2017 Game Plan

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How are we struggling? on or off the field?

Off the field. Unless you're shifting home games to Ballarat for fun? Hawthorn did the same when they were struggling and I guess you're trying to do the same - but I doubt Ballarat is going to give you a multi million dollar sponsorship deal like Tasmania gave the Hawks.

You won the flag yet you're still posting BS "operating profits" to make it sound like you're making more money than you actually are. Operating profits are what clubs use to cover up losses. Last year it was $2.6m yet you only really made something like 350k in actual profit with a director putting in 500k out of his/her own pocket...you can see that you're living on the smell of an oily rag. In fact, if that director hadn't contributed to the Spirit West Foundation, you would have posted a loss last year.

In fact, in 2013, you received ANOTHER interest free loan from a director for $1m that was paid off last year but subsequently 're-donated' to the club, most likely as a tax write off or something.

It's all smoke and mirrors down at Whitten Oval. At least when we post a profit, it's a genuine profit based on football operations and not based on how deep the pockets of our directors are.
 

Pugz89

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 29, 2015
11,153
12,829
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Off the field. Unless you're shifting home games to Ballarat for fun? Hawthorn did the same when they were struggling and I guess you're trying to do the same - but I doubt Ballarat is going to give you a multi million dollar sponsorship deal like Tasmania gave the Hawks.

You won the flag yet you're still posting BS "operating profits" to make it sound like you're making more money than you actually are. Operating profits are what clubs use to cover up losses. Last year it was $2.6m yet you only really made something like 350k in actual profit with a director putting in 500k out of his/her own pocket...you can see that you're living on the smell of an oily rag. In fact, if that director hadn't contributed to the Spirit West Foundation, you would have posted a loss last year.

In fact, in 2013, you received ANOTHER interest free loan from a director for $1m that was paid off last year but subsequently 're-donated' to the club, most likely as a tax write off or something.

It's all smoke and mirrors down at Whitten Oval. At least when we post a profit, it's a genuine profit based on football operations and not based on how deep the pockets of our directors are.
Only a few years ago you had the tarps out. Things can turn around quickly. Sure, we might not be in the ideal spot but we've hardly been in this situation before where we are looking at a possible sustainable run of success. Re-negotiating our stadium deal will also help.

Words of wisdom courtesy of the app
 

rignanv

Team Captain
Mar 1, 2014
343
651
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
"A lot of these sides (Western Bulldogs, Sydney), there's no key back down there." - Matthew Nicks

That would be referring to the defensive set up more so than personnel where the players guard space rather than a specific opponent. Both teams play talls back there
 

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That would be referring to the defensive set up more so than personnel where the players guard space rather than a specific opponent. Both teams play talls back there

Well yeah...that's the point. One on one defenders are being replaced by zonal defence. :)
 

mic59

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 20, 2002
18,184
10,243
Alberton, the chosen land
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Blyth Spartans, Dallas Cowboys
Only a few years ago you had the tarps out. Things can turn around quickly. Sure, we might not be in the ideal spot but we've hardly been in this situation before where we are looking at a possible sustainable run of success. Re-negotiating our stadium deal will also help.

Words of wisdom courtesy of the app
Most of that happened courtesy of our move from the farflung regions of AAMI to Adelaide Oval. Adelaide Oval had been a much-loved ground used for football in the past but up until this decade the SACA had kept football out to reserve it for cricket. When they finally realised 50,000 footy fans trumped 2,000 cricket fans they upgraded the oval and allowed us back. With the huge improvements in facilities, eating places and access to the ground there was never a question that the move alone upped attendances by at least 25%.
 

Pugz89

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 29, 2015
11,153
12,829
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Most of that happened courtesy of our move from the farflung regions of AAMI to Adelaide Oval. Adelaide Oval had been a much-loved ground used for football in the past but up until this decade the SACA had kept football out to reserve it for cricket. When they finally realised 50,000 footy fans trumped 2,000 cricket fans they upgraded the oval and allowed us back. With the huge improvements in facilities, eating places and access to the ground there was never a question that the move alone upped attendances by at least 25%.
Which could have similarities to our new Etihad deal. We boosted home attendances last year and we will start to reap the rewards of that over the next few years.
 

woffy

All Australian
Oct 6, 2011
772
867
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
"A lot of these sides (Western Bulldogs, Sydney), there's no key back down there." - Matthew Nicks
That would be referring to the defensive set up more so than personnel where the players guard space rather than a specific opponent. Both teams play talls back there

Key back would be referring to a top notch big, like Rance.
Sydney & Dogs, with their personnel, couldn't go match-up on the oppositions key forward/s, and had out of necessity play a zone. But their players back there have good speed, and rebound brilliantly. With our injuries and form last season our defence was similar, and did a good job; and will have a similar line-up / type this upcoming season.

Still room in the modern game to play man if your players are good enough, and someone like Hombsch reading the play & coming in 3rd man up.
 

Kingfish73

Premiership Player
Mar 24, 2014
4,869
7,003
Adelaide, South Australia
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Clurey and Jonas both have plenty of strings to their bow but 'agility and speed' aren't on that list.

I wouldn't drop Austin. I'm a massive rap for Austin, I've got him pencilled in as our starting full back for the next decade, and Hombsch is a much better player when he has a stopping full back alongside him rather than having to play that role himself. It'd be one of Clurey or Jonas falling out of that lineup for mine, and being replaced by DBJ to take the opposition's best small forward (I note your selected defence doesn't feature a player suited to that role).
Agree 100%. Broadbent needs to have his best season to stay in starting 22. Hopefully bonner takes his spot or we find a much more dynamic HB. He is too meh for us to be a true top 4 team
 

R_Gray_Jnr_Jnr

All Australian
May 12, 2015
817
918
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Juventus
A complete lack of a short passing, uncontested possession game that forces opposition defenses that are sitting back on our forwards to move their zone up to press passing outlets.

Going back to the NFL as an example: the best team in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys, know the importance of playing an offense that not only uses rushing (running the ball), which is their strength...but they also know the importance of adding a short passing game to the offense to 'keep the chains moving' and continually get first downs. That's why although they are only 23rd for passing yards, they are 4th for first downs.

That's what we need to add - that short game - the 20m sideways kick to runners out of a stoppage that you constantly see West Coast pull against us and you wonder 'How the **** did that guy get free?!' I don't have an issue with lateral movement as long as it's done with purpose and not hesitation. As soon as you hesitate, the option gets closed and you end up with that stop start football we've seen over the past two years.

It's rock-paper-scissors. Running beats short passing (hence why we consistently dominate Hawthorn), short passing beats contested possession (hence why Hawthorn won three premierships in a row) and contested possession beats running (hence why we struggle against pretty much any side that pressures us, but especially Sydney).

Contested possession game is easy to add. That's literally intent and will to win the ball. It's the rock of our game (and everyone throws rock first...which is probably why Hawthorn did so well).

Scissors, naturally, is the cutting through defense that a running game brings to the table. Sharp, quick, but also fragile.

Paper - that's the blanket, across the ground short passing game that makes it seem like there are 30 players on the field instead of 18, because there's always someone open.

At the moment, it's like we have carpal tunnel syndrome. But we're fixing it.

You can't compare Dallas to us. They've got Zeke (just an absolute natural freak) and Dak (a freak rookie 1 in a million)

Were like the Dallas of years past with Old Man Tony 'interception' Romo at the Helm. I.e. Lobbe and other spuds which we continually rely on. What we need to do is drop the dead weight ala Cowboys of 2016-17 (i.e. drop room) and get in this new talent and give them a crack (dougal, powell-pepper, Bret Eddy etc )
 
The other difference between NFL and AFL is that the quarterback, the one with the best arm, is doing all the short passes. In footy you could have any one of the 22 players doing the short passes and they have variability in terms of being able to do a 20-30m kick accurately, being able to spot an opportunity and being quick enough and decisive enough to take that opportunity as soon as they see it.
 
Honestly trying to compare the tactics in our game to anything to do with American football is absurd. The games are worlds apart. You may as well be comparing us to tiddly-winks.
 

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The other difference between NFL and AFL is that the quarterback, the one with the best arm, is doing all the short passes. In footy you could have any one of the 22 players doing the short passes and they have variability in terms of being able to do a 20-30m kick accurately, being able to spot an opportunity and being quick enough and decisive enough to take that opportunity as soon as they see it.

Well yeah. My point wasn't about the actual game mechanics, or trying to compare NFL to AFL, but why certain things work and what makes them successful. There are tactics that are transcendent across all sports. Without a short passing game, you'll never win anything in any game that requires movement of the ball to score, because it becomes too easy to negate the other aspects of your play.

Hell, I could compare the Ruy Lopez opening in chess with the +1 in defence tactic that coaches favour - the whole process of mirroring movement and then presenting one option where the opponent is given the option to retreat or attack is standard across all tactical exchanges.

People are hung up on the what. I'm talking about the why.
 
Jun 12, 2012
20,451
65,048
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Honestly trying to compare the tactics in our game to anything to do with American football is absurd. The games are worlds apart. You may as well be comparing us to tiddly-winks.

They are worlds apart but there is still some common ground with regards to the creation and defence of space, especially at stoppages.

I wouldn't close my mind to it completely.
 
Definitely to be taken with a grain of salt, but someone that I know to be mates with a few of the Magpies players said that there'll be a big shakeup with the game plan this year. I wasn't actually there, but I'm assuming he was talking about the Pear.
 
Definitely to be taken with a grain of salt, but someone that I know to be mates with a few of the Magpies players said that there'll be a big shakeup with the game plan this year. I wasn't actually there, but I'm assuming he was talking about the Pear.

Well since the coaching group thought that the game would go slower and back to a more one on one style on offence in 2016 - and it went the opposite - we'd have to have the stupidest coaches in the league if they didn't move back to a fast transition style game.
 
Well since the coaching group thought that the game would go slower and back to a more one on one style on offence in 2016 - and it went the opposite - we'd have to have the stupidest coaches in the league if they didn't move back to a fast transition style game.
Fair point, but surely they could've made this change during the season last year?
 
Fair point, but surely they could've made this change during the season last year?

I think they tried to honestly - look at the Melbourne and Collingwood games. But when your entire preseason is based on endurance because you think the game is going to go one way and it actually goes the opposite direction, there's only so much you can do.
 
I think they tried to honestly - look at the Melbourne and Collingwood games. But when your entire preseason is based on endurance because you think the game is going to go one way and it actually goes the opposite direction, there's only so much you can do.
Our ball movement in the Melbourne (in Alice Springs, obviously) game, especially from kick outs, was miles ahead of nearly every other game of ours.

What did we actually do differently?
 
Our ball movement in the Melbourne (in Alice Springs, obviously) game, especially from kick outs, was miles ahead of nearly every other game of ours.

What did we actually do differently?

It's more what Melbourne didn't do for mine. It was Hawthorn 2015 all over again - they thought they could beat us on their merits instead of doing what everyone else did and dropping a rolling zone just outside the 50m arc. Instead they gave us space and pushed up too hard and we just went over the top every single time.
 

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