The new buzz-phrase of AFL coaches is field position. But what exactly is it? Just another bit of footy jargon that the fans are clueless about?Well, not really. Field position relates to the forward press that is de rigeur in AFL football nowadays, in the sense that a team with good field position has pushed the ball into its half, has its defensive grid in place and working properly.That they now have an expression for it shows how much stock the coaches put into the way they set themselves up in games, and how significant the defensive systems are.All of which makes you wonder whether Ross Lyon should have put a patent on his forward press when he introduced it at St Kilda in 2009, originally dubbed frontal pressure by Neil Craig, but certainly a stunningly new variation of the defensive zones that were being used by Craig, Alastair Clarkson (the cluster) and others around that time.Lyon would have made a fortune because within a year of unveiling his little invention it had been turned back upon him by Collingwood in 2010 with a quicker and better version which the Magpies called The Box, or the Roman Box. And now everyone is trying to lock the ball in the front half of the ground, not least triple premiership juggernaut Hawthorn, which deploys tackling machines like Paul Puopolo, Luke Breust and Cyril Rioli with the express purpose of doing it.The press came from basketball, specifically a man named John Wooden who coached UCLA on the college scene in the 1960s, and it changed that game, too, because previously the defensive team automatically folded back once it lost possession, conceding the middle part of the court.But in basketball, the press became so common that the antidotes to the press also came along, and that is about where we are at with AFL football now. Everyone knows that it is coming, and it is about how you handle it.Basically it is the same in both games; if the press works well, you can potentially get the ball back and extract an easy score, but if it breaks down you concede an easy score at the other end. It is risk-reward. It is also why we see so many goals dribbled through from the goalsquare nowadays (Adelaide, and particularly ESPN columnist Josh Jenkins, is brilliant at this), and why so many forwards seem to be able to find space without the nuisance of an opponent (witness Jason Johannisen getting himself clear to mark and goal to win the game for the Bulldogs in Sydney last weekend).Collingwoods version continually fell apart in the early stretch of the year, allowing opposing teams with a touch of daring the licence to score heavily against the Magpies until it was tightened up, and given a certain stiffness by one Ben Reid, the forgotten champion of the black and white brigade, who has returned to his best.Adelaide is the No.1 scoring team in the AFL partly because it has a cluster of options up forward but also because under Don Pyke, the Crows run at opposition presses with a bravado that is unmatched. Yet this can work the other way, too, and the Crows are only eighth on the defensive list, conceding 88 points per game. Melbourne pulled Pykes team apart at times last weekend, and kicked 15 goals, enough to win most games. Problem was, Adelaide kicked 18, which is precisely the issue when you play the Crows. Once again, it is about risk-reward.The coachspeak is interesting. Every week at quarter-time and three-quarter time breaks club staff hold up whiteboards to show the players up-to-date statistics for a range of KPIs, and contested possession is almost invariably one. Specifically, the coaches will refer to the contested possession differential between the two teams, plus or minus a certain number.It is meant to be important. But Hawthorn has lost the contested ball count in 12 of 14 games this year and are on top of the ladder, which Nathan Buckley described this week as an outlier. It is a puzzling statistic for everyone.How can it be so? At a guess, it is because Hawthorn presses up so hard and well that it more often than not gets the football back before it even reaches the point of a proper contest. The Hawks get their hands on the Sherrin through rundown tackles and intercept marks. Then you cant get it back from them.It works pretty damned well, as the results show. Which means that the four-peat still looks well and truly on. Cheap Padres Jerseys Authentic . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. 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CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber is back at the top of the Indians make-it-up-as-they-go rotation.Cleveland will start its ace in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, one of the few certainties Indians manager Terry Francona has as his team plays for a spot in the World Series.Trevor Bauer, who started the opener of the division series against Boston, will pitch Game 2 and Josh Tomlin will take the mound for Game 3 in Toronto on Sunday. After that, Francona has penciled in Mike Clevinger for Game 4, but that plan could change depending on what happens in the first three games.The uncertainty is nothing new to Francona, who has been forced to juggle his rotation for weeks after losing starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to injuries.Franconas decision to send out Kluber first was expected after the right-hander showed no signs of a late-season quadriceps injury and pitched seven shutout innings in Game 2 against the Red Sox. Kluber limited baseballs highest-scoring team to three hits and ended any concerns about him not being himself in his first postseason.The Indians will need Kluber and the rest of their staff to be on when they face the wild-card Blue Jays, who battered Texas in their division series by hitting eight homers and scoring 22 runs.Theyre good, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway?said. Theyre excellent. Their whole roster is pretty good, as far as swinging the bat. Weve got to make pitches from Pitch 1. Theyre a little bit different makeup than Boston. Theyre not going to sit around and take a first-pitch strike. You cant just groove a first pitch to them. Youve got to throw quality strikes right out the get-go, and then make sure you stay ahead. Thats going to be the challenge, making sure you throw quality strikes early and see what happens after that.Kluber, who will face Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada in the oopener, went 18-9 during the regular season, bouncing back from a 16-loss season in 2015.dddddddddddd He was 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays.While Francona has had to mix and match with his starters, he wont have Salazar on the ALCS roster.The Indians sent the right-hander to Arizona to build up stamina in hopes that he might be able to return for this series after being sidelined since early September with forearm tightness. But Francona said the 11-game winner is not ready, and the Indians dont want to rush him back.Hes doing pretty good, Francona said. Hes not back yet where hes throwing all his pitches or letting it go 100 percent. I think if we ask him to do that, he might be reaching right now. Weve been pretty vocal about the first priority is getting him back healthy. I think this proves it. We wouldnt do that to somebody.The loss of Salazar was compounded when Carrasco broke his right hand when he was hit by a line drive on Sept 17. Francona has had to be creative with his bullpen, using eight relievers to complete the game in which Carrasco got hurt.Theres not much our bullpen hasnt experienced throughout the course of the year, team president Chris Antonetti said. Weve had all different types of games, from the extra-inning game in Toronto to the game when Carlos left after two pitches. So, theres not too much our guys havent handled and I think theyre prepared and ready to go pitch when its their turn, whenever Tito calls upon them.Francona used his bullpen masterfully against the Red Sox, bringing in left-hander Andrew Miller earlier and relying on late-inning stalwarts Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen.The manager will likely take a similar approach into the series with Toronto.At this point, he doesnt have much choice. 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