Analysis Ross Lyon

[Steinfreo]

given we are not laden with offensive talented bigs, we have to make the most of what we got. I want defensive slogs in the finals. low scoring the better. bring these teams down to our level. best chance of winning

I dont it works anymore. teams have figured out that it barely matters if you tackle the ball carrier the set up of your ball receivers is all important. Thats why Fyfe is struggling getting the ball yourself isnt really as important as the next guy anymore.

 

[Scham]

The game plan is the problem. The Eagles have pretty much the same team as last year and the year before and they were average at best

No, not the same team. They've brought in;

Sheed
McGovern
Newman
Sinclair
Nelson
Duggan
Lamb
Ellis
McGinnes
Colledge
Lucas
Barrass

Now not all of these have been successful and currently lodged in the 22 but they've been exposed to the top level so three things can happen, 1. The club knows what the player is capable of, 2. The player better handles the step up to league if/when it happens, and 3. It creates competition for spots therefore improving overall team performance.

Meanwhile we've gifted games to non performers all year and not exposed our youth to the top level.

I can see which method has brought about the most improvement.

 

[Steinfreo]

I dont buy it. this team dominated for the first 8 weeks. This team of shit players. tactically we have been dissected since Richmond. Also our very best bar Sandi/Walters have all dropped off. Partially because the tactics they have been using since late last year have been figured out and partially through niggles and natural form variations.

 

[Lach72]

but fitness

 

[Dockersman]

I can't be bothered reading every post here but my frustration comes from a few areas. Firstly, our skill level doesn't stand up under pressure, miss a team mate with a handball at a crucial time, kicks fall short putting a team mate under pressure or kick goes over the head or allows opponent to come in and spoil, drop marks that should be taken, miss goals that should be kicked.

And probably my biggest frustration comes from lack of killer instinct to bury a side when we have the foot on the throat. We seem to have the ability to get into winning positions most weeks but even let lesser sides in the comp back into the game, hence our poor percentage for a side sitting on top of the table.

Ross seems unable to find the answers or improve our skill level. The 64 million dollar question is has he got he most out of what he's got to work with or is his weakness not enough emphasis on skill and too much emphasis on role players?

Are our players afraid to be bold because they fear the repercussions if they go outside team rules?

One last point of frustration. Yes it was a great coup to get Ross Lyon but the club has failed to attract key position players through a period where we don't get early picks and clubs like Hawthorn, Sydney and Geelong seem to be able to pick up key players they need at will year in year out already Patrick Dangerfield is rumoured to be heading to Geelong or Hawthorn.

 

[se17enteen]

We turn down players who want to play for us (Yeo & McGovern) to chase players who don't want to play for us.

 

[UFO Tatsu]

We turn down players who want to play for us (Yeo & McGovern) to chase players who don't want to play for us.

IIRC Yeo always opted for the Eagles and in hindsight, McGovern would of been ideal

 

[Scham]

IIRC Yeo always opted for the Eagles and in hindsight, McGovern would of been ideal

I heard that Yeo just wanted to come home to WA and his management approached both WA clubs. Freo weren't interested.

 

[E Shed]

Also our very best bar Sandi/Walters have all dropped off.

Hill is going alright and Sutty has gotten back to good form. There is time for our best back 6 to gell. McPh, MJ, Ibbo, Daws, Spurr is pretty handy on song. We are just going to have to hope Mayne finds something, Pav goes into finals fit and Walters keeps going.
Mundy in top gear and Barlow in form and playing onball wouldn't hurt either.

 

[malpaso]

I heard that Yeo just wanted to come home to WA and his management approached both WA clubs. Freo weren't interested.

If true it's probably based on what we would have had to give up.

 

[UFO Tatsu]

If true it's probably based on what we would have had to give up.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

 

[malpaso]

Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

Yeah but remember we have had a 'retain our top picks' no matter what philosophy. We would not have Blakely* if we had picked up Yeo.

* Whoops wrong draft - We would not have Alex Pearce most likely

 

[Purpletown]

We are in a major form slump in the latter part of this season, that much is obvious. But why?

Watching the Freo players yesterday many looked like they were running with lead in their boots in the second half to me. Perhaps there are some repercussions from all the extra training they did in the pre season. I recall Port tailing off during the back part of 2014 after a huge pre season too so there may be some kind of fatigue factor involved. Tired players make mistakes. Players do not lose skill overnight.

The fact that Freo's game style for the first half of the year was to start fast and then coast to the line suggests the players either don't have the gas to go like that all game or they are being told to ease up to conserve energy. I back the latter as the whole game plan changes once we get into a dominant position. If the coach didn't sanction that it would not happen (imo)

I also believe the game plan has changed to some degree once it was clear we would finish in the top 4 to ease the load on the players but if that is what is happening then it can be a recipe for disaster as it's flirting with your form.

Fyfe being injured has hurt a lot over the recent part of the season too and he still looks a bit hurt to me. We need him up and about for the finals if we are to play any significant part in the outcome of 2015.

We don't have the best list but playing at our best we are right in this, we don't need a miracle but we need to get back to something like our early season form.

 

[se17enteen]

IIRC Yeo always opted for the Eagles and in hindsight, McGovern would of been ideal

“Freo were on the scene but they weren’t as strong with their communication as the Eagles were at the time and didn’t seem as interested as much as the Eagles,” Yeo, who grew up a Dockers supporter, said.

His family were Dockers members and his father Craig good mates with former Fremantle board member Tony Buhagiar.

“We were a mad, mad Fremantle family,” he expanded.

http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl...ry-fni5faul-1227494555540?from=herald sun_rss

 

[salim malik]

Despite all the bitching and moaning about the coach and players they have managed to get Freo to the best situation we have been in in our history.
Top 2 for Freo has been a mountain to hard to climb by all who have come before them. The silver chalice for the WA sides is the home finals.
Surely some respect to the coaches and players is due for the achievement.The finals will be another story in our history.
Pav,Mundy,Luke,Sandy,Fyfe and Ross are not going to let the finals slip without a dog fight.Time to get behind them I reckon.

 

[malpaso]

Despite all the bitching and moaning about the coach and players they have managed to get Freo to the best situation we have been in in our history.
Top 2 for Freo has been a mountain to hard to climb by all who have come before them. The silver chalice for the WA sides is the home finals.
Surely some respect to the coaches and players is due for the achievement.The finals will be another story in our history.
Pav,Mundy,Luke,Sandy,Fyfe and Ross are not going to let the finals slip without a dog fight.Time to get behind them I reckon.

Totally agree. We could not ask for a better position from which to attack the Finals campaign.

 

[Drapatch]

“Freo were on the scene but they weren’t as strong with their communication as the Eagles were at the time and didn’t seem as interested as much as the Eagles,” Yeo, who grew up a Dockers supporter, said.

His family were Dockers members and his father Craig good mates with former Fremantle board member Tony Buhagiar.

“We were a mad, mad Fremantle family,” he expanded.

http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/west-coast-eagles-star-of-the-future-elliot-yeo-could-have-gone-to-fremantle/story-fni5faul-1227494555540?from=herald sun_rss

Eagles had a pick before us in each round, apart from offering 1st round pick he was always going to the eagles

 

[XXRL]

I thought yesterday, after quarter time, we looked confused and unsure what to do - it was a bizarre mix of trying to play on inappropriately, picking the wrong option and poor skill execution leading to turnovers. Further, it was like they were too scared to do some wrong, or to break some team rule that they trying to force play that wasn't there.

Hopefully, it was partly to do with Pav's absence and can be rectified relatively easily.

I'm concerned that the players have become confused with the game plan and are second guessing their own instincts and this is causing poor / slower decision making which is manifested with poor execution. I hope that this isn't the case, but it seems like we're a bit rigid when we've got the ball and it's curbing our players' footy instincts.

 

[malpaso]

Lyon is implementing something different into our game plan and using the real games as practice. It's not all working at the moment but I'm pretty confident it will in Finals and if all else fails we do know how to pressure and that's what Finals football is about.

 

[ydraw]

We are just going to have to hope Mayne finds something.

Why do we have to hope this?

Anybody could play Mayne's role. Crozier is the main guy who could be playing Mayne's role. But more appropriately, a taller player could be playing Mayne's role. At least the taller player will decoy a key backman away from our real targets (pavlich and walters). You see how Tarrant destroyed us yesterday with only 1 tall in the forward line. Almost exactly like Lake in the 2013 GF.

Playing only 1 tall forward doesn't work. I have no idea why our match committee can't see that.

I don't care who plays forward alongside Pavlich. Play Zac Dawson there for all I care. But stop playing midfielders as key forwards, it's ****ing shit and never works.

 

[FreoRicci]

The game plan that Richmond, West Coast and Hawthorn excel at is the spread. Only one or two inside mids go for the ball around the stoppages (Cotchin, Sam Mitchell, Lewis, Priddis, Shuey) that outside runners don't get absorbed into the contest. We are great at clearances, winning the hard ball that's great - but on the flip side Fyfe, Mundy, Suban and Neale go in hard for the ball that only Hill and Pearce are outside.
North Melbourne did this so well in the second half- when we dominated the clearances. It's frustrating watching how much time and space we give the spread of other teams.

 

[Westerberg]

Couldn't be anymore appropriately Freo that our best season ever, coincides with some of the least inspiring football we've ever played.
Never do things the easy or normal way do we?

Few more twists and turns to come though I imagine, triumph or tragedy? Probably a bit of both.

 

[rgauci]

The game plan that Richmond, West Coast and Hawthorn excel at is the spread. Only one or two inside mids go for the ball around the stoppages (Cotchin, Sam Mitchell, Lewis, Priddis, Shuey) that outside runners don't get absorbed into the contest. We are great at clearances, winning the hard ball that's great - but on the flip side Fyfe, Mundy, Suban and Neale go in hard for the ball that only Hill and Pearce are outside.
North Melbourne did this so well in the second half- when we dominated the clearances. It's frustrating watching how much time and space we give the spread of other teams.

So true. The opposition concede the clearance and allow us a short quick kick forward which usually results in an opposition mark. We 'dominate' clearances and inside 50s, but they are shallow turnovers typically. If our midfield would move the ball laterally then inside 50 it would solve the problem. However our wingers collapse towards the ball. So it's game plan related. We seem intent on bashing through the wall rather simply walking around it.

 

[TheMcManusNose]

I feel like the criticisms of us in comparison to the Eagles, Hawks and Dogs overlook the extent to which their lists are built on both high draft picks and, in the case of the Hawks, a very particular recruiting philosophy implemented over the last decade.

The major changes Lyon has made to his game plan this year are fairly obvious. Less pressure on the ball carrier, a greater propensity to play on and move through the corridor. The problem with that attacking philosophy is that it requires a lot of skill. Despite the fact that we do have some extremely good players, we do not quite have the overall skill, pace and talent throughout the entire list that a team like the Hawks does. That makes the type of game we are trying to play fairly dangerous. When we hit targets it is wonderful, when we don't we're turning the ball over in extremely dangerous areas.

So I think there is merit to the argument that some of the blame can be absolved from Ross in this respect. Our recent records with 1st round draft picks speaks to that.

One area that I do agree there is a major issue is up forward. We simply must try Taberner again - in conjunction with Pearce if need be. Not only does he prevent an opposition KPD from zoning off and cleaning up our entries into forward 50, the one thing he is good at is presenting up on the forward flank and then delivering the ball cleanly inside 50 himself. Coincidentally where we are falling down. Alex Pearce has more talent, and will be better than Tabs, but I haven't really seen him do that much yet. I would think that Mayne stays given he is 3rd on our goal-kicking despite his accuracy issues, and we must make some concession to his tackle count.

 

[malpaso]

Pretty sure we saw an indication of what Walters will be doing in the Finals with his performance against the Roos. He was up at the centre bounces and much more active up the ground. Crozier was back like Ballantyne would be although it was hard to tell because he was practically invisible.