Mr Harvey

[theGav56]

Living overseas at the moment and can't get to anything live be it training, NAB, or scratchies, so appreciate all of the info being posted. So ar we have not sounded terribly impressive, which I am not concerned about, and even so we still are seeing some very positive signs.

What I would like some discussion about is how Harvey is going in the coaching role. I had expected that he would use the pre-season to get his gameplan instilled in the playing list, but it appears that he has used the games like a more entrenched coach would, trying new positions, blooding players, rotating them etc.

Also, most posters expected that we would be coming out more physically focused and disciplined, but with the talk of (eg) Peake running in circles and Black going in the book, are we seeing that or not?

 

[chook2734]

Living overseas at the moment and can't get to anything live be it training, NAB, or scratchies, so appreciate all of the info being posted. So ar we have not sounded terribly impressive, which I am not concerned about, and even so we still are seeing some very positive signs.

What I would like some discussion about is how Harvey is going in the coaching role. I had expected that he would use the pre-season to get his gameplan instilled in the playing list, but it appears that he has used the games like a more entrenched coach would, trying new positions, blooding players, rotating them etc.

Also, most posters expected that we would be coming out more physically focused and disciplined, but with the talk of (eg) Peake running in circles and Black going in the book, are we seeing that or not?

Gav, the tackling has been the standout for me so far. The team as a whole (possibly excluding McManus who still likes to tackle around the neck) appear to have learnt how to tackle and drag a player to the ground legally. Even Pavlich has been tackling well. The forward line pressure has been very good in the eagles game and parts of the Crows game too.

I think the Black one was just pure frustration - he's always had a temper and you could see that he was spent and probably should have been taken from the ground a little earlier. Harvey did drag him immediately though, so that is a change from the CC days.

There has certainly been a lot more experimentation than I would have perhaps expected - Crowley and Peake in the backline, Mundy and Johnson midfield are probably the main ones. I think Harvs knows what these guys can do in their usual spots, so he's just been looking to see how far he can push them.

 

[theGav56]

Chook, Black and Peake are examples. If you are saying the discipline is up there, then I am happy. I am really looking to see if the team is being disciplined in terms of an actual game plan, and from the posts I am struggling to see that this is happening.

Thanks for the post.

 

[chook2734]

Chook, Black and Peake are examples. If you are saying the discipline is up there, then I am happy. I am really looking to see if the team is being disciplined in terms of an actual game plan, and from the posts I am struggling to see that this is happening.

Thanks for the post.

There's been a lot of rotations happening, so it's been pretty hard to really see what the game plan is. This weeks game may be a better indication (not that there will be too many of us that get to see any of it) as Harvey has said that he will be looking to play basically his round 1 side.

 

[estibador]

For me the experimentation has been a positive thing.

Harves is obviously coming from the school of thought that the preseason means f**k all and he's giving every player the chance to press for a spot in round 1. This seems different to CC where you almost got the impression that he already had his round 1 team chosen and nothing anyone did in preseason would make any difference.

Seems like Harves used the derby as the game to try out his relatively full strength team and structures. The result of that was pretty encouraging - though for all the fight the young eagles showed we might as well have slipped Rophies into their water bottles before the game.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

Seems like Harves used the derby as the game to try out his relatively full strength team and structures. The result of that was pretty encouraging - though for all the fight the young eagles showed we might as well have slipped Rophies into their water bottles before the game.

Unlike in the game against North Melbourne, where Clinkley and Ibbotson played in the centre square for the entire last quarter, Kepler played key defense for the last half, Damian's nephew was our defensive focal point and first choice players like Crowley, Schammer, Bell, Warnock and Dodd spent extended periods on the bench.

Aside from the first game, I think our pre season has been mostly just experimental, so don't read into it too much. The coaching tactics will only become evident a few weeks into the home and away season.

 

[estibador]

Aside from the first game, I think our pre season has been mostly just experimental, so don't read into it too much.

Yeah that's what I meant.

He had his one serious hit out against the eagles and since then he's just been f**king around. Trying out new players in new positions to get a feel for where his squad is at.

Despite his public proclamation of developing a winning culture I think Harves is pretty satisfied with where our list is sitting. Might have been a touch of the Sheedy's in his disingenuous claim of wanting to win every game. Certainly his team selection and tactics didn't seem to match his claims of wanting to win.

One can only hope he's picked up a little of the wily old fox's media manipulation. Couldn't hurt having a few teams underestimate us come the real season.

 

[dominguez]

Living overseas at the moment and can't get to anything live be it training, NAB, or scratchies, so appreciate all of the info being posted.

What country you in Gav? Business or pleasure?

 

[dominguez]

One can only hope he's picked up a little of the wily old fox's media manipulation. Couldn't hurt having a few teams underestimate us come the real season.

We're 3rd favourite for the flag and paying $1.30 to make the 8. I think most people are expecting a big year from Fremantle.

 

[estibador]

We're 3rd favourite for the flag and paying $1.30 to make the 8. I think most people are expecting a big year from Fremantle.

But you only have to read this site to realise that most footy people think the bookies are vastly overrating us.

Whether the learned people in charge of other AFL clubs share the same views as the great smelly unwashed BF crew we'll never know.

Maybe not the coaching staff - but perhaps other AFL players. I get the feeling a lot of them aren't much more intelligent than the average BF nuff nuff.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

Maybe not the coaching staff - but perhaps other AFL players. I get the feeling a lot of them aren't much more intelligent than the average BF nuff nuff.

That's not such a bad thing if you're talking about the Freo board.

It's horrifying if you're talking about the Wet Toast board.

 

[shibz_1989]

We're 3rd favourite for the flag and paying $1.30 to make the 8. I think most people are expecting a big year from Fremantle.

The same thing happened at the start of last season. I just hope it doesn't have the same ending.

 

[estibador]

That's not such a bad thing if you're talking about the Freo board.

It's horrifying if you're talking about the Wet Toast board.

Well when you consider that Kerr hasn't even mastered using a key to open his door without smashing a nearby window then it's not looking good.

 

[bigkev bleeds purple]

Well when you consider that Kerr can't even open a door with his key without smashing a nearby window then it's not looking good.

Indeed. But I still reckon that would make him more intelligent than the average Indian Pacific Ltd customer.

 

[estibador]

A single celled amoeba with brain damage is more intelligent than your average IPL fan.

 

[wehavethepassion]

Let's hope harvey is bold V Port and players the likes of Palmer and hinkley in the midfield - yes the midfield I'd expect the above two plus Josh, DJ,Byron, belly blacky Barra, Michael J to be settled in the midfield gee does this mean that Big Carr and macca are playing for EF - yes!!

I think there is a position for Mark J coming off the bench to soften up the oppostion midfielders aka Cookie and what another ex bomer did for Port in 2004 damien hardman

Can't see him taking a forward role.

 

[dominguez]

Let's hope harvey is bold V Port and players the likes of Palmer and hinkley in the midfield .

This weeks line up will be interesting. Germo said that there could be as many as 14 senior players coming into the side this week, which implied that anyone who plays this week is likely to play round one.

 

[chook2734]

This weeks line up will be interesting. Germo said that there could be as many as 14 senior players coming into the side this week, which implied that anyone who plays this week is likely to play round one.

I think Harvs might be stepping things up away from prying eyes this week. He knows the squad well enough from last year and has found out a few things in the past couple of weeks with his 'experiments'. There's been a few (almost weekly?) closed training sessions recently too, so it does make you wonder what he's up to?

 

[theGav56]

What country you in Gav? Business or pleasure?

I'm in Indonesia.








Okay, I'm in Bali. Business (work) for the wife, pleasure for me.

 

[theGav56]

I am fully supportive of not taking the pre-season results seriously. I guess what I am saying about the coaching is that I am a little surprised given that we have a rookie coach, even though he is very experienced, who is experimenting as much as he is.

My expectations were that he would instill a simple game plan in contrast to CC's, but at this stage it does not sound like we have seen that. No matter who the players are who are put out there in a practice game, so far there does not seem to be a clarity of game plan/style emerging.

 

[E Shed]

To some extent Harvey is rebuilding the team. Last year we saw the premiership tilt from CC where he said early in the season that he wanted to keep the same team on the park from pre-season onward and build momentum a la Sydney 2005. As we all saw injury, suspension and other factors ruined our run and we crashed badly. So what Harvey is doing is saying OK new coach, all bets are off, no guarantees, lets give everyone a chance to impress and see who really wants to play footy this year. You can't fake this stuff on the training track you have to see who can do the business once the siren sounds. When he's worked out who he wants out there. He can start building the game plan around the team rather than what CC appeared to do sometimes which was to try to fit players into a pre-conceived plan which often resulted in players being lost at sea out there when the game plan failed.
The smartest thing IMO you could do with a squad now is get them playing natural footy again. Sc*%^w the game plan just go get the ball. Get the keenest fittest guys out there, have fun, play footy. It's a simple game at heart and a team can gel pretty quick if the confidence is up.
That's one take on it anyway.

 

[The Night Shift]

To some extent Harvey is rebuilding the team. Last year we saw the premiership tilt from CC where he said early in the season that he wanted to keep the same team on the park from pre-season onward and build momentum a la Sydney 2005. As we all saw injury, suspension and other factors ruined our run and we crashed badly. So what Harvey is doing is saying OK new coach, all bets are off, no guarantees, lets give everyone a chance to impress and see who really wants to play footy this year. You can't fake this stuff on the training track you have to see who can do the business once the siren sounds. When he's worked out who he wants out there. He can start building the game plan around the team rather than what CC appeared to do sometimes which was to try to fit players into a pre-conceived plan which often resulted in players being lost at sea out there when the game plan failed.
The smartest thing IMO you could do with a squad now is get them playing natural footy again. Sc*%^w the game plan just go get the ball. Get the keenest fittest guys out there, have fun, play footy. It's a simple game at heart and a team can gel pretty quick if the confidence is up.
That's one take on it anyway.

Well posted EShed.
I think thats a very good summary of where we are at as a team in 2008, as well as a good summary on CC and why last year was a train wreck, so to speak.

 

[theGav56]

The smartest thing IMO you could do with a squad now is get them playing natural footy again. Sc*%^w the game plan just go get the ball. Get the keenest fittest guys out there, have fun, play footy. It's a simple game at heart and a team can gel pretty quick if the confidence is up.
That's one take on it anyway.

That is not exactly what I have been reading on the board though. Instead I have been reading about players playing out of position (Bradley, Mundy, MJ, Crowley, Kiwi, Dwarf Johnson, Gilmore etc) where it is much more difficult to play natural footy.

It is a simple game, but if Pavlich and Tarrant have know idea what the midfield will do with the ball once they have it, we're stuffed. And if the midfielddon't know what the set-ups at stoppages are, and where the forwards will be running, likewise. etc.

Playing natural footy is great for practice matches where a team already knows what the coach is wanting them to do. Maybe he wants them to handball backwards a million times in the backline, but probably not.

 

[E Shed]

well as I said it's only one way of looking at it. Some of the other ways are a bit scary!

But as far as playing players out of position, take Crowley for instance. We know he can play a pretty decent defensive half forward flanker post but maybe he also a genius half back flanker waiting to happen. It seems the answer is no but you don't know unless you try and the pre-season is the time to try. Perhaps he (Harvey) is auditioning players to take Mundy's spot in the back 6 so he can move Mundy up the ground. Perhaps he just wants to shuffle the pack so thoroughly that they forget all everything they learnt under the old system?

I guess we'll find out soon enough if he's the genius we are all hoping he is.
Thanks for the nice words nightfury

 

[dominguez]

My expectations were that he would instill a simple game plan in contrast to CC's, but at this stage it does not sound like we have seen that. No matter who the players are who are put out there in a practice game, so far there does not seem to be a clarity of game plan/style emerging.

Circumstances have conspired against us a little bit.

There was no point sending the A team to South Africa, so that opportunity was lost. Implementing game plans is all well and good but when half the side are young blokes their focus is going to be on getting a kick when they are out there.

The derby was everyone's first run, so the skills were scratchy. Thought we looked pretty good until Hase went down, which seemed to deflate the players.

AAMI was really windy so the skills were even worse than the week before.

Silly to play your best players in 4 consecutive scratch matches, so we couldn't take much out of the North Melbourne game.

This weeks the key, hopefully we get some feedback from those who attend. They've been training under Harvey for almost 5 months, fingers crossed that the work that has been done on the track will shine through from round one.