Strategy 2014 game plan improvements

[Partridge]

you sound like a bitter individual mate, you really need to lighten up from time to time.
The team did better than you predicted halfway through the year so am surprised by all the negativity you constantly post about them.

Just intolerant of bullshit. Especially for those who make personal attacks because someone disagrees with them. It was a simple question posed, I answered it. Others are welcome to answer to as far as I can tell. What were your negatives from the finals?

Tell you what, let's not look for ways to improve. Or look at things they might have occasionally gotten wrong. Or acknowledge that certain players can be guns in one position but not as well suited elsewhere (like Bartel in defence). Best not to do that. Because really we were just unlucky last year, and after all a Prelim Final finish is good enough.

 

[vinum coupe]

it may have been a last minute decision because Guthrie missed the week before against Brisbane and then was named as the emergency in the 1st final, can't remember why he missed round 23 though?

Neither can I.
Quad strain or something.

 

[vinum coupe]

certainly and it's your opinion and all but you seem to have a bleak outlook on things, well, on most occasions it appears that way when I read your posts.

Just saying, team did pretty good...I sense you hate any excuses such as player injury and fair enough but I think we did well without the impact of key rucks or our champion defender. Just seems as though the footy gods were not on our side this year.

It was a good year Bobby.

Footy gods weren't on our side and neither was the match committee.
And having said that, we just dont know what they were thinking / hoping for.

I still say they'll be a far more even team this year. I dont reckon they'll leak centre clearances like last year.

 

[Partridge]

certainly and it's your opinion and all but you seem to have a bleak outlook on things, well, on most occasions it appears that way when I read your posts.

Just saying, team did pretty good...I sense you hate any excuses such as player injury and fair enough but I think we did well without the impact of key rucks or our champion defender. Just seems as though the footy gods were not on our side this year.

Trust me, I'm positively optimistic compared to 10 years ago on here.

Regarding the injuries, in some cases I blame the selectors as much or more than the players themselves. For instance with Blicavs' wrist, if the club knew he had a break there (and they must have, we didn't until after we'd been knocked out), why the hell did they play him? Much like Hawkins for Walker you can't take an injured player in and it puts unfair expectations on that player.

It's been mentioned as well that Guthrie being an emergency for the Qualifying Final was almost our biggest selection blunder for the year. Narrowly avoided, and almost unthinkable now.

 

[Partridge]

it may have been a last minute decision because Guthrie missed the week before against Brisbane and then was named as the emergency in the 1st final, can't remember why he missed round 23 though?

Was he a late withdrawal for the Brisbane game?

 

[BIGANT]

Thanks for the feedback fellow fans, yeah the discussion is based on the negatives and positives only on our final series.
Our regular season was pretty much what we expected i thought, tho to only lose those minimal losses w the players we lost was some what surprising.

What can we take from the finals campaign thru those negatives n positives already noted and put toward what we may gauge from the pre season now ?

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[geelong_crazy26]

Thanks for the feedback fellow fans, yeah the discussion is based on the negatives and positives only on our final series.
Our regular season was pretty much what we expected i thought, tho to only lose those minimal losses w the players we lost was some what surprising.

What can we take from the finals campaign thru those negatives n positives already noted and put toward what we may gauge from the pre season now ?

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i think probably the biggest weakness we had that got found out was that we put too many players around the contests. what eventually happened is that teams began changing how they spread against us, they began spreading earlier in anticipation to cut through our in tight congested press around the contests

once teams broke through our initial congestion and pressure circle of players with early spreading and anticipation to cut through it, they could easily transition the ball on the outer. i think it was widely figured out in the second half of the season if you break through geelongs ring of pressure, that you could easily run and carry the ball forward in large groups. hawthorn figured this out and used it against us in the final. just think back to the prelim, how many occasions do you remember hawthorn running the ball forward and spotting a lose midfielder 30-50m out by himself streaming forward? that is how it happened, because we had the majority of our players in too close at the contests pressuring, and as a result we had less players on the outside to stop spreads

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

I remember being extremely pissed off in the later half of the season that in far too many games there seemed to be an awful lot of unmanned Geelong opponents. I thought it was because we were just too goddamned complacent - didn't think at the time of the other teams playing off our tight congestion strategy.

Good post, GC_26

 

[geelong_crazy26]

I remember being extremely pissed off in the later half of the season that in far too many games there seemed to be an awful lot of unmanned Geelong opponents. I thought it was because we were just too goddamned complacent - didn't think at the time of the other teams playing off our tight congestion strategy.

Good post, GC_26

goes hand in hand with what somebody in another thread said nigel lappin said, that geelong prided themselves on being the side that gets more numbers around the ball than any other club, and that they actually got figured out a bit for doing it this year, and also that they are trying to figure out how to implementing it again in 2014 without the same issues. i think its a great concept having more numbers around the contest, as long as we can fix up our defensive work on the outsides as well, then it should be something they continue with. it really seems a C scott thing as we have been doing it since 11

i think collingwood were the first to do it, then others worked it out as well. the amount of times i can recall opposition having multiple midfielders streaming forward for an easy uncontested mark across the 50m area just made me want to tear my hair out. we were absolutely brilliant at creating turn overs around the contests and within a small radius of the contest, but once teams broke through that initial pressure circle( easier said than done thought), then we really were very average at getting the ball back off opposition, probably one of the worst in the AFL

i even remember GWS doing it to us in that embarrassing first quarter up in sydney

 

[geelong_crazy26]

i think another thing that was happening earlier on in the season was that before teams figured out how to spread and move the ball in the correct manner to beat our ring of pressure around the contest, is that they would get worn down and eventually buckle from all the pressure put on and in the end we would run over the top of them

but once sides began figuring out how to move the ball through the congestion of pressure we had in close at the contests, then we all of a sudden had all of these players in very close congestion having to try and catch all of these opposition players spread out several yards ahead of them on the go. what it did was tire our players out towards the end of games, which is why 4 of the 6 games we lost this season we gave up 3qtr time leads to get rolled in the final term.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

It's plausible. More than that, it sounds right. Makes Plans B on through even more vital to team success.

 

[AM]

GEELONG'S Taylor Hunt is set to spend more time in the backline this year as he strives to rebuild his confidence after a disappointing end to last season.

Chuffed to read this. Still remember how effective he was defensively and the breakaway run he gave us from the back half before he did his knee on the 'G'

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-02-04/hunt-heads-back-to-make-amends

 

[Partridge]

It's plausible. More than that, it sounds right. Makes Plans B on through even more vital to team success.

But there's also the possibility it doesn't solely rely on planning at all.

There can be more mundane explanations - sometimes players aren't in the right spot, sometimes players are tired and can't get there in time, sometimes they're injured and shouldn't be out there, and sometimes they just aren't good enough. It's dangerous to think a gameplan and only a gameplan makes the difference. As with most things in modern footy I suspect it's one component out of dozens.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Damn it, a G.F.C agnostic! "It could be anything" says Partridge. It's definitely possible, I'll give you that. Maybe

 

[BIGANT]

Given retirements/delistings of more champions from our golden era; pity that era wasn't bookended with a flag either of the last two yrs.
Putting aside favorites w in the list, wouldn't or isn't time for our class of 2010 afl ND to start to fill the void and start a new chapter of success.
Smedts, Guthrie, George & Schroeder i would love to see two of but all 4 make giant steps to show we have something more than just potential.


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[Partridge]

Given retirements/delistings of more champions from our golden era; pity that era wasn't bookended with a flag either of the last two yrs.
Putting aside favorites w in the list, wouldn't or isn't time for our class of 2010 afl ND to start to fill the void and start a new chapter of success.
Smedts, Guthrie, George & Schroeder i would love to see two of but all 4 make giant steps to show we have something more than just potential.

Quite honestly we could see double that amount take a step forward this year.

 

[El Dubya]

Given retirements/delistings of more champions from our golden era; pity that era wasn't bookended with a flag either of the last two yrs.
Putting aside favorites w in the list, wouldn't or isn't time for our class of 2010 afl ND to start to fill the void and start a new chapter of success.
Smedts, Guthrie, George & Schroeder i would love to see two of but all 4 make giant steps to show we have something more than just potential.


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Guthrie has already taken a giant step and is really living up to his potential. I wouldn't put it past him to take another giant step though, he's such a gun and so highly rated as a listener and learner. I'd love for him to be our next captain.

 

[BIGANT]

Yeah agree totally on Guthrie...imagine if he makes giant steps now until the peak of this abilities.
For now though really looking to where he takes his game this season.
On the others, through there performances and promises we've seen to date, i think they've been stereotyped as one trick ponies. Now if they can improve on there games through experience given in 2014, i think that will be a big plus to the teams success this yr.

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[Partridge]

Yeah agree totally on Guthrie...imagine if he makes giant steps now until the peak of this abilities.
For now though really looking to where he takes his game this season.
On the others, through there performances and promises we've seen to date, i think they've been stereotyped as one trick ponies. Now if they can improve on there games through experience given in 2014, i think that will be a big plus to the teams success this yr.

Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall were one trick ponies too. Pretty decent tricks they had as I recall.

People seem to be getting carried away about versatility. It's like pace was 12 months ago. Yes it's all very nice, but I'd rather a player who was great in one position instead of being moderate in many of them. Not to mention the stereotyping is entirely contained to this board. As much as we think we know, we really know nothing about what's going on at the club or how they're perceived internally.

 

[dazbroncos]

Tony Lockett and Jason Dunstall were one trick ponies too. Pretty decent tricks they had as I recall.

People seem to be getting carried away about versatility. It's like pace was 12 months ago. Yes it's all very nice, but I'd rather a player who was great in one position instead of being moderate in many of them. Not to mention the stereotyping is entirely contained to this board. As much as we think we know, we really know nothing about what's going on at the club or how they're perceived internally.

I would be more than happy for Kersten to be a one trick 45 goal kicking 3rd KPF pony…

Go Catters

 

[El Dubya]

I would be more than happy for Kersten to be a one trick 45 goal kicking 3rd KPF pony…

Go Catters

Not if it means the midfielders are run off their legs because they can't have a rest up forward. I absolutely think versatility is important for a midfielder, with limited interchanges you need to be able to rest forward or back, even Selwood, one of the best pure midfielders in the game, spent time resting forward last year.
Unless you're a key position player you need to add a string to your bow, otherwise you'll struggle to get games. Stokes and Selwood did it amazingly last year, and I hope our other players are following their example.

 

[Partridge]

Not if it means the midfielders are run off their legs because they can't have a rest up forward. I absolutely think versatility is important for a midfielder, with limited interchanges you need to be able to rest forward or back, even Selwood, one of the best pure midfielders in the game, spent time resting forward last year.
Unless you're a key position player you need to add a string to your bow, otherwise you'll struggle to get games. Stokes and Selwood did it amazingly last year, and I hope our other players are following their example.

Not sure I follow. Are you saying you can't have Kersten in the side - or any third tall forward - because it denies a midfielder a rest down there (not that it's much of a rest these days)?

 

[Whit3y]

As much as we think we know, we really know nothing about what's going on at the club or how they're perceived internally.

but we do know what happens out on the field on gameday, and to me thats the most important part of all.

 

[BIGANT]

There are going to be certain players w in the fwd line that are going to play specific roles, all of ya ff chf and one or your fwd pockets n flankers are going to play that stationery roles the rest i think will be used through rotations

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[Partridge]

but we do know what happens out on the field on gameday, and to me thats the most important part of all.

Totally agree. Tricky part is trying to guess who will be better, who isn't as good, and who deserves spots 17-22 in the team.