Preview R14: Changes vs. Hawthorn Hawks

[Golumless]

One thing that annoys me is that, we do the same thing over and over again out of defense, Long and High to a big pack to the right of the ground, very predictable and every club knows we do it, because we have been doing it for years. What I can't understand is why we don't throw in, maybe a couple of times a game, is let Curtin or Dawson, Keays even, start at the righthand side of the ground and just b-line to the left of the ground and we kick it to their advantage, back in their marking ability and/or speed to get onto it and just get to the other end of the ground.
Do it enough for other teams to be mindful of it and then change their structures rather than just send everyone to the right like they already do and clog the space.

Because that's every clubs get out of jail kick from the defensive 50 when they can't find a better option.

Long, high, to the boundary and back your key forwards/ground ball players to at worse, kill the contest.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

He is their best player and must be neutered, but I don't know that Keays is the correct choice for him.

We must also make sure that Chol doesn't have a freak game like last week, but that should be less of a problem.

In the midfield, we need to suppress Newcombe. Soligo or even Berry could take care of him.

Weddle is their best player ?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Weddle is their best player ?

Probably at the moment.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Probably at the moment.

Playing consistently and is exciting but wouldn’t be averaging 20 disposals last couple of months ?

Kicks exciting goals

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Playing consistently and is exciting but wouldn’t be averaging 20 disposals last couple of months ?

Kicks exciting goals

He's been their fixit player this year with Sicily useless/injured.

 

[Ciao Giacomo]

What we could do is develop and use a few straight down the middle set-play team strategies from our first kickout. A couple of other teams are doing this stuff.

Early in the last quarter, when we were less than a goal down, if only Brodie Smith had taken the kick in, launched it down the guts. If Dawson didn't mark it, it might spill to Thilthorpe who could have kicked it forward, possibly Tex could have flicked it forward and Rash could have run into an open goal and we would have hit the front.

If only our coaches and players had thought of that!

 

[CrowBloke]

Hawks found some form last week. Will be a tough one.

Irrelevant to the REAL debate of attacking side vs defensive side.
Whyncha stick to the thread topic ... ??

Uhhh ...

Oh, wait ...

 

[CrowBloke]

All three are consistent.

It's correct to say we are defensive. And it's correct to say we are offensive. Both are true.

Coming in here and getting upset that people are saying we are defensive is pretty silly when statistically we are a very strong defensive side. Especially when you have spent so much time showing very similar stat rankings for how offensive we are.

Your own rankings that you are using to prove we are offensive, and not defensive, don't show any strong bias towards offense.

Drugs made the point that he thinks we aren't a defensive side overall. I said if I had to make an overall call (so instead of saying we are balanced) that the way our game is played makes us defensive by nature.






Most coaches are defensively minded first and foremost. It's not exactly some crazy opinion to say a coach that has the best offense comes from a background rooted in defensive philosophy.





Saying how can the #1 scoring team in the league be led by a defensive coach is the same as saying how can the #2 defensive team be led by an offensive coach

How does it make sense that a coach conceding the second fewest goals in the league is "offensive"?

To make that argument either way you have to completely ignore the other side of the equation which is exactly what you have done.

Nicks can be a defensively minded coach that happens to have achieved the strongest offense as well. That's not the impossible, nonsensical reality you propose. If you defend extremely well, stop the opposition from scoring and win the ball back, you're going to have to do something with the ball you win. As it turns out Nicks has found a way to very effectively score from our intercepts and the turnovers we create.

Ross Lyon decided to move the ball slowly and create rolling mauls. Nicks has decided to go fast and cut up the opposition on the counter.

The question of course is whether Nicks actually is defensively minded and whether the above is true. He could be an offensively minded coach that by chance of working on offense has created a system that is extremely effective at winning the ball back in the defensive half, despite conceding clearance. Maybe that was his plan all along.

Is there any strong evidence one way or the other outside of Nicks opinions of himself, which you think are bullshit anyway? Not really. He happens to be good at both things.

I would say Nicks has spent most of his six years coaching working on defensive systems and it's fair based on that to call him largely defensively minded. But over the last few years he has been trying to develop his offensive side. It didn't work in 2023 the way he wanted, causing us to lose our defensive focus. He overcorrected in 2024 and stripped back the offense, and now in 2025 he has developed a more effective offense that hasn't sacrificed defence. Fundamentally I don't think Nicks wants the blowout high scoring victories that a purely offensive coach would create.

... mate, you're a Moderator and not only are you encouraging this Thread Train Wreck ( = worse than a derailment), you're adding to it. Fmd.

Ffs, start another thread, call it whatever the **** you want other than the Changes Thread and take it there.
PLEASE.

 

[1970crow]

Sensible analysis

We are balanced , and value both offence and defence

Ie not biased toward defence

For a gifted side when attacking, we seem to go into game save mode very early in high pressure games.

 

[1970crow]

Where are you getting we are no 2 for inside 50s?

We’re 8th for inside 50 differential.

 

[1970crow]

Zero degrees... yikes.

Who here was a long-sleeve wearer when they played?

I did after shoulder dislocations. Obviously did nothing for protection/stability but it made me feel better. Preseason games could get a touch on the warm side.

 

[FR0GGY]

Zero degrees... yikes.

Who here was a long-sleeve wearer when they played?

What are they?

 

[CharlieCrow]

Hinge into midfield, Edwards into backline, Smith stays as sub.

I think Hinge will revel in the freedom of opportunity and has the tank to run all day.

Edwards deserves the opportunity but it could also be Bond for a specific shut down role.

Despite the hate on here, Smith looks OK. He seems to have kick back.

 

[1970crow]

Losing Peatling is interesting. Will we just reduce the rotation and go with Dawson, Rankine, Soligo and Berry doing the vast majority or will we give minutes to the likes of ANB, Keays and Rachelle. We don’t have a straight swap that we’d trust for an important game, so we most likely bring in small forward cover for those minutes. Draper, Taylor or Murphy. Would be criminal for Smith to come into the 22, they’re not that dumb.

Worth noting that Hawks have barely got going this year, this assignment isn’t like heading over to the G last year. Only decentish wins are flakey Giants and Dogs, who’ve only beaten average sides themselves. Apart from GWS, Hawks wins are all from outside the top 8.

 

[Thylacinus]

Most likely scenario IMO is that last weeks 23 becomes this weeks 22 (minus Peatling). The one who would be in some doubt due to performance is Pedlar. Then it would be a matter of bringing into the 23 someone to be sub.

 

[1970crow]

Early in the last quarter, when we were less than a goal down, if only Brodie Smith had taken the kick in, launched it down the guts. If Dawson didn't mark it, it might spill to Thilthorpe who could have kicked it forward, possibly Tex could have flicked it forward and Rash could have run into an open goal and we would have hit the front.

If only our coaches and players had thought of that!

This is absolutely top notch stuff, never have I seen this level of smugness when scoring an own goal. Bloke enters a discussion bemoaning a lack of variation when kicking out. To counter that view, chooses to use the single occasion we didn't go long and right from a point and describes in great detail how the chain of events unfolded that resulted in a goal to Rachele and us hitting the front. The 7 times from 8 kick ins that we went long and right the ball came back at our defense. The one time we go up the middle, we kick a goal. It was at least an elaborate way to prove the point that you were attempting to counter.

The AFL match feed describes it pretty well and instead of "running away with it", with another 13 minutes to go, we shut up shop, cease any form of attack and rely on bad kicking at goal from our opponents to get us over the line.

 

[MsTopG]

Time for Nicks to improve how we move the ball against the best teams sorted as we are the 2nd worst team in the comp with the footy against the best teams. No team struggles to move the ball against the best teams more than adelaide. Our forward 50 against the best functions the 4th worst in the comp. This is all down to Nicks being solely focused on defence and unable to coach a team against the best that can move the ball forward and convert. Time to get Walker out of our forward 50 for starters combined with Fogarty needing to lift his game. It's all well and good being the 2nd best team in the comp defensively against the best but if we can't score against them we are going nowhere in finals. Summed up by the bloke from champion data at 11minutes 26. I'm sure Nicks and co know this but can they do anything about it?

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

^
We have time on our side to fix it

Crucially, we need Nicks and co to recognise the issue.

Issue might even be the wrong word. Opportunity to go to another level.

We're good now. What can we be?

 

[Grenville]

does that include finals?

yep

 

[Redline]

Hopefully Draper comes in.

Given the matchups and weather I agree a bit with Mark Bickley

Mark Bickley

Age

56

Ht

178cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.4

5star

K

11.7

4star

HB

7.8

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.7

4star

No current season stats available

D

21.2

5star

K

11.0

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

3.2

4star

T

3.8

5star

, we may not need Butts this week and potentially go the extra small

 

[Coopers]

Time for Nicks to improve how we move the ball against the best teams sorted as we are the 2nd worst team in the comp with the footy against the best teams. No team struggles to move the ball against the best teams more than adelaide. Our forward 50 against the best functions the 4th worst in the comp. This is all down to Nicks being solely focused on defence and unable to coach a team against the best that can move the ball forward and convert. Time to get Walker out of our forward 50 for starters combined with Fogarty needing to lift his game. It's all well and good being the 2nd best team in the comp defensively against the best but if we can't score against them we are going nowhere in finals. Summed up by the bloke from champion data at 11minutes 26. I'm sure Nicks and co know this but can they do anything about it?

While we have to get better sure, this is 100% because of the oppo coaching.

They recognize our monster forward line, and relatively weaker midfield and try to exploit it. The better teams have extra numbers at stoppages and behind the ball, and let us move wide, denying us the corridor. Power, GWS, Geelong, Collingwood, Brissie, all did this pretty well. Vs weaker teams, who also try this, it isn't mattering as much because you get say, Dawson off the chain and then we're kicking over or through that problem. Against the better teams we can't get the ball in the first place and then struggle with the setup.

In summary: The better opposition teams are better.

 

[Kid A]

How the **** do you tosspots take up 5 pages of this thread arguing semantics over whether the coach is defensive-minded versus whether the sheer output of the team makes him not defensive? It's an inconsequential thing, and should be relegated to private messages instead of derailing an otherwise promising thread. I hate that the Adelaide board has some people who can't help but argue for pages and pages about shit that no one gives a **** about. Stop behaving like self centred assclowns. For ****'s sake.

 

[Cromulant]

Wow.....

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Losing Peatling is interesting. Will we just reduce the rotation and go with Dawson, Rankine, Soligo and Berry doing the vast majority or will we give minutes to the likes of ANB, Keays and Rachelle. We don’t have a straight swap that we’d trust for an important game, so we most likely bring in small forward cover for those minutes. Draper, Taylor or Murphy. Would be criminal for Smith to come into the 22, they’re not that dumb.

Worth noting that Hawks have barely got going this year, this assignment isn’t like heading over to the G last year. Only decentish wins are flakey Giants and Dogs, who’ve only beaten average sides themselves. Apart from GWS, Hawks wins are all from outside the top 8.

Perfect chance to give Draper a run as next mid in , will we do it ?

 

[SLOWNE]

Perfect chance to give Draper Murphy a run as next mid in , will we do it ?

Fixed it for you, signed Maffew Nix.