Analysis Ricks Analysis (The Shinboner Blog)

[Carlos Herrrnandez]

Different kind of format to this week's post, I wanted to explain how a game unfolds with the counters from both coaches boxes.

Plus a bit in there on the reaction to Brad Scott's presser, and please don't turn my safe space of a thread into another discussion on whether Brad should be coach: https://theshinboner.com/2019/04/08...h-review-north-melbourne-hawthorn-brad-scott/

Great read.

I don’t think McGowan wanted names - he asked if underperforming players would be dropped for the ones coming in - a question 99% of fans would like to know as he never does.

Scott reacted as he did to diffuse the question, and has achieved his aim as we are now talking about naming names which had nothing to do with it.

Scott is a horrendous coach - but he is a great salesman and would make a good politician. Answer a different question to what you were asked.

 

[Hazey1977]

Brad/Selection Committee (not sure how much say they get) has a history of backing players in to the hilt, at times to their detriment and the teams. The continual selection of Black/Petrie/Goldy/Swallow when injured, out of form or totally shot of confidence are examples where a run back in the VFL may have led to a quicker return to form.

I'm not advocating Scott trash the players in a post match at all, it would be very poor form
But the post seems to indicate that being "demoted" to VFL at all is a shameful punishment, and I'm advocating for maybe just acknowledgement that yeah sometimes players get in a bit of a form slump. Obviously I'm not in on the inner workings of the coaching staff but I've closely followed a lot of different sports and coaches and leadership groups. Sometimes it's best for everyone if we face up to someone struggling instead of ignoring it/sweeping it under the rug and staying the course.

On SM-G965F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[The Butcher]

It feels like for years we haven't mastered any game style because if things go sour with whatever we do try we have the get out of goal switch up tactic of long down the line.

Now, I dont have the stats but it Feels like despite the talls we've internally rated and the mids we've called bulls, never have we consistently done better than break even with this tactic. There's been a few games where Waite or Maj took some good grabs, rarely Dish /Wood/Ziebs and never Brown... I guess a few where we outcrumbed the opposition along the wings, and I guess a few where we caused stoppages and then actually took advantage of Goldy's tap advantage.. but those games never became the norm and we never threatened to dominate the comp relying on that fall back tactic.

Not developing a reason to rarely need to rely on this "fall back", or never building a list/train to dominate using that fall back, is why we MUST have a change at the the top

 

[The Butcher]

To me, that long kick down the line says one of two things.
1. I want to kick it long, we'll take the meters beat you in a contest then take some more meters. We've spread your guys and have an outnumber or at least even numbers where I'm kicking it.
2. I want to but can't find a way to play keepings off till we get a shot on goal and now I'm under pressure so I'm gonna take as many meters as I can get. Its not really what I want so maybe it'll work out maybe it won't.

When we do it, it feels like number 2 to me.

 

[Falkroo]

I'm on Ron's side

I remember being part of an under 15 rep side at Arden Street back in 1980, we were all sitting in the the change rooms and Barass was giving us talk about footy life and what we needed to do to achieve, etc, etc. He had a footy in his hands and one of the players (not me) was looking around the room, Barass pinged the footy at him, hitting him flush on the forehead. "When I speak, all eyes on me". Not sure if the kid was listening after that, but didn't so much as blink, let alone look away.

 

[Black2Blue]

ferball saved me a post but just wanted to add that this kind of stuff fascinates me, how two people can react to the same thing completely differently.

I think Brad's assessed his playing group as one which is better suited to hear that message privately rather than publicly, which is why we see the press conferences we do. Whether that's right or wrong is up to opinion too I guess.

Interesting read, Rick. I think everyone agrees that you don't publicly throw players under a bus, but the response suggested a coach without answers. And the private messaging approach is obviously delivering little in terms of addressing the failings of the team. Listening to JMac suggesting winning is not at all costs rather than reflecting on his own failings in topping league turnovers, implies the messages are either not reaching the players or they are seen as superficial.

The lack of action at the selection table, the evidence of playing favourites (even when under injury clouds), the lack of communication with supporters about club decisions, and a complete lack of risk and creativity in the game plan has created an unhealthy sense of insularity and one-dimensionality in the club. And if all we get are glib statements at press conferences, non statements at the selection table, and some of the most abysmal football I've seen in a North jumper on the field, then of course reactions are going to be harsh and critical. And if the club acknowledged that there are numerous clever footy minds on this board, then they would benefit from taking these often well articulated criticisms seriously. The problems facing the club extend well beyond the drudgery at the MCG on Sunday.

 

[ferball]

Interesting read, Rick. I think everyone agrees that you don't publicly throw players under a bus, but the response suggested a coach without answers. And the private messaging approach is obviously delivering little in terms of addressing the failings of the team. Listening to JMac suggesting winning is not at all costs rather than reflecting on his own failings in topping league turnovers, implies the messages are either not reaching the players or they are seen as superficial.

The lack of action at the selection table, the evidence of playing favourites (even when under injury clouds), the lack of communication with supporters about club decisions, and a complete lack of risk and creativity in the game plan has created an unhealthy sense of insularity and one-doemnsionality in the club. And if all we get are glib statements at press conferences, non statements at the selection table, and some of the most abysmal football I've seen in a North jumper on the field, then of course reactions are going to be harsh and critical. And if the club acknowledged that there are numerous clever footy minds on this board, then they would benefit from taking these often well articulated criticisms seriously. The problems facing the club extend well beyond the drudgery at the MCG on Sunday.

Well said.

 

[Luke72]

Well said.

Yeah, that is a cracker of a post. Well done Black2Blue

 

[Snake_Baker]

Waiting in anticipation of Ricks tactical analysis this week.

 

[ferball]

It feels like for years we haven't mastered any game style because if things go sour with whatever we do try we have the get out of goal switch up tactic of long down the line.

I thought it obvious we were working hard to try and avoid doing that as much as possible yesterday. Despite the s**t start there are some really good signs coming out of this side at the moment.

 

[The Butcher]

I thought it obvious we were working hard to try and avoid doing that as much as possible yesterday. Despite the s**t start there are some really good signs coming out of this side at the moment.

Agreed. The Camrys are s**t tho so we'll see how it goes again next week.

 

[ferball]

Agreed. The Camrys are s**t tho so we'll see how it goes again next week.

Sometimes you just need a game against a s**t side to see everything work. It gives you some confidence in what you're doing and you can repeat it against much better sides.

I guess we'll find out all about that Friday week in Adelaide.

 

[Rick18]

This style from last night is exactly how we need to play to beat Essendon though, which is a good start. Fast v Essendon = disaster.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Rick, I thought the article you did on Melbourne the other day was good... & rather relevant as we're not dissimilarly a structured team.

But after last night's win against the Crows, this paragraph you wrote re: The Dees worries me moving forward:

"Melbourne is conceding a scoring shot nearly half the time they allow an inside 50. Small sample size no doubt, but to put it in context – teams which concede this much finish bottom four, and often bottom two".

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Just watching Stk, they seem pretty determined to kick over the top of Hawthorn's press early on.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

 

[Rick18]

Post is up on The Shinboner: https://theshinboner.com/2019/04/14...th-melbourne-adelaide-match-review-shinboner/

• The game plan evolving
• Adelaide's bizarre refusal to try and create anything (with video)
• How North's style may be a reflection of the AFL as a whole
• Jed gifs
• And bonus Arsene Wenger quote to link everything together

 

[ferball]

Good read Rick.

 

[The Other Dean]

Nice work as always, Rick.

It's a good thing you use an external URL, too, because I'm pretty sure those Jed gifs would have contravened Bigfooty's rules on the posting of pr0n.

 

[giantroo]

https://theshinboner.com/2019/04/20...rs-match-review-north-melbourne-essendon/amp/

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

How often did they go through the middle, either by running around our blokes, or us not matching them up. The handballing was back, and it was just painful.

The opening 30 seconds of the 3rd quarter had AMT 30 metres by himself and Merret and someone else running free. Should have left then.

 

[ferball]

How often did they go through the middle, either by running around our blokes, or us not matching them up. The handballing was back, and it was just painful.

The opening 30 seconds of the 3rd quarter had AMT 30 metres by himself and Merret and someone else running free. Should have left then.

All game there was someone free in the centre square on our goal side and they looked for him at the first opportunity. It was obvious in the first quarter that we weren't stopping their run out of the backline at that spot and it was where they were generating it from.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Rick, I think it's fair enough to skip the analysis this week.

One thing I found interesting/concerning amongst your questions is the mentioning (in separate questions) of "faith, dropping heads, resilience & body language". Reading between the lines, I think you are very very worried about the club right now.

I do have a couple of analysis questions for you though:

(1) As others have already mentioned above, we often leave midfield players free in the centre of the ground when the ball is either on the wing or on our forward flank. But even worse, I think, is what appears to be an instruction to leave opposition half-forward players free. When the game was basically over yesterday, I watched Mitch Brown a bit in the 3rd quarter. He's probably a smart guy, because all he kept doing was looking for pockets of space that our defenders consistently gave him. The bombers kicked well yesterday and you just can't afford to allow a forward such space seemingly intentionally. Is this simply zone defending and a hope that our midfield can pressure the ball carrier sufficiently to make opposition kicks into forward 50 imperfect? If so, surely when an opposition midfield gets on top, we have to revert back to tighter defending down back.

(2) (arising out of a twitter comment you made): Do you think White & Murray can effectively play in the same backcourt? It feels like I have more doubt than most. A 6-4 & 6-5 guy (short in the NBA these days) who both prefer to handle the ball doesn't usually make for a great tandem. I think 1 of them will have to turn into a heavier scorer (which is I think what Pop hoped for out of Bryn Forbes) for this to work.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

(2) (arising out of a twitter comment you made): Do you think White & Murray can effectively play in the same backcourt? It feels like I have more doubt than most. A 6-4 & 6-5 guy (short in the NBA these days) who both prefer to handle the ball doesn't usually make for a great tandem. I think 1 of them will have to turn into a heavier scorer (which is I think what Pop hoped for out of Bryn Forbes) for this to work.

Popovich is the anti-Brad Scott.

He has a system and can turn frog s**t into diamonds.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Popovich is the anti-Brad Scott... He has a system and can turn frog s**t into diamonds.

So what you're saying is that we need Pop hanging around Trent Dumont's toilet!