Longs are quite useful if perfected, but can be neutralized as any other play. Thats where flexibility, MORE available options, and decision making is crucial. And it is also with these factors of somewhat non transferrable qualities that underpin competitive advantage.
Refer to MENS OPEN TEST 1 @ 5:44
Both mids run a long with l.a.mid receiving quick ball off the ground to the left. The r.a.mid works off the ball to the right. Assuming defending mids were ready to man-up instead of being caught, long wouldn't be effective.
In the game, r.a.mid receiving long ball steps back in-field, with l.a.mid staying on inside shoulder of l.d.link
(it is also worth noting that the l.a.mid kinda took a step back before taking the touch. I assume this is to make the l.d.link to run up a little bit more or perhaps just trying to get behind the ball. Nevertheless, small little step but it's always the 1 %ers that results in a try). This left the l.d.mid planted, as r.a.mid changed direction (fyi both d.mids are on the ball carrier at this point!). Now, left d.link will have no choice but to collapse in for his a.mid. If you remember my last post on the "stanton" play, the kiwis have done quite exactly the same thing in this case. And if you remember claiming that players at domestic level never run up hard to collapse in, this actually proves that "stanton" can still work w/o a good collapse defence. It all took a religious shifting defence which forced the d.link into that position to make that touch. So, l.a.mid takes the touch on l.d.link and r.a.mid passes the ball as acting half resulting in a try by l.a.link. The d.wing is caught out by the a.wing with l.d.link unable to get to the ball carrier in time.
What the kiwis did was to exploit aus drifting defence to set up for a second phase play. In this case they went left with a quickie, long right, and back to left for a "stanton" or second phase play. So as i was saying, creating more options will give us more flexibility to our advantage, and also to deal with 'smart' defenders or those that have learned to evolve. Basically, a long and stanton should do. Of course we also need to consider whether defenders drift as a unit and also if they are trained to collapse. Same set up, different options.
Yeah?
