Sounds similar to Port 2011/12, change coach - then semi final.
What wasn’t similar was the commitment the players made to each other. It happened in the 2006 off season for Geelong. It happened this preseason for Port.
The fact that we are top five in 4 out of the 5 premiership statistics according to Champion Data without guys like Dixon, Wines and Hartlett making a meaningful contribution to the year should give people cause for optimism.
Good observation and post.Footy in 2019 is very different to footy in 2014. A lot of clubs make mistakes by trying to copy last year’s premier, or even the premier of two or three years ago. Ken’s passion for defensive forwards seems like an attempt to copy Richmond’s 2017 side.
There’s no point in playing 2017 footy (let alone 2014 footy) with our side, because we don’t have a 2017 (or 2014) side.
The best sides in 2019 so far - Geelong & Collingwood - play very differently to Richmond. Note, for instance, that neither of them are that great with clearances or contested ball, but this makes them no less effective.
The premiership coach in each of the past few years seems to have found a game plan that’s different to how they’ve played previously, but which suits their team’s strengths and weaknesses perfectly. The middle teams seem to try to copy one of the recent premiers, but the game has moved past them.
And yes, it helps to have a full list.