It is commonly deployed to protect a lead, to stop a rout or as a counterattack tactic based on rebounding the ball to an open forward line.
The positioning provided many lopsided contests against teams trying to play pack football, such as beating St Kilda 10.11 (71) to 1.9 (15) on July 23 and Melbourne 11.9 (75) to 2.8 (20) on August 1 in 1898.
[citation needed] Over the years many teams have put extra men in the defensive 50 metre zone to stifle attacks, usually to stop great full-forwards or protect a lead.
[citation needed] It was not uncommon for forwards such as Gordon Coventry, John Coleman, Tony Lockett, Jason Dunstall and Gary Ablett Sr., among others, to be seen fighting off three defenders to take a mark.
[citation needed] Flooding the defensive zone outright was a rarity due to the level of endurance required from the entire team.
[2] Terry Wallace became infamous for the "Super-Flood" that he employed in the Round 21 game between the Western Bulldogs and Essendon at Colonial Stadium in 2000.