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The ruckman should win the hit out in the backline. This is because the opposition ruckman usually has formed a wall with the centreman and an on-baller a kick behind the play.

The ruckman would be contesting the hit out against a CHF, FF or FP. This frees up their respective opponents and makes them a viable option to direct the tap to, protect the receiver or provide an outlet for the receiver.

The hit out directed into this area gives the receiver a number of options. For starters, the receiver is facing the direction that he is going so he will not have to do a U-turn to dispose of the ball. The receiver, if he is well protected and has space, may play on and switch the play to the opposite back pocket and the team would run the ball out of the backline and therefore bypass the wall set up by the opposition players. He may use the spare backman to give a quick handball or short kick to.

He may just move the ball along the boundary with a grubber kick and force another boundary throw in. If the opposition sharks the hit out then it is a difficult position for them to kick a goal from. It is always advisable to have someone at the back of the contest to make sure that the opposition do not get an uncontested kick in the scoring corridor. This person could be the spare backman.

Design a game drill for your players, teaching them the ingredients of this situation.

Ruck Strategy (Five (5) Drills Included.

The Centre bounce is one of the most important parts of our game. A team that can consistently win the ball out of the centre will generally win the game.

It allows the forward players to have first use of the ball, creating many scoring opportunities and placing backmen under enormous pressure.
It is important to vary the direction of the tap as well as the length of the tap, this puts the opposition constantly under pressure as to where the ball will be tapped.

Ruckman.

He is responsible for getting the tap out and directing the ball to a spot worked out by the onball group. Constant communication between this group is vitally important.

Sweeper. (Centreman)

He is responsible for roving the opposition ruckmans work and putting extreme pressure on the opposition rover if he receives the ball from the tap. The sweeper must constantly “Tread water” as not to commit his actions too early. This player can also be very creative if we win the knock out by supporting the receiver and running off to receive the ball.

Receiver. (Rover)

He is responsible generally for getting the ball, running to a predetermined position decided by he and the ruckman. He must be fully committed to the role, eyes on the ball, creative, power runner and being a real work horse in the middle.

The Protector. (Ruck Rover)

He is responsible for assisting the receiver in getting the ball by shepherding / blocking, running at opposition players who are placing pressure on the receiver. He needs to be of strong character, disciplined, good reader of the play and prepared to use his body.

General.

Be prepared to change the roles of the centre group, this continually keeps the opposition guessing. Opposition are then unable to make plans to stop your dominance in the centre square.
If one of the players in the centre square is being tagged then swap this player to the sweeper role or the protector role.
This negates the opposition tagger and places him in a position not able to support his team mates and gives our receiver a better chance of winning the ball.
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REMEMBER

1. Heavy ball doesn’t travel as far – Play in Front.

2. Slippery ball – Limit handball.

3. Play in front – Umpire will reward you.

4. Having a shot – Dry the ball, boot, kick on the point.

5. Under pressure – Kick ball towards goal, soccer kick.

6. Put your body in – Be desperate.

7. Do the basics – Go direct.

8. Off to a good start – in case bad weather gets worse.

9. Don’t be fancy – Remember Basics.

10. Square your hands when marking – Head directly behind flight of ball.

11. Numbers to the contest – Out number.

12. Avoid too many handballs – Opportunity to kick, KICK.

13. Don’t let ball go past you – Get body behind ball.

14. Preparation – Be ready/ Be alert for a tough physical/ mental encounter.

The task of team selection each week is always going to be challenging for the coaching staff as they discuss players and strategies for upcoming games. Always attend these meetings prepared, having thought long and . hard how your team is currently playing and of the areas that you need to strengthen to improve performances.
There are so many issues to take into account when selecting your team each week. They include the performance of your team from the last game, the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition you are about to play, playing conditions and the individual situations of player fitness, injuries and form.
Every senior coach will have a match committee that meet after each game (briefly), then during training early in the week. Use this time to discuss a number of these above issues with your committee members and then encourage them to attend the selection meeting with a view to having positive input on how the team will line up for the next game.
Remember that a senior coach must listen and be open minded to suggestions from his match committee members. They need to have the opportunity of presenting their ideas an~ provide the reasons as to why individual players should be either included or removed from the team. Encourage healthy discussion, if you as the senior coach do not agree with the ideas put forward, say so and be prepared to support it with solid reasoning. Discuss every player and the position that they currently play. Take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the team you are about to play, have reasons as to why you would like to continue with a player who is out of form or coming back from injury .Discuss players in form in the reserves and weigh up the benefits of playing them at the higher level. Allow members of your match committee to challenge you on your ideas and be prepared to listen. The good coach who plans well will have the necessary answers before the questions are even asked.
Encourage all match committee members to attend selection meetings with the team they would select already written down. Give them the opportunity to place their team on the whiteboard so that it can be viewed for open discussion. You generally find that most teams will be similar and discussion will be on the last few positions or changes, that need to be made as a result of poor form, injuries or players becoming available after injuries.
Include your head trainer in these discussions, as it is important to get his/her views on players that are returning from injury or are attempting to play while carrying injuries. Always leave the final decision of player . availability to the head trainer.
When the team has finally been selected, remember that it is very important to speak individually to every player who has been omitted before the team is announced. The player deserves to hear the reasons why he has been omitted directly from the coach. He must be challenged to work on aspects of his game that with assist him to be reinstated. Players are normally disappointed and it is important to follow up and reiterate your views prior to them playing on the weekend. Be positive, reassure them that they are still in your plans, be honest and accurate in areas that you need them to improve. If they need to attack the ball harder, tell them. If they need to be more accountable, tell them. Always finish off these chats in a positive manner. Challenge the player to prove the match committee decision to be wrong, support him and make sure that a member of the match committee observes his game the following week.
This is one of the many difficult areas of coaching and how you handle these situations will go a long way to how your players will view you as a person/coach.
Selection is going to be a challenge every week. Whether you are winning or losing, take the time to consider all possibilities. Be strong in your views, but always remember that it is the senior coach who carries the responsibility and always has the final say. Like all good coaches do, plan well for training and match days, but do not under estimate the need to plan for your team selection nights.
Enjoy the challenges, I guarantee that there will be plenty of them each week.

Variations
Interestingly each team that reaches finals will arrive there a different way. You may have a dominant team in the competition that wins enough early games to ensure that it will participate. This coach can afford to relax players, then work them harder in the weeks leading up to the finals (even be prepared to drop a game because of the harder training) to ensure that they are fit enough to handle the rigours of finals football. The contrast of this is the club that struggles to win early games through poor form or injuries and has to play each of the last few weeks as though it is a final, just to win enough games to reach the business end of the year. This team will be match hardened but may not have been able to rest players to freshen them up and may have even had to risk further injury to key players, because they needed them in the team to win the required amount of games.

History
History has shown that a lot of teams that do well early develop lazy habits and do just enough to win each week. Sides that have to fight hard to win a spot in the finals are normally very focussed and committed to each other as they have had to work so hard against the odds without a guarantee of getting the opportunity of playing in the finals. How would you handle each of these scenarios if you were coaching either of these teams? The other interesting observation I have noted is just how many teams that have dominated the home and away season, then gone on to win the second semi final, only to play poorly in the most important game of the year. Is it bad luck? Poor preparation? Is it lack of matches? Complacency? Panic? Or through sheer opposition pressure a change of the game plan? There are many situations when I have been a coach in these scenarios where I have had to ask myself these very questions. The easy answer, which in most situations is wrong, is to say, “I would not have changed anything. Our preparation was very good”. It may have been good, but it can always be better.
Planning
Be prepared to plan ahead on the possibility that your team is good enough to play finals football. You plan for it preseason before a game is played and it is important to continue planning for it during the season while it is mathematically possible. Keep thinking ahead to the coming weeks. Watch your players closely at training. Are they training well? Is there genuine enthusiasm amongst the group? Do they look like they are ready to play finals football if it presented itself tomorrow? Keep asking yourself these questions and making sure that the answer is yes. If it is not, you may need to pick up the signs early and restructure training and support your players (freshen them up) as they may have doubts about their ability or be feeling the pressure of expectation. A good coach can solve these problems if he is prepared to be supportive and flexible. Remember that all coaches live and die by the performances of each player. Be prepared to talk to your players to ensure that those players who are feeling the pressure can be reassured and kept in a positive frame of mind. For the players in the successful team, having to wait so long for the opportunity of participating in the finals, knowing weeks ago that you were going to be there can also add pressure as well as frustration. Again a coach must keep working with his players to ensure that anxiety does not build. The other issue is bad habits that can creep into the team game and go unnoticed because you are winning games of football. The key to all good coaching is the ability of a coach to know his players well enough and watch for the signs. Having identified some of these issues it is also the coach’s responsibility to find the necessary solutions to problems that may occur. Do not take anything for granted when coaching sport. The moment you start to believe everything is going well is the very moment that you lose focus on what you are employed to do. The only time to start patting yourself on the back is after you and the team have won the most important game of the year. Until then you are just like every other coach in the competition and that is a person who has a dream. Don’t let it become a nightmare because you dropped away at the most important time of the season. Plan for every scenario and then have a plan B ready just in case.

Swoopercoach wishes you every success!