So has the game really changed that much?

[Bay62]

Lots of talk about how the game has changed, changes every six weeks, Richmond have revolutionized the game with pressure on the ball carrier and a small forward line...but has it really changed that much?

Grant Thomas based his game plan on fanatical pressure on the ball carrier ten years ago at St Kilda, as did Ross Lyon. Then Richmond get beaten by a forward who’s 6 foot 11. Leigh Matthews laughs at this apparently new style of play called “winning the contested ball”

So has the game changed that much? The two differences I’ve noticed are the congestion which started with flooding your defence and now applies to the whole ground, and a shift from flooding your back lines to flooding your forward lines to lock it in, and also the rise of “caring” for your teammates

But in terms of actual play/skills required - has it changed that much?

 

[Slippery Pete]

Collingwood won the contested ball yesterday and had 104 tackles (which surely has to be close to some sort of record).

I always think of moments like... Jarman 97, Aker 02, Chapman 09, Malceski 12, Sheed 18....

Skill execution wins finals. The other stuff you can teach, or you can instill via attitude and mongrel. But if you can’t use the ball under pressure, you’re toast.

 

[1970crow]

Lots of talk about how the game has changed, changes every six weeks, Richmond have revolutionized the game with pressure on the ball carrier and a small forward line...but has it really changed that much?

Grant Thomas based his game plan on fanatical pressure on the ball carrier ten years ago at St Kilda, as did Ross Lyon. Then Richmond get beaten by a forward who’s 6 foot 11. Leigh Matthews laughs at this apparently new style of play called “winning the contested ball”

So has the game changed that much? The two differences I’ve noticed are the congestion which started with flooding your defence and now applies to the whole ground, and a shift from flooding your back lines to flooding your forward lines to lock it in, and also the rise of “caring” for your teammates

But in terms of actual play/skills required - has it changed that much?

My under 15 coach, 30 years ago, was getting us to leave our man to get to 50:50 contests. "2 players beat 1 nearly every time" was his mantra. Then we had to work back to our man hard. It's never really changed, win the ball and then make good decisions and execute to a high skill level. Zone type defence has also been around for ages. There's nothing really new except that the players all run much further these days, so the systems are enlarged to take into account the greater running ability.

 

[Bay62]

My under 15 coach, 30 years ago, was getting us to leave our man to get to 50:50 contests. "2 players beat 1 nearly every time" was his mantra. Then we had to work back to our man hard. It's never really changed, win the ball and then make good decisions and execute to a high skill level. Zone type defence has also been around for ages. There's nothing really new except that the players all run much further these days, so the systems are enlarged to take into account the greater running ability.

Yeah, contested ball, defence, speed and marking power

I doubt after yesterday’s game that commentators will be saying everyone has to switch to West Coast’s or Collingwood’s game style like they did with Richmond

 

[Thegibbsgamble]

It's changed s**t loads with the likes of Mason cox handing the best defender in the league, his arse on a plate last week

Niel Craig changed this game when he win us 2 flags with sports science. Ever since then athleticism is what recruiters look for rather than our football skill

 

[1970crow]

It's changed s**t loads with the likes of Mason cox handing the best defender in the league, his arse on a plate last week

Niel Craig changed this game when he win us 2 flags with sports science. Ever since then athleticism is what recruiters look for rather than our football skill

Yeh, I definitely recall the moment the big American was handed his premiership medal. Collingwood's 25 wins for the year off the back of his 125 goals was also some kind of record from memory. Damn you're simple at times.

 

[Bay62]

It's changed s**t loads with the likes of Mason cox handing the best defender in the league, his arse on a plate last week

Says more about Rance than Cox

And reinforces my point. Marking power has always counted. Sourcing someone from the US is different, but not the end result - a tall player outmarks a shorter player

 

[Thegibbsgamble]

Says more about Rance than Cox

And reinforces my point. Marking power has always counted. Sourcing someone from the US is different, but not the end result - a tall player outmarks a shorter player

And Rance is the best defender in the league so it says more about the league.

Pittman use to shut out the Mason Cox's of the world. Did numbers in Granny's on stewart Lowe

Defense is about zones and not contests, zones that rely on athletisism and laps at training.

The art of man on man lost

 

[StonesThrow]

Humans tend to overreact. Check this page out. Some usual suspects there.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...gles-v-collingwood.1205603/page-8#supernavtop

 

[spenze]

I don't think it has at all, endurance levels have gone up, skills down a little as the really skillful players who don't run as hard don't get games but that is all.

I honestly think Gil is one of those bureaucrats who wants to justify their position by doing something, anything so he can hang his hat on as the difference his administration has made. It won't matter if he has 10 s**t ideas if one of them contributes to the game because the one that works will be his legacy. Hopefully, his legacy is the 18 metre goal square, stupid man, stupid idea, in medieval times, he'd have been hung, drawn and quartered for such idiocy.

As for it changing, 40 years ago, I would play loose in defence at centre bounces and then move into the midfield and when we played into the wind, a kick behind play...because that is what SANFL teams did.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Humans tend to overreact. Check this page out. Some usual suspects there.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...gles-v-collingwood.1205603/page-8#supernavtop

Crikey. There’s some posts on that page that didn’t age well. And they’re only a day old!

 

[John Who]

Yes and no. Basic concepts like winning the contests and kicking between the 2 sticks remain the same. The main difference really is that all players are generally much fitter these days, and 2-way running is mandatory for most of the players in each team. There's also a lot more overlap in the roles each player has, and there's constant changes in their field positions.

Some aspects of the game has sped up the general play (eg. deliberate out of bounds rule change), whereas some aspects have slowed it down more (eg. goal review decisions). Concussion prevention also a noticeable high agenda - good for the would-be concussed; bad for the handler of the would-be concussed.

Overall, the game is simply evolving rather than drastically changed. Will be keen to see the new rules implementation for next year.

 

[Bay62]

Yes and no. Basic concepts like winning the contests and kicking between the 2 sticks remain the same. The main difference really is that all players are generally much fitter these days, and 2-way running is mandatory for most of the players in each team. There's also a lot more overlap in the roles each player has, and there's constant changes in their field positions.

Some aspects of the game has sped up the general play (eg. deliberate out of bounds rule change), whereas some aspects have slowed it down more (eg. goal review decisions). Concussion prevention also a noticeable high agenda - good for the would-be concussed; bad for the handler of the would-be concussed.

Overall, the game is simply evolving rather than drastically changed. Will be keen to see the new rules implementation for next year.

Hope the rules changes don’t change it too much

 

[Schulzycrow]

No.
It will if they bring in these half-arsed rule changes.