Analysis Game plan

[Bjchan13]

And all of this relates to the OP.
Ball gets out of F50 easily as their is an out number all the time.
Defense actually defends well and wins the ball so we sling shot of half back.
Ball goes back inside 50 and we stuff it up.
Ball comes back out because the out number allows teams to over lap run or kick and pick the zone apart.
The time we lock it in generally are the deep entries that we do not turn over and get a repeat contest from. It allows the extra number to get back and the midfield to push up.

We need to slow the play down at times to our advantage. Especially if the midfield has been in an absolute slog for 5 mins just to get the ball to half forward. There is no point having an extra number at the contest, winning the ball and then kicking inside 50 to an outnumbered contest so the ball can rebound back through our zone. We need more repeat entries.

 

[ant555]

We need to slow the play down at times to our advantage. Especially if the midfield has been in an absolute slog for 5 mins just to get the ball to half forward. There is no point having an extra number at the contest, winning the ball and then kicking inside 50 to an outnumbered contest so the ball can rebound back through our zone. We need more repeat entries.

Which is why I have said the extra number has not been working for us at the contest.
Another issue with slowing the play down is sides run a mid ground zone against us as they know if they force us to kick down the line the lack of marking targets leaves us exposed to turn overs and it also can produce risky short kicks that can be cut off.
We have no real plan B as most sides with a plan B have a contested marking player who can be relied on to take the down the line mark or at a minimum create they strong contest. Most of the time we simply get out marked kicking down the line or we turn it over looking for the risky short kick through the zone.

 

[Bjchan13]

Which is why I have said the extra number has not been working for us at the contest.
Another issue with slowing the play down is sides run a mid ground zone against us as they know if they force us to kick down the line the lack of marking targets leaves us exposed to turn overs and it also can produce risky short kicks that can be cut off.
We have no real plan B as most sides with a plan B have a contested marking player who can be relied on to take the down the line mark or at a minimum create they strong contest. Most of the time we simply get out marked kicking down the line or we turn it over looking for the risky short kick through the zone.

Im talking about slowing it down once we get to half forward. A mark 45-65m out, contested or uncontested, should be a pressure release for our midfield and defence and a chance for us to set up how we want for repeat entries. At times we cant wait to play on and kick it to an outnumbered contest and watch it rebound out, immediately putting us back under pressure.

 

[Bombermania]

Watching last night's Port and Geelong match showed the difference between two good sides with good game plans versus Essendon. The ball movement and how players reacted was what Essendon should be striving for.

 

[ant555]

Watching last night's Port and Geelong match showed the difference between two good sides with good game plans versus Essendon. The ball movement and how players reacted was what Essendon should be striving for.

Geelong last night showed how important it is to have a good KPF on top of being able find others who can take a contested mark around the ground. You mark the ball you control the game. Danger was also great at finding space when needed. Their defense has been strong for ever.

Port on the other hand are still very flaky when it comes to defending.

 

[CBombers17]

Watching Geelong is a reminder that fast skillful ball movement into the forward line is still a recipe for winning.

There's a level of skill/ball movement needed and often one pivotal decision in the midfield taken for this to occur - This decision requires 3 things (the last 2 we struggle with). Firstly someone needs to provide a good option ahead of the ball (either handball or marking), the player with the football then needs to make the right decision by taking this option and then they need to have good enough skills to execute the decision.

There's a small window in transition to get this right for a fast forward 50 entry and a one on one and thats why you need natural mids who can execute it. Playing a side like Port who don't pressure like others helps this but you still need to be able to hit the targets.

We are trying to win the ball through pressure and then when we succeed we proceed to give it back (often immediately) through poor decisions or turnovers. I can't see how this side improves anything other than reduced scoring all round until our disposal/decision making improves from the midfield.

Edit: My mums a Cats fan and she texted me after the game saying "I can see us playing West coast in the GF and Kelly playing a big part". I just thought imagine losing a mid like Tim Kelly and still being as good as Geelong!

 

[GUMBLETRON]

There's a level of skill/ball movement needed and often one pivotal decision in the midfield taken for this to occur - This decision requires 3 things (the last 2 we struggle with). Firstly someone needs to provide a good option ahead of the ball (either handball or marking), the player with the football then needs to make the right decision by taking this option and then they need to have good enough skills to execute the decision.

I would say the first is every bit as big a problem, if not the biggest. Essendon's movement forward of the ball has been terrible for years, with maybe a brief window of competence in 2017. A fair chunk of what looks like poor decisions and disposal in midfield comes from a lack of good options to kick to.

 

[Yoda_]

Is the plus one why we always manage to find ourselves chipping the ball aimlessly around the half back line?


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[CBombers17]

I would say the first is every bit as big a problem, if not the biggest. Essendon's movement forward of the ball has been terrible for years, with maybe a brief window of competence in 2017. A fair chunk of what looks like poor decisions and disposal in midfield comes from a lack of good options to kick to.

I don't dount it. I don't get to enough games to really comment on play much further afield unfortunately. Last game i saw live was ANZAC day last year and things were working ok.

We are a poorly skilled midfield whichever way you look at it. This costs us in many ways. There's a combination of skills errors and lack of midfield craft that see ball go to the opposition with great regularity. Poor or slow decisions from the ball users can also kill your options forward so it works both ways.

Decision making is where i think we really break down. It's one thing to teach a non-mid where to run defensively but it's a different world to execute skills minus time and space in a midfield scenario. Too often we have these combinations with the ball or linking up with the ball and we get poor decisions - plus poor execution by too many.

 

[ghostdog]

I want to discuss how we are unable to shut games down late when we have a lead. 3 games now we have had a lead late before coughing it up late:

CARL: up 12 points with 6 mins left
GWS: up 16 points at 3/4 time and up a goal with 5 mins left
GCS: up a goal with 2.5 minutes left.

I recall Worsfold said last year that we dont practice late game scenarios all that much, and i think it shows. particularly last night where we went up late by a point and GC waltzed up the ground from kick in, which should be the easiest place to defend from.

It seems if teams can get over our zone 55-60m out we are exposed badly. Particularly with forward handball.

It's infuriating. They find the paddock at the back too easily.

 

[Bombermania]

Geelong last night showed how important it is to have a good KPF on top of being able find others who can take a contested mark around the ground. You mark the ball you control the game. Danger was also great at finding space when needed. Their defense has been strong for ever.

Port on the other hand are still very flaky when it comes to defending.

No doubt a big target up forward would make a difference but I didn't see Geelong players blindly kicking the ball around the corner or rushing with short high handballs to players under pressure which seems to be the hall mark of how Essendon approaches clearances.

Even when Joey was in the side, I would often see a lack of movement and lack of leading.

 

[Old Campaigner]

The extra at the contest seems like a "we're too small inside" sort of play. I think we'd be better off having it matched across the field or if they want to push their half forward up, let them and let Ridley dictate terms.

This is my take on it too. Most opposition sides have a big midfielder and we need an extra body in there to break even. Of course that creates problems for us in other parts of the ground because the opposition coach can just plonk their free man wherever they think he'd do the most damage.

 

[ant555]

One thing I mentioned in the match thread that needs to be here is why are we not running the footy as much as we have ? There is obviously been a partial change to what we have been doing but I think it is really a personal issue. With McKenna and to a lesser extent Redman not really matching the form they have shown previously it has been pretty much left to Saad to provide the run. It is a lot easier to shut down one man.
I noticed we did attempt to pin point a few kicks into the corridor on the weekend but most got tuned over as we where kicking to a out number all the time.
The loss of output from McKenna has not been replaced or replicated this year. Raz was used at half back before he got injured to try and give us some more zip but recently we have not had the dual speed of Saad and McKenna running the footy from defense.

 

[Bjchan13]

One thing I mentioned in the match thread that needs to be here is why are we not running the footy as much as we have ? There is obviously been a partial change to what we have been doing but I think it is really a personal issue. With McKenna and to a lesser extent Redman not really matching the form they have shown previously it has been pretty much left to Saad to provide the run. It is a lot easier to shut down one man.
I noticed we did attempt to pin point a few kicks into the corridor on the weekend but most got tuned over as we where kicking to a out number all the time.
The loss of output from McKenna has not been replaced or replicated this year. Raz was used at half back before he got injured to try and give us some more zip but recently we have not had the dual speed of Saad and McKenna running the footy from defense.

I agree and i think we should get Zac Williams. Im backing Redmans run to be back next year as well.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The way I read it is you need two big factors (other than basics like good skills, winning the ball, good contested defenders).

(1) If you take possession in the back half you need quick ball movement into F50. This ensures the opposition can’t get set up and gives your forwards a chance.

(2) Once it’s in there, you lock it in and keep it in. When it’s in your forward line, you can score and they can’t. Don’t let it get out.

We’ve never had (2), we totally ignored the need to have a front-half game and how important is it in footy these days. But we had (1).

Now it seems like we’ve lost (1) as well.

 

[CBombers17]

The way I read it is you need two big factors (other than basics like good skills, winning the ball, good contested defenders).

(1) If you take possession in the back half you need quick ball movement into F50. This ensures the opposition can’t get set up and gives your forwards a chance.

(2) Once it’s in there, you lock it in and keep it in. When it’s in your forward line, you can score and they can’t. Don’t let it get out.

We’ve never had (2), we totally ignored the need to have a front-half game and how important is it in footy these days. But we had (1).

Now it seems like we’ve lost (1) as well.

I think this is why allowing Mckenna to go forward was such a head scratcher. It's meant Saad has less freedom to run/rebound and we haven't replaced McKenna there either (even Guelfis dad won't put him up as a rebounding defender).

So it's slow motion switches followed by long down the line.

The other part that Dreamtime exposed was our lack of quality ball use through the midfield. A much bigger fix IMO. We will always have a fundamental problem connecting to our forward line whilst our mids can't hit targets.

2 good to excellent ball users needed in the middle needed to fix this. At the moment we have 1 who's 'good' - Merrett.

 

[Stigs Essendon Cousin]

Lots of great points here. For me:
- Inability to win effective contested ball puts us on the back foot immediately. The better teams usually get a hold of us here. At worst we should be close to squaring up CP.
- To counter this, our pressure around the ball needs to be elite to force turnovers. We will often push an extra into the contest for this but pressure is still not consistently good enough. Our 2nd and 3rd quarters against the Pies and 2nd quarter against the Giants are good examples of where our pressure and CP need to be. This in turn puts our defence under pressure despite being a pretty solid back 6. We are forced to rebound more, allowing the opposition ground position.
- Seem to have adopted possession style footy to move ball forward. Moving the ball slow and wide. Allows opposition defence to set up. When we do try and switch, we often don’t ‘go’ when the opportunity presents, allowing opposition to shift across. Then forced to kick the ball down the line. BZT against Saints a perfect example. Even when kicking down the line, our ability to take a contested mark or win the groundball is not great and we don’t have the foot skills yet to possess the ball and keep it moving forward and break down opposition set up. No wonder we were -42 for I50 differential against the Tigers.
- Inability to move the ball forward effectively means we can’t apply pressure in our forward half and get guys like Tippa involved. The slow ball movement also does not suit our current forwards who are undersized. They often gets sucked up the ground, starved of the ball.
- When we do move it inside 50, we often kick it in high and shallow. This may partly be our forwards not working hard enough to create space and separation. Regardless, doesn’t give them a chance to take a mark in a dangerous spot nor does it allow guys like Tippa to crumb effectively. Shallow entries also make it harder to create pressure. It also greatly irks me when we kick it on Tippa’s head lol, we are better off scrubbing the kick and letting him go to work off the ground.


If we can fix up CP, it would at least make us a bit more consistent and more competitive against the better midfields. Pressure should be non-negotiable. Skills and decision-making take more time to build. But gameplan wise, I get that we are trying to build a system for the future. But what’s the point right now when we don’t have the players available to pull off what we are trying to do? Would make more sense to adapt and focus on our strengths. We have the guys to run, carry and create from half back. I’d rather see them make mistakes trying to create than chipping the ball around at HB and turning it over anyway. I’m all for developing a possession style of play but we need to draft, trade and develop guys with strong decision making ability and foot skills. It will take time to build a list capable of doing that effectively. It’s not going to happen this year.

 

[Mercurial89]

Interesting in Langford's inteview this morning with Gary and Tim on SEN talking about trying to implement the three modes of attack under Caracella's offensive system that they can bring each week.

Not entirely sure what that means but it does kind of pant the picture of why we would be struggling this year. Interrupted pre season, high injury rate especially forward of the ball, and unable to full ground training sim whilst trying to implement 3 different ways of attacking would be very hard to bed down.

 

[Squeaky]

Kick it to Joe!

 

[ant555]

Kick it to Joe!

So Walla and Mozzie can rove the crumbs

 

[ant555]

Interesting in Langford's inteview this morning with Gary and Tim on SEN talking about trying to implement the three modes of attack under Caracella's offensive system that they can bring each week.

Not entirely sure what that means but it does kind of pant the picture of why we would be struggling this year. Interrupted pre season, high injury rate especially forward of the ball, and unable to full ground training sim whilst trying to implement 3 different ways of attacking would be very hard to bed down.

Fast attack. Slowing the game down by kicking through the zone. Long into the forward line. Of course all three depend on personal and what the opposition will allow you to do.

 

[GieschUnleashed]

Fast attack. Slowing the game down by kicking through the zone. Long into the forward line. Of course all three depend on personal and what the opposition will allow you to do.

Hopefully a Plan A, B and C.

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[Mootsy]

I believe the game-plan and team synergy will improve over the next season, I think you need the right coach and team selections, and fitness training. I have a lot of confidence in Rutten and Caracella. We are talking about mountains of experience.

The key is the players need to feel excited about team unity and flow. The best players are the good players you surround yourself with, and it's important to remember that every player has even contribution in some way.

The best coaches are seemingly invisible or in the background, they somehow bring out the best in players and leave ego at the door, and this was the feeling you got watching Mark Thompson during the Geelong years and Ross Lyon, Lions now coach. They are there to open the doors for the players to succeed and for the team to be the explanation mark.

 

[Howard Moon]

Interesting in Langford's inteview this morning with Gary and Tim on SEN talking about trying to implement the three modes of attack under Caracella's offensive system that they can bring each week.

Not entirely sure what that means but it does kind of pant the picture of why we would be struggling this year. Interrupted pre season, high injury rate especially forward of the ball, and unable to full ground training sim whilst trying to implement 3 different ways of attacking would be very hard to bed down.

My take away from that was his insistence that you must trust your team mates in a system based game plan.

He said you have to rotate behind the ball, and that Richmond do it intuitively but we are still learning it

The way I see it, Imagine you have chased the ball all your life, or always gone to pick up your man, got yelled at by coach for not doing it

Now you might see the ball there or the man there but the system requires you to move elsewhere, trusting that your teammate will be where he needs to be to impact.

You are almost relearning against your instinct...worse still what if 95% of the team are rotating to the right spot in system but 5 aren't, or they forget or they get caught ball watching or kick chasing... You get made to look an idiot when the opponent walks right thru you and the media asks why didn't this guy chase??

I have a better feel now why we might look disjointed while it 'beds' it needs full belief and uptake to properly work, no weak links. Almost like blindly believing your cult leader.

 

[Maxabillions]

So, what was the difference between the first half v Hawks and the second? Was it just execution or was it modification to the game plan? Seemed like we kicked a lot more and handballed less in the second half. I find it so hard to figure this team out.

Hope it's not a case of at half time we threw away the game plan we'd been working on all year and we've just been wasting time.