Geelong is laughing all the way to the Flag... On the back of your teams hard work.
Geelong. They played football the way it was meant to be played.
Get it to the forwards as quickly as possible, through the corridor. For three years from 2007- to 2009 we saw some of the best football this decade, many neutrals although envious of Geelong, were happy at our success. After all, we weren’t playing like Sydney and making games boring. Our success coincided with making the game better.
No team could beat us One on One. It was not possible, we had a champion on every line, our midfield and defense structures better than anyone else, All-Australians everywhere. Some of the best One on one player’s of this decade.
Then it begun...
The Hawks Cluster:
basically a midfield zone. We still dominated this, and due to our own poor kicking lost the game. We haven’t lost to the Hawks since and the cluster could be beaten easily in 2008 but we stuffed up our goal kicking. The cluster was not a proven method. Geelong still whipped out a massive number of inside 50’s.
The Saint’s Zones:
A better version of the Hawk’s cluster that was more an entire ground zone, with emphases on the Half forward line and midfield. It demanded 100% effort and focus from EVERY player on the ground, but it was almost impossible to kick more than 10 goals against them. It was brilliant, it covered up cracks that only now have emerged in the St.Kilda team such as: Baker, Dawson, Gram, Clarke, Dempster, McQualter had the same flaws in 2009 that they have now. But through coaching they were sneakily and cleverly hidden by what I believe now was brilliant coaching and planning. Yes it came at a cost, football was a little more boring when the Saint’s were involved, but it worked. It was even more effective at slowing down Geelong. It was near impossible to break through their zone with handballs, but we found a way and when we did break through we had players that were good enough one – on – one to beat their respective opponents.
The Collingwood Press:
A bastardised version the two above zones, but primarily focused inside forward 50 and across half-back. Now, you didn’t even get a chance to get the handball game / long kicking game going across your half-back line, it was a swam of pressure. It derailed Geelong in last years Preliminary final, causing turnover after turnover. We wanted to cut through the middle, but we couldn’t. It proved even too much for the Saints, the Pie Press was too good, if the ball’s in your forward fifty, the opposition can’t score. Scoring from clearances became so important and the cats like to create opportunities from half back.
What all these Zones do, is mask and hide player flaws and defeciances. It's more of a "Team" defense and less about beating your man. It didn't matter that the Saint's were slow or had a poor bottom 6 . It didn't matter that the Hawks back line was undersized and undermanned. The respective zoning covered this up.
Well, guess what. Geelong are slow and old. Hell. We are! We should be falling. Our forward line is probably worse than it's ever been. Our midfield down Gaz, our back line consisting of Scarlett and Milburn well both over 30. But... we have adopted this ZONE. Our own version which was impressive against the Pies, especially in the first. After years of running and gunning through the center, we have a game-plan, oh and our players are still skilled and our bottom 6 impressive. This game plan will give us another crack at a flag. It won't be as free flowing, no the teams I mention here saw to the destruction of free flowing footy, but if we were to take a flag from them, using their own creations, after everyone has written us off... Oh how sweet it would be!
Geelong. They played football the way it was meant to be played.
Get it to the forwards as quickly as possible, through the corridor. For three years from 2007- to 2009 we saw some of the best football this decade, many neutrals although envious of Geelong, were happy at our success. After all, we weren’t playing like Sydney and making games boring. Our success coincided with making the game better.
No team could beat us One on One. It was not possible, we had a champion on every line, our midfield and defense structures better than anyone else, All-Australians everywhere. Some of the best One on one player’s of this decade.
Then it begun...
The Hawks Cluster:
basically a midfield zone. We still dominated this, and due to our own poor kicking lost the game. We haven’t lost to the Hawks since and the cluster could be beaten easily in 2008 but we stuffed up our goal kicking. The cluster was not a proven method. Geelong still whipped out a massive number of inside 50’s.
The Saint’s Zones:
A better version of the Hawk’s cluster that was more an entire ground zone, with emphases on the Half forward line and midfield. It demanded 100% effort and focus from EVERY player on the ground, but it was almost impossible to kick more than 10 goals against them. It was brilliant, it covered up cracks that only now have emerged in the St.Kilda team such as: Baker, Dawson, Gram, Clarke, Dempster, McQualter had the same flaws in 2009 that they have now. But through coaching they were sneakily and cleverly hidden by what I believe now was brilliant coaching and planning. Yes it came at a cost, football was a little more boring when the Saint’s were involved, but it worked. It was even more effective at slowing down Geelong. It was near impossible to break through their zone with handballs, but we found a way and when we did break through we had players that were good enough one – on – one to beat their respective opponents.
The Collingwood Press:
A bastardised version the two above zones, but primarily focused inside forward 50 and across half-back. Now, you didn’t even get a chance to get the handball game / long kicking game going across your half-back line, it was a swam of pressure. It derailed Geelong in last years Preliminary final, causing turnover after turnover. We wanted to cut through the middle, but we couldn’t. It proved even too much for the Saints, the Pie Press was too good, if the ball’s in your forward fifty, the opposition can’t score. Scoring from clearances became so important and the cats like to create opportunities from half back.
What all these Zones do, is mask and hide player flaws and defeciances. It's more of a "Team" defense and less about beating your man. It didn't matter that the Saint's were slow or had a poor bottom 6 . It didn't matter that the Hawks back line was undersized and undermanned. The respective zoning covered this up.
Well, guess what. Geelong are slow and old. Hell. We are! We should be falling. Our forward line is probably worse than it's ever been. Our midfield down Gaz, our back line consisting of Scarlett and Milburn well both over 30. But... we have adopted this ZONE. Our own version which was impressive against the Pies, especially in the first. After years of running and gunning through the center, we have a game-plan, oh and our players are still skilled and our bottom 6 impressive. This game plan will give us another crack at a flag. It won't be as free flowing, no the teams I mention here saw to the destruction of free flowing footy, but if we were to take a flag from them, using their own creations, after everyone has written us off... Oh how sweet it would be!
