We are in the eight by the proverbial bee's member... just a mere 3 weeks after seemingly being in a fight with Sydney for a top 4 spot. How did it all go wrong, so quickly? Did we get ahead of ourselves? Why do we lose so many games we should win? It's not natural.
I think we have been figured out. Tight, in close, our speed, we can beat anybody. Fast, out wide, 'modern' football, we suck arse. So why do we think we need more inside, dour midfielders, when this seems to be our strength? This is how we win games we are not supposed to with our pressure and tackling.
What exactly is our problem? I believe it is this: we respond to a challenge well, but we do not set down a challenge well on the field. The memo is out on us, we have been found out. What will we do if we are playing a top side? Chase, tackle, pressure, attack the ball and ball carrier ferociously and try to keep it off them and score at the other end. Let them get the ball and then take it off them. If we are the favourites? The same thing.
This became bleedingly obvious to everybody throughout this season, hence why teams developed strategies to negate us doing this, and teams like Carlton, Essendon and the Kangaroos proved it worked. ie. we can't tackle you if we can't catch you. Then better teams higher up start doing the same thing and whooska, the whole world caves in and we need to 'rebuild', we need Jonathan Brown and Daniel Kerr post haste, we need to gut our list and start all over again. Personally, I don't think so, I don't think it is so much a personnel problem as a tactical problem. And I am firmly of belief in the old adage, 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush'.
So, working with what we have, what do we need to do?
Starting 18:
B: Lockyer O'Brien Johnson
HB: Clarke Brown H. Shaw
C: R. Shaw Pendlebury L. Davis
HF: Thomas Cloke Didak
F: Medhurst Rusling Dawes
Foll: Fraser, Swan, McCarthy
Inter: Wood, Reid, Wellingham, Maxwell
Depth: Goldsack, Barham, Dick, Anthony, Cook, Cox, Stanley, Egan, Iles, Thoolen, Toovey, Macaffer
There is a large amount of flexibility in this line-up, a lot of players could make way for others but this is how I'll go for explanation purposes.
On the last line, we have a relatively inexperienced but a good, honest tryer with a nice size in Harry O'Brien at FB. We know he will give his all on this opponent and he has some talent, he is good enough to be a permanent FB. I have experience surrounding him in Lockyer and Johnson, not world beaters but good, solid reliable players who might lack a yard or so in pace but can stand up for themselves. If we find they are struggling on quicker opponents, we have Goldsack or Anthony to put in.
At half back, we have our developing man mountain himself in Nathan Brown. He has shown a heap this year and looks to be a great find and a 10 year KP back. Beautiful. Surrounding him is where a speed injection starts, but more a stamina speed than outright blinding. A slow build up of torque out of the backline with the run and carry of Martin Clarke and Heath Shaw. This is where we load our guns. 3 very talented players, one a powerhouse, and on his flanks two extremely talented cool heads with good skills and decision making.
Moving forward to the centre, we start to get serious. On one wing, we have some real zip, nominally one R. Shaw but feel free to exchange him for Barham, Egan or Wellingham if that is more your cup of tea. In the middle is the superstar smooth operator in Scott Pendlebury weaving his way through heavy traffic like he is invisible, all the time in the world to sum up his options and deliver it lace out to our best positioned forward. Leon Davis providing the zip and marvellous footskills on the other side.
This is where we start to load up, this is where the engines start firing, this is where we start to get really serious, this is where our skills and speed are coming from. The engine room, the grunt, the power.
Also residing in the middle we have Josh Fraser filling out the ruck duties, a genuine rarity, a ruckman just as good on the ground as he is in the air... we have the ball magnet himself in Dane Swan on the bottom of the pack searching desperately to rocket out a handball to squarming bolts of electricity streaming past the pack, and a very talented youngster who loves nothing more than to get down and dirty on the bottom of the pack in young John McCarthy filling out the rover position. Fraser is supported by Cameron Wood when a bit more finesse is needed in the tap work or Fraser needs a breather. This is the basis of the ignition, these guys get it started, they pick up the key and put it in, they get us the ball first.
Speedsters lurk waiting for the ball and once we get it, watch out. Why? Because now we move to the forward line. At half forward, oh dear, how are you going to stop this? The mercurial Dale Thomas, the human highlight reel, in the middle the vice like grip and strength and running capacity, the glue, the big imposing target of Travis Cloke, further to his right the equally mercurial Alan Didak. Didak and Thomas you never know what your going to get, all you know is it's going to be great. With Cloke, you do know, but you can't stop it. He's going to rip down any ball that comes his way and with Thomas and Didak to his left and right to feed it off to, I do not want to be the opposition.
Looking further forward, it doesn't get easier, we have the sprinter in Sean Rusling racing at the speed of light on the lead, no full back in the league can keep up with his pace, and fear not if he leaves the goalsquare unattended, as another young colossus in Chris Dawes will capably fill it up, brute strength coupled with great skills and that's a hard package to counter when it is your 3rd tall forward. It's not finished, rounding it off down there just when you thought you really had your hands full, I introduce Paul Medhurst. That's right, Paul Medhurst. What you going to do now?
The interchange bench is chock full of more than capable spare parts, Wood is there itching to use his palms with finesse, provide some oil to engine room. Ben Reid is ready to run amok in the forward line, providing height, speed and athleticism. A truly versatile modern forward with all the physical tools, throw him in to really send the opposition coach's box into a spin. The silky smooth Sharrod Wellingham is waiting in the wings, another piston ready to fire in the midfield, this kid is all class. And rounding it out the jack of all trades in the backline, Nick Maxwell is ready to do whatever is needed down back and put his body on the line, a handy size and big heart, you know he will do his best and frustrate the opposition.
Pretty impressive unit? I think so too. But what about the rest of the league? I don't give a shit, I'd like to see them try to match us. We will show them how it's done, on our terms. Try to match up with us, I dare them.
We are going to do it our way now! And noone's going to stop it.
Comments?
I think we have been figured out. Tight, in close, our speed, we can beat anybody. Fast, out wide, 'modern' football, we suck arse. So why do we think we need more inside, dour midfielders, when this seems to be our strength? This is how we win games we are not supposed to with our pressure and tackling.
What exactly is our problem? I believe it is this: we respond to a challenge well, but we do not set down a challenge well on the field. The memo is out on us, we have been found out. What will we do if we are playing a top side? Chase, tackle, pressure, attack the ball and ball carrier ferociously and try to keep it off them and score at the other end. Let them get the ball and then take it off them. If we are the favourites? The same thing.
This became bleedingly obvious to everybody throughout this season, hence why teams developed strategies to negate us doing this, and teams like Carlton, Essendon and the Kangaroos proved it worked. ie. we can't tackle you if we can't catch you. Then better teams higher up start doing the same thing and whooska, the whole world caves in and we need to 'rebuild', we need Jonathan Brown and Daniel Kerr post haste, we need to gut our list and start all over again. Personally, I don't think so, I don't think it is so much a personnel problem as a tactical problem. And I am firmly of belief in the old adage, 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush'.
So, working with what we have, what do we need to do?
- Our game plan needs to change from being reactive, to proactive. A reactive game plan is dependent on the opposition doing as you hope they will do. If they don't, eg. use Bryce Gibbs to run Heath Shaw away from the ball, then we need to react again and too often we don't. The best current sides like Geelong and Hawthorn are proactive, they lay down the gauntlet and back themselves, they say immediately 'catch us if you can', and more often than not their opposition can't. Their game plan is not dependent on anybody else, therefore they are consistently good. Not just sometimes when things fall their way, like us.
- We need to rejig our set-up, promote some youth and get some more speed and skills into our side. The powerful sides nowadays look a lot sharper, quick and more potent than we do. Fresh legs is the only way we can try to match that.
- Play to our strengths, not react to theirs. We have a lot of tall forwards, we have really good small forwards. That's our trump card. Play it.
- Get the ball into our forward more often than they do. Again, game plan and set up of personnel.
Starting 18:
B: Lockyer O'Brien Johnson
HB: Clarke Brown H. Shaw
C: R. Shaw Pendlebury L. Davis
HF: Thomas Cloke Didak
F: Medhurst Rusling Dawes
Foll: Fraser, Swan, McCarthy
Inter: Wood, Reid, Wellingham, Maxwell
Depth: Goldsack, Barham, Dick, Anthony, Cook, Cox, Stanley, Egan, Iles, Thoolen, Toovey, Macaffer
There is a large amount of flexibility in this line-up, a lot of players could make way for others but this is how I'll go for explanation purposes.
On the last line, we have a relatively inexperienced but a good, honest tryer with a nice size in Harry O'Brien at FB. We know he will give his all on this opponent and he has some talent, he is good enough to be a permanent FB. I have experience surrounding him in Lockyer and Johnson, not world beaters but good, solid reliable players who might lack a yard or so in pace but can stand up for themselves. If we find they are struggling on quicker opponents, we have Goldsack or Anthony to put in.
At half back, we have our developing man mountain himself in Nathan Brown. He has shown a heap this year and looks to be a great find and a 10 year KP back. Beautiful. Surrounding him is where a speed injection starts, but more a stamina speed than outright blinding. A slow build up of torque out of the backline with the run and carry of Martin Clarke and Heath Shaw. This is where we load our guns. 3 very talented players, one a powerhouse, and on his flanks two extremely talented cool heads with good skills and decision making.
Moving forward to the centre, we start to get serious. On one wing, we have some real zip, nominally one R. Shaw but feel free to exchange him for Barham, Egan or Wellingham if that is more your cup of tea. In the middle is the superstar smooth operator in Scott Pendlebury weaving his way through heavy traffic like he is invisible, all the time in the world to sum up his options and deliver it lace out to our best positioned forward. Leon Davis providing the zip and marvellous footskills on the other side.
This is where we start to load up, this is where the engines start firing, this is where we start to get really serious, this is where our skills and speed are coming from. The engine room, the grunt, the power.
Also residing in the middle we have Josh Fraser filling out the ruck duties, a genuine rarity, a ruckman just as good on the ground as he is in the air... we have the ball magnet himself in Dane Swan on the bottom of the pack searching desperately to rocket out a handball to squarming bolts of electricity streaming past the pack, and a very talented youngster who loves nothing more than to get down and dirty on the bottom of the pack in young John McCarthy filling out the rover position. Fraser is supported by Cameron Wood when a bit more finesse is needed in the tap work or Fraser needs a breather. This is the basis of the ignition, these guys get it started, they pick up the key and put it in, they get us the ball first.
Speedsters lurk waiting for the ball and once we get it, watch out. Why? Because now we move to the forward line. At half forward, oh dear, how are you going to stop this? The mercurial Dale Thomas, the human highlight reel, in the middle the vice like grip and strength and running capacity, the glue, the big imposing target of Travis Cloke, further to his right the equally mercurial Alan Didak. Didak and Thomas you never know what your going to get, all you know is it's going to be great. With Cloke, you do know, but you can't stop it. He's going to rip down any ball that comes his way and with Thomas and Didak to his left and right to feed it off to, I do not want to be the opposition.
Looking further forward, it doesn't get easier, we have the sprinter in Sean Rusling racing at the speed of light on the lead, no full back in the league can keep up with his pace, and fear not if he leaves the goalsquare unattended, as another young colossus in Chris Dawes will capably fill it up, brute strength coupled with great skills and that's a hard package to counter when it is your 3rd tall forward. It's not finished, rounding it off down there just when you thought you really had your hands full, I introduce Paul Medhurst. That's right, Paul Medhurst. What you going to do now?
The interchange bench is chock full of more than capable spare parts, Wood is there itching to use his palms with finesse, provide some oil to engine room. Ben Reid is ready to run amok in the forward line, providing height, speed and athleticism. A truly versatile modern forward with all the physical tools, throw him in to really send the opposition coach's box into a spin. The silky smooth Sharrod Wellingham is waiting in the wings, another piston ready to fire in the midfield, this kid is all class. And rounding it out the jack of all trades in the backline, Nick Maxwell is ready to do whatever is needed down back and put his body on the line, a handy size and big heart, you know he will do his best and frustrate the opposition.
Pretty impressive unit? I think so too. But what about the rest of the league? I don't give a shit, I'd like to see them try to match us. We will show them how it's done, on our terms. Try to match up with us, I dare them.
We are going to do it our way now! And noone's going to stop it.
Comments?
