What is our game plan?

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TiAn_

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 19, 2006
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Putting the structure aside, the big problems so far this year have been getting absolutely creamed in the contest around the ground and the inability to prevent scores once the opposition goes inside 50. They’re related. It's easy to just lay it at the feet of our midfield, but our half backs and Hunter are all well down on CPs across the first two games compared to last year's averages, and with the way we press up and bring our half backs into the midfield contest and rely on them and our wingmen to halve contests to prevent easy transitions, we can't afford to have 4-5 players in those roles all down on their impact at contested ball. How much is mental and how much is strategy, I don’t know.

Happy that at least Bev acknowledged this issue in his presser, so hopefully we tighten up this week and bring a bit more heat/thought to our approach those contests.

“Ultimately what happened last week is we let some ball through contests that they kicked to too easily, it got through and they just saw an open forward line.”

“I’ll back our boys in, they’ll do a better job if they get pressure on the ball… it wasn’t necessarily the midfield it was those balls that were kicked to contests and they won them and they got through… we halve or win more of those defensive longer balls and it’ll help out key defenders out enormously.”
 

Libba39

Norm Smith Medallist
Mar 10, 2008
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I stopped reading after you wrote this:

"our top end talent is hands down the best in the league or at least very very close."

Is it really?

I would say that Richmond, Melbourne and Brisbane have more top end talent. We have a gun midfield, Naughton, then mostly a bunch of foot-soldiers.

No brownlow or coleman medalist, No AA full back, and one of the worst ruck combinations in the league.

But you go ahead and keep downing those shots of bathwater....as many Dogs fans do.

Trust in the process.
 
I stopped reading after you wrote this:

"our top end talent is hands down the best in the league or at least very very close."

Is it really?

I would say that Richmond, Melbourne and Brisbane have more top end talent. We have a gun midfield, Naughton, then mostly a bunch of foot-soldiers.

No brownlow or coleman medalist, No AA full back, and one of the worst ruck combinations in the league.

But you go ahead and keep downing those shots of bathwater....as many Dogs fans do.

Trust in the process.
Agreed. Some really weird claims about how good our list is on here.

Our list is basically on the level of a perennial contender (ie top 4), we're not really close to being a perennial grand finalist (such as Melbourne now, Hawks/Geelong/Richmond in the recent past). The way people go on sometimes it's as if we're throwing away the best list ever put together if we don't win 3 premierships. Admittedly, that's hyperbole, but it's not too far off.
 

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I also don't get the claim the Bev never adjusts or is too stubborn. He has changed things and adjusted within pretty much every season he's coached.

He has changed a lot of things by continually playing players out of position.
 
Sep 22, 2008
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I'd love to know the structure/instructions regarding our manning the mark philosophy. In my mind it completely contradicts the whole team press philosophy that has been an absolute no negotiable under Beveridge.

Basically you have Harry Mckay all game leading up to the wing. Keath follows him, conceeds the mark then retreats the 5m leaving him in absolute no mans land. Too far away to push Mckay back on the mark (giving time for the zone defence to push back), but hes too close in that he can't impact the next contest 30 - 50m down the line.

If we are going to continue with this retreat off the mark plan, we are better off going full Melbourne in which they often don't even bother following the forward target up field. That allows May to sit back 50m from the mark and basically do what the **** he wants down the line, forcing opposition teams to switch, or chip and get nowhere.

Lets be honest though, this retreat off the mark plan is bs, go back to the full press up the ground and outnumber and cut off attacks by defending aggressively. Not this half in half out bull s**t.
It’s ridiculous, the thing that makes it even more ridiculous is the fact that umpires call the mark at least 5m further already - as the player runs up to defend and then trots back 5m they’re literally allowing probably 10 + m of extra territory every time
 
Sep 22, 2008
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I stopped reading after you wrote this:

"our top end talent is hands down the best in the league or at least very very close."

Is it really?

I would say that Richmond, Melbourne and Brisbane have more top end talent. We have a gun midfield, Naughton, then mostly a bunch of foot-soldiers.

No brownlow or coleman medalist, No AA full back, and one of the worst ruck combinations in the league.

But you go ahead and keep downing those shots of bathwater....as many Dogs fans do.

Trust in the process.
I guess ports midfield is better because Wines won a Brownlow and Bont hasn’t then - what a ridiculous argument.

Our top end talent includes a midfield that revolves around the best player in the game, supported by Macrae, Dunkley and Libba with pace/burst added through Baz and Treloar, a gun wingman in Hunter; 2x 50 goal key forwards with quite possibly the best current key forward in the game by end of the year. 2 of the best half backs in the game, gun FB, brilliant medium defenders over the past few years. 2nd/ruck forward probably in the top handful in the game.

Yes we’ve got holes like a 2nd key defender, 1st ruck but those holes are there because we’ve neglected those positions, which proves my point even further.

Melbourne and Richmond have plenty of spuds running around playing a role like Castagna/NealBullen etc as everyone does. Our top end is quite easily comparable.
 

Libba39

Norm Smith Medallist
Mar 10, 2008
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I guess ports midfield is better because Wines won a Brownlow and Bont hasn’t then - what a ridiculous argument.

Our top end talent includes a midfield that revolves around the best player in the game, supported by Macrae, Dunkley and Libba with pace/burst added through Baz and Treloar, a gun wingman in Hunter; 2x 50 goal key forwards with quite possibly the best current key forward in the game by end of the year. 2 of the best half backs in the game, gun FB, brilliant medium defenders over the past few years. 2nd/ruck forward probably in the top handful in the game.

Yes we’ve got holes like a 2nd key defender, 1st ruck but those holes are there because we’ve neglected those positions, which proves my point even further.

Melbourne and Richmond have plenty of spuds running around playing a role like Castagna/NealBullen etc as everyone does. Our top end is quite easily comparable.

That wasn't my argument at all. Do not think Port has a better list than us just because of Wines winning a brownlow.

Just saying that people on here have a massive tendancy to overrate our list, especially in the Bevo era. If you look at Richmond they have 2 Brownlow medalists and a triple-coleman medalist on their list, as well as Grimes being a perennial AA backline player when fit, not to mention 3 flags to back it up.

Bevo took an average list in 2016 and won a flag, and took perhaps a slightly better, but still not top 4 list, in 2021 and made a grand final. This is why I put my faith in him.
 
Sep 22, 2008
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That wasn't my argument at all. Do not think Port has a better list than us just because of Wines winning a brownlow.

Just saying that people on here have a massive tendancy to overrate our list, especially in the Bevo era. If you look at Richmond they have 2 Brownlow medalists and a triple-coleman medalist on their list, as well as Grimes being a perennial AA backline player when fit, not to mention 3 flags to back it up.

Bevo took an average list in 2016 and won a flag, and took perhaps a slightly better, but still not top 4 list, in 2021 and made a grand final. This is why I put my faith in him.
One of those Brownlow medalists has never hit the standards our 2nd midfielder in Macrae produces anyway so why is the fact he’s won a Brownlow medal relevant? Whose the next 3 players in line in that midfield? How do they compare to ours?

We have multiple AA defenders.

Richmond is a good example to prove my point tbh, they’re definitely not the most talented list not by a mile yet they’ve over performed due to their structure & gameplan - one soldier out another one in doesn’t matter. Our list is easily comparable in talent to theirs yet they’ve won three flags we’ve won one and floated around doing * all since
 
Just bring intensity.
Whatever their game plan is (any club, not just ours) they will lose if there is little pressure, focus, hard running and repeat efforts.

Bring all of those and you have a great chance, whatever your "game plan" is. How often have we been able to predict the course of a match just by watching the first 10-12 minutes? That's about how long you need to work out the players' mindset. I'd say about 90% of the time.
 

D Mitchell

Premiership Player
Jul 28, 2006
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Contested ball dominance, a fundamental in 2015 - 16, returned last night. In the first 2 games, it looked like the fundamental was precision kicking. When Wallis misses from 30 metres, forget about precision kicking. A tall forward cum ruckman (that's how Bev treats him) dominating 'round the ground; Sydney defenders marking everything that came into the forward line above shoulder height; a freekick magnet in the forward line; Franklin restricted to a couple of magic moments, beaten by a journeyman defender; a healthy free kick ratio. A reminder of the Grand Final.
 

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