Past Coach NMFC Senior Coach - David Noble has parted ways with NMFC

Coaches of the past.

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Let’s face facts. Noble ain’t perfect. Questions regarding the game plan are warranted. But it’s not just that. The Non Selection of Xerri had me baffled. You gots to reward a guy who Dominated in the VFL the previous week. Especially when we lost by 72 points. What sort of message is that sending Xerri? Look for another club? Also the use on Turner was stupid. Played well as a defensive / tagging midfielder yet in the last 2 weeks used to look after small forwards. So yeah questioning the Coach is fine because we are last. At the bottom! :stern look
 
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Tbh I've written off this season and next in terms of doing anything.

Come 2023 however my expectation is we are in finals contention.

That's when I'll start really hammering Noble and his gameplan.

Even then I reckon you're being ambitious. We are miles off it. I'd say bottom in 21, bottom 4 in 22, 7 or 8 wins in 23. Finals chance in 24.

I'm calm about where we're at. With the talent available to us, no game plan is going to look great. While slashing the list may have been the right call, doing so with such haste and with such uncertainty around the senior coach, has left whoever the new bloke was in with an unenviable task. I'm willing to grant him some time.

My only frustration is the manner of the losses. We've fallen 5+ goals behind in every game. There's a level of competitiveness that should be a given. And we've fallen below that too often. In all of the last 4 games we've come out as flat as a tack against opponents who were vulnerable. The win was nice. But the scoreboard masked how far off it we were against a very ordinary Collingwood and St.Kilda.
 
Well Noble could’ve tried Xerri in that deep forward role this week. :stern look

This is what has made me more frustrated than the usual oh well we're s**t type frustration.

Got spanked last week. Had a bloke smashing down the door, changed nothing and got spanked again.

We only find out how X fits in if we play him.

I'd conceded the loss prior to the game yesterday so why the f*** not play all 4 talls and reward the kid busting his arse in the twos?
 

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amaz199

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And who could believe my luck the replay for the 2nd quarter with that specific play is returning playback errors.

Nice one AFL.
 
I agree.

I think Noble hs gone in knowing he may not see the fruits of this long rebuild.

Nah, I don't agree with that. However, I'm probably more optimistic than you.

I don't think we're 5 years away from being competitive. I think we can be a bit closer than that, if things go our way in terms of injuries.
 
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I think (hope, with all my fingers crossed) that when we do have that aerial presence, it allows whoever the second, third and fourth forwards end up being to transition to more of a leading/hit-up role rather than the pseudo pack markers Larkey and Zurhaar are kind of forced to be at the moment because there's no-one else.

The way the hypothetical pl
I do agree that an extra dangerous big forward will assist, a little bit anyway. When Snake talks about 'playing to our strengths', I feel like the current zone compression is making an already weak forwardline even less potent, holds up our fast play through the corridor, and probably isn't the way we should want to play when we do get the elusive KPF we desperately need.

Happy to disagree and I think we'll be revisiting this in a year or two with a bit more conclusive evidence of what the long term plan was.

ays out in my mind is let's say for example there's someone like a Naughton/McKay/Dixon type. That's your deepest guy actually forcing a defence to stretch out because they're worried about him, and in turn actually makes it easier for us to defend because teams don't get the luxury they have at the moment of knowing they'll rarely get hurt against the current forwards. Gives them licence to attack without cover and makes us have to roll hard back.

Then that creates extra room going forward when/if we do get possession for the leading types. I mean it's all going to take ages to figure out anyway so won't be like we'll see a solution any time soon.

I would argue that Higgins is the biggest loss to the forward line. Can crumb. Can mark. Can lead. Can kick straight and gives defences someone to worry about.
 
Sarcasm detector might need a tune up mate!

My point applies sarcasm or no. You want a stay at home forward? Cheating isn't how the game works. Might work in your local league where you're a stud who doesn't run back to defend. This isn't he local league.
 
99% of these last few pages have been very fun to read, enjoying these discussions and different views.
Yep, best analysis all year, probably even the best in a few years. Loving the work everyone.
 

amaz199

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It doesn't help that Brown was not useful in the air but he had the ability to create movement and space.

We need to keep doing that so the ball carrier can pull off a pass that is more akin to his ability and not what he considers a dangerous kick.

When Tarryn found Zurhaar, the kick looks difficult but it was actually a routine kick to space for Zurhaar to take uncontested. Larkey is the easy bait because he leads straight through the hot spot and attracts the loose defenders that have literally left their man, so we need to be intelligent enough to find those targets.

The ball doesn't have to come in lightning-quick all the time, it can come in measured and slow too. We just need to think about where the space and movement is so the percentages are in our favour. If there's no movement then that is a personnel problem.
 

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amaz199

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Stay at home forward is far too predictable. There needs to be someone in the corridor ready for the short kick.

He can even be ignored if the numbers streaming forward get past him too quickly and then its an open goal.
 

Themanbun

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Stay at home forward is far too predictable. There needs to be someone in the corridor ready for the short kick.

He can even be ignored if the numbers streaming forward get past him too quickly and then its an open goal.

Agreed. There's a massive spectrum between a stay at home goal square dwelling FF and a press that results in your forward-most player stuck at CHB.
 

Swallow_Wood

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Jun 11, 2015
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They spent a good while down near the bottom, so it does take time unfortunately. Just got to make sure we get our drafting right. And personally I am not frustrated or unhappy with where we're currently at. It needed to happen.
Indeed.

There was a thread on here about this time last year that pointed out that we needed to cut around 20 players by the start of the 2023 season. Players who just aren't good enough for AFL level or will be hanging up the boots by the end of next year. Well, we have started that process but still carry quite a few shitmen and have been hammered by injuries to players who would be in the 22 each and every week. All while working on implementing a long term vision on how we want to play so that when we do get to a position where our list is AFL competitive we will be able to carry it out.

It is a fact that Brad Scott squeezed every last drop of juice out of the list to get us to three prelims. It is a fact that we failed to make finals since 2016 and in that year got reamed in an Elimination Final and despite clearly needing to rebuild at that point failed to do so. It is a fact that we tried to maintain competitiveness rather than bring in quality young players. It is a fact that this led to us having a mediocre list that we would not adequately replenish. And it is a fact that we are now reaping the whirlwind (whilst also being done over by injuries).

This year is a perfect storm of shitness but the process of rebuilding this list is going to take a few more years yet. So the choice the coaches have is to either implement a game plan that stems the bleeding on field now or implement a game plan that we are aiming to emulate when we have the cattle to do so. For those guys who will be there in 2023 and beyond i guess the latter is preferable. For those who want to see us competitive week in, week out, I guess the former is preferable.
 
My point applies sarcasm or no. You want a stay at home forward? Cheating isn't how the game works. Might work in your local league where you're a stud who doesn't run back to defend. This isn't he local league.
It doesn't have to a traditional stay at home forward that only plays close to goal. Too many times when we push all our numbers back we are left with no options to kick to in an attacking sense once we regain possession. We also have to work around the two spare defenders the opposition have sitting in space. That tends to force us to hold up the ball as we wait to get numbers forward which allows the opposition to flood back or the other option is to bite off the riskier attacking kick which can pay off but, as we have seen this year on numerous occasions, tends to result in a dangerous turnover. Also by sprinting back to defence and then having to run forward to try to present as an option blokes like Larkey and Zurhaar are half-knackered by the time they are competing for the ball. It also means the forwards aren't leading at the ball carrier but are trying to run back into space with the ball needing to be precisely delivered. Better fitness and work rate may help to make this a more effective tactic.
Why not try keeping someone forward? It would at least give us an option to kick to as well as making the spare opposition defenders decide whether to just zone off and block space or to defend one on one. It doesn't have to be a long bombs to Snake scenario, though this may work at times depending on the matchup and the positioning of the players at the time. The forward could play a defensive role or as a decoy that tries to drag one of the spares out of position. I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this start to be used as the list continues to develop and the team gets better at playing different roles under Noble.
 
Apr 24, 2013
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We only find out how X fits in if we play him.

This applies to the average spectator, not football club departments. At least I hope that's very much the case, because if that's how things really are, then we are beyond ****ed.

They know what Tristan has and what he could bring, they just don't value it strategically, hence why I question whether another KPF type is actually in Noble's plans.
 
Nov 25, 2014
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Stay at home forward is far too predictable. There needs to be someone in the corridor ready for the short kick.

He can even be ignored if the numbers streaming forward get past him too quickly and then its an open goal.
It's only predictable if you go to him all the time. If you don't, it's a much better structure than what we've got now. Larkey one out is easily the biggest structural issue we have. Bar none I don't understand why our coaching crew can't see that. You watch opposition defenders they just zone off our stagnant forwards and charge towards Larkey. Having two tall targets cuts that down significantly. Larkey and the other forwards should be on their bikes creating targets and space. Make the defenders accountable. I'd be playing Goldstein at full forward. He'd get the oppositions best KPD - which is a further bonus. Other than Goldy and Larkey, every other forward should have leg speed.
 

Psicosis

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This applies to the average spectator, not football club departments. At least I hope that's very much the case, because if that's how things really are, then we are beyond ****ed.

They know what Tristan has and what he could bring, they just don't value it strategically, hence why I question whether another KPF type is actually in Noble's plans.

I would be more inclined to think that they don’t necessarily see Tristan as another KPF.
 
Are you certain that Noble would play a quality CHF even if he had one?

This applies to the average spectator, not football club departments. At least I hope that's very much the case, because if that's how things really are, then we are beyond ****ed.

They know what Tristan has and what he could bring, they just don't value it strategically, hence why I question whether another KPF type is actually in Noble's plans.

If he doesn't get senior minutes with good form ASAP then I'm all for criticising him as the buck stops with him.

I think like last year though that we're going to see another shedding of deadwood. Almost impossible to get players up who aren't going to be on the list next year. A few of them having been in the seniors this season unfortunately.

I don't believe in 5 year plans or youth before talent, that doesn't mean a little perspective across the board is a bad thing or accepting mediocrity. Don't think anyone is happy with the season at the moment. It is what it is.
 
Apr 24, 2013
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If he doesn't get senior minutes with good form ASAP then I'm all for criticising him as the buck stops with him.

I think like last year though that we're going to see another shedding of deadwood. Almost impossible to get players up who aren't going to be on the list next year. A few of them having been in the seniors this season unfortunately.

I don't believe in 5 year plans or youth before talent, that doesn't mean a little perspective across the board is a bad thing or accepting mediocrity. Don't think anyone is happy with the season at the moment. It is what it is.

Hey Ryz, I have been around long enough to know what "jumping the gun" is, and it doesn't apply as far as my views are concerned.

I agree that it's a good position for the less experienced to take.
 
Jul 21, 2019
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If Noble took a defensive minded approach then he has the experience to make such a call. If he played a more attacking brand yesterday and we lost by 70 points I wonder what the sentiment would be against him. Trust in Noble at least until our injuries are back then we can make a proper judgement.

My only criticism of his game plan would be why Turner has tagged two small forwards in two weeks and we let midfielders who are taggable hurt us. Even Scott on Hill was it really necessary to tag an out of form Hill.
 

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