Opinion Second half fadeouts: Problem or Ploy?

[Randomizor]

Concerning or calculated? Shocking or strategic? Disgraceful or deliberate?

Generating a bit of chat in the game day threads.

Personally, I feel it's probably a bit of a ploy by Lyon.

 

[mattis117]

Concerning or calculated? Shocking or strategic? Disgraceful or deliberate?

Generating a bit of chat in the game day threads.

Personally, I feel it's probably a bit of a ploy by Lyon.

Watch Ross Lyon's press conference for the answers you seek [emoji14].

Basically Ross says they took some liberties to rest players in the last quarter and messed with the team structure a bit. Basically answers this question.

 

[Nothing]

As well as the people around the ball changing, we don't run forward in waves. I'd be more concerned if they weren't running back hard, which doesn't seem to change.

 

[Mezz]

I think it's a ploy too.

I honestly can't see any one player, let alone the whole team, not playing to RTB's instructions for a quarter or half. They wouldn't last long in the side!

When we have a winning lead, it's a chance to manage the oldies, rest players up forward or down back, practise different set-ups etc.

All we need is the 4 points from the win. Preventing injuries & maximising fresh legs for the following week are the goals in the second halves.

 

[mattis117]

I said to my cousin on the way out, "who cares about percentage when you finish the season more than four points ahead of any other team". Four points is all the my care about, they don't care if they win by 1 or 100 points.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Have to lean towards it being a ploy myself. When we have these fade-out periods we seem very static and flat-footed. Nobody is leading up demanding the ball, we just kick long down the boundary line to a bunch of blokes standing still. Like we're just trying to kill the ball and force the ball-up or thrown-in to wind down the clock. It's frustrating to watch, and even more frustrating that when we get the occasional chance to go forward we butcher it.

 

[Bradesmaen]

6 day break on the way back from Melbourne.

 

[Righteo]

Somewhat magnified by how good our first halves have been, I do believe there is some deliberate 'management' going on though. I'll back us to get the job done in the last 10 minutes of a game if it's close though, we fended off Port and Sydney pretty well despite conceding leads.

 

[Spoken4]

Concerning or calculated? Shocking or strategic? Disgraceful or deliberate?

Generating a bit of chat in the game day threads.

Personally, I feel it's probably a bit of a ploy by Lyon.

There is a third "P" you are missing. Pisstake.

 

[pavsbootlace]

Ploy.

/end thread.

 

[PapaJ]

Have to lean towards it being a ploy myself. When we have these fade-out periods we seem very static and flat-footed. Nobody is leading up demanding the ball, we just kick long down the boundary line to a bunch of blokes standing still. Like we're just trying to kill the ball and force the ball-up or thrown-in to wind down the clock. It's frustrating to watch, and even more frustrating that when we get the occasional chance to go forward we butcher it.

Yeah, this basically.

It's a ploy for sure (and Ross has inferred as much here and there) and it's basically worked when needed. The only thing not working is that we're not taking our chances when we go fwd when in that 'control mode. As I said in the review thread, that's the only thing that bugs me really.

Clearly we're working to a slow down/conservation plan or whatever - just need to take those 2-3 chances on the break as they come up and I'm happy as Larry myself.

 

[Freo Hitman]

Concerning or calculated? Shocking or strategic? Disgraceful or deliberate?

Generating a bit of chat in the game day threads.

Personally, I feel it's probably a bit of a ploy by Lyon.

The games are dead when we decide to turn them into scratch matches, arrogant as it may be ...its deliberate. Save the gas.

 

[smokingjacket]

Ploy, but I don't I don't get why we take Taberner off if the plan is to kill the game by kicking long to a contest along the boundary. Obviously there weren't too many blokes out there who deserved the jacket but structure wise it seemed odd.

We also played out a full game against Melbourne last week with essentially 22 after Sonny and Pav went down early. Wouldn't be surprised if a bit of the flat footedness was 6 day break + travel + extra work last week.

 

[FreoGirl]

There was a report on Fox last week about how the Dockers are now playing better across 4 quarters since overcoming a virus that was going through the group earlier in the season. Either the virus is back or it's a ploy by Lyons to limit our injuries..

 

[se17enteen]

Not surprised, a Lyon usually plays with it's prey before eating it.

 

[Lach72]

Fyfe and Mundy playing deep forward

 

[basashi]

Ploy.

You want to manage your players and you don't want to showcase too much strategy.

 

[kingswood71]

Its all part of the master's plan I believe. Get far enough ahead that he can try a few things, give a few stars a bit of a coast and still get the 4 points.
You can bet that come Sept, we will be playing a full 4 quarters.

 

[Docker Alyssa]

I've been thinking ploy since the Sydney game is when I caught on to the repetition of strategy. Lately I've been saying ploy on BF. David King believes ploy. Definitely ploy In 2014 we ran out of legs. This season we are just crashing the game open with 2 quarters of finals like effort and pressure and then controlling the tempo 2nd half. Even if it lets them back within 20-25 points I feel confident we could always structure back to normal and switch on to stem the comebacks.

Guarantee we will concede the Hawks game too now that we are 2 games clear! Provided they dont get more depleted injury wise of course and we feel emboldened to take em on.

 

[dthom]

Well, Lyon said that it was deliberate, so that's the end of that. But let's consider the other side of the coin anyway. If they were genuine fade-outs, there still isn't anything to worry about. The difference between getting 10 goals up and cruising to the finish line and overturning an oppositions 8 goal lead are negligible. Purely a matter of perception. If anything, it is far better an idea to go up by 50-70 points and cruise than to get that far behind and try to reel them in.

People will be desperate to jump on to anything about the Dockers that they perceive to be a weakness.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

Fyfe and Mundy playing deep forward

This sums it up. Fyfe on the bench then going forward. He spent more time forward this season than ever before.

 

[Paracleet]

I think there is an element of ploy about it. I don't think the plan involves conceding quite so many unanswered goals however. Or giving up easy centre clearances. I would think that trying make the game more of a split contest in those situations would be a goal.

That being said there was an usually large amount of play in front of us in 133 at the end of the game and up close a few of the players were pretty knackered. Clancee and A Pearce in particular.

 

[Kram]

After the game against Norf we have a pretty easy run of home games for the rest of the season.. Hard to see us even drop one really, might be in for some pretty boring fourth quarters at Subiaco if they decide to continue with the tactic.

 

[Lost_Deputy]

Clearly a ploy but we are not executing it well yet. The few times we have gone into "fade mode" we have opportunities to convert goals and stop momentum except we have butchered the ball and missed shots.

I've got no problem using it at all. It's really smart and should put us in good stead for the finals BUT we need to remain sharp and execute the basics while doing it.

 

[jusjoshin]

We are trying to build a lead in the first 1/2 to 3/4 and then defend it. I think the benefits of this will be seen later in the season. Bomber Thompson was sooking it up, but I think it is not a bad idea to conserve our strength given we have the most travel and the oldest list.