Film room: How Graeme Hossack shuts down Ryder Garnsey
By Zach Carey | Jul 19, 2024
Graeme Hossack’s return to the Utah Archers lineup has stabilized the team’s defense. The All-World defender is a clear No. 1 whom the club can rely on to handle any opponent he’s tasked with guarding.
“That’s a clear great matchup for us,” Archers head coach Chris Bates said. “If there’s one guy who you’re not going to bully, it's Hoss.”
Hossack is a beast against any individual matchup. He has the strength and size to absorb contact from any bruiser plus the foot speed and technique to match feet with any speedster.
This weekend in Fairfield, he’ll line up against a similarly versatile player in the California Redwoods’ Ryder Garnsey.
What makes his matchup with Garnsey so fascinating is how the Redwoods attackman can win with angles, deception and speed, but also has the strength in his core and upper body to jostle with bigger defenders. He boasts the quickness and explosiveness to separate yet is no stranger to using his shoulder to drive through a defender. Really, he’s the Hossack of attackmen because of the multitude of ways he can win.
In Utah and California’s two matchups in 2023, Garnsey shot 1-for-7 and totaled one goal, one assist and four turnovers. For a player who averaged 3.6 points per game last season, those performances are a testament to how Hossack can own any matchup.
Garnsey’s one goal in two games against the Archers last year came off a switch that the Woods generated with a pick from Brian Tevlin. Even for Latrell Harris – the 2023 George Boiardi Short-Stick Defensive Midfielder of the Year – Garnsey was too slippery after the Archers conceded the switch.
California loves to hunt for those big-little switches against Utah. The Archers are typically happy to let their shorties switch onto attackmen with their defense prepared to slide early. The Woods used that to their advantage at times last season, particularly with Rob Pannell attacking converted SSDM Challen Rogers in the 2023 semifinals.
But, otherwise, the Redwoods didn’t get much going against the Archers in those two losses. When Garnsey or the other Woods attackmen went at their individual matchups, they had little success. In fact, California scored just nine points in those two games.
Garnsey tried dodging Hossack three minutes into the third quarter of the two clubs’ matchup in Fairfield in 2023. Even while having to cross-hold Garnsey, Hossack matched feet, threw a number of checks, drove the lefty away from the cage and even landed a perfectly timed bottom-hand lift to disrupt the shot.
That degree of blanketing from Hossack is why using picks in awkward areas is critical to free Garnsey’s hands in this matchup. Hossack is too agile and too strong to beat off the dribble. For the league’s lowest-scoring offense to find success against Utah, making the Lindenwood product navigate picks and forcing the Archers defense to make decisions will be key.
In last year’s semifinal, Tevlin set an effective pick for Garnsey to get underneath on the lefty wing. Having come from defense to offense, Tevlin had Tom Schreiber guarding him, so the Archers didn’t want to switch. That forced Hossack to fight over the pick and lose a step to Garnsey as he exploded towards goal line extended.
Ultimately, Hossack benefitted from Warren Jeffey’s presence as an adjacent slide. That allowed him to trail Garnsey and eventually jar the ball loose.
The Redwoods’ spacing cost them on this play. Ideally, Pannell would’ve occupied space near the back pipe to force Jeffrey to slide from across the crease. He also could’ve been open for a finish on crease.
But the idea here is something the Woods will need to build on to activate Garnsey in his matchup against Hossack. Setting an array of big-little picks for Garnsey, particularly in transition or substitution situations, can create some separation from Hossack and test the Utah team defense.
Rather than banging their heads against the wall that is Hossack in a one-on-one, using versatile threats like Tevlin or Charlie Bertrand to disrupt the matchup could give life to the California offense.
Still though, the opportunities to attack Hossack are few and far between. He rarely overextends, has the experience to read what’s coming and is arguably the most physically versatile defender in the game.
Even when Garnsey gets a shot off, there’s no guarantee the ball will make it past him…
For the Archers, trusting Hossack to contain Garnsey and believing in their SSDMs to do the dirty work off switches will continue to be the game plan. Defensive coordinator Tony Resch is the best in the business, and he’s completely locked down the Redwoods’ offense recently.
Utah has a solid veteran presence and a defensive scheme that simplifies the decision making for its defense. With a stud like Hossack likely neutralizing California’s biggest dodging threat, the Archers are in a good spot heading into Saturday evening’s faceoff.
