Best pre game and game day coaching you have seen

[adammania9]

Tony Shaw wasn't a great coach but there was that time he stuck his best midfielder Nathan Buckley at centre half-back where he considerably beat Wayne Carey, the best player in the game. The Magpies ended their 8-game losing streak and smashed the top of the table Roos by 61 points.

Dethroning the King

The day Collingwood conquered one of the AFL's greats.

forever.collingwoodfc.com.au

 

[PhatBoy]

Having not actually played AFL I don’t feel like I pick up on these things as quickly as other people do and as someone who rarely gets to games also, I need to hear commentators point them out as well: ie. so and so has gone to so and so etc etc.

I don’t look at centre bounces for who is standing who, it’s often after something has happened and they show the replay that I notice it and then I start to look for signs of what the two players are doing alongside one another before I start to get an idea of who is winning what battles so my judgements and recollections of these things is a bit more muddled than what most people’s probably is.

Deciding to play Stevie J at all in 2011 wasn’t exactly a ‘tactical’ master stroke but it sure made a heck of a difference.

Maybe Dangerfield going to FF against the swans in 2017 in the semi final stands out a bit though it wasn’t exactly from left field

 

[Cleansweep17]

Not the best ever coaching but this is the best coverage of inside the coaches box you will see.

From 2019 the AFL started making these “Sound the Alarm” clips. It’s absolutely crazy what the coaches analyse and moves they make without us knowing. Even qtr/ht pep talked are shown by both coaches.

Dees, cats and pies supporters should try and find the 2021,2022 and 2023 GF ones.

 

[emuboy]

Agree with Alistair Clarkson for Hawthorn in the 2008 Grand Final against Geelong. The over-confident Cats were obsessed with keeping Buddy Franklin out of the match, which they did achieve, but paid little attention - or respect - to Stewart Dew as the game was slipping away from Geelong in the third quarter. Also. why didn't anyone in the Geelong brains-trust think that putting a tag on Cyril Rioli might be a good idea? The befuddled Geelong attack had no answer to the pressure of Hawthorn's defense, Cats forwards blazing away rashly and being unable to stop Hawthorn's many counter-attacks, a major factor in the Hawks' comfortable premiership win.

In Hawthorn's hat-trick of 2013, 2014 and 2015, Clarkson was able to study the opposing team's style, and each time devise a game-plan that involved the Hawks beating the opponent at their own game. And it worked to perfection each time, with Fremantle, the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles easily beaten by Hawthorn in each Grand Final.

Leigh Matthews strategy of allowing Essendon to play to their potential in the first half of a very hot grand final but not gain a sizeable lead was a master stroke for the Brisbane Lions in the 2001 Grand Final. As the heat persisted in the second half a tiring Essendon - which had selected some players who went into the match injured - were no match for Brisbane, the Lions running the Bombers ragged, winning the premiership easily.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

1970 Grand Final.

All of Norm Smiths Finals.

 

[justlookingaround]

It's kinda crazy how influential and noteworthy the 2008 grand final was for Australian football.
Basically relevant in any footy discussion due to its tactical elements, player cameos, involvement of stars and future stars, upset factor and controversy/debatability with Hawks rushing behinds.

Most grand finals get talked about for one reason or another - but 08 stands out for how many different parts of the game are picked apart. It was a beautiful day too, and I was 12 years old, I think it's probably the defining football match of my childhood.
I reckon future adults who were 12 for the 2023 grand final will look back and feel the same about that game.

 

[Hazardinho]

Every coach that manages against Essendon has ‘a best game day coaching I have ever seen’!

 

[EagleMan87]

Woosha throwing Hunter forward.

Sadly, that was his only gameday move.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I don’t remember specifics but I recall Hawthorn playing at one point and after getting destroyed they went into the break and Clarko made a bunch of really obscure positional changes and then proceeded to completely dominate the opposition. From memory he anticipated the move that the other coach would make coming out of the next break too and completely nullified/countered it.

Sorry I don’t remember specifics but I remember being like “holy s**t he’s a good coach”

 

[PenrithGWS]

Malcolm Blight.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

I don’t remember specifics but I recall Hawthorn playing at one point and after getting destroyed they went into the break and Clarko made a bunch of really obscure positional changes and then proceeded to completely dominate the opposition. From memory he anticipated the move that the other coach would make coming out of the next break too and completely nullified/countered it.

Sorry I don’t remember specifics but I remember being like “holy s**t he’s a good coach”

Out of curiosity, where do you rank the tactics and game day preparation of the 2011 geelong vs essendon match on your list??

I thought mark Thompson put on one of the all time coaching masterclasses with the strategy going into the game and also the chess moves on the day. IMO very hard to go past what he did, but essendon fans haven’t mentioned it once in here

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Wallace and the flood and hitting it out of bounds at any chance gameplan vs Essendon in 2000. Caused the Dons only loss for the season and got the Dogs into finals.

 

[windyhill]

Barassi, long bombs to Snake.

 

[Rich01]

Northey moving Scott turner to full forward in the 95 semi vs Essendon.

Didn’t work so well a week later vs the cats in the prelim.

 

[Xtreme]

Jason Dunstall taking the playing group to the shade at 3 QTR time against Brisbane. Absolute genius move!!!

 

[CharacterFirst]

 

[The Dougster]

98 grand final by Blight. Don’t know what he did but The Crows were an unstoppable force in that second half.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Games that come instantly to mind:

1958 GF hit the man then play football
1970 GF handballing
1984 GF give away 15 meter penalties
2000 flooding
and another flood Richmond gave Adelaide, can’t recall the year.

Was it 2006?

Travelled to Melbourne to watch the Bowden brothers play kick to kick keepings off. Think we were undefeated til that game & Craig was clearly outcoached by Wallace. Craig refused to have a plan B.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

98 grand final by Blight. Don’t know what he did but The Crows were an unstoppable force in that second half.

He just unleashed McLeod.

Crows were lucky that Pagan used Sholl v Hart for Pagan's paddock & not Carey.

 

[sydney_gws]

Malcom Blight lived and died by the sword as coach but the 1997 granny is worth a mention. Starting Shane Ellen as FF to replace the mercurial Tony Modra could be deemed as a pre-game tactic but having Jarman play out of the goal square in the last to snag 5 straight in a 4th quarter of a Grand Final is up there.

What about the 97 prelim final.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

What about the 97 prelim final.

I feel that was more the Dogs panicking in the last quarter in a way, including kicking 0.6 for the last quarter.

But he did move Smart and Jarman forward at half time which started straightening them up as the game got older. A few others like McLeod to the center.

 

[The Dougster]

I feel that was more the Dogs panicking in the last quarter in a way, including kicking 0.6 for the last quarter.

But he did move Smart and Jarman forward at half time which started straightening them up as the game got older. A few others like McLeod to the center.

What a team they were over the 97/98 seasons.

 

[Rockman928]

David Parkin, 99 Prelim.

Using Glen Manton as a 'defensive' full-forward to reduce Fletcher's impact and then obviously Kouta to the middle last quarter.

 

[Blues177]

Robert Walls decision to play Rys-Jones on Dermie in the ‘87 grand final.
The other 4 selection committee members did not agree with the move and big Jack questioned it but Walls stuck to his guns.
Walls believes he would have been sacked if the move failed and the blues lost.

 

[crows dude]

Malcom Blight lived and died by the sword as coach but the 1997 granny is worth a mention. Starting Shane Ellen as FF to replace the mercurial Tony Modra could be deemed as a pre-game tactic but having Jarman play out of the goal square in the last to snag 5 straight in a 4th quarter of a Grand Final is up there.

Agree.

I will go further with that.

Starting Ellen at full forward then moves him to half back in second half to cover injuries. Kicks 3 in the second half.

Confusing Darren Jarmans tag Thompson in the third qtr of the grand final by starting Jarman in the centre square at the bounce but then disappears to full forward. It completely screwed with St Kildas match ups. As Shanagan had to take him as he moves forward after the bounce.