Mega Thread The 2016 Buckley Coaching Discussion

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Can go *&@% themselves!
So the whole playing group is self indulgent.. seriously..? Wasn't one of Bucks big statements that he was going to change the "culture" of the playing group. Didn't he set about doing that... so he obviously saw that as being a big part of his sphere of responsibility. So what you are saying is he's failed in this regard as well. Molding young minds into a selfless team is very much the remit of the coach. What else do you think they're there for if it's not molding a team and a team culture? You are doing Bucks no favors with this line of defense. He's got a very valid injury excuse this year (as much as I hate it); maybe just stick to that.
No No No No No No!
The incredible number of injuries is NOT an excuse for Buckley! How can it be that he's been the only coach EVER to have 6 straight years of crippling injury lists and it's just "Bad Luck"! I can't find any example of this happening to any coach EVER for THREE straight years! Two, is very uncommon, and it didn't happen to Mick twice in a row ever. But FIVE in a row! And from year 1?! Every year of his tenure, without a single break!? And it hasn't been for parts of years, it's been ALL of EVERY season he's been coach!
He has been completely unable to instill confidence in the group, and this year was the worst example. Couldn’t kick, mark, tackle, handball. If he's finally managed to start learning how to do it, great! Fantastic! But how can you ignore 5 years of abject failure!? I'll be stoked if he's starting to learn some of the basics of coaching, but what were 2012, 13, 14, 15? Warm-ups? Does ANYONE here believe for a second that some assistant coach from Geelong would've been given FOUR years of ever-worse performances to get the hang of it? If you're being even half-honest you have to admit that such a person would've been watched very hard in the first 2 seasons and be dumped during or after the third!

Look at the precedents! Mark Neeld, Sanderson, Watters, and others have only been given 1-3 seasons to turn dud sides around, Dean Laidley took over from Pagan in '03 (who only missed finals in 1 year after 3 GFs and 2 flags!), His first 2 years were both 10th spot, and he was gone. Everyone said it, in '05 it was finals or the front door. They made 5th, but missing in 2006 put him back on his last chance, but lo! Finals again in '08 & '09 saved him... briefly.
Brad Scott took over a side which was 13th, and got them into the finals in 2 years.

It's now conceivable, because of this great turnaround not lasting, that he could drop us further again this season - AND keep his job!
Think about it. If we went down to Brizzy at the Gabba, the pressure on him would've doubled, 2 games later he's the lord god all-freakin-mighty!
We could STILL finish last in 2016, and we could still finish second.
If we keep winning, great! That's all I want, I don't care if Hermann Goering is coaching! But I very much doubt I can ever forget - whatever happens from here - the 4 unnecessary years in the wilderness. Maybe when he delivers 4 straight flags!
 

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WalterBlaknWhte

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No No No No No No!... If we keep winning, great! That's all I want, I don't care if Hermann Goering is coaching! But I very much doubt I can ever forget - whatever happens from here - the 4 unnecessary years in the wilderness.

I imagine your bedsit littered with Red Bull cans, Wagner blaring, as you type until you fall off your chair.
 
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No No No No No No!
The incredible number of injuries is NOT an excuse for Buckley! How can it be that he's been the only coach EVER to have 6 straight years of crippling injury lists and it's just "Bad Luck"! I can't find any example of this happening to any coach EVER for THREE straight years! Two, is very uncommon, and it didn't happen to Mick twice in a row ever. But FIVE in a row! And from year 1?! Every year of his tenure, without a single break!? And it hasn't been for parts of years, it's been ALL of EVERY season he's been coach!
He has been completely unable to instill confidence in the group, and this year was the worst example. Couldn’t kick, mark, tackle, handball. If he's finally managed to start learning how to do it, great! Fantastic! But how can you ignore 5 years of abject failure!? I'll be stoked if he's starting to learn some of the basics of coaching, but what were 2012, 13, 14, 15? Warm-ups? Does ANYONE here believe for a second that some assistant coach from Geelong would've been given FOUR years of ever-worse performances to get the hang of it? If you're being even half-honest you have to admit that such a person would've been watched very hard in the first 2 seasons and be dumped during or after the third!

Look at the precedents! Mark Neeld, Sanderson, Watters, and others have only been given 1-3 seasons to turn dud sides around, Dean Laidley took over from Pagan in '03 (who only missed finals in 1 year after 3 GFs and 2 flags!), His first 2 years were both 10th spot, and he was gone. Everyone said it, in '05 it was finals or the front door. They made 5th, but missing in 2006 put him back on his last chance, but lo! Finals again in '08 & '09 saved him... briefly.
Brad Scott took over a side which was 13th, and got them into the finals in 2 years.

It's now conceivable, because of this great turnaround not lasting, that he could drop us further again this season - AND keep his job!
Think about it. If we went down to Brizzy at the Gabba, the pressure on him would've doubled, 2 games later he's the lord god all-freakin-mighty!
We could STILL finish last in 2016, and we could still finish second.
If we keep winning, great! That's all I want, I don't care if Hermann Goering is coaching! But I very much doubt I can ever forget - whatever happens from here - the 4 unnecessary years in the wilderness. Maybe when he delivers 4 straight flags!
I always like to celebrate a win against the premiership favourites with a cool refreshing glass of 5 year revisionism.
 

PieNSauce

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Laughing at some of the posts in here after that win. The haters trying to suggest that Bucks has dropped the zone. Well I was at the game and what I saw was a very well executed zone defence. It was pretty obvious from the stands that the difference has been in the players' willingness to work and implement that zone properly. Mind you, had the difference been in the game plan then credit would still have to go to the coaches because getting any plan to work with the lack of continuity our backline has had is a feat all of its own. Man that game was enjoyable to watch.
 

PieNSauce

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They showed footage on it with David King last week against the lions at half time, even had the spot lights on pies players showing starting points and how we were forming our box around the person receiving the ball and collapsing in around him.
We are 100% still zoning, we are just doing it correctly.
Correct. I was at the game and was amazed at how good that zone looked. Same plan, better implementation. There is definitely no man on man stuff happening unless you're talking Greenwood on Selwood although that would be more correctly referred to as man on sook.
 
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No No No No No No!
The incredible number of injuries is NOT an excuse for Buckley! How can it be that he's been the only coach EVER to have 6 straight years of crippling injury lists and it's just "Bad Luck"! I can't find any example of this happening to any coach EVER for THREE straight years! Two, is very uncommon, and it didn't happen to Mick twice in a row ever. But FIVE in a row! And from year 1?! Every year of his tenure, without a single break!? And it hasn't been for parts of years, it's been ALL of EVERY season he's been coach!
He has been completely unable to instill confidence in the group, and this year was the worst example. Couldn’t kick, mark, tackle, handball. If he's finally managed to start learning how to do it, great! Fantastic! But how can you ignore 5 years of abject failure!? I'll be stoked if he's starting to learn some of the basics of coaching, but what were 2012, 13, 14, 15? Warm-ups? Does ANYONE here believe for a second that some assistant coach from Geelong would've been given FOUR years of ever-worse performances to get the hang of it? If you're being even half-honest you have to admit that such a person would've been watched very hard in the first 2 seasons and be dumped during or after the third!

Look at the precedents! Mark Neeld, Sanderson, Watters, and others have only been given 1-3 seasons to turn dud sides around, Dean Laidley took over from Pagan in '03 (who only missed finals in 1 year after 3 GFs and 2 flags!), His first 2 years were both 10th spot, and he was gone. Everyone said it, in '05 it was finals or the front door. They made 5th, but missing in 2006 put him back on his last chance, but lo! Finals again in '08 & '09 saved him... briefly.
Brad Scott took over a side which was 13th, and got them into the finals in 2 years.

It's now conceivable, because of this great turnaround not lasting, that he could drop us further again this season - AND keep his job!
Think about it. If we went down to Brizzy at the Gabba, the pressure on him would've doubled, 2 games later he's the lord god all-freakin-mighty!
We could STILL finish last in 2016, and we could still finish second.
If we keep winning, great! That's all I want, I don't care if Hermann Goering is coaching! But I very much doubt I can ever forget - whatever happens from here - the 4 unnecessary years in the wilderness. Maybe when he delivers 4 straight flags!
I don't even know where to start with this post.
So I won't.
 

Soaring Magpie

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I agree the zone is still in play, but it is a much tighter zone, it was spread to far in the first 6 odd weeks so was easy to pick apart. Buckley has stated it has been tweaked. Also helps that the players have had a real crack the last couple of weeks. A zone defense takes full engagement from the whole side and concentration, something missing from the early part of the year.
 

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Baltimore Jack

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I agree the zone is still in play, but it is a much tighter zone, it was spread to far in the first 6 odd weeks so was easy to pick apart. Buckley has stated it has been tweaked. Also helps that the players have had a real crack the last couple of weeks. A zone defense takes full engagement from the whole side and concentration, something missing from the early part of the year.
Agree, but its also the player Bucks now uses to implement the zone, players who are smart and know how to play that type of defence
 

Soaring Magpie

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Agree, but its also the player Bucks now uses to implement the zone, players who are smart and know how to play that type of defence
Howe to the backlinehas been a great move, I didn't realize he was such a good user of the footy and reads the play well. Also like what Crocker and smith have bought too the side
 

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I imagine your bedsit littered with Red Bull cans, Wagner blaring, as you type until you fall off your chair.
Underrated post. Quoted now, so people can read it again.

Watching the replay on Foxtel now, (2nd time) and the way the players moved to position, and ran as a group suggested a zone style of play; even to my Neardethal eyes.*

* I don't read the play all that well.
 
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Did you go today?
I watched the game twice, both times on tv. Looked like a zone defence both times. Not easy to do mind you. I love the 2-3 game players playing their role beautifully and the
Laughing at some of the posts in here after that win. The haters trying to suggest that Bucks has dropped the zone. Well I was at the game and what I saw was a very well executed zone defence. It was pretty obvious from the stands that the difference has been in the players' willingness to work and implement that zone properly. Mind you, had the difference been in the game plan then credit would still have to go to the coaches because getting any plan to work with the lack of continuity our backline has had is a feat all of its own. Man that game was enjoyable to watch.
Spot on! That's the zone, thats our game plan and how good did it look last night. Reid, Varcoe and Adams are critical to our structure imo but its equally awesome that players like crocker and smith are able to come in and play their roles so well.

Im tempted to watch Buck's press conference for the first time this season.
 

Vankri

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I'm with loki04 on this one and I was at the game.

We definitely still play a zone defence. As much as it'd be nice to explain the change we've seen post Carlton by saying we've shifted from a zone to a man on man defence, it simply isn't true.

It's not to say nothing has changed in that regard. It seems we transition a little differently or a little earlier from our zone to a tighter man on man once the ball has reached a certain point in our defensive half. Which I believe we always intended to do but were getting caught off guard without the time to transition and restructure because of a lack of pressure in the middle and lack of clearance dominance leading to countless runs of i50 for the opposition.

The common trait in our games against essendon, Brisbane and Geelong is that we blocked the opposition run and made them progress slowly through the field. A stark contrast to the rest of our games where we were simply letting the opposition run 100m uncontested on the boundary.

Another big one is the midfield dominance. I feel like our whole system depends on it (just like Geelong's does) so in games where we win clearances and utterly dominate the midfield like the Brisbane and Geelong games our whole structure just suddenly looks better.

It looks good when it works. The weakness I can see in the plan are whether it can work against a really fast team in ball movement (guess we'll see against the Bulldogs) and the fact that it relies on midfield dominance which I believe would be made much easier if we had a good tap ruckman.
 

Dynamics

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I agree the zone is still in play, but it is a much tighter zone, it was spread to far in the first 6 odd weeks so was easy to pick apart. Buckley has stated it has been tweaked. Also helps that the players have had a real crack the last couple of weeks. A zone defense takes full engagement from the whole side and concentration, something missing from the early part of the year.
In the presser Rohan Connolly asked Bucks if it was an increase in confidence that was the difference between the last two weeks and the poor form before that. The answer was a very strong no. Bucks is adamant that it is all about willingness to work. To do what players were instructed to do when they were told to do it.

Given that when it all works it's good enough to lead one of the flag favourites from start to finish, I'm inclined to believe him. Fingers crossed the whole playing group play with that sort of focus and commitment from here on in!
 
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Can go *&@% themselves!
I don't even know where to start with this post.
So I won't.
I totally agree. Far easier to throw glib wisecracks than attempt an argument you know you can't win. Facts, unfortunately, are facts. Find me an example of any coach having even three consecutive years of debilitating injuries. Let alone 5 and calling it bad luck!!! But of course you won't, so play the man. Definitely the right option. I'm pretty sure no one has ever even suggested that Bucks has been successful in motivating the guys. Is that your contention?
I'm not going to stoop to the ad hominem stuff at this point, believe me, you don't want that.
I did give Buckley some credit for today, I rated his performance 4/5 on another site. Then I heard his presser and watched the game a third time. If you can tell me what he did to earn the kudos, and it's not imagination, I'd love to be able to say he's getting better, I did so in the early years, and kept my word never to criticise him mid-season, but he only ever let me down, and after 2013 he made it absolutely undeniable that he has no idea.

NOW Go listen to his PC, really listen, and give me your take on it.
 

Saintly Viewed

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In the presser Rohan Connolly asked Bucks if it was an increase in confidence that was the difference between the last two weeks and the poor form before that. The answer was a very strong no. Bucks is adamant that it is all about willingness to work. To do what players were instructed to do when they were told to do it.

Given that when it all works it's good enough to lead one of the flag favourites from start to finish, I'm inclined to believe him. Fingers crossed the whole playing group play with that sort of focus and commitment from here on in!
Though to be fair, coaches in pressers say what they think need to be said in pressers.
Behind closed doors who knows
 
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