Western Bulldogs defender Liam Jones has come beneath the microscope for too usually getting “caught in no man’s land” throughout Friday night time’s 43-point loss to Brisbane.
The Canines’ sturdy run of kind ended by the hands of the red-hot Lions, who breathed contemporary life into their season at Marvel Stadium as Eric Hipwood bought off the leash for a career-best six objectives, whereas Joe Daniher added 2.3.
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Luke Beveridge’s aspect was additionally soundly crushed across the ball (-15 contested possessions, -18 clearances) as the sport was performed predominantly in its again half together with dropping inside 50s (64-45).
Regardless of the plethora of ball coming again there, two-time AFLW All-Australian defender Ruby Schleicher was crucial of how usually Jones bought “sucked as much as the ball” or typically discovered himself within the fallacious place.
“Joe Daniher stays again and he will get caught in no man’s land. He doesn’t know whether or not to go or not,” Schleicher mentioned on Fox Footy Stay watching again a replay of Daniher getting out the again on Jones.
Schleicher confirmed different imaginative and prescient when Jones pressed up successfully to impression the subsequent contest.
“Right here’s a superb instance, you see Jones makes the proper choice … comes ahead and it turns right into a Jamarra-Ugle Hagan objective. That’s what we have to see extra constantly,” she mentioned.
Nevertheless the star Magpie thinks Jones in the end wasn’t constant sufficient in his judgement of when to go and when to play extra accountable.
“There have been too many occasions he was caught in no man’s land and ball watching. There have been even numbers forward of him, so he didn’t should go and impression, however was caught neither right here or nor there. He must shut down on that in the mean time,” Schleicher added.
“The Lions had 21 marks inside 50 – 16 of these uncontested. It’s from these conditions we noticed the place he’s too far off his man and allowed Hipwood or Daniher an excessive amount of house to get to work inside 50.”
Former Hawthorn sharpshooter Ben Dixon concurred, saying it’s “as rattled” as he’s seen Jones, the Canines’ premier key defender.
Nevertheless Dixon famous: “It’s fairly daunting when (Brisbane is) transferring the ball like that and also you’ve bought Daniher and Hipwood there, I’d be twitching too if I used to be a defender.”
Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy added: “He bought caught out by a few their turnover kicks and that put him in no man’s land.”
The loss denied the Canines an opportunity to climb into the highest eight, sliding to 6-7 to stay in eleventh place on the ladder.
Beveridge’s aspect will look to bounce again towards Fremantle subsequent week at Marvel Stadium earlier than the Canines’ mid-season bye in Spherical 15.
Initially revealed as ‘Caught ball watching’: Canines defender ‘in no man’s land’ throughout Lions blitz
