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Eagles Game Plan

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WCE2000

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on that thread re: Dean Cox, i mentioned how i thought he could be our number 1 ruckman for the year, thus freeing up Gardiner to play CHF.

Anyway, if this is what i would suggest the a generalized eagles game plan be.

This game plan, is basically relying on a few names to come back from injury, which, until they come back from injury we can't really do much.
All players who missed the round 2 clash due to injury are in bold and italics.

First off, i would start off with only playing 2 men - Scott Cummings and Phil Materain the forward line.

Across half-forward, i would like to see Michael Gardiner as a marking target, using either Daniel Kerr or Chad Fletcher as a rover around the Half-Forward line.

Basically, i would rotate Fletcher and Kerr as an extra midfielder, and they could go for a rest on the half-forward line.

I would have Dean Cox is in the ruck (i already mentioned my thoughts on how to get the maximum return from Cox is the other thread) and have Michael Braun, Ben Cousins and Dean Kemp as on-ballers. As i already mentioned Daniel Kerr and Chad Fletcher could rotate as extra on-ballers.

I would play Richard Taylor and Drew Banfield on the wing. Both could move into the centre at times to give the on-ballers a rest.

And i would play Peter Matera as a roving type player, who would play free between the half-way mark of the ground and the edge of our defensive 50. a floating type role for Matera.

In the backline i would have Jakovich take the oppositions strongest player, hopefully Jako's shoulder is allright. And McIntosh down at fullback.

I would play Collica and Morrison as running back flankers, and give them free reign to leave their man, and try and create a loose man down the ground.

When either Collica and Morrison left their man, i would simply just move Peter Matera back onto that man.

Morrison could also be used to rotate with Kemp, Cousins or Braun.

In the back pocket i would play Wirrpunda (on the oppositions quickest player) and Michael Prior.

So a basic overview of ourside would be like this:
untitled.gif

That, hopefully would've given you a better idea of whats going on as my written explanation may have been a bit confusing. Morrison and Collica would have the right to run down the ground if they saw a chance, and Peter Matera could drop back on to their oppoennt.
Generally, Peter Matera, would just roam around that around were the circle is, basically playing as a second CHB.
And i would leave the left hand side of the forward line totally free and see if Drew Banfield can do something with the pentrating left foot kick he has.

Gardiner and Cummings will both have a lot of room to lead in if we can keep the centre square and the hole in the forward line clear. Phil Matera and Fletcher/Kerr will have to stay right next to their respective forwards to pick up any spilt crumbs.

On the interchange bench i would have Andrew Williams, Andrew MacDougall, Greg Harding and Mark Merenda

There are 3 players from that strongest 18 who missed this week, they were: Dean Kemp, Scott Cummings and Phil Matera.
Until Cummings and Phil Matera came back, which will hopefully be this week, i would have Troy Wilson as full forward and Richard Taylor as crumbing forward. And i would move Andrew Williams onto the wing (where i originally had Taylor).
Until Kemp returns, i would move Drew Banfield into the centre, and bring in Mark Merenda onto the wing.

And obviously, the eagles couldn't use this exact game plan for every minute of every game, but i think if KJ took this into each match as the general idea of how they were going to play the match, we would have a reasonably succesful year.

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[This message has been edited by WCE2000 (edited 09 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by WCE2000 (edited 09 April 2001).]
 
Interesting but i dont like the idea of Matera just floating around the backline. He becomes a loose man in defence allowing his man to do the same up our end. The less people clogging up our forward line the better it will be for Cummings to lead into.
 
Is it just my computer, or does that pic not come up on anyones.
Anyways, good plan, sounds good although I agree with jod as we need as much space as humanly possible in our forward line!

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The pic didn't show up on my comp either.

Leaving space for cummings is easy in theory, but as we saw with geelong the opposition will always find an extra man to plug the hole infront of him.

I'd prefer Roo to be given freedom to do what he wants by KJ. The man has proven that he is one of the best players in the game, let him show us that skill again rather than letting him rot in the forward and back pockets.

But the game plan is too basic, opposition coaches would easily counter it. I'm no coach and i already know how to close down the forward line. Chuck a medium tall player infront of Cummings and that totally destroys the Cummings/phil Matera partnership.

In defense if they play a short forward structure how will Jako, Macca, Prior and Glass cope with it?

And in the middle a few tall players would prevent our midfielders from getting too much of the ball.

If the opposition implemented these matchups it would force KJ to shuffle the team around, and there goes your gameplan.

Plans need to have diversity and be flexible. Not rely on just one set of positions or otherwise fall apart.



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"I'm not going to waste my life trying to prolong it"
 

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Yep the pic didn't show up for me either. The problem with our forward line is the other sides try and flood our forward line and block out all the 'open' spots Cummings/Wilson lead into. So we need some goalsneaks to be able to get the ball after a contest.
 
Originally posted by daddy_4_eyes:
But the game plan is too basic, opposition coaches would easily counter it. I'm no coach and i already know how to close down the forward line. Chuck a medium tall player infront of Cummings and that totally destroys the Cummings/phil Matera partnership.

You could say that with any game plan someone puts forward. To shut down any leading full-forward, just throw a man in the forward hole. Then they can only lead to the sides.

Originally posted by daddy_4_eyes:
In defense if they play a short forward structure how will Jako, Macca, Prior and Glass cope with it?

The backline i would go in would be:
Wirrpunda (174 cm) - McIntosh (191 cm) - Prior(184 cm)
Morrison (183 cm) - Jakovich (192 cm) - Collica (185 cm)

So they're no problems as far as our backline being to tall. The bigger problem would be if they threw down an extra tall (the way Richmond have Richards, Ottens and Gale up front). If they did that, you would probably have to move Andrew MacDougall into the backline, even though he is a forward.

Originally posted by daddy_4_eyes:
And in the middle a few tall players would prevent our midfielders from getting too much of the ball.

If they threw in some taller players into the midfield, how are the going to be able to crumb at the rucks.
I couldn't quite work this comment out. If they have a few talls in their midfield, they would advantage us, because they're crumbers wouldn't be there at the rucks.

Originally posted by daddy_4_eyes:
Plans need to have diversity and be flexible. Not rely on just one set of positions or otherwise fall apart.

Yes, diversity and flexibility is a problem with my plan, but that's something the eagles don't have.

Our side is a very fragile team. If a few key players get injured, our side totally falls apart - no matter what game plan you use.


Re: Peter Matera

people didn't seem to like this plan too much (having him float around the CHB-centre area). To a certain extent he played a role like this on Sunday.

There was a period in the match where he floated in our defensive hole. I would rather see him come down the ground about 50 metres just in front of half-forward.

I would say, no matter who we play, if Scott Cummings is at full-forward they will have a player in front of him. So, i think the best thing we can do, is respond the same way, and move one of our men to play as a loose backman.
 
That pic didnt work for me either. But i disagree with playing Matera in the backline as a loose defender. If the opposition team decides to play a loose man in defence then our player needs to follow him so instead of being a loose man in defence he will have to pick up his man.
 
Obviously you wouldn't send out 22 players over 2m in height.

Take Essendon for example, if they put Lloyd and Fletcher in midfield they would outmark our midfielders whilst their midfielders would do the crumbing. We wouldn't have talls so all we could do is crumb but not mark.

What i was trying to say in my earlier post is that your game plan was too one dimensional. KJ moves the players around, and even though people complain about wirra being in attack and Cousins not being on the ball KJ is doing the right thing.

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