By Connor Schmidtke
We all love watching the local footy, but do we really watch the footy? Do we see what teams are trying to do? How they’re unlocking opposition defences or beating them at the coalface?
Probably not. Luckily for us EFNL Media’s Connor Schmidtke really watches the footy and each week he’ll bring you an extra level of insight to a key EFNL fixture.
This week, Connor cast his eye over The Basin and Ringwood, whose spoils were shared across two outings in 2021. Their first encounter saw Ringwood runaway with a comfortable 53-point victory, but The Basin stormed home in the second game to claim a four-point triumph over the Redbacks.
Not only did the results vary in both games, but the style of play varied from both sides too.
The Key Takeaways
The first outing between these two sides in 2021 resulted in a blowout win to Ringwood and the 53-point margin almost didn’t do justice to Ringwood’s dominance. Time and time again, Ringwood were able to pick their way through the Bears defence with precise foot skills.
Upon watching the replay of the game, it is clear to see that in certain moments of the game that Ringwood wanted to move the ball slowly out of their defensive half. They were able to hit up targets coming out of their back 50, transitioning the ball into the corridor as they moved forward.
Due to their precise ball movement, they were able to have several high-quality entries inside 50. By comparison, The Basin looked extremely rushed and pressured with ball in hand.
The Bears were forced to kick long and high down the line, struggling to find the same space through the corridor that Ringwood exploited. Their midfielders failed to lower their eyes heading forward, missing targets, and creating a minimal number of good looks at goal.
The Basin were held to their lowest score of the season that day, managing just 32 points. Had the Redbacks been more efficient in front of goal, the final margin could have been far more demoralising for the Bears.
The second contest between the two sides however was a far more even one, worthy of the top two billing. Facing a 23-point deficit at three quarter time, The Basin came storming home in the final term to claim a four-point victory.
So how did The Basin flip the script?
The Bears completely reversed the roles from game one against the Redbacks, particularly in the final quarter.
When exiting their defensive arc, Ringwood were put under enormous pressure and were suffocated into turning the ball over in dangerous positions across the middle of the ground. The Basin capitalised through precise ball movement, finding multiple avenues into their forward line and numerous set shot opportunities in front of goal.
As seen in this picture from the second game, Ringwood’s midfielders can occasionally get sucked into following the ball rather than their direct opponent. Three Redbacks midfielders went after the ball carrier, leaving two Bears players (Top Right) free in the corridor.
This is an opportunity that The Basin should look to expose on Saturday, spreading away from the contest into dangerous positions and exposing this flaw in the Ringwood set-up.
Three Big Questions
How do Ringwood cover the loss of the Farmer Brothers?
The Farmer brothers, Mitch and Trent, had become perhaps the biggest names on the Ringwood team sheet each week up until 2021.
Mitch, Ringwood’s 2019 Best and Fairest winner, was also building nicely into 2021, before the season was prematurely cut short.
Trent had long been the main man in the Redbacks forward half, with 2021 proving no different. The former captain had notched three seasons with over 60 goals from 2015 through to 2018, before sitting out the 2019 season.
He topped Ringwood’s goalkicking again comfortably in 2021 and was regularly amongst the Redback’s top players. He was awarded best on ground honours for the Redbacks in both games against the Bears last year, slotting seven goals and clunking numerous contested marks across the forward arc. He was also vital in crashing packs around the ground, giving Ringwood a safe option when exiting their defensive half.
One critical area of this weekend’s game will be seeing how Ringwood covers these off-season losses, and where their main source of scoring will come from.
How influential will The Basin’s off-season additions prove to be?
After fielding an improved outfit in 2021 which saw them sit second on the ladder at the season’s conclusion, the Bears were not content and set about strengthening their weakest points this off-season.
Ex-VFL tall, Matt Rennie leads the list of inclusions for The Basin. Rennie has featured for Warragul and Garfield in recent seasons, kicking 33 goals from just 11 matches in 2021 and will look to bolster the Bears offensive output this year, whilst Jayden Goumas will add more depth to a strong Bears midfield.
Keep an eye out for these new recruits’ names on the team sheet on Saturday, as they all will be looking to prove their worth in the starting 22.
Which team can find cleaner entries inside 50?
The two games between Ringwood and The Basin in 2021 were decided by disposal efficiency heading inside the forward arc.
In the first meeting, Ringwood were able to link up time and time again through the corridor which led to meaningful and threatening entries inside their forward 50. In the second game however, The Basin were able to find threatening entries into their forward 50. Particularly in the last quarter, the Bears managed to find multiple avenues to goal as they stormed home from a 23-point deficit.
This Saturday’s game may come down to which team can control the corridor better. The Redbacks have quality users through the middle of the ground and if the Bears can’t find a way to put pressure on them, look for Ringwood to repeatedly try bringing the ball through the middle of the ground.