The ability to "adjust"

[scottydeewah]

From other posts people may have picked up I am a massive NFL fan. Often similarities creep up across different sports.

In NFL teams often talk about adjusting. It is a very tactical game and photos and schemes are studied mid game. The best teams are able to make adjustments to their setups and personal mid game to turn things around. Even if they are down early there is often the feeling that they will sort their shit out and get back in it...that feeling is often justified.

Watching replays of games over the last few years, the Cats "adjust" or "re-adjust" better than any team in the league. I think it had a lot to do with Thompson and his mindset of playing players in different positions early in their careers. Although we (and some media) smacked him from pilar to post over this, it has given us the ability to make changes mid game, quicker and more effective than other teams. We essentially have more "utilities" and our players have a great set of skills than other teams. Great coaching!

Examples:
Bartel - plays forward, back, wing, attacking mid, defensive mid/tagger.
Kelly - can play attacking mid, run with, wing, forward and back.
Milburn (RIP)/Enright/Mackie - can all play the shut down, loose man or the run off half back roll as well as play on big and small.

Besides playing on different areas of the ground, one of the key aspects is these players can attack or defend. So when a player was getting away, or we were losing an area of the ground we had the ability to adjust mid game to nullify the threat. I know we have been talked about being one of the best attacking teams ever but our ability to shut down the oppositions attack is the spring board for this.

Great games to watch are against the Pies (GF), Saints (GF) and a number of the Hawks games.

We wondered what Thompson was doing putting Corey down back and letting Ling be an attacking midfielder but he was really increasing their skill-sets. I told my mate last year this was where we would win the GF and it came to be.

(Also I know some other top teams can do it against lesser opponents, i.e. move a mid to the forward line and they kick 5 goals, however the key is to do this against the best, when that move it the match winner!)

 

[marshhhhh]

I personally think Brendon Goddard is one of the best examples of this in the game.
He is St Kilda's answer to Jimmy IMO.

 

[winty]

Chris Scott seems to have carried over from what Thompson was doing in this regard too.

At different stages last year we saw Menzel and Mooney deep in defence, Harry Taylor in the ruck, Varcoe across half back, Taylor Hunt and Duncan having run-with roles in the midfield on the likes of Cyril and Judd, etc, etc. We even saw Scarlo spend some time as a forward.

 

[GreggieMac]

I think its also been a factor in what has kept some of our younger kids out of the side (to date anyway). Players like Motlop and Hogan are a bit too one-dimensional, until they learn to chop and change positions better. It's good to see this happening week in/week out in the VFL...

 

[DanA]

I think Bomber created versatile players but I'd argue he didn't have the ability to adjust as you are talking about, or at least I never saw it. I don't remember to many tactical changes. In fact almost never. To often he'd be slow to make a change having faith in a player or plan. I think his fundamental game plan was great and preparation was first class. Match day I always thought he was below average to poor and it's a large part of why Hawthorn beat us in the Grand Final that year.

Compare that to Scott and it's chalk and cheese. Scott almost on a weekly basis would make tactically astute changes. Whether it was a coaching driven (Bartel on Leon Davis?) or players taking it upon themselves to swap out (Taylor with Lonergan on Cloak), the bottom line is I noticed those tactical changes much more under Scott.

In saying that Scott had a huge advantage. He took over a highly experienced, motivated team that is not only well drilled but had a good fundamental understanding of football and used it. Some of the stuff he did may not, probably even likely would not be nearly as effective with a less experienced group.

I think arguably it's a huge advantage which we could exploit even more next year. With the players we have we could pretty much adopt any game plan and expect to pull it off minimal fuss. A coach like Scott who seems to have sound judgement on what will work who's willing to make bold moves (or allow his players to make them) could be made to look a genius.

 

[Vdubs]

Scott admits to having spent lots of time studying and analysing Geelong when he was Freo's assistant, and that would have helped also.

 

[Turbocat]

To some degree the type of players brought into the club have allowed this ability to establish. Guys that are Bartel's size and have his skill set have more chance of this than a guy like Selwood. Overall we have favored these taller mids with the ability to mark Corey,Kelly,Enright have the ability to do multiple roles which means Geelong has a better chance to adjust.

Of course they had to learn these roles and it here Sheedys influence on Thompson played a part.

In the new group we have gone this way again Menzel,Duncan ,Horlin-Smith ,Guthrie....

 

[OldStyle2007]

Great thread.

Given the examples of flexibility, especially with Bartel, don't you think this highlights Gary Ablett's bitching about only wanting to play the rover position and rack up 30+ stats as being incredibly selfish?

 

[marshhhhh]

Great thread.

Given the examples of flexibility, especially with Bartel, don't you think this highlights Gary Ablett's bitching about only wanting to play the rover position and rack up 30+ stats as being incredibly selfish?

I don't personally think so.
Ablett is one of the best players we have seen, and being a rover is what he is good at. Some would say the best at.
Despite his brilliance, he is somewhat "unflexible".
It would be like saying his father would be selfish for saying he only wanted to play at FF.

You have to bear in mind that very, very few players are as flexible as Bartel.

 

[Mooney_d'King]

It's mentioned a number of time's in Scott Gullan's 2011 Greatness book, so good pickup.

 

[winty]

Headed down to training today, and before all the boys came out, Anthony Hudson was out on the ground interviewing some of the assistant coaches (Troy Selwood, Brad Ottens, Nigel Lappin and Steve Hocking) over the PA.

Steve Hocking was mentioning how often we changed our game plan last year, and that he expects us to do the same this year as well. He said that part of the role of our assistant coaches is to look at how other teams play and how they tried to combat what we were doing, and then suggest ways we could adapt to counter that.

He also said the club required the players to be agile in their thinking and mindsets, so they would be able to adapt quickly to our changing gameplans throughout the season.

 

[marshhhhh]

I think as long as you're mentally agile, it's fine.
Even if you can only play the one position, there are many different ways to play that position well, and I think that's what is important.

Scarlett is a classic example.
Essentially plays the same position every week, yet plays the role differently almost every week.

Few players can be moved anywhere on the ground and be influential like Bartel.

 

[OldStyle2007]

I don't personally think so.
Ablett is one of the best players we have seen, and being a rover is what he is good at. Some would say the best at.
Despite his brilliance, he is somewhat "unflexible".
It would be like saying his father would be selfish for saying he only wanted to play at FF.

You have to bear in mind that very, very few players are as flexible as Bartel.

No, GAJ was very good at playing in forward line - he just didn't want to

That's selfish