Analysis What is the problem: Strategy or players?

[jackcass]

Hard to tell when you’re relying on tv coverage to garner a sense of what’s happening around the ground but I think a bit of both with the majority of it on the players.

 

[Aussie pie]

One word “Buckley”

 

[Roverjg]

In 2018 Buckley and his assistants, including Longmuir tellingly, completely changed the way we played. It was all about deep forwards with speed and class. DeGoey was magnificent and Stephenson a revelation - 86 goals between them. But it was also the forward pressure and inside 50 tackles. I'm sure
we had a good f50 to goal ratio too, but can't find find that stat.

We placed the opposition under enormous pressure. We fell short by 3 minutes. Arguably a consistent key forward would have got us over the line. That and a defence not depleted at the crucial time. Another key was we moved the ball forward super fast. In 2019 the acquisition of Tom Lynch would have, almost certainly have landed us the flag. We continued to play well, even with more injuries.

Nathan Buckley hasn't suddenly forgotten how to coach. Longmuir was a big loss, but when a team starts losing it's almost always due to personnel and form. De Goey, Howe, Sidebottom and Pendlebury are impossible to replace. We still don't have that key forward and are rudderless because of it. We've tried Cameron with little success, but Reid would give us two marking targets. He must be tried in my opinion. WHE remains hopelessly out of form and this is magnified when Elliott and Stevo are also out of sorts. But, there have been some absolutely mystifying selection blunders this year as well. Why Mason Cox was selected on a wet night against Essendon is still a mystery. Why Ben Reid wasn't included last week is equally puzzling.

We're not locking the ball into our forward line now and we're not moving the ball quickly. We don't move the ball quickly because of our forward line deficiencies; no reliable targets are seen, so we go sideways and back. A reliable forward would straighten us up. It's Reid or Cox and we need to decide quickly.

This year our I50 to goal ratio is 19.9 (equal 4th last). This is lowest year ever since such records began 24 years ago. Our 2nd worst year was last year? so is it game plan or players? St.K have the best I50 to goal ratio at 28.2 (27 more goals with 14 less I50's than us). In 2018 our I50 to goal ratio was 24.2

Our best year for I50 to Goal ratio was 29.7 in 2006. We had a wonderful spread of goal kickers: Rocca 55; Didak 41; Tarrant 36; Buckley 26; Davis 23; Swan 19; Fraser 16; Holland 15; Licuria 14; Egan 14

 

[daicos mark 2]

Bucks has said from the start of the year he believes in a squad mentality. This was way before covid struct. now I have no issue in rotating players when we are playing 4 games in 13 days. It simply has to happen.

However he has got selection wrong time and time again throughout his career. Against Freo he dropped roughead lager claiming that he was managed. Now it was simply the wrong decision and most likely cost us the game as.

This made no sense as freo game we had a 7 day break.

He seems adamant in putting a new player in every week. Even rotating the emergencies. He did this with ATU who was a shock selection and now how done this with Ruscoe. Now I hope the kid has a ripper game but when your sitting 10th you don’t mess around too much. Especially this week. The game against crows we can roll the dice on rotating players.

I just hope his methods of playing most of the squad don’t comeback to haunt us like he did against Freo

And if you want to rotate players through playing Grundy and no second ruck is a sure way to run Grundy into the ground over the next few weeks. He should be be playing Cameron Reid & Grundy as mihochek can be a useful mid tall.

I long for the day when Bucks finally gets selection right. But I hold little hope as in 9 years he has struggled to get it anywhere near right on a constant basis

 

[jathanas]

Solid article that offers an insight into our stoppage strategy.

The art of the AFL stoppage and how it's shaped the Pies' results

It may look like disorganised chaos, but there's a certain art to the AFL stoppage. Collingwood sat first for stoppage clearance differential when they made the grand final, now they're last. We analyse how what happens in the contest, can affect the game.

www.abc.net.au

 

[List Choker]

Put simply it's the lack of pace in the mid-field,the mid-fielders cant keep up with their opponents when they get the ball on the outside and go into attack and cant get seperation from them when attacking, hence the possession at all cost game plan and forcing as many stoppages as possible to try and limit the opposition run.This lack of pace is most evident at centre bounces when they often look flat footed.One other thing the absence of a top line ruck coach is putting a handbrake on Grundy becoming one of the all time great ruckmen

 

[stormskye]

1. We overuse the ball by hand refuse to kick long- game plan, we are no 1 for possessions.
2. lack of forward targets to kick to probably contributes to slow overuse by hand
3. Structure-gameplan, push up far to high, and our forward structure is stuffed atm. It’s hard to see on tv and not live but it’s evident.

4. Where do we get 10 goals from? with degoey out, we seriously lack any capability to kick over 10 goals, especially with Elliot playing midfield more.

brown, whe, daicos, atu, Cameron, Cox, Elliot playing mid, Stevo, checkers, Varcoe, Thomas. That’s our forward mix we’ve been running/playing, where can
You find 10 goals? I can’t.

Checkers is the ONLY player in our team to reach double digit goals... that is a huge issue...

our midfield/clearance/stoppage issues are well known

 

[Big Bryza]

You believe in our gameplan?

Also do you like watching us? separate question but kinda important from a spectator sport.

Even in our wins this year I have not really enjoyed our brand of footy.

This.

Other than the Bulldogs and Saints first halves, I haven't enjoyed watching us at all this season.

 

[chop_me]

Handpass, handpass backwards, handpass, more handpass, fumble, kick into a flooded defence.

Great plan.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[stormskye]

Did someone say handball?

 

[Finn Jim]

Did you all hear Daicos after the game? "Usually we do try to center it, but in the moment though, just kinda sensed the moment and thank god it went through"

That's a problem. Players hesitant to fire for goal because it 'must' go through. Players looking for the give because they are worried about backing themselves. That's not good; I'm glad Daicos forgot that bs and fired on goal.