Game Preparation

[eminbee]

24 hours later - dust settling. Some thoughts.
Living over here, and seeing the focus on the local teams with TV cover every week, I was concerned before the game that some of the no-names might catch out our forward planning.
I know the coach was here 2 years back in an assistant role, but there's been a lot of change in that time.
While I just had that nagging worry in the week leading up, the first 5 mins made it clear that is exactly what occurred. We were completely UNPREPARED for the team that turned up to play.
While our midfield has been the most-watched and closely exained for over 5 years, what I saw last night suggests our coaches seriously under-rated Mundy, Barlow & co working off Sandilands. Mundy is coming off almost a year out of footy but for the last 4 - 6 weeks he's been back in serious A-grade form. No evidence of a plan to deal with him. Lyon's coaching was way in front - sending Crowley to Kelly was inspired and evidence they'd done their homework - seeming to understand almost better than we do Kelly's importance to our structure.
Likewise, big mobile Kepler to Harry worked a treat for Frem.
We seemed to work out too slowly what needed to be done to beat the way Frem closed us down, denied us the space we need to get cleanand delivery forward, fast.
Players:
Scarlo - it's been great but a year too long (I know the dangers of too many going at once). We have not got the number of games into Tom Gillies that we should have at his age. I know Haw had a serious crack at him last year for obvious reasons. If he's not the natural replacement for Scarlo (and I think he is) we should have let him go. We can not blame him if he's now underdeveloped.
Rucks - tremendously impressed with West's progress this year - no doubt due in large part to Otto's role, and he was tremendous against the hardest task (maybe second-hardest) in ruckdom.
Joel - will give 100% forever, but the body is protesting at the many years' punishment.
Chappy - great as ever but relies on his strength in the contest now, more than anything else. When we're chasing a big lead, it's hard to see him having the role flexibility that gives him a guaranteed place in the team.
Pods - depends on who we're playing. Can play a bit part still - but obviously not a player for the future.
Jimmy - seems to be playing on heart alone more recently - for players who've worked so hard for so long the end can come quickly.

 

[Cosmic Energy]

I don't think the coaches would have been unprepared, maybe there was a player mindset of underrating the opposition. Either way I still think it came down to basic football handling errors. The Dockers thrived off our turnovers, which sometimes they forced us into, sometimes we gifted to them. When they didn't win possession themselves, we butchered kicks & handballs, fumbled, missed tackles, dropped marks, kicked into the man on the mark, took poor options....Jimmy had 8 clangers I think for example.

I dunno, they pressured us, were discliplined and focussed, we executed pretty much everything poorly but for small patches.

 

[footscore]

Jimmy had 8 clangers I think for example.

 

[footscore]

8 clangers and his disposal was 60%, Jimmy Bartel of all players

 

[Vdubs]

8 clangers and his disposal was 60%, Jimmy Bartel of all players

For Jimmy's standards, he's been a bit off for a lot of the last 3 months. Never looked like missing a goal even last year, now, rarely accurate, and just not as good in general play.

 

[footscore]

For Jimmy's standards, he's been a bit off for a lot of the last 3 months. Never looked like missing a goal even last year, now, rarely accurate, and just not as good in general play.

must be hard for these blokes to stay motivated all season don't you think?
Like the money would be awesome and all but that's not everything and most blokes 28, 29 years of age are living life whereas these blokes kind of live a secluded lifestyle until the off season.
We expect so much of them but Jimmy just seemed a little uninterested in 2012.

 

[Vdubs]

24 hours later - dust settling. Some thoughts.
Living over here, and seeing the focus on the local teams with TV cover every week, I was concerned before the game that some of the no-names might catch out our forward planning.
I know the coach was here 2 years back in an assistant role, but there's been a lot of change in that time.
While I just had that nagging worry in the week leading up, the first 5 mins made it clear that is exactly what occurred. We were completely UNPREPARED for the team that turned up to play.
While our midfield has been the most-watched and closely exained for over 5 years, what I saw last night suggests our coaches seriously under-rated Mundy, Barlow & co working off Sandilands. Mundy is coming off almost a year out of footy but for the last 4 - 6 weeks he's been back in serious A-grade form. No evidence of a plan to deal with him. Lyon's coaching was way in front - sending Crowley to Kelly was inspired and evidence they'd done their homework - seeming to understand almost better than we do Kelly's importance to our structure.
Likewise, big mobile Kepler to Harry worked a treat for Frem.
We seemed to work out too slowly what needed to be done to beat the way Frem closed us down, denied us the space we need to get cleanand delivery forward, fast.
Players:
Scarlo - it's been great but a year too long (I know the dangers of too many going at once). We have not got the number of games into Tom Gillies that we should have at his age. I know Haw had a serious crack at him last year for obvious reasons. If he's not the natural replacement for Scarlo (and I think he is) we should have let him go. We can not blame him if he's now underdeveloped.
Rucks - tremendously impressed with West's progress this year - no doubt due in large part to Otto's role, and he was tremendous against the hardest task (maybe second-hardest) in ruckdom.
Joel - will give 100% forever, but the body is protesting at the many years' punishment.
Chappy - great as ever but relies on his strength in the contest now, more than anything else. When we're chasing a big lead, it's hard to see him having the role flexibility that gives him a guaranteed place in the team.
Pods - depends on who we're playing. Can play a bit part still - but obviously not a player for the future.
Jimmy - seems to be playing on heart alone more recently - for players who've worked so hard for so long the end can come quickly.

They obviously pay no attention to what we advise on BF, I said that all last week, Freo will no longer be disrespected and under-rated.

 

[Cosmic Energy]

8 clangers and his disposal was 60%, Jimmy Bartel of all players

I did say "for example". He had 26 possessions, more than every Docker bar Barlow and very little impact, the point is I've not seen our handling skills that poor for a long time, Jimmy included.

 

[witsend]

I did say "for example". He had 26 possessions, more than every Docker bar Barlow and very little impact, the point is I've not seen our handling skills that poor for a long time, Jimmy included.

Pressure...

 

[Cosmic Energy]

Pressure...

Yeah somewhat, I wouldn't say it was physical pressure so much, sitting close to the ground it didn't feel that intense a game, that was the odd part. Reacting to the scoreboard may have caused them to play that way, bombing entries etc. They played like they did in the last qtr of the 2004 prelim. Geez we could have done with Stevie J running with the ball through the middle looking for shorter options instead of kicking and hoping.