Thought this was a good point from an article in The Age the other day:
Conversely, it's very difficult to then implement changes to your system. I don't think it's the whole story - probably a mix of system, personnel and effort. Worth noting both teams are also lacking line-breakers to generate some energy - Caddy on a wing for Richmond, Brander on a wing for us
...the most system-based teams, the teams whose games are based most fundamentally on connection and understanding of where each player will be and what part each player performs in the total construct, are West Coast and Richmond. Both are struggling.
The impact on training from physical distancing measures, from the fragmenting into small training groups and limits on the number of contact sessions the teams can have looks to have hurt the system-based teams.
When you can’t train and constantly drill the system it breaks down and Richmond and West Coast’s game are not functioning as they usually do.
“Damien Hardwick and Justin Leppitsch play a highly systemised game,” an analyst from another club said.
“Richmond and West Coast are the most highly systemised teams and you have to train that constantly and they have not been able to do that. There are other reasons for West Coast struggling not just the interruption to training – they are in a hub and it’s been dewy and slippery and they play a high-ball marking game – but the ability to train your system is really important.
“In season you train system not decision-making and they are not training their system as they normally would."
Conversely, it's very difficult to then implement changes to your system. I don't think it's the whole story - probably a mix of system, personnel and effort. Worth noting both teams are also lacking line-breakers to generate some energy - Caddy on a wing for Richmond, Brander on a wing for us