Third quarter implosions

[The Great Gabsby]

Has anyone else noticed how bad we are in the third quarter? I started noticing the trend recently and decided to do a bit of research to see what I could come up.

Lo and behold, this is what I found:

Quarter WDL For Against %
3rd 1 0 11 24.20 (164) 52.48 (360) 45.56

We've been absolutely smashed in thrid quarters. We've won 1 for the year. Surely someone should be looking into this phenomenon??

 

[Tulip]

I've figured out the trend after noticing it since a while back

Q1-Sloppy, have chances but look bad, however the score board doesn't look all to terrible at th end

Q2-Win, win, win...dare i say it we look like a Finals side

Q3-Just terrible, we've got to warm up before it!

Q4-Competetive but mostly too late

 

[Dez!]

May as well just boycott third quarters and rest everyone up for junk time in the last quarter.

 

[Crimson Azure]

I've figured out the trend after noticing it since a while back

Q1-Sloppy, have chances but look bad, however the score board doesn't look all to terrible at th end

Q2-Win, win, win...dare i say it we look like a Finals side

Q3-Just terrible, we've got to warm up before it!

Q4-Competetive but mostly too late

Would have to agree in most cases, it has been a trend all year.

 

[Demon 86]

unfortunately i think its quite telling that the 'premiership quarter' is where we go missing the most

 

[Goobernutty]

How many second quarters have we won? We always seemt to do good in them.

 

[demonfan9]

Does that explain why Bailey flooded Essendons backline in the third term, or is it simply a coincendence?

 

[The Great Gabsby]

Full stats here:

2009 Quarter Stats
Quarter W D L For Against %
1st 3 1 8 29.36 (210) 45.36 (306) 68.63
2nd 4 0 8 42.18 (270) 52.40 (352) 76.70
3rd 1 0 11 24.20 (164) 52.48 (360) 45.56
4th 7 0 5 35.29 (239) 33.51 (249) 95.98
Total 15 1 32 130.103 (883) 182.175 (1267) 69.69

Doesn't make for the best viewing..

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Good record in the last quarter simply because the sting is out of the contest by then rather than being fitter than others.

 

[unstable punt]

Has anyone else noticed how bad we are in the third quarter? I started noticing the trend recently and decided to do a bit of research to see what I could come up.

Lo and behold, this is what I found:

Quarter WDL For Against %
3rd 1 0 11 24.20 (164) 52.48 (360) 45.56

We've been absolutely smashed in thrid quarters. We've won 1 for the year. Surely someone should be looking into this phenomenon??

Basically means the coach is too lame to fire them up

 

[Dez!]

Basically means the coach is too lame to fire them up

Oh please give me a break, don't blame the coach because they are playing like trash.

 

[Colin Grigson]

It doesn't make great reading does it?

but at least we are winning some 4th quarters. Its encouraging from the perspective that even though we're getting beaten badly in the 3rd quarters, they're not exactly throwing the towel in, like we did on a number of occasions last year.

Having 5 or 6 rookies in a side that lacks strong on-field leadership doesn't help the situation..

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

It doesn't make great reading does it?

but at least we are winning some 4th quarters. Its encouraging from the perspective that even though we're getting beaten badly in the 3rd quarters, they're not exactly throwing the towel in, like we did on a number of occasions last year.

Having 5 or 6 rookies in a side that lacks strong on-field leadership doesn't help the situation..

Plus the large number of injuries we keep getting, of course. A young and generally inexperienced side with relatively weak on-field leadership from its more senior players is one thing, but that same side with 7 (and even as high as 12 previously) of its best players missing has to find the going even more difficult!

 

[proka123]

Our 2nd quarters seem to be our best quarters of the year yet we've only one 4 out of a possible 12 of them.

 

[Grandmaster_B]

I can explain the 3rd quarter implosion on the weekend.


Cameron Bruce gave the players a speech at halftime.


How inspirational would that be?

 

[The Great Gabsby]

Our 2nd quarters seem to be our best quarters of the year yet we've only one 4 out of a possible 12 of them.

I think the best way to analyse this data is to actually look at the percentages rather than the win loss ratio because we can be right in the game and be outscored by 1 point in the quarter and it would tally as a loss.

So 76.7% is probably close to our best if you take into account that 95% in the last is skewed from the game being already over on a lot of occasions.

Also confirms the ludicrous 3rd quarters - 45% basically means our opponents on average are scoring slighty over twice as many points as we are.

 

[Amarula]

I've figured out the trend after noticing it since a while back

Q1-Sloppy, have chances but look bad, however the score board doesn't look all to terrible at th end

Q2-Win, win, win...dare i say it we look like a Finals side

Q3-Just terrible, we've got to warm up before it!

Q4-Competetive but mostly too late

I think what happens is that our good second quarters show up just enough of our game to the opposition coaching squad so that they suss out how our game works, and over half-time they work out how to counter it. So we find the things that worked in the second quarter don't work any more, the other side gets a couple of easy goals, and everybody panics & we flood the backline. This makes it impossible to get back until 3/4 time, when DB etc change the game plan and the last quarter is good again.

I don't think the problem is that there isn't a game plan, but that the game plan we have is a bit one-dimensional. And once it's countered, the team collectively loses confidence, and can't work out what adjustments to make until DB et al sort it out at the next break.

Earlier in the season nobody took us so seriously to try to figure out the game plan, and we snuck up on a number of very good sides. But now other sides are taking us more seriously and starting to analyse what we do that makes us look so dangerous at times. It's like we're being collctively tagged as a team.

With a bit more confidence and experience and astute coaching, we'll be able to know what to do when this happens, meaning we'll be much more dangerous over four quarters. And we'll develop game plans B, C, D, E, F & G to go with our game plan A, so that we won't be so predictable and easy to unpick. And this is one reason I think we're really not too far away.

 

[Colin Grigson]

I don't think the problem is that there isn't a game plan, but that the game plan we have is a bit one-dimensional. And once it's countered, the team collectively loses confidence, and can't work out what adjustments to make until DB et al sort it out at the next break.

yeah, the one-dimensional aspect is common to teams with inferior players. Its like in soccer, Arsenal play a highly technical free-wheeling style of football, whereas a side like Hull City will play a style of football less reliant on technical ability and will look to pass longer & more direct.

I guess the better players you have at your disposal the more flexibility you can have in your tactical approach.

Our problem at the moment is we're a bit like Hull City - forced into playing a one-dimensional brand of football until some of these kids like Blease, Strauss, & Bennell get games into them, and only then can we dictate to the opposition more with quality ball usage and decision making...

 

[Crimson Azure]

What I see as the issue is the half time break, during this time the players cool down & mentally lose some focus. A lot of the players that go missing in the 3rd quarter are the younger players.

We start 3rd quarters with a much lower intensity then the 1st & 2nd. The reason we are better in the 1st is the fact that players are building towards the start of the game so are working themselves up to first the bounce. In the 2nd we have built up to a higher level of intensity & can match it or even shadow opposition a little in this quarter.

Then comes the 3rd quarter, after a 20 minute break & a quarter of high intensity activity (2nd) the team seems to go back to a 1st quarter level of intensity but with the fatigue that has set in they are unable to execute their game plan at the same level & thus the destruction/implosion begins.

Moving into the fourth quarter they – although being fatigued, are able to muster up a similar level of intensity to the 2nd after being back in the game for 30 minutes. This along with a the fact that the game is usually over by this point helps our cause.

I could be just talking complete crap but this is what I have observed.

 

[cannons]

yeah, the one-dimensional aspect is common to teams with inferior players. Its like in soccer, Arsenal play a highly technical free-wheeling style of football, whereas a side like Hull City will play a style of football less reliant on technical ability and will look to pass longer & more direct.

I guess the better players you have at your disposal the more flexibility you can have in your tactical approach.

Our problem at the moment is we're a bit like Hull City - forced into playing a one-dimensional brand of football until some of these kids like Blease, Strauss, & Bennell get games into them, and only then can we dictate to the opposition more with quality ball usage and decision making...

I like the way you have framed the issue, it is highly applicable to our situation. Good job

I think that, from certain games this year, there has been some evidence of us trying to play that more adventurous style of game, however our skills have not been effective enough to really succeed with that approach. I'm hoping that we do attempt to implement that sort of game even if we struggle, as there is nothing to be gained from Hull-esque tactics. We won't be relegated, we won't lose any TV rights from the relegation etc. Instead, our players will have a firmer understanding of what the final goal is in terms of our football, and there will be something in place that can be worked towards. If we lose, so be it, we can get some good picks and build from there.

 

[Colin Grigson]

I'm hoping that we do attempt to implement that sort of game even if we struggle, as there is nothing to be gained from Hull-esque tactics. We won't be relegated, we won't lose any TV rights from the relegation etc.

I'm not looking forward to the looming relegation battle between Us, West Coast, Tigers & Freo TBH..

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Certainly looking forward to watching those games though - since we've improved substantially from last year, and we've done pretty well against all 3 of those sides lately...

 

[Colin Grigson]

Certainly looking forward to watching those games though - since we've improved substantially from last year, and we've done pretty well against all 3 of those sides lately...

The run home isn't exactly the most daunting one i've ever seen...

I'll go berserk if we win 5 games though. 7 would be a nice sign of progression. 3 or 4 would get us a priority.

But 5? That would just be a nightmare....

 

[cannons]

The run home isn't exactly the most daunting one i've ever seen...

I'll go berserk if we win 5 games though. 7 would be a nice sign of progression. 3 or 4 would get us a priority.

But 5? That would just be a nightmare....

True, 5 wins would be a horrific result.