Geelong game plan changes?

[Gogeelong]

Last year the Geelong game plan was very effectie. Down the guts with a running stye with devestating effects. Beat the flood

The opposition teams are all talking about adopting the same game plan.
Every year teams tend to copy the premiers stye of play

How will this effect us?
Do we tinker with this and if so how?

 

[Ashb23]

If teams copy us, how good will the comp be? Fast paced, high scoring. Could be the best season in a while (overall comp wise)..... Can't wait.

 

[CF]

I don't think they need to change anything. The plan works and is difficult to beat. The interesting times will come when we face injuries of key players. I think also that we showed a few times that we were able to modify our gameplan on the day when conditions or style of play didn't suit it. Keep it going.

 

[FoxC]

The interesting times will come when we face injuries of key players.

I agree.

If other teams do copy us and play the same style, it will become a "shootout". Will they be good enough to beat us? Will we be good enough to contain them and still win by playing our normal style?

I also assume that clubs who picked up ex-Geelong players in the off-season like Callan, King etc. will have intimate knowledge of our game style through these players. The Bulldogs in particular have been focusing on fitness and their running game is very similar to ours. I really look forward to when we play them.

 

[scottydeewah]

In the end no matter how complex a strategy one thing will always hold true. 22 fitter, strong, faster more skillful opponents will usually beat lesser opponents.

It is easy enough to combat a gameplan on paper. "stick people in the guts and dont allow Geelong to use the corridor". You need the personal to execute it though and that is easier said than done.

 

[BIGANT]

Every club says "that there the fittest in the competion this time of the yr" just wondering how the cats are looking on the track, with our late start to pre-season will we be as fit as we were this time last yr and more importantly by the start of season proper !?
Our fitness team was applauded with what they did with the premiers has that changed much from last yr.

 

[CF]

It is easy enough to combat a gameplan on paper. "stick people in the guts and dont allow Geelong to use the corridor". You need the personal to execute it though and that is easier said than done.

I do think this was tried several times during season 2007 and it was effective to a point. The problem was mostly that other teams needed to apply this pressure for every minute of every quarter,because as soon as they backed off one iota our boys slammed quick successive goals.

We also played defensive games during the year against teams like Adelaide, Sydney and Collingwood come to mind. Our free flowing gameplan wasn't used in these games and we showed we could play a tight, tackling type game as good as anyone.

My point is, our gameplan isn't just up the middle corridoor, kick it long, play on quickly etc.....it has a few different variations.

I am not so worried about ex-players spilling the beans about our gameplan. That's football. It's one thing to know our gameplans...it is another to execute them as well as what our team did in 2007.

 

[Mooney_d'King]

With any luck, our best knowledge of that game-plan means that we also know its weak points and how it can be beaten.

 

[Reg Hickey]

If we get beaten this year, it won't be by some other team using our gameplan against us. You can't just switch playing styles on and off like that. If we can maintain our own high standards, I think we have probably another 1-2 years before someone would be able to implement and perfect our gameplan to the point that they are better at it than us.

Only two ways we will get beaten this year - either we drop off due to premiership hangover, cockiness, injuries or some other reason, or someone else executes their own gameplan much better than they did last year and it is good enough to beat us. And simply trying to crowd ours won't be enough - they need to come up with something that wins games, like we did, rather than something that merely makes it harder for one particular opponent to play their preferred style.

 

[rocker_oz33]

After the game the cats lost to north mark Thompson said there sum players that did not want to be apart of it, we all know what happened next.
l think some players mite think a premiership is enough and not push for better, sum players can get big heads and don't play to team rules. Also there's 9 players that won AA that need to step up and still play well.
With salary issue's and out of contract players the team will probably change dramatically in 09.

 

[Mooney_d'King]

After the game the cats lost to north mark Thompson said there sum players that did not want to be apart of it, we all know what happened next.
l think some players mite think a premiership is enough and not push for better, sum players can get big heads and don't play to team rules. Also there's 9 players that won AA that need to step up and still play well.
With salary issue's and out of contract players the team will probably change dramatically in 09.

Good thoughts. I have a feeling that it simply won't be tolerated if the players take their foot off the pedal in any way. I don't reckon Harls would have it (we all know Chappie wouldn't), and I reckon that players doing that would be dropped.

 

[winty]

I can't see complacency creeping in this season. All off-season in the Advertiser we've had stories about the likes of Prismall, Gamble, Davenport and those on the fringe of the club saying that "this is the year we make it big in the seniors." We have such an even list that there's competition for just about every position in the senior side (I think Mooney is the only player with no real replacement). We saw last season that players would slip into the side and would just do their role. I expect the same to continue this year.

As for game plan, I can't see it changing much either. I remember reading once that Thompson said he's formulated four different game plans according to conditions and our opponent. Whether it's true or not is another thing, but to have four different game plans would surely keep opposition coaches guessing. I actually think that later in the season our free-flowing, straight down the guts approach, wasn't as effective at Skilled as it was at the G as Skilled is narrower, and I remember Port sort of set up a midfield zone which was hard for us to counter when they beat us there in Round 21.

I agree with Ash though. If all other 15 clubs incorporate our game plan this season, then it's going to be one exciting season. Bring it on!

 

[Mooney_d'King]

I can't see complacency creeping in this season. All off-season in the Advertiser we've had stories about the likes of Prismall, Gamble, Davenport and those on the fringe of the club saying that "this is the year we make it big in the seniors." We have such an even list that there's competition for just about every position in the senior side (I think Mooney is the only player with no real replacement). We saw last season that players would slip into the side and would just do their role. I expect the same to continue this year.

As for game plan, I can't see it changing much either. I remember reading once that Thompson said he's formulated four different game plans according to conditions and our opponent. Whether it's true or not is another thing, but to have four different game plans would surely keep opposition coaches guessing. I actually think that later in the season our free-flowing, straight down the guts approach, wasn't as effective at Skilled as it was at the G as Skilled is narrower, and I remember Port sort of set up a midfield zone which was hard for us to counter when they beat us there in Round 21.

I agree with Ash though. If all other 15 clubs incorporate our game plan this season, then it's going to be one exciting season. Bring it on!

Without wishing to a party pooper, I think there's quite a few that would be hard to replace - Milburn, Scarlett, Ottens, perhaps Jimmy, Lingy and Gaz and of course Moons.

Otherwise, totally agree with your post.

 

[Copernicus]

I can't imagine we'd need to change our game plan too much - it was successful against all comers, so why change a good thing?

It'll be interesting to see who else, if anyone, adopts the same style. They'd still have to do awfully well to execute it as well as we did last season though.

Should be a fun season.