Game plan concerns

[sr36]

Is anyone else concerned about the game plan that we appear to be going with. MM's hardcore forward press with significantly more risks through the centre of the ground.

The way that I see it, it is very likely to result in the same situation that occured last year - long bombs to a very congested forward line that makes it very difficult to score goals, with the majority of our goals being hard working grinds or coming from opposition howlers. Meanwhile our defenders are very likely to once again be confronted with enormous amounts of open space to defend when the opposition crack the press.

To me, this was the ongoing theme of our game style last year and it was also evident last night. I also think it was evident against West Coast, where we dominated possession and forward 50 entries, yet never dominated on the scoreboard.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

I'm not concerned. In fact I was quite happy with the way we were moving forward in the first half last night, albeit that we were a bit limited in terms of options with only Lynch as a key forward to kick to. The freedom to go through the centre makes us a helluva lot more unpredictable and opens things up for us. It should also result in the ball getting into the forward 50 faster.

Most, if not all teams will play some sort of press at times and we need to be able to counter it, but more importantly with the types of forwards we have in Cloke and Lynch, we need to be able to get the ball in there quickly and try to isolate them against a single defender. Going slowly around the boundary and then squaring up with a long bomb frequently led to Cloke having 3 opponents.

As to the concerns about the defence, yes we will get scored on more with this gamestyle, it's inevitable. However if you put Reid/Shaw/Toovey/O'Brien back into that side and we look totally different, because we win the majority of one-on-one contests that we lost against Brisbane. Obviously the ball also goes in there a lot less because you replace Dwyer/Martin/JT with Swan/Pendlebury/Ball... and the improvement in our offense yields a net win for us in terms of scoreboard pressure.

 

[half_back_flank]

I doubt we will use the corridor as much as we have in the preseason, I think (or maybe hope) the players have been instructed to over use it as a means of getting used to looking inboard again.

For years they were programmed to look boundary first, I think it's unreasonable to expect them to snap out and execute Bucks' new game plan after a couple of practice matches. But the signs are good, Cloke will be barring up at all the one on one contests he'll get this year.

 

[Gone Critical]

I am not worried. One thing we missed last year was a manic forward press. Looks much more dangerous when our small forwards are swarming and unsettles oppositions. With the side we had in WCE expeceted an easier time and our press got them.

Think coming in a bit more directly is also good. Will aid Cloke/Lynch combo and with our full side we will exploit opposition defences as we are stronger over the ground than any other list

 

[carnthepies19]

I think when analysing the game plan thus far, we need to remember the players who were on the park. Guys like Oxley aren't going to be holding down a defensive spot in h&a season. When the plan is implemented including our best 22 players I think it will be running a lot better.

 

[vjknight]

as long as those issues from last year regarding the whole team being defensively minded, and not leaving it to a few, the outcomes will be great.

 

[Old Spice]

The forward line doesn't get less congested by running through via the boundary line. If the opposition want to leave a man back in defence, we win the ball further up the ground and kick to a winger or boot running back toward the 50.

 

[lenny&carl]

The kicker-innerer from a point only gets 6 seconds now, so we'll get more value for money by emphasizing the forward press there.

 

[rose jam]

Game plan is pretty much the same as everyone elses, it only tweaks based on personnel.
Bucks is just trying to introduce a short kick option where possible instead of always long down the line in order to break up the opposition zones. We'll take a few months to click in with a short kick going through the forward half.
You need to remember the 2010 press didn't really function efficiently until round 10ish.

 

[Hardas]

The kicker-innerer from a point only gets 6 seconds now, so we'll get more value for money by emphasizing the forward press there.

Is that rule in for the season proper? If so, it's good news, I think. Based on our efforts to bring it in last year, the rule might bring a few clubs back to our level!

 

[forwardflanker]

The way we have shaped up is very similar to how Hawthorn have done it the last few seasons which is good imo. Shouldn't be too worried about execution since every game we have had at least 6 or so guys who won't be best 22 and lack the footskills to hit targets regularly.

 

[Obese Arachnid]

The way we have shaped up is very similar to how Hawthorn have done it the last few seasons which is good imo. Shouldn't be too worried about execution since every game we have had at least 6 or so guys who won't be best 22 and lack the footskills to hit targets regularly.

Geelong too?

 

[forwardflanker]

Geelong too?

I doubt we will want to go the short option though the corridor as much as Geelong like to. We have to many guys who aren't pin point enough with their kicking. I think the corridor will be used a lot, as will switching of play but I predict tons of long kicking. We've always had a few to many dodgy kicks in our side but this year we have a lot of guys whose long kicking is a weapon especially in the back half imo

 

[sr36]

The way we have shaped up is very similar to how Hawthorn have done it the last few seasons which is good imo. Shouldn't be too worried about execution since every game we have had at least 6 or so guys who won't be best 22 and lack the footskills to hit targets regularly.

I'd argue that we are attempting to get much more pressure around the ball and are using more players to try to lock the ball into our forward line than other teams do. With improvements in kicking skills, I see it as a high risk strategy that leaves us exposed at the back. I also see it as a strategy that generally results in a congested forward line as our forward line has to be congested to lock the ball in. This tends to result in bombs to packs as space to lead into is limited. So while we may have large periods of ascendency, due to the quality of our players and the fact that we often have more around the ball, these periods of ascendency don't always have a huge impact on the scoreboard.

 

[forwardflanker]

I'd argue that we are attempting to get much more pressure around the ball and are using more players to try to lock the ball into our forward line than other teams do. With improvements in kicking skills, I see it as a high risk strategy that leaves us exposed at the back. I also see it as a strategy that generally results in a congested forward line as our forward line has to be congested to lock the ball in. This tends to result in bombs to packs as space to lead into is limited. So while we may have large periods of ascendency, due to the quality of our players and the fact that we often have more around the ball, these periods of ascendency don't always have a huge impact on the scoreboard.

Yeah I was referring more to how we transfer the pill into the forward line rather what actually happens when it gets in there. Once it gets in there I still think the press has a lot of merit as long as a few conditions are met. Most importantly that the ball gets delivered in there quickly and in an unpredictable manner. The press/manic forward pressure is all about perceived pressure and can only work when the opposition have an equal or fewer number of players around the ball than us. Because we were so obvious in where we attacked last season it was easy for opposition sides to get numbers, set up defensively and ensure that they were in a position to handle that pressure. They also need to minimize the dead ball chances. A lot of goals scored when a press is used come from hurried kicks out of defense that one of our half back and then we just jam it back in and often score in all the chaos. What sides like Hawthorn did really effectively last season was get guys like Gibson smash the ball 30 metres out of play every time we moved the ball through the wings. This makes it impossible for our crumbers to work and also takes out of play any under pressure kicks out of the backline that we can potentially score from. However it becomes a lot more difficult for opposition sides to do this if they know we regularly switch play and can kick long straight down the middle. Anyway that's how I think we will play this year - completely change the way we have moved the ball the last 5-8 years but maintain the same defence system that we developed in 2010-11.

 

[kevind]

What ever the game style, in comparison to last year we need to get the ball into the forward line much quicker. IT was like a snail's relay last year.

Research has shown the best indicator of a winning side in a footy game is the side with the most number of effective long kicks. Hawthorn sliced us up twice with precisely that tactic. Sides who chip the ball around rarely do well in finals.

Hanging on to the ball for too long looking for options and overuse of handball were IMO, why we were so slow in getting the ball forward last year. I want that to change. Get our kick/handball ratio up and be ready to play on at all times.

Love the corridor game as my preference ,but like MM, Bucks needs to coach to our strengths; and I am not sure if we have the collective kicking skills in the team to succeed by attacking through the corridor

 

[Rustin Cohle]

The thing I'm most worried about is Heath Shaw taking the kickouts. Even against West Coast not much changed from last year and I can see that being an issue if we don't have some sort of plan to deal with it.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Another potential bonus of playing through the corridor is finding players on 0-45 degree angles instead of 5m in from the boundary. We might not have scorelines of 14.23 every week.

 

[RuFiO]

Another potential bonus of playing through the corridor is finding players on 0-45 degree angles instead of 5m in from the boundary. We might not have scorelines of 14.23 every week.

And Heath is more likely to not kick it out on the full *fingers crossed*

 

[The Royal Sampler]

And Heath is more likely to not kick it out on the full *fingers crossed*

There's always hope.

 

[speedytiger]

I'm more than happy for them in at least have a look inside, for a few years we never even considered it. My only worry is we aren't a great kicking side, and Young and Russell certainly don't fix that.

 

[ksardog]

I'm more than happy for them in at least have a look inside, for a few years we never even considered it. My only worry is we aren't a great kicking side, and Young and Russell certainly don't fix that.

Thats the danger, players like this squaring the ball up in the backline/midfield. Only certain players should get the license to do so (reid, seedsman, pendlebury for e.g.) i can see a lot of turnover goals if this isnt rectified.
Also with the backline vulnerable to more open space we need our best and quickest defenders back there. Frost needs to be upgraded before round 1. Gives us reid,brown, toovey shaw and frost down there with maxwell. Looks more solid

 

[Go_Brad_Dick]

To me it's less about using the corridor or not, and more about well thought out and perfected structures, formations and conditions for moving the ball forward. Geelong perfected this several years ago, they consistently went forward by at least 2 or 3 players running from behind play, so when the player with the ball came up against opposition, there was an option streaming forward behind them, and another after that, a lot like rugby. They had this perfected in a way that al 3or4 players knew exactly how to break away, where to go, and where to pass when they needed to dispose of the ball. That would allow them to safely take the corridor because they always had backup, but worked across the wing as well. The extra run and carry they got by doing it this way allowed them to penetrate the centre line and pass deeper in to the 50, and also to an uncongested forward line because of the speed they moved it.

When we have been beaten consistently in the past 2 years, by hawthorn, Geelong, even Carlton last year, this was how we got done. In contrast our ball movement was too often stop start, short pass, wait bomb from behind the centre line to a crowded 50+ range and try to score by scrumming the ball forward from there.

In 2010/11 even though we used the boundary line, we had that core group of players who understood where each other would be leading to, who they could rely on the create an option, and the ball skills to hit targets and keep it moving without turning it over.. That all went out the window last year.

 

[Obese Arachnid]

And Heath is more likely to not kick it out on the full *fingers crossed*

Some people & their outrageous predictions.

 

[Visions]

The quicker we get the ball into the forward 50, the less congested it will be, the more chance Cloke will have with a 1 on 1 contest. That's the prime goal of moving the ball down the corridor.