Opinion Nathan Van Berlo: Midfield Coach

[jackster83]

50% of all first round picks suck.

The key is not to never bust, that’s a given, but get more hits than the other clubs on average.

We bat a long way below par.

We would have been better trading our first round picks in 90% of cases

Even if we don't nail the picks, the players we have should be doing better than they are though.

Even someone like Gallucci looked alright for a bit before his development completely went to s**t.

We're doing something really wrong with guys in the 20-40 game mark. Whether it's playing them in the wrong role, pushing them aside in favour of more senior players, I don't know.

 

[Sanders]

Yes but you said 50% did you not?

I count 6 in the 2018 draft which is 1/3rd or 33% and probably at most 3/4 in the 2019 draft.

Put the crayons down. And if you think there are only 3/4 disappointments in an otherwise excellent 2019 then you must be high

 

[Sanders]

Even if we don't nail the picks, the players we have should be doing better than they are though.

Even someone like Gallucci looked alright for a bit before his development completely went to s**t.

We're doing something really wrong with guys in the 20-40 game mark. Whether it's playing them in the wrong role, pushing them aside in favour of more senior players, I don't know.

Our development is also a massive issue.

 

[1970crow]

That we never released

Everything that we do that is good is always unseen inside the fabled 4 walls.

 

[jackster83]

Well I think it an absolutely brilliant appointment, one of the smartest blokes to ever pull on an Adelaide guernsey and a player that never took a backward step on field.

Still think this was a brilliant appointment?

Three years in and we still have close to the worst midfield in the league.

 

[Golumless]

Still think this was a brilliant appointment?

Three years in and we still have close to the worst midfield in the league.

I'm not a Van Berlo fan, however context is needed. We're also running a significantly inexperienced midfield unit, and there is certainly a point with youth where you've reached a critical point where drafting/coaching becomes ineffective until they catch up. Seeing it does get to the point that young = bad after a while.

Take CBAs for example. Using a cutoff of 15-20 CBAs (seeing 2 games in and including rucks) and taking mean and median for age/games, it comes out like this:



Like the thing with young midfield is even in them, the average midfielders are lads who are approaching their peak years and games played. The standard ones are consisting of lads at peak or late career (for Collingwood/Dogs). Whereas most of Adelaides midfield are just kids thrown to the wolves at this point. The stand out ones are 2022 draftees seeing the struggles Berry and Schoenberg are going through, and it's not out of the question that struggle is in part due to the extra pressure we've put them under before they're ready. I don't think it's a stretch to say the best move Adelaide could make in the short and long term is to move Keays back into the midfield (for Schoenberg) for this year just to be a pressure release, and try this set up next year with an older and more experienced Berry, Soligo and Rachele. Seeing the big thing with developing AFL caliber midfielders is to just get them somewhere in an AFL lineup early, even if it's out of position. The one thing Adelaide has done well this year is adding more rotations to their midfield, but that could also be due to how young the group is.

Sydney are an exception at this point, but even then, they're a fair bit younger compared to their grand final years with Guiden and Ladhams replacing Papley and Hickey in their inside midfield unit. Probably a team to watch for a bit of a slump, seeing they hit a tricky 5-6 weeks.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I'm not a Van Berlo fan, however context is needed. We're also running a significantly inexperienced midfield unit, and there is certainly a point with youth where you've reached a critical point where drafting/coaching becomes ineffective until they catch up. Seeing it does get to the point that young = bad after a while.

Take CBAs for example. Using a cutoff of 15-20 CBAs (seeing 2 games in and including rucks) and taking mean and median for age/games, it comes out like this:

View attachment 1643654

Like the thing with young midfield is even in them, the average midfielders are lads who are approaching their peak years and games played. The standard ones are consisting of lads at peak or late career (for Collingwood/Dogs). Whereas most of Adelaides midfield are just kids thrown to the wolves at this point. The stand out ones are 2022 draftees seeing the struggles Berry and Schoenberg are going through, and it's not out of the question that struggle is in part due to the extra pressure we've put them under before they're ready. I don't think it's a stretch to say the best move Adelaide could make in the short and long term is to move Keays back into the midfield (for Schoenberg) for this year just to be a pressure release, and try this set up next year with an older and more experienced Berry, Soligo and Rachele. Seeing the big thing with developing AFL caliber midfielders is to just get them somewhere in an AFL lineup early, even if it's out of position. The one thing Adelaide has done well this year is adding more rotations to their midfield, but that could also be due to how young the group is.

Sydney are an exception at this point, but even then, they're a fair bit younger compared to their grand final years with Guiden and Ladhams replacing Papley and Hickey in their inside midfield unit. Probably a team to watch for a bit of a slump, seeing they hit a tricky 5-6 weeks.

Nice work with the table.

Have been saying for quite some time that 2024 is the year we should be pushing for finals given the inexperience of our side.

Hope we run deeper midfield rotations this year, getting plenty of games into the younger guys, but balanced with experience of either 1 od Laird or Keays usually attending a centre bounce to teach the younger guys

 

[SellarStardom]

Would love to see more dynamic approach to midfield rotations. We have started to get Rachelle and Soligo in there and need to persist with Rankine, but there are some others on top of Berry, Laird and Keays that should be tried.

Pedlar - should only attend a few per game but has the grunt to make things happen.
Milera - actually think he could run through there a couple of times a match. Still is a strong bugger and has a side step
Dawson - obvious
Hinge - strong hips and good extractor in close and is a good size

The following I haven't considered based on form or development at this time.
Taylor - in time when he is ready
Jones - better on the outside
Brown & Hately - not shown enough grunt

 

[Southerntakeover]

Still think this was a brilliant appointment?

Three years in and we still have close to the worst midfield in the league.

We still haven't drafted an elite talent. Which coach is going to make this crop look good?

 

[UcantCme]

Burns as the Senior Asst should be our midfield coach

VB should be released, and we find a new defence coach


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[Firewalker]

Burns as the Senior Asst should be our midfield coach

VB should be released, and we find a new defence coach


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I would agree if Burns didn’t come across as giving a real ‘I’m over this s**t’ vibe towards coaching at AFL level these days

 

[Mr_Moogle]

I would agree if Burns didn’t come across as giving a real ‘I’m over this s**t’ vibe towards coaching at AFL level these days

The vibe I get is that he's happy being a mid level guy coasting on his reputation.

 

[1970crow]

Burns as the Senior Asst should be our midfield coach

VB should be released, and we find a new defence coach


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Every time I see the box it’s VB next to Nix, I reckon Burns is senior assistant in name only. Functionally it’s more likely to be VB.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

So what plan to we have for combating Rozee tonight?

Has ROB spoken to our midfielders about where he intends to tap the ball?

If we are any chance, we need to beak even in the midfield.

 

[BunjiMac]

I'm very impressed with the new system we seem to have implemented including moving Dawson to the midfield.

The movement of the ball from midfield into attack has changed considerably.

VB must get credit for that?

I do think the Dawson move has been pivotal in this. Being captain means he demands the ball in the midfield and therefore all the younger players naturally will try and find him a d give him the ball.

Previously Laird was probably the senior statesman in there and playing that system through Laird wasn't as effective.

So well done to VB for recognising this?

 

[VictorianCrow85]

I'm very impressed with the new system we seem to have implemented including moving Dawson to the midfield.

The movement of the ball from midfield into attack has changed considerably.

VB must get credit for that?

I do think the Dawson move has been pivotal in this. Being captain means he demands the ball in the midfield and therefore all the younger players naturally will try and find him a d give him the ball.

Previously Laird was probably the senior statesman in there and playing that system through Laird wasn't as effective.

So well done to VB for recognising this?

Finally got with the times & worked out that gaining territory means little if its always a hack forward that a good % of the time gets gobbled up by a defender. Instead now we look to work the ball out of the congestion & get a kick thats far more advantageous. Not only will we score more from it we should be able to then trap the ball in our half with better success.

 

[GreyCrow]

Not sure how much but he at least gets some credit

There has also been a personnel shift which has changed movement

Previously we had Crouch , Keays and Sloane with Laird and we loved to be in close and have the 1m handballs which eventually got us caught out

Watching the analysis from our Carlton friend showed how much spreading helps. I'm sure I mentioned 3-4-5 years ago how we always always were too close and the oppo just waited for us (on the outside) to pounce on the loose ball or tackle us and move away from the contest like we did and saw in the video.

Is that also VB?

But at least we have changed it up and lets hope we see more and more of it in the future

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Handball chains finishing with Dawson instead of ROB is an improvement

 

[VictorianCrow85]

Handball chains finishing with Dawson instead of ROB is an improvement

Come on didn't you see ROB get out the back courtesy of a big Dawson handball last week? That one must have been twice as humiliating for Carlton.

 

[cmndstab]

Handball chains finishing with Dawson instead of ROB is an improvement

To be fair, there's a reason they often "finish" when they get to ROB

 

[cm_perfect]

We still haven't drafted an elite talent. Which coach is going to make this crop look good?

The midfield coach is only as good as his cattle.

 

[The Perfect Stranger]

Amazing how much better you look as a coach when you have the cattle.

 

[The Perfect Stranger]

The midfield coach is only as good as his cattle.

As much as I wasn't overly ecstatic about Nicks he was always going to struggle with the list he inherited. Even the best coaches would have.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Not sure how much but he at least gets some credit

There has also been a personnel shift which has changed movement

Previously we had Crouch , Keays and Sloane with Laird and we loved to be in close and have the 1m handballs which eventually got us caught out

Watching the analysis from our Carlton friend showed how much spreading helps. I'm sure I mentioned 3-4-5 years ago how we always always were too close and the oppo just waited for us (on the outside) to pounce on the loose ball or tackle us and move away from the contest like we did and saw in the video.

Is that also VB?

But at least we have changed it up and lets hope we see more and more of it in the future

The main thing I have liked... apart from Dawson move into the midfield... is that we have used deeper midfield rotations this year... & not afraid to change things up like Sloane in the last quarter (probably learnt from GWS game).

Playing Rachele half the time in the midfield has been important too as we have the highest clearance rate when he is in there.

 

[Southerntakeover]

The midfield coach is only as good as his cattle.

Dawson and Rachelle in and our midfield set ups getting praise by pundits.