Review Round 12, 2020 - North Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions

[AFLQLD]

One of the areas that needs work is the quality of our goal shooting choices. I think we often take the lower percentage choice. There are a number of situations:

Fast break: isolated one on one, running toward goal. With an open forward 50 we generally do ok if the ball is out the front of our players, not so well if we try to land it on their head. I would back Hipwood, Linc, Charlie and Rayner to beat their opponent more often than not on the run with a ball bouncing ahead. Our players can get the ball and outpace the opposition. So we need to manufacture these opportunities.

Slow up the boundary: we take this option and get a 30-50 metre shot at a wide angle and we do pretty poorly at this. Teams like Geelong look for a 15 metre (or 8 metre depending on the umpiring that day) better option and we probably need to develop that. It has to be quick and accurate but still offers more hope than the shots we continually miss.

The big bomb to a pack: we take our share of marks but too frequently miss the kick and this is the one that costs us most because other teams get theirs. If the ball goes to ground we lock it in quite well but the next shot is almost always a rushed snap. It would be better to show more patience and clear it to space and find the unmanned target in front. I think better teams do that instinctively. Quick snaps look great when they come off but ours don’t come off very often.

Player running into the 50 in space: This one is the real killer. We miss these with alarming frequency. A clear run, time to balance, minimal pressure and we miss so frequently. I recall one junior coach who insisted that during warm ups and kicking practice that for about half the time, his players were only allowed to take shots on the run with a defender either running towards them or chasing them down because it most closely replicated the shots they were missing in games.

Game after game we have these shots, a very standard kick on the run that literally just needs to go straight for a goal and we are missing more than we get. At this level we need to be getting 8/10 of these. I swear Richmond get 9/10 when they get these opportunities. It feels like we are currently around 3/10.

 

[jackess]

Obviously a big part of our poor goal kicking is mental but perhaps we need to have a serious look at our ball movement. This might have to wait until the off season.

This season we've been using the corridor more which has been great but our ball movement has still been slow and results in tougher shots in goal (still ones we should kick more often).

Perhaps we need to find some speed and focus on linking up more through handballs. This will require more long runners but will allow us to get it over the back more which very rarely happens with our current game plan.

This might result in some tough calls like going in with one ruck, putting the place of guys like Lyons and Witherden in jeopardy.

 

[3KZ is Football]

 

[Pacman82]

Good old Seven's Magic Moments, I've still got that on VHS somewhere

 

[Johnny Bananas]

This article said we are 12th for accuracy for shots within 30 metres. I wold have thought we were the worst.

I think that's evidence for something I said earlier today: the easy misses aren't the real concern, it's that we keep taking low percentage shots. If we made more of them within 30m and at better angles, it sounds like we'd see a huge improvement.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Sydney and North played simarly, difference between us and the Giants is that we won. Let's take the 4 points and move onto next week. Going to be a challenge against the Saints.

 

[Pacman82]

I'd like to see us stabbing/spearing the ball to the top of the square more often, rather than these kicks that get lost up in the sky. If it comes off the pack then it's a lot more obvious for the smalls where the ball will end up. This of course means we'll need our forwards to start playing in front more!

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Slow up the boundary: we take this option and get a 30-50 metre shot at a wide angle and we do pretty poorly at this. Teams like Geelong look for a 15 metre (or 8 metre depending on the umpiring that day) better option and we probably need to develop that. It has to be quick and accurate but still offers more hope than the shots we continually miss.

Great post. I wanted to focus on this part. I notice that once we get that sort of mark, players are too slow at playing on quickly to find that better option. The leads and free men are often there, it's just that the opportunity only exists for a second and we don't recognise it quickly enough. Probably something to practise at training.

 

[Brizzys Squizzy]

I disagree. Im all for the 'win ugly' mantra. However if you look at some key 'team first' indicators (which is what is required to win finals) we are way off and have been for weeks.

Worst in the league defensively for a month, burning guys in a better position constantly, poor body language, always feeding off momentum rather than structure, lacking respect for the oppo and contest. The Doggies win was pleasing, but there were still warning signs galore a performance like this was coming.

Sure we have gotten away with wins against injury effected opposition and or from 1 quarter of brilliance. And yes, we are a goid team. However.. now is the time we need to ramp up to be finals ready, and we are absolutely slipping in the areas that matter.

We are setting ourselves up for a straight sets exit again IMO, and yesterday was as surer indicator of that as we have seen.

Time to turn it around now and it starts with pressure, it's been so bad for a while now and pressure wins finals. Some of those tackling efforts yesterday were embarrassing. They couldn't even pretend to care.

David King summed it up.. "brisbane just weren't excited about this game".. not sure we are at the point where we can go in with that mentality just yet.

Good post, but disagree about poor pressure, our fwd pressure in particular is elite, yes we missed some tackles around the ground and needs to be looked at, but if we kicked those 4-5 easy goals early on we'd all be pretty satisfied. Got to fix the delivery into fwd line and execution at goal.

 

[lioninthesand]

Good post, but disagree about poor pressure, our fwd pressure in particular is elite, yes we missed some tackles around the ground and needs to be looked at, but if we kicked those 4-5 easy goals early on we'd all be pretty satisfied. Got to fix the delivery into fwd line and execution at goal.

Our pressure is horrible IMO. Especially tackle pressure and accountability between the arcs. Forward tackling is always ok. King showed stats at the start of the game and we are ranked 18th for defense over the last month. Watch the cats play, then watch how teams waltz coast to coast againts us - our pressure and defensive structure is about 30% of where it needs to be.

 

[Gadzorks]

I’m going to rewatch to check but my impression was that north pressed both ends to keep the play on the midfield and stop our run and carry. They were constantly signalling to slow down play.

It exploited our weakness of big marking players. McStay took a few but we rely too heavily on speccies, which are always risky cause the player commits and if they miss they can’t defend.

 

[martinson]

I'd like to see us stabbing/spearing the ball to the top of the square more often, rather than these kicks that get lost up in the sky. If it comes off the pack then it's a lot more obvious for the smalls where the ball will end up. This of course means we'll need our forwards to start playing in front more!

We continually go short to a pocket where a low percentage chance arises if it comes off whereas if we speared it into the square we generally have equal numbers running on to it. Likewise we are light years too slow in making a decision when we have clear possession or a mark on the wing or just forward of it and by the time we make up our mind just bomb it to a big pack in the pocket where chances are it gets swept away.

Our decision making in these aspects of our game has deteriorated this year and somewhat coincides with the below average form of Cameron,Robinson,Clug ,Berry and Hipwood plus Zorko's achilles problem which has seen him spray kicks. I'm not sure if we can fix it easily at this point in the season. A more significant bigger target up forward might also give our entries more focus.

 

[SacksonvilleJags]

There was a point I believe in the second quarter where the ball squirted out after the tap and we had about 3 players around the ball and they all stood back and waited for someone else to pick up the ball.
A roo’s player just waltzed in and picked up the ball and off they went.

I think some players went into the game thinking about stat padding and wanting to get the easy takes and didn’t want to do any of the grunt work.

 

[Scubaveg]

Obviously a big part of our poor goal kicking is mental but perhaps we need to have a serious look at our ball movement. This might have to wait until the off season.

This season we've been using the corridor more which has been great but our ball movement has still been slow and results in tougher shots in goal (still ones we should kick more often).

Perhaps we need to find some speed and focus on linking up more through handballs. This will require more long runners but will allow us to get it over the back more which very rarely happens with our current game plan.

This might result in some tough calls like going in with one ruck, putting the place of guys like Lyons and Witherden in jeopardy.

We might need forwards leading at the ball carrier for that as well. Forward that more presenting options and creating space.


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[Clarkythelion]

We will take that, at the end of the season when we are counting up wins that will be just one of many. We probably didn't deserve it but fantastic we got there. The kicking is an undeniable issue but I don't see much more we can do other that wait it out. McStay at first instance on the run can banana a goal from the pocket, Lyons can pick it up in a pack and snap a goal over his shoulder, Big O can bend it in from a pocket off the outside of his boot. It is more like when we don't thank - just do - that we are more successful. Acker was like that, first instance footy he was brilliant as was the reason I started following AFL - Peter Daicos. It's like - just let if flow boys, we don't care, your crap now at set shots so just play on and have a crack or off load it to someone running past and let then have a first instance crack at the goal. Definition of madness - doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different outcome. So try something different, for a week just play on or have Rich run around. But not against the Saints, maybe Collingwood.

 

[martinson]

I'm not too fussed about the disappointing performance from our experienced players- clearly fatigue and probably not 100% switched on are just temporary problems which a good week break, as well as getting Rich and Raynor back will help.
What's been more disappointing are our 'depth' players to have come in recently. Eagles, Mathieson, A Smith, Skinner etc, if anything, have shown to have either gone backwards, or certainly no better, than they were 2 years ago.

They haven't had much opportunity to play at this level let alone get any real competitive experience in a lower grade. So I'm not convinced they've gone backwards until they played a few games,but whether they're actually good enough is another question.

 

[Pride of lions]

There was a point I believe in the second quarter where the ball squirted out after the tap and we had about 3 players around the ball and they all stood back and waited for someone else to pick up the ball.
A roo’s player just waltzed in and picked up the ball and off they went.

I think some players went into the game thinking about stat padding and wanting to get the easy takes and didn’t want to do any of the grunt work.

I saw exactly the same thing happen in the game against the Bulldogs. This is unforgivable and possibly the worst example of laziness and a lack of desperation around the contest. If this isn’t addressed soon we will get smacked by the likes of Richmond and Geelong if we do manage to limp into the finals.

 

[martinson]

You have to question why we aren't resting more players if that's the case. I get that we needed to put out our strongest team to have a chance against Richmond (not that it worked) but there was no excuse yesterday.


I want Fagan and friends to rest players if they are fatigued or carrying injuries. Zorko had some shocking moments but I don't blame him for it since he's probably injured. I am just confused as to why he's playing every week when there are numerous players in the 2s like Hinge and Wooller who aren't getting a chance at all. Are they all really not worthy of senior appearances?


Now come on, that's just being petulant. We're allowed to criticise bad performances. Perhaps don't read review threads if you don't like seeing criticism of our team?

I'm all for constructive criticism. Constant carping about particular players every time they go for the ball or the inability to watch other games and see the standard dished up this year and expecting us to be smashing it when clearly all players are fatigued , many struggling with the set up this year and carrying significant niggles into games because they have to. Likewise the replacements not getting a chance don't have the solid match grounding this year and as we've seen don't offer a lot more than whoever they replaced.

Everyone's entitled to criticise and have an opinion , I do too , and I think in the circumstances we're doing well to be where we are.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Obviously a big part of our poor goal kicking is mental but perhaps we need to have a serious look at our ball movement. This might have to wait until the off season.

This season we've been using the corridor more which has been great but our ball movement has still been slow and results in tougher shots in goal (still ones we should kick more often).

Perhaps we need to find some speed and focus on linking up more through handballs. This will require more long runners but will allow us to get it over the back more which very rarely happens with our current game plan.

This might result in some tough calls like going in with one ruck, putting the place of guys like Lyons and Witherden in jeopardy.

We might need forwards leading at the ball carrier for that as well. Forward that more presenting options and creating space.



We over 50's have been bemoaning the lack of leading forwards. McStay did lead twice in the first half but Hipwood was too stationery all day. McCarthy has some football smarts and I have thought about playing him out of the goal square. He gets on a lead quite a deal.Without Oscar in the goal square we need one tall in the pack but all others should be thinking about getting a cheap kick i.e. on a quick lead.

The forwards don't seem to play like a smart team and all of them hang back for the scrimmage. Surely one should attempt a lead.

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[Clarkythelion]

Lions second on the ladder on % only, the Broncos second last and a club in turmoil, Queensland Reds, last etc etc . This is how the Queensland Courier Mail saw yesterday's sports headlines. (Just for out Victorian supporters). We can all move on now, no one knows it was a poor game but a win.

 

[morsie]

One of the areas that needs work is the quality of our goal shooting choices. I think we often take the lower percentage choice. There are a number of situations:

Fast break: isolated one on one, running toward goal. With an open forward 50 we generally do ok if the ball is out the front of our players, not so well if we try to land it on their head. I would back Hipwood, Linc, Charlie and Rayner to beat their opponent more often than not on the run with a ball bouncing ahead. Our players can get the ball and outpace the opposition. So we need to manufacture these opportunities.

Slow up the boundary: we take this option and get a 30-50 metre shot at a wide angle and we do pretty poorly at this. Teams like Geelong look for a 15 metre (or 8 metre depending on the umpiring that day) better option and we probably need to develop that. It has to be quick and accurate but still offers more hope than the shots we continually miss.

The big bomb to a pack: we take our share of marks but too frequently miss the kick and this is the one that costs us most because other teams get theirs. If the ball goes to ground we lock it in quite well but the next shot is almost always a rushed snap. It would be better to show more patience and clear it to space and find the unmanned target in front. I think better teams do that instinctively. Quick snaps look great when they come off but ours don’t come off very often.

Player running into the 50 in space: This one is the real killer. We miss these with alarming frequency. A clear run, time to balance, minimal pressure and we miss so frequently. I recall one junior coach who insisted that during warm ups and kicking practice that for about half the time, his players were only allowed to take shots on the run with a defender either running towards them or chasing them down because it most closely replicated the shots they were missing in games.

Game after game we have these shots, a very standard kick on the run that literally just needs to go straight for a goal and we are missing more than we get. At this level we need to be getting 8/10 of these. I swear Richmond get 9/10 when they get these opportunities. It feels like we are currently around 3/10.

 

[Gadzorks]

Lions second on the ladder on % only, the Broncos second last and a club in turmoil, Queensland Reds, last etc etc . This is how the Queensland Courier Mail saw yesterday's sports headlines. (Just for out Victorian supporters). We can all move on now, no one knows it was a poor game but a win. View attachment 936966

they aren’t doing any favours for the chance of qld getting the grand final.

 

[AFLQLD]

Lions second on the ladder on % only, the Broncos second last and a club in turmoil, Queensland Reds, last etc etc . This is how the Queensland Courier Mail saw yesterday's sports headlines. (Just for out Victorian supporters). We can all move on now, no one knows it was a poor game but a win. View attachment 936966

Ah, Courier Mail - bless you. Never change you crazy kid. You do you CM. Don’t let anyone tell you how real newspapers provide fair, broad and accurate reporting. Why be bound by that convention? You just keep spouting Broncos, Lib/Nat and hate-flavoured rhetoric for all you are worth! And to hell with the fact that the average age of your readership is somewhere in the 70’s. They still love you and they NEED seven pages of Broncos analysis and angry letters to the editor about how bad everything is that they don’t like. It’s a good business model.

 

[Mazza44]

Ah, Courier Mail - bless you. Never change you crazy kid. You do you CM. Don’t let anyone tell you how real newspapers provide fair, broad and accurate reporting. Why be bound by that convention? You just keep spouting Broncos, Lib/Nat and hate-flavoured rhetoric for all you are worth! And to hell with the fact that the average age of your readership is somewhere in the 70’s. They still love you and they NEED seven pages of Broncos analysis and angry letters to the editor about how bad everything is that they don’t like. It’s a good business model.

Who needs a decent business model when the Libs will just give you another handout when you need it?

 

[lionshine]

In time, Brandon Starcevich is going to be a terrific player for us. Keep getting games into him.