Review Autopsy vs Adelaide

[Sentinel]

He completely changed the game plan that won us a flag. Massive roll of the dice. And it's been an epic failure unfortunately. This team has zero point of difference.

Do you think we could have competed for a premiership again without a gamble though? Clearly the direction that we've gone for this year hasn't paid off, but it's rare that the competition doesn't catch up quickly to the previous year's winning game style, particularly when we didn't stand out as the best team until the final 4 weeks of the season.

To me our problem this year is twofold - gameplan and hunger, and I believe the latter is the biggest reason why we're sitting where we are. In saying that, both are Bevo's responsibility as coach.

 

[Sharkey66]

Redpath was pathetic.

But was our only forward who looked like getting close to consistently scoring a goal. Then again he was our only forward. Have no idea what the other five in the forward line were supposed to be doing. Non existent.

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

No mate, that's being a Bulldog fan

Cmon we have had it good for the last 20 years.

5 prelims
1 premiership

 

[Braybrook Son]

Hope the dogs take a leaf out of Chelsea's book

Champions 14". Finish 10th next season
And champions this year.

However they addressed the list and a new game style

Mate please? We AREN'T Chelsea. Chelsea have a shit year, they just come out and spend 200 million dollars on new players, we can't just do that. Poor comparison?

 

[immortalmike]

Speaking of... I was on the shitter when Dahl kicked our only second half goal.

You need laxatives. For our goal conversion.

 

[go you pups]

He got smashed by everyone he played on, including kids. He kicked the ball really badly.

Honestly, I thought he was awful.

He's never been a high marking forward though, Tom Boyd is that man, but Boyd is apparently a ruckman now according to the coach which is BS and kills our structure.

Redpath is our best hit up forward and he is the only one who does it regularly (Wallis tries but lacks height, Stringer and Picken don't do it enough).

It is frustrating when we are outmarked regularly forward, but our game style allows for extra time for the opposition to get back and set up behind the ball time and time again because across half forward Macrae will pass it to Dahlhaus, Dahlhaus to Daniel, Daniel to McLean, McLean back to Macrae then Macrae to Hunter then a dinky danky kick from Hunter gets intercepted 35-40m out and then everyone will just blame our forwards. Our forwards can't do much when the delivery from midfield is slow and predictable with no conviction and we don't play with a centre half forward or any hit up forwards at all too which hurts structure wise imo. Half forward is often bypassed through our play as we rely too much from our rebounders and outside mids/high half forwards for ball movement via hand, we simply don't get it forward quickly enough that way, a kicking oriented game could provide quicker, more direct ball movement, but it is not Beveridge's way.

We played a smaller forwardline under Eade but everyone hit up and created space for each other and it worked against most teams except teams with premiership standard defences as our lack of height was exposed against them, but 85% of the time it worked. Our current forwards don't have the same chemistry, but I'm not sure if the problem solely is on them, imo our midfield is the biggest problem currently.

Everyone gives Suckling and Stringer shit but at least they'll pull the trigger from 55 when it looks unlikely we'll take a mark inside 50 due to numbers back for the opposition because midfield has fluffed around with it too much, no one else in our team wants to pull the trigger apart from them two. Look at Daniel last week for example, less than two minutes to go 35-40m out on a flank and we need to score twice to win or draw, he doesn't put it on himself to kick a goal, he squares it up, intercepted, game over. Why do we have so many players who lack confidence in their kicking abilities? It's like having 10 Daniel Cross's in your team every week (always took the safe option).

I want to see a fast, direct, but accountable game plan, not this artsy fartsy over handball/sideways kicking shit we seem to dish up every week.

 

[Braybrook Son]

Cmon we have had it good for the last 20 years.

5 prelims
1 premiership

Well I've seen 1 in 40 years and aren't too over the moon

 

[Kingsfoil]

The blueprint to beat the Crows has been out for a while and used very successfully by a few teams lately - hard tag on Sloane, and extra defender behind the ball, not letting your defenders get sucked too high up the ground, etc.. Why do you guys think the Dogs didn't employ any of those tactics tonight?

 

[Chicago1]

You need laxatives. For our goal conversion.

Anything to help us win!

 

[Doggy]

The blueprint to beat the Crows has been out for a while and used very successfully by a few teams lately - hard tag on Sloane, and extra defender behind the ball, not letting your defenders get sucked too high up the ground, etc.. Why do you guys think the Dogs didn't employ any of those tactics tonight?

The coach is stubborn as ****

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

We're already close. We've assumed the fecal position.

 

[Unorth]

Instead of questioning the 'want' of the players I'd be questioning why I decided to completely go away from a ball dominating gameplan revolving around great midfielder placement and defensive chemistry, to a gameplan which seems to revolve around letting a) the other team get a ton of clean possessions and b) having us wack the ball as high into the air as we can while trying to use Caleb Daniel and Mitch Honeychurch as wing marking targets, or Picken/Wallis as full forwards, while generally having just two players in the forward line anyway.

I've said it before but the problems just compound themselves. When the players aren't put in positions to succeed, the heads will start to drop, and then the mistakes become self-fulfilling prophecies. Bevo has a lot of credits in the bank, but I think it's fair to say he was jumping at shadows last preseason. He (and all the other coaches, were so worried about being worked out that he got either too arrogant or too paranoid thinking about it, tried mixing it up, and the end result was one of the worst gameplans in the league. And while certain player related issues haven't helped, from injuries to form drop offs nobody could see coming, even if we were healthy the problems would remain. You can couple that horrendous gameplan with some head scratching selections as well.

I'm not even that upset, going back to back is hard, and a couple of the other premiership winnings sides as young of us have missed out on finals the next year, because of how much being hunted every week can impact young players. If we follow the Hawks route and use this period to consolidate our young talent and retool around them after winning an early flag, great. But it didn't have to be this way this season. We could have at least made the 8.

 

[TommyD13]

your our issue dont lett

Just a quick thing, not meant to be aggressive or anything but could you please try your best to tidy up your posts a bit so everyone can be clear on what you are saying.

 

[_Mike_]

Can't understand all the fappng over Macrae. He does get a lot of the ball, chips it or handballs it around but he does not hurt the opposition enough with his ability and ball use. Reminds me a lot of Moyd when he was playing midfield. Got his hands on the footy a lot but was not a player that was damaging the opposition when he had it.

Hunter has definitely gone backwards this year. Was averaging 30+ possessions a game last season.

 

[DelRe]

He completely changed the game plan that won us a flag. Massive roll of the dice. And it's been an epic failure unfortunately. This team has zero point of difference.

True a complete change of game plan would be a big gamble - but what do you see as the biggest changes?

I don't see it the same way really. To be honest blaming Bev's strategy is the easy way out of avoiding questions about preparation and form. At the end of the day too there was a high number of premiership players in that side tonight.

If you make the assumption that the Rd 1 side, barring injury, is the coach's preferred side it contained Cloke, Crameri and Toyd. Those players have managed an average of 6 games this year. Now compare that to Lynch, Walker and Jacobs averaging 14 games. I'd say that's a lot easier to coach.

Then you look at who's been available when those three have been out and it's Redpath, Campbell and Rough who av less than 6 games. So structurally Bev has essentially had nothing to work with all year from a continuity perspective and forced to keep putting a finger in the dam.

Then look at the backs - Cordy (unable to be released forward), Murphy, Morris and Adams. Currently only two of them available and average about 9 games. So at both ends of the ground and in the ruck he's been unable to play a consistent set of KPPs. A close reminder of how the side rapidly dropped away in 2011 when the back six didn't manage more than one game together for the whole year.

Essentially all the MC has been rely on are non key stocks like Bont (forced fwd), Hunter, Macrae, Dahlhaus and JJ who unfortunately is battling through a tag and horribly down on form.

I don't see a coach with a failed plan; I see a coach who hasn't had a chance to implement one.

 

[Braybrook Son]

I thought it was well known how to beat the Crows, extra man back and tag Sloan. Sloan was off the leash tonight, and Adelaide got so many goals out the back.

We were watching mate, thanks for that!

 

[bulldog87]

What happens if we win the next 4?

 

[go you pups]

Mate please? We AREN'T Chelsea. Chelsea have a shit year, they just come out and spend 200 million dollars on new players, we can't just do that. Poor comparison?

Chelsea didn't spend much under Conte mate, a lot of their squad was the same, pretty sure just Marcos Alonso, David Luiz and N'Golo Kante were brought in, the coaching moves that were made were most significant to their fortune imo.

The Manchester teams spent shitloads more last year, same with Arsenal IIRC.

 

[WIGNEY]

He completely changed the game plan that won us a flag. Massive roll of the dice. And it's been an epic failure unfortunately. This team has zero point of difference.

Against GWS in Canberra and Geelong the game plan (on the eye test) seemed pretty much the same and at stages we looked brilliant. Wtf is the game plan now ? I have no idea. Its like teams sit back, we bomb it in. They run past us. Bang it up the other end and goal. Repeat. What exactly is his game plan ??? He looks so rattled now its actually unnerving.

 

[Yojimbo]

The blueprint to beat the Crows has been out for a while and used very successfully by a few teams lately - hard tag on Sloane, and extra defender behind the ball, not letting your defenders get sucked too high up the ground, etc.. Why do you guys think the Dogs didn't employ any of those tactics tonight?

Because it would mess up our excellent game plan.

 

[_Mike_]

What happens if we win the next 4?

Highly unlikely based on what we've seen over the last 5 games

 

[TMoney22]

Mc didn't screw boyd out of 300 games, he lost form and deserved to be dropped.

And if Bont played for adelaide he'd kick 40+ goals and be AA easily. It's not his fault we are so shit with our efficientcy.

I do agree with both, but others should have been dropped before Boyd and surely the MC can see we need a spark. Boyd playing 300 might give them something to pull their fingers out. I would have kept that up my sleeve if i was on the MC but now we will have a depressing end to the season with nothing to look forward to.

 

[Colonel Matrix]

Our tall forwards are c graders at best I'd be happy if come the offseason we can get a b grade kpf or two.

Ty Vickery might be going cheap

 

[Sentinel]

The blueprint to beat the Crows has been out for a while and used very successfully by a few teams lately - hard tag on Sloane, and extra defender behind the ball, not letting your defenders get sucked too high up the ground, etc.. Why do you guys think the Dogs didn't employ any of those tactics tonight?

I'd almost suggest that Bevo's strengths can at times also be his biggest flaws. From the outside looking in, he will back each of our players in, and the team as a whole, every time. That very attitude gave them that belief and attitude which won us a flag last year, but it seems to be a stubbornness that sees us quite vulnerable when things aren't paying off. I see his refusal to tag a result of this (backing us to win head to head battles in the midfield), and we seem to struggle to adapt this year to a plan B if the defensive zone isn't working.

 

[dogwatch]

Speaking of... I was on the shitter when Dahl kicked our only second half goal.

My sympathies. The game was having a similar effect on me.