring Ellis back on to replace BMM in the second row.

At around the 65 minute mark I will bring Blair back on for Heighington, moving Fulton from 2nd row to lock. I would also bring Moors back to the bench and bring Woods back into the front row.

10 minutes from time I would bring Bell back on for Groat.

So during the last 10 minutes I would have a bench of Heighington, BMM, Moors and Groat, with one interchange left to cover for injuries.

There's an art to using the interchanges well and by no means am I saying I have hit the nail on the head.
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

Maybe you havnt but your selection of bench is better than the Australian Coachs one.
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

 

[GNR4LIFE]

14\. Groat
15\. Bell
16\. BMM
17\. Moors

No doubt Meaney will earn a spot ahead of one of them, most likely Moors

 

[Montague_Street]

I know that there has been a lot of talk regarding how Sheens uses the bench and the selection of our 14-17.

What I want to know is how would you select your bench?

Would you make changes to our starting pack and bench and how would you rotate the game time of each player?

What are the weaknesses we have with our bench and how can we overcome these?

For me, I see what one would see as a strength being turned into a weakness. When we only had two forwards on the bench last night, it was clear to me that Sheens believes in our back rowers ability to play the entire 80 minutes and his selection of only two props highlights this.

I also think that whilst Groat is talented and gas the potential to far in his footballing career, he is still too inexperienced for a starting spot and does not have the fitness and endurance that is required for the opening exchanges of the game, as is currently required of him. Coupled with the fact that Bell is very tight defensively and a solid front rower, I would promote Bell to the starting side.

So my pack would be (this week with no Farah or Galloway):
8\. Woods
9\. Politini
10\. Bell
11\. Blair
12\. Ellis
13\. Heighington

14\. Fulton
15\. Moors
16\. Groat
17\. BMM.

I would bring on Moors for Woods 15-20 minutes in, with Bell coming off for Groat around the 25 minute mark.

I would put Fulton in for Heighington around 25-30 minutes into the game, hoping to capitalise on his mobility around tiring defences.

To start the second half I would start with BMM and Bell up front with a back row of Blair, Ellis and Heighington. Fulton will start the 2nd 40 at hooker, giving Politini an extended breather after the break.

After the 50th minute I would like to bring Moors back on to replace Ellis, with BMM moving back into the 2nd row.

Midway through the second half I would see Politini back in the field with Fulton dropping back into the 2nd row for Blair to have a spell on the bench. I would also bring Groat on for Bell, to give Bell a rest before the end of the game, allowing him to come home strong late in the game. I will also bring Ellis back on to replace BMM in the second row.

At around the 65 minute mark I will bring Blair back on for Heighington, moving Fulton from 2nd row to lock. I would also bring Moors back to the bench and bring Woods back into the front row.

10 minutes from time I would bring Bell back on for Groat.

So during the last 10 minutes I would have a bench of Heighington, BMM, Moors and Groat, with one interchange left to cover for injuries.

There's an art to using the interchanges well and by no means am I saying I have hit the nail on the head.
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

Maybe you havnt but your selection of bench is better than the Australian Coachs one.
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

I entirely agree with 91's bench and the suggested rotation.
Why does Sheens opt for such an undergunned bench? It's not senility. I'd like to know his reasoning…..
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

 

[tiger91]

As I said Montague Street, I think it's the fact that we have a back row that is capable of 80 minutes and Sheens is trying to play to that. Unfortunately, if you have 4 front row forwards in a bench with the intention of not rotating anyone in the back row and only replacing your front row, the minutes played by your front rowers and bench players would be very low and would not allow the front rowers to feel their way into the game and dominant for long periods of the game.

Any momentum your front row builds would be lost through constant changes to the on field front row.

On the other hand, go in with to little forward replacements in the bench and to put it simply, the forwards will be out in their feet before you know it and the rest of the team will suffer the forwards will be too tired to complete the workload required and you'll have the backs running straight up the middle to help out, only to be fatigued when they are needed.

To get the best use of your bench, I think you need to:

1\. Have one utility on the bench. Handy if they can play in the fowards, but with the main purpose of being able to replace an injured back if need be.

Someone like Fulton is ideal for this I think. Has enough strength to match it in the forwards, but has enough mobility to cover for an injured centre, or even wing (with minimal positional changes to the backline). Can also fill in at hooker of required.

2\. Have a preconceived idea of how you will rotate the forwards. How long can you leave a player in the middle of the park whilst still being effective? When can I bring on a player and get out the best possible performance, without restricting minutes of the player and others?

3\. Always plan to have an interchange left. We all saw what happened when Brian Smith used the final interchange in a game with 10 to go, only to have Perret come off injured and play the closing stages with 12 men.

I'm no professional, but that's how I would use the bench. Obviously Sheens has his reasons for his selections and use of the bench and ild only be left guessing why. Lets just hope way he sees it will pay off with some results soon!
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

 

[Montague_Street]

As I said Montague Street, I think it's the fact that we have a back row that is capable of 80 minutes and Sheens is trying to play to that. Unfortunately, if you have 4 front row forwards in a bench with the intention of not rotating anyone in the back row and only replacing your front row, the minutes played by your front rowers and bench players would be very low and would not allow the front rowers to feel their way into the game and dominant for long periods of the game.

Any momentum your front row builds would be lost through constant changes to the on field front row.

On the other hand, go in with to little forward replacements in the bench and to put it simply, the forwards will be out in their feet before you know it and the rest of the team will suffer the forwards will be too tired to complete the workload required and you'll have the backs running straight up the middle to help out, only to be fatigued when they are needed.

To get the best use of your bench, I think you need to:

1\. Have one utility on the bench. Handy if they can play in the fowards, but with the main purpose of being able to replace an injured back if need be.

Someone like Fulton is ideal for this I think. Has enough strength to match it in the forwards, but has enough mobility to cover for an injured centre, or even wing (with minimal positional changes to the backline). Can also fill in at hooker of required.

2\. Have a preconceived idea of how you will rotate the forwards. How long can you leave a player in the middle of the park whilst still being effective? When can I bring on a player and get out the best possible performance, without restricting minutes of the player and others?

3\. Always plan to have an interchange left. We all saw what happened when Brian Smith used the final interchange in a game with 10 to go, only to have Perret come off injured and play the closing stages with 12 men.

I'm no professional, but that's how I would use the bench. Obviously Sheens has his reasons for his selections and use of the bench and ild only be left guessing why. Lets just hope way he sees it will pay off with some results soon!
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

Thanks for that intelligent analysis.
It explains the basis of Sheens bench structure. I agree that with the current squad the bench should be 1 utility and 3 props.
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_