You don't have to be Colombo to realise we have issues with our first quarters currently, I've lost count of the games Ive sat there peering through the gaps between my fingers as the oppo piles on goal after goal, just thinking to myself it's OK, just hold the fort til quarter time then the grind begins. From here usually we clag it up, stem the bleeding , grind, win the contested ball, chip away at the score board, get back into the game then go kamikaze movement trying to win but it's not the most preferable method of winning a football game giving teams a head start every week.
Let's see the season so far
Rd1 let hawthorn pile on early goal's, grind back into the game but kept at arms length of around the first quarter damage
Rd2 let Adelaide pile on early goal's, never really recover but still kicked 100 points to suggest we did even up somewhat
Rd3 Port led early and for most of the game til we ran over them late
Rd4 Led Melbourne all day
Rd5 wce ran away to an early 5 goal lead, ground back into it and won late
Rd6 Coll ran off to an early lead, we ground back into it leading in the third but got over ran late
Rd7 standard close norf game
Rd8 led Sydney all day
Rd9 dogs ran away early, never recovered
Rd10 led Richmond all game
Rd11 Brisbane ran away early, ground back into the game, took the lead but overran late
Rd12 Carlton ran away early, ground back into the game, looked the better team but couldn't get our nose Infront.
So outside of 4 games against poor teams we were jumped at the start and had to chase our tail getting back into the game, or folded up completely.
So that's the how and the when.... the why?
Why is it happening? Why do we start like crabs, why are we mostly able to redress it after quarter time?
While I'd like to think Scott and co are coaching geniuses, and a simple quarter time rev up, or a few positional tweaks are all that's needed- we know this probably isn't it.
More likely we have a preferred best case game mode which we always start playing with while the slate is clean, but this method seems quite easy to negate and expose, after quarter time when we revert back to contests, pressure and blocking the opposition up (which should be our one wood) we start turning the game. When we start chasing the result late we get more expansive with forward handball but it's very kamikaze, either comes off big or exposes us big. When you have spent all your tickets getting back into a game, it usually only takes a goal or two the other way to knock it on the head, mentally and on the scoreboard.
So this exposes flaw number two, lack of on ground leadership. We can't seem to change up on the fly, we need a quarter time break for the coaches to do a reset. The players on ground don't seem to have the ability to know when and how to go to plan b. This was wholly evident vs Collingwood when the coaching box comms went down, we were balls deep in the game but stagnated while collingwood kicked away because their onfield leadership and methods are very intuitive. It's Asif we need to be constantly coached and tweaked and manoeuvred. I say this while understanding that we are an extremely young list but still , you need to acknowledge a gaping flaw that we have had forever and a day.
So...why can't we just start a game the way we start the second when we are 6 goals down?
I assume nobody wants to see a grinding, dour contested slug fest from opening whistle - teams, fans, the game wants goals and fluid movement. Maybe those days where you can try grind out a 6 goal to 8 victory are gone.
So outside of the reasons listed, it could just be a mental thing, just not mentally prepared from the first bounce - maybe they are like greyhounds and need a bunny to chase - immat a loss, so opening it up to the gallery.
Why do we start so poorly?
Can it be fixed?
Why do we have to ability after giving up a lead to get back into most games , and compete with most teams but can't do it from the start?
Why.
Let's see the season so far
Rd1 let hawthorn pile on early goal's, grind back into the game but kept at arms length of around the first quarter damage
Rd2 let Adelaide pile on early goal's, never really recover but still kicked 100 points to suggest we did even up somewhat
Rd3 Port led early and for most of the game til we ran over them late
Rd4 Led Melbourne all day
Rd5 wce ran away to an early 5 goal lead, ground back into it and won late
Rd6 Coll ran off to an early lead, we ground back into it leading in the third but got over ran late
Rd7 standard close norf game
Rd8 led Sydney all day
Rd9 dogs ran away early, never recovered
Rd10 led Richmond all game
Rd11 Brisbane ran away early, ground back into the game, took the lead but overran late
Rd12 Carlton ran away early, ground back into the game, looked the better team but couldn't get our nose Infront.
So outside of 4 games against poor teams we were jumped at the start and had to chase our tail getting back into the game, or folded up completely.
So that's the how and the when.... the why?
Why is it happening? Why do we start like crabs, why are we mostly able to redress it after quarter time?
While I'd like to think Scott and co are coaching geniuses, and a simple quarter time rev up, or a few positional tweaks are all that's needed- we know this probably isn't it.
More likely we have a preferred best case game mode which we always start playing with while the slate is clean, but this method seems quite easy to negate and expose, after quarter time when we revert back to contests, pressure and blocking the opposition up (which should be our one wood) we start turning the game. When we start chasing the result late we get more expansive with forward handball but it's very kamikaze, either comes off big or exposes us big. When you have spent all your tickets getting back into a game, it usually only takes a goal or two the other way to knock it on the head, mentally and on the scoreboard.
So this exposes flaw number two, lack of on ground leadership. We can't seem to change up on the fly, we need a quarter time break for the coaches to do a reset. The players on ground don't seem to have the ability to know when and how to go to plan b. This was wholly evident vs Collingwood when the coaching box comms went down, we were balls deep in the game but stagnated while collingwood kicked away because their onfield leadership and methods are very intuitive. It's Asif we need to be constantly coached and tweaked and manoeuvred. I say this while understanding that we are an extremely young list but still , you need to acknowledge a gaping flaw that we have had forever and a day.
So...why can't we just start a game the way we start the second when we are 6 goals down?
I assume nobody wants to see a grinding, dour contested slug fest from opening whistle - teams, fans, the game wants goals and fluid movement. Maybe those days where you can try grind out a 6 goal to 8 victory are gone.
So outside of the reasons listed, it could just be a mental thing, just not mentally prepared from the first bounce - maybe they are like greyhounds and need a bunny to chase - immat a loss, so opening it up to the gallery.
Why do we start so poorly?
Can it be fixed?
Why do we have to ability after giving up a lead to get back into most games , and compete with most teams but can't do it from the start?
Why.
