Coach Men's Senior Coach: Brad Scott

[supportyourteam]

Happy. Would hate to be senseless

 

[Keystone agony]

I understand that injuries have absolutely destroyed us this season but I still see no game plan.

Like.

What are we even supposed to be moving toward?

A finals win or grandfinal? Wouldnt they be the medium to long term goals?

 

[Keystone agony]

I find this stuff amusing at times. Bad sides struggle with game plan. Do North look like they have a game plan under Clarkson ?
The game plan has vanished. It was there in parts earlier in the year but the confidence is now shot. There are players not up to it for various reasons. There will be no resemblance of a game plan until the list stabilises.
Brad has already said he wants to play more attacking football but our attacking football is McGrath turning it over trying to make something from nothing.

Everyone has GaMe PlAn wEn tHeY wIn but nOt WhEn tHeY LoSe

 

[justlookingaround]

I’ve got a bad feeling that this is the beginning of the end for Scott and Barham. There is basically no way to have a cohesive program over the next 12 months with so many long term injuries and will probably also lose some senior players. 2027 will come in the blink of an eye and I really don’t see ‘26 being any more fruitful than ‘25. Pressure will come, and it already is. Seen in the last week Lloydy telling Merrett to seek a trade.

 

[ant555]

Everyone has GaMe PlAn wEn tHeY wIn but nOt WhEn tHeY LoSe

ReAdIng iS nOt yOuR sTroNg sUiT iS iT

 

[FootyGuru]

Everyone has GaMe PlAn wEn tHeY wIn but nOt WhEn tHeY LoSe

Fans talk about game plan like it’s going to be the same each week. Like it’s going to be clear and evident to them, and then use it as an attack on Scott.

Game plan is each week and team specific. Also could change due to ground size, conditions, personal

Your not going to move the footy the same way against north as you are Geelong.

Fans think we gotta play fast, the best teams don’t play the fastest. Fans think slow is bad the best teams sometimes play slow and build up the footy and maintain possession. We gotta get better at playing fast, slow, stoppage, turnover, and limiting turnover and defending.

The best way to improve at all these facets is cohesion and that has been impossible with all the injuries we are dealing with. Yet the also fans want a shiny new toy in the team each week.

 

[MiguelM]

Constantly kicking backwards is not a game plan.

Take the game on, move it forward with purpose. Even Tigers can do that.

Have been a fan of Scott but that was rubbish. What drills are we doing at training? Yeah, we have injuries but these players are supposed to be top footballers, even if young.

Start playing footy instead of keepings off inviting a turnover.

There is not 1 player that has improved in the last 3 years IMO.

 

[dank420_]

Kicking backwards isn’t the game plan. It’s called switching the play. And we did it ok early in the year.

I’m not sure if people slab Vaseline on their eyeballs before games but we have a mixture of tweens and WAFL hopefuls playing for us.

What game plan suits them?

 

[ant555]

Constantly kicking backwards is not a game plan.

Take the game on, move it forward with purpose. Even Tigers can do that.

Have been a fan of Scott but that was rubbish. What drills are we doing at training? Yeah, we have injuries but these players are supposed to be top footballers, even if young.

Start playing footy instead of keepings off inviting a turnover.

There is not 1 player that has improved in the last 3 years IMO.

Well I am not sure how many times I have said we do no run backwards kick drills at training.

Shit sides play shit football. It is that simple.

Do you really want us to go full on attack with our skill level ?

Here is a fact. Until the personnel starts changing you will not see much of a game style.

 

[Vindicater]

Fans talk about game plan like it’s going to be the same each week. Like it’s going to be clear and evident to them, and then use it as an attack on Scott.

Game plan is each week and team specific. Also could change due to ground size, conditions, personal

Your not going to move the footy the same way against north as you are Geelong.

Fans think we gotta play fast, the best teams don’t play the fastest. Fans think slow is bad the best teams sometimes play slow and build up the footy and maintain possession. We gotta get better at playing fast, slow, stoppage, turnover, and limiting turnover and defending.

The best way to improve at all these facets is cohesion and that has been impossible with all the injuries we are dealing with. Yet the also fans want a shiny new toy in the team each week.

We have no game style then.

Every team has a style and system that hey adjust against other teams.

We don't.

Other than kick it backwards.

 

[Call Me Cake]

We have no game style then.

Every team has a style and system that hey adjust against other teams.

We don't.

Other than kick it backwards.

This is untrue and you know it is. I'd wager it's us sticking to a system that's even given us a sniff against Brissy, Blues, Gold Coast and a valiant effort against Freo and prevented more reoccuring blowouts despite the injuries/inexperience.

You've got recency bias particularly at a point when our situation has finally arrived at breaking point, and that's fine. But the fact of the matter is there's a direct correlation between sides who are inexperienced and poor form.

 

[thebigboy]

Constantly kicking backwards is not a game plan.

Take the game on, move it forward with purpose. Even Tigers can do that.

Have been a fan of Scott but that was rubbish. What drills are we doing at training? Yeah, we have injuries but these players are supposed to be top footballers, even if young.

Start playing footy instead of keepings off inviting a turnover.

There is not 1 player that has improved in the last 3 years IMO.

You’re damned either way. Against the Bulldogs he didn’t shut up shop, kept trying to attack despite our below standard skill level, we get beaten by 90+ and he gets criticised. He then plays a more conservative game to help keep us in games longer, which has worked pretty well for the last 2 months despite blokes going down every week, gets criticised.

Us fans can’t have it both ways.

 

[jmoo wan]

everyone has a game plan until they get punched in the face

 

[FootyGuru]

Kicking backwards or sideways, allows for teams to then have opportunities to bring the footy in board and through the centre.

Generally we will see those backwards kicks from free kicks, defensive marks, on the fulls etc, in those situations the opposition is defensively zoned with no options in board and basically a contest down the line is the only option.

The sideways and backwards kicks make their defensive zone shift. Sometimes the opposition is slow to shift or they are lazy covering the centre of the ground, that’s when we can attack the centre.

This is basic football, the best teams kick backwards when oppo defence is set up, but they also can execute better kicks when they see an opening. They also make more of those kicks opening the play.

Like ant said better footballers make better kicks with less mistakes.

We have average footballers and us trying to make harder kicks will lead to more mistakes. So unfortunately when we have leverde McGrath redman blakiston in our back 6 they will naturally not have the confidence to take harder kicks.

If people don’t get this they shouldn’t comment on the “no game plan” stuff because clearly they wouldn’t know one if they saw one.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

This upcoming draft is a make or break draft. If they stuff it up, we are cooked. But, if they nail it, you have potentially Caddy, Roberts, Kako, Clarke, Johnson, Pick #4, Pick #6 and Bewick inside a four year window that could set us up for a real tilt. That is the type of windows that sets up clubs for success.

Next two drafts are huge!

 

[ghostdog]

Kicking backwards or sideways, allows for teams to then have opportunities to bring the footy in board and through the centre.

Generally we will see those backwards kicks from free kicks, defensive marks, on the fulls etc, in those situations the opposition is defensively zoned with no options in board and basically a contest down the line is the only option.

The sideways and backwards kicks make their defensive zone shift. Sometimes the opposition is slow to shift or they are lazy covering the centre of the ground, that’s when we can attack the centre.

This is basic football, the best teams kick backwards when oppo defence is set up, but they also can execute better kicks when they see an opening. They also make more of those kicks opening the play.

Like ant said better footballers make better kicks with less mistakes.

We have average footballers and us trying to make harder kicks will lead to more mistakes. So unfortunately when we have leverde McGrath redman blakiston in our back 6 they will naturally not have the confidence to take harder kicks.

If people don’t get this they shouldn’t comment on the “no game plan” stuff because clearly they wouldn’t know one if they saw one.

As well, sideways and backwards kicks that search for openings in the zone can be reliant on our own players leading to space. If you have young and inexperienced players as half of your team, their capacity to continually do this for the duration of a game is going to diminish the longer the game goes. On Saturday night this was compounded when we lost Setters from our rotations.

 

[Squeaky]

Fans talk about game plan like it’s going to be the same each week. Like it’s going to be clear and evident to them, and then use it as an attack on Scott.

Game plan is each week and team specific. Also could change due to ground size, conditions, personal

Your not going to move the footy the same way against north as you are Geelong.

Fans think we gotta play fast, the best teams don’t play the fastest. Fans think slow is bad the best teams sometimes play slow and build up the footy and maintain possession. We gotta get better at playing fast, slow, stoppage, turnover, and limiting turnover and defending.

The best way to improve at all these facets is cohesion and that has been impossible with all the injuries we are dealing with. Yet the also fans want a shiny new toy in the team each week.

To be fair - we are doing neither.
We do not go at break neck speed - fair enough.
But backwards, sideways, backwards... turnover isn't working for Essendon either.

You can see that the players look back before they are looking forward.

We are just so poor it is demoralising.

 

[FootyGuru]

To be fair - we are doing neither.
We do not go at break neck speed - fair enough.
But backwards, sideways, backwards... turnover isn't working for Essendon either.

You can see that the players look back before they are looking forward.

We are just so poor it is demoralising.

The same fans used to curse Nic Martin’s aggressive kicks across half back too. He is one of our better kicks and was trying to make things happen, but the fans weren’t happy that he sometimes was too aggressive and made a mistake. Doomed if you do doomed if you don’t. Most of our back 6 don’t dare take the ball inside by foot, because they know their capability’s so it leads to guys like Merrett and Martin having to overdo it and that sometimes leads to turnovers. Bloody Scott’s game plan.

The best teams aren’t the fastest moving the ball teams, they are able to take what the opponent gives them defensively and break it down however the method. The best teams generally are also the best defensively too, Because they don’t turn it over much, which usually ends up in goals.

Simply put better footballers make harder kicks which lead to less oppo goals and more goals for their team.

We need better players, more cohesion together which is more games together, less ins and outs at selection and more pre seasons to learn what oppo is giving us and how to defeat it.

 

[MiguelM]

Well I am not sure how many times I have said we do no run backwards kick drills at training.

Shit sides play shit football. It is that simple.

Do you really want us to go full on attack with our skill level ?

Here is a fact. Until the personnel starts changing you will not see much of a game style.

Richmond had more game plan in the last.

With 3 minutes to go we kicked backwards, that is dumb when you need to score.

It is not the kids either (Kako was great), it is our senior players Redman, McGrath even Merrett had shocking turnovers.

IDK, too many excuses.

 

[MiguelM]

You’re damned either way. Against the Bulldogs he didn’t shut up shop, kept trying to attack despite our below standard skill level, we get beaten by 90+ and he gets criticised. He then plays a more conservative game to help keep us in games longer, which has worked pretty well for the last 2 months despite blokes going down every week, gets criticised.

Us fans can’t have it both ways.

I get that against the good teams, but Richmond, spare me.

Hardly went through the middle, that is on the coaches.

Sick of skill level excuses. From afar our development of players seem awful. If Pies had taken Tsatas I bet he would be a better player.

 

[Zach Package]

Well I am not sure how many times I have said we do no run backwards kick drills at training.

Shit sides play shit football. It is that simple.

Do you really want us to go full on attack with our skill level ?

Here is a fact. Until the personnel starts changing you will not see much of a game style.

I would agree with you if it didn’t vary on a week to week basis.

Hardwick last week said he was surprised at how we played because it was not what he expected, a lot more forward handball and a lot less lateral stuff.

On the weekend we played one of the more dominant forward half territory games I can remember, but because it’s foreign to us, we couldn’t solve the math problem of counter attacking and moving the chess pieces up the field on the counter attack. It’s a game that could have been easily won by 8 goals with some different decisions that would have lead to walk in goals.

This week we will probably revert to backwards.

What is real? Is nothing real? The injuries are such that the whole year is a write off but I don’t even know how he wants to set the ground up, let alone any kind of tangible style.

I don’t know whether he likes 2 key talls and a ruck/forward or whether he’s being pragmatic, I don’t know whether he still wants to be a 2 ruck guy, I don’t know whether he is an extra midfield rotations in the front half type or again, it’s being forced on him.

It’s impossible to infer anything from anything.

 

[FootyGuru]

I get that against the good teams, but Richmond, spare me.

Hardly went through the middle, that is on the coaches.

Sick of skill level excuses. From afar our development of players seem awful. If Pies had taken Tsatas I bet he would be a better player.

If you don’t get the difference between taking a dangerous kick in board in the final minutes of a game compared to doing it at training, I cant help you.

Essendon were younger and less experienced than Richmond who had premiership players out there.

Maybe our development is worse but most of our side were into their first season at the club, in fact 3 of them have only been at the club for 2 months. Too early to tell.

 

[MiguelM]

If you don’t get the difference between taking a dangerous kick in board in the final minutes of a game compared to doing it at training, I cant help you.

Essendon were younger and less experienced than Richmond who had premiership players out there.

Maybe our development is worse but most of our side were into their first season at the club, in fact 3 of them have only been at the club for 2 months. Too early to tell.

That is why you train match day scenarios to actually USE it during a game.

 

[Squeaky]

The same fans used to curse Nic Martin’s aggressive kicks across half back too. He is one of our better kicks and was trying to make things happen, but the fans weren’t happy that he sometimes was too aggressive and made a mistake. Doomed if you do doomed if you don’t. Most of our back 6 don’t dare take the ball inside by foot, because they know their capability’s so it leads to guys like Merrett and Martin having to overdo it and that sometimes leads to turnovers. Bloody Scott’s game plan.

The best teams aren’t the fastest moving the ball teams, they are able to take what the opponent gives them defensively and break it down however the method. The best teams generally are also the best defensively too, Because they don’t turn it over much, which usually ends up in goals.

Simply put better footballers make harder kicks which lead to less oppo goals and more goals for their team.

We need better players, more cohesion together which is more games together, less ins and outs at selection and more pre seasons to learn what oppo is giving us and how to defeat it.

Agreed entirely.
Yeah the best teams have gears - but also have kicking weapons off half back - we have nil gears or good kicks.

 

[ghostdog]

Richmond had more game plan in the last.

With 3 minutes to go we kicked backwards, that is dumb when you need to score.

It is not the kids either (Kako was great), it is our senior players Redman, McGrath even Merrett had shocking turnovers.

IDK, too many excuses.

I would suggest going back and looking at our first quarter (maybe first half) against North. I'm fairly sure that's tge game I'm thinking of. I reckon that was the most organised we've looked all year and probably gives some insight into how we want to play.