Our Game Plan

[Quazza]

I mentioned this briefly in another thread but thought I'd put it to everyone. I've watched every game Ratts has coached us, and I still can't pin point what our game plan/style is or even what we are aiming for.

Some clubs it's obvious. Geelong possess it, Collingwood move it along the boundary, Essendon run at all costs, whilst Sydeny obviously love to create stoppages. So the question I ask is, what exactly is our game plan?

 

[jonoman89]

High possession and keepings-off would be a good description. Try to handball zones rather than kick over them

 

[thylacine60]

Only 4 men in history have ever known.

 

[WeninRome]

it's a trick question.

We don't have one.

Viva Le Tour.

 

[Thrawn]

Only 4 men in history have ever known.

Ratts' cunning, after all.

 

[The Cranium]

Baldrick: I have a plan, sir.

Blackadder: Really, Baldrick, a cunning and subtle one?

Baldrick: Yes, sir.

Blackadder: As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?

 

[Quazza]

High possession and keepings-off would be a good description. Try to handball zones rather than kick over them

does seem to be a fair bit of that which i'm not sure we're actually skilled enough to pull off yet.

We look great when we're running forward in numbers. It does dry up though

 

[Blue since 72]

I mentioned this briefly in another thread but thought I'd put it to everyone. I've watched every game Ratts has coached us, and I still can't pin point what our game plan/style is or even what we are aiming for.

Some clubs it's obvious. Geelong possess it, Collingwood move it along the boundary, Essendon run at all costs, whilst Sydeny obviously love to create stoppages. So the question I ask is, what exactly is our game plan?

I must admit I have no idea so I hope the players do. What I do find interesting is that of the teams you've mentioned above and I would also include Adelaide, St Kilda and the bulldogs, as you say they have an indentifiable game plan but whats more important is that it doesn't change from week to week so regardless of who they play thats the game plan and for the best teams the players stick to it more often than not. Footy is being made to be more complicated than it is these days and with the pace of the game increasing all the time you can't fill players heads with complicated game plans. Most of it is instinct, reflex and basic skills honed from years of junior footy.

We seem to play our best when tackling pressure is high and sustained and the ball is moved quickly from defence to the forward 50 by foot.

Geelong get away with handball because they are further down the path than us and are more skilled at it but handball isn't for everyone and I certainly don't think it suites us.

Young teams are always going to be inconsistent but I would like to see the boys take the games on more and back themselves by working hard to create space and then delivering with precision kicking. Its not always going to come off but we've got plenty of room to improve.

 

[Quazza]

I must admit I have no idea so I hope the players do. What I do find interesting is that of the teams you've mentioned above and I would also include Adelaide, St Kilda and the bulldogs, as you say they have an indentifiable game plan but whats more important is that it doesn't change from week to week so regardless of who they play thats the game plan and for the best teams the players stick to it more often than not. Footy is being made to be more complicated than it is these days and with the pace of the game increasing all the time you can't fill players heads with complicated game plans. Most of it is instinct, reflex and basic skills honed from years of junior footy.

We seem to play our best when tackling pressure is high and sustained and the ball is moved quickly from defence to the forward 50 by foot.

Geelong get away with handball because they are further down the path than us and are more skilled at it but handball isn't for everyone and I certainly don't think it suites us.

Young teams are always going to be inconsistent but I would like to see the boys take the games on more and back themselves by working hard to create space and then delivering with precision kicking. Its not always going to come off but we've got plenty of room to improve.

Oh yeah mate, no doubt. Those teams you've mentioned definitely fit the mold, was just using the 3 I listed as examples. We're probably the only team right now in the 8 where how we're trying to play our footy isn't glaringly obvious

 

[Team Mo']

Stuff around with it for 5 minutes and then let Juddy come in and fix it.

We need to play the same each week. Far to unpredictable and sloppy against the lesser teams. Against Richmond it was mainly pressure that won us the game. You could say our pressure in the last half won us the Freo game too. Against the Brissy we just relied on Fev but when we played the Hawks it more just desperation that almost got us across the line.

We can't keep relying on "heart" to win. We've got to use our strengths and move the ball quicker. Once we slow down the opposition can build up the defence and our foot skills, which aren't good enough, will make us miss targets or kick to packs.

 

[cisco82]

Our gameplan should be versatile enough to be able to play any of those different styles at any given time during the game...

 

[The Coach]

By season's end we need to have found a tactical advisor or director of coaching for Ratts (a no-threat to his posn one) - ready to start pre-season.

There are football geniuses out there that could never be the coach - can remember coming across one in the VAFA. Can't recall his name but remember he ended up working with Sheedy for the Big V - might have been Bernie Shea or something similar.

I don't know whether Matthews still has the tactical smarts but someone not long retired, like him, must be out there for the taking

 

[Quazza]

Laidley is the first person that springs to mind

 

[gbatman]

He's trying things. He's over complicated it a lot.

Our game plan should be: Attack, attack, attack, get the ball (as a team), be physical at every oppurtunit, shepherd, pump, chase, pressure, be on the move and have momentum and running at contests, contunally alternate who roves to our rucks, stop suppliers more than recievers (eg tagging Davey and not Watson V Essendon).
Open the forwardline up and get it in there quickly and deliver it to who ever presents best reguardless of the number on their back. Defenders to get front position at all costs and make winning the ball number 1 priority, get crumbers (flankers/pockets) up the ground then running hard forward into our forward line with the ball's entry.
Tall forwards start deep, no one at tru CHF unless there is a lose man there, look to knock the ball into the vacant space at true CHF and have the wingers running hard to that space at ball ups to recieve to get forward run. Force the opposition to worry about us by attacking and lets worry less about our opponents. Play no slow players. Release Gibbs, Murphy, Judd and betts to purely attack and force them to be ran with. Score heavily and let the defenders win their own battles unless we can hold the opposition from moving it quickly throught the midfeild and get numbers back.