Strategy 2016 Tacs Trailer

[Peck]

Today I'm going to start talking practical and not theory for a change. Let's do an analysis of the Richmond game - there was a lot to like, but there were also a lot of mistakes made.

1st Quarter

Mistake One - Brad Ebert/Paul Stewart/Cameron O'Shea/Matthew Broadbent aka "He who hesitates, masturbates."

This is actually a whole number of little mistakes, but since they are the same one (hesitation) I've lumped them all in together. Firstly, Brad Ebert could have easily faked the handball and switched back to a leading Darcy Byrne-Jones in the center of the ground had he not been so focused on going down the wing. Secondly, why did he delay the handball to Stewart so long that the only possible disposal Stewart could make to O'Shea was another handball - if he had given off a lot earlier and applied the shepherd on his man Stewart could have also cut inboard to Byrne-Jones.

But that's not the worst bit - the worst bit is Cameron O'Shea not giving to the free player down the line - who was free because his opponent had come down to cover O'Shea, and Matthew Broadbent not providing pressure on that player but instead moving to a position to receive the handball.

This play is indicative of what has been going wrong so far this season.

What the hell is the point of that camera angle change as O'Shea gets the ball??

It looks to me like he freaked out because everyone had moved since he last looked, which shows he wasn't prepared enough mentally to receive the ball. He should have kicked the ball to Darcy Byrne-Jones who was completely open, or handballed to Broadbent who he could see. It shows how important it is to pressure the ball carrier though, if Deledio was a second or two slower to run to O'Shea - a common mistake IMO - then O'Shea would easily have had enough time to decide. Also the bump on Paul Stewart is key as he could have helped out, either by yelling at O'Shea to kick to DBJ, or by running up and supporting.

A pretty interesting passage I reckon, but far out that camera angle is as useful as a wet sock.

 

[bluemoon86]

Watched through the Richmond game centre square bounces last night. Could definately see some changes from the Adelaide game. We setup like we actually accepted the fact that we wouldn't win many hitouts to advantage, and even though Richmond got more clearances in the end, alot of them were just quick kicks out of the centre with no method. Robbie Gray back and firing in this area would have helped square the ledger, but I still think we can do better with the personnel we do have available.

 

[Janus]

"You told me, using any tactic that works, never to limit myself to one style. To keep an open mind!" - Bloodsport



Fluidity of style is the corner stone of any successful competitive endeavor. Structure is rigid and inflexible - it solidifies into archetypes that which should be adaptable. Bruce Lee bemoaned the rigidity of the existing martial arts, calling it a 'fancy mess'. And while structure has it's place in giving a framework by which to build around, the strongest and oldest 'structures' on the planet are not buildings, but trees that are thousands of years old. A tree does not resist change...it adapts and grows around it. It does not concern itself with it's structure per se, but it does put down a solid foundation from which it can grow - multiple roots, digging into the earth, each important but not critical, so that if one root is destroyed the tree can still survive.

In Australian Rules football, these archetypes are listed as positions. As the game has evolved, those positions have become more fluid - full forward and center-half forward have become key forwards. Players running through the wing or on ball have been labeled midfielders. But even this level of adaptability is not enough to survive, for as soon as you make something solid, it instantly becomes breakable. It becomes a war of attrition - which side has the least amount of injuries to key personnel.

People have looked at our strategy as it has evolved and said 'Oh, we've gone back to run and gun' or 'We're creating a wall' at certain points of the game. The truth of the matter is - it's all those things and none of them. As I've said, our strategy is optional zonal marking. That means - it's up to each individual player to decide how best they should serve the side. Our rigidity in the first few rounds came from players that were still learning exactly what this meant, limited in part by players that were focused on 'beating their man' then actually becoming flexible and becoming whatever is required to get the job done. In Hebrew, the tetragrammaton - the four letters that constitute the name of god - literally translate into 'to cause to become'. So in essence, flexibility is 'divine' in that it is natural and a living entity, and like any living entity our tactics can adapt and adjust according to the situation.

Does this mean there is no order in the style that we want to play? Not at all. Consider our game plan to be fractal based. It begins with individual players and extends into defensive setups and then finally team setups. Each replicating the same key aspects of what it means to play Port Adelaide football - hard, strong, tough, brave, committed - but there is no defined roles. That's where the modern game is headed - an evolution of Total Football, which is about players with defined roles being able to cover for other players as needed. No, Fractal Football - or as I like to call it, Jeet Ken Do - is about no fixed positions. No defined roles. Everyone fights, no one quits. There is no such thing as defenders, for they are all defenders. There is no such thing as forwards, for they are all forwards. Midfielders? You guessed it - everyone is a midfielder too. The only difference is where on the ground a player finds himself. Travis Boak finds himself in the last line of the press? Congratulations, he just became a defender. Jackson Trengove has pushed into the forward line? He's now a forward.

It's from this flexibility that counter-attacks can be mounted instantaneously from virtually nothing. Instead of having to worry about feeding the ball through a rigid structure, Jeet Ken Do spirals outward from the position of the ball, creating run and spread but also creating an airtight defense, because not everyone spreads toward goal when creating options for the ball carrier. The opposition can not cover every single option because it requires the same level of adaptability and the right sort of players - specifically, the inbetween players that are maligned as flankers. Not a midfielder, not a key position player...but a hybrid between the two. Yes, that unique blend of speed and endurance.



Fear and wonder...a powerful combination.

 

[Lagooner]

"You told me, using any tactic that works, never to limit myself to one style. To keep an open mind!" - Bloodsport



Fluidity of style is the corner stone of any successful competitive endeavor. Structure is rigid and inflexible - it solidifies into archetypes that which should be adaptable. Bruce Lee bemoaned the rigidity of the existing martial arts, calling it a 'fancy mess'. And while structure has it's place in giving a framework by which to build around, the strongest and oldest 'structures' on the planet are not buildings, but trees that are thousands of years old. A tree does not resist change...it adapts and grows around it. It does not concern itself with it's structure per se, but it does put down a solid foundation from which it can grow - multiple roots, digging into the earth, each important but not critical, so that if one root is destroyed the tree can still survive.

In Australian Rules football, these archetypes are listed as positions. As the game has evolved, those positions have become more fluid - full forward and center-half forward have become key forwards. Players running through the wing or on ball have been labeled midfielders. But even this level of adaptability is not enough to survive, for as soon as you make something solid, it instantly becomes breakable. It becomes a war of attrition - which side has the least amount of injuries to key personnel.

People have looked at our strategy as it has evolved and said 'Oh, we've gone back to run and gun' or 'We're creating a wall' at certain points of the game. The truth of the matter is - it's all those things and none of them. As I've said, our strategy is optional zonal marking. That means - it's up to each individual player to decide how best they should serve the side. Our rigidity in the first few rounds came from players that were still learning exactly what this meant, limited in part by players that were focused on 'beating their man' then actually becoming flexible and becoming whatever is required to get the job done. In Hebrew, the tetragrammaton - the four letters that constitute the name of god - literally translate into 'to cause to become'. So in essence, flexibility is 'divine' in that it is natural and a living entity, and like any living entity our tactics can adapt and adjust according to the situation.

Does this mean there is no order in the style that we want to play? Not at all. Consider our game plan to be fractal based. It begins with individual players and extends into defensive setups and then finally team setups. Each replicating the same key aspects of what it means to play Port Adelaide football - hard, strong, tough, brave, committed - but there is no defined roles. That's where the modern game is headed - an evolution of Total Football, which is about players with defined roles being able to cover for other players as needed. No, Fractal Football - or as I like to call it, Jeet Ken Do - is about no fixed positions. No defined roles. Everyone fights, no one quits. There is no such thing as defenders, for they are all defenders. There is no such thing as forwards, for they are all forwards. Midfielders? You guessed it - everyone is a midfielder too. The only difference is where on the ground a player finds himself. Travis Boak finds himself in the last line of the press? Congratulations, he just became a defender. Jackson Trengove has pushed into the forward line? He's now a forward.

It's from this flexibility that counter-attacks can be mounted instantaneously from virtually nothing. Instead of having to worry about feeding the ball through a rigid structure, Jeet Ken Do spirals outward from the position of the ball, creating run and spread but also creating an airtight defense, because not everyone spreads toward goal when creating options for the ball carrier. The opposition can not cover every single option because it requires the same level of adaptability and the right sort of players - specifically, the inbetween players that are maligned as flankers. Not a midfielder, not a key position player...but a hybrid between the two. Yes, that unique blend of speed and endurance.



Fear and wonder...a powerful combination.

Great post.

This idea is the next level that will keep a team ahead of the competition.

A constantly evolving algorithm, impossible to predict or crack. Once the opposition thinks they've figured you out you've already changed the problem/situation and they have to start all over again.

 

[bluemoon86]

Dunno if its worth analysing the clearances in too much detail this week. Smashed em, but alot of it was Trengove doin the ruck gather and clear on his own lol.

 

[OneGreatClub]

I

"You told me, using any tactic that works, never to limit myself to one style. To keep an open mind!" - Bloodsport



Fluidity of style is the corner stone of any successful competitive endeavor. Structure is rigid and inflexible - it solidifies into archetypes that which should be adaptable. Bruce Lee bemoaned the rigidity of the existing martial arts, calling it a 'fancy mess'. And while structure has it's place in giving a framework by which to build around, the strongest and oldest 'structures' on the planet are not buildings, but trees that are thousands of years old. A tree does not resist change...it adapts and grows around it. It does not concern itself with it's structure per se, but it does put down a solid foundation from which it can grow - multiple roots, digging into the earth, each important but not critical, so that if one root is destroyed the tree can still survive.

In Australian Rules football, these archetypes are listed as positions. As the game has evolved, those positions have become more fluid - full forward and center-half forward have become key forwards. Players running through the wing or on ball have been labeled midfielders. But even this level of adaptability is not enough to survive, for as soon as you make something solid, it instantly becomes breakable. It becomes a war of attrition - which side has the least amount of injuries to key personnel.

People have looked at our strategy as it has evolved and said 'Oh, we've gone back to run and gun' or 'We're creating a wall' at certain points of the game. The truth of the matter is - it's all those things and none of them. As I've said, our strategy is optional zonal marking. That means - it's up to each individual player to decide how best they should serve the side. Our rigidity in the first few rounds came from players that were still learning exactly what this meant, limited in part by players that were focused on 'beating their man' then actually becoming flexible and becoming whatever is required to get the job done. In Hebrew, the tetragrammaton - the four letters that constitute the name of god - literally translate into 'to cause to become'. So in essence, flexibility is 'divine' in that it is natural and a living entity, and like any living entity our tactics can adapt and adjust according to the situation.

Does this mean there is no order in the style that we want to play? Not at all. Consider our game plan to be fractal based. It begins with individual players and extends into defensive setups and then finally team setups. Each replicating the same key aspects of what it means to play Port Adelaide football - hard, strong, tough, brave, committed - but there is no defined roles. That's where the modern game is headed - an evolution of Total Football, which is about players with defined roles being able to cover for other players as needed. No, Fractal Football - or as I like to call it, Jeet Ken Do - is about no fixed positions. No defined roles. Everyone fights, no one quits. There is no such thing as defenders, for they are all defenders. There is no such thing as forwards, for they are all forwards. Midfielders? You guessed it - everyone is a midfielder too. The only difference is where on the ground a player finds himself. Travis Boak finds himself in the last line of the press? Congratulations, he just became a defender. Jackson Trengove has pushed into the forward line? He's now a forward.

It's from this flexibility that counter-attacks can be mounted instantaneously from virtually nothing. Instead of having to worry about feeding the ball through a rigid structure, Jeet Ken Do spirals outward from the position of the ball, creating run and spread but also creating an airtight defense, because not everyone spreads toward goal when creating options for the ball carrier. The opposition can not cover every single option because it requires the same level of adaptability and the right sort of players - specifically, the inbetween players that are maligned as flankers. Not a midfielder, not a key position player...but a hybrid between the two. Yes, that unique blend of speed and endurance.



Fear and wonder...a powerful combination.

This is one of my very very favourite posts. I love this. I have read it so many times. I feel there is something to it and it could explain our poor games early in the year. The players gaining confidence, learning their roles but learning to be fluid and adapt and that they must change within the game. That's a lot of learning with all the disruptions to the first 22. Thank god for the flankers You need some smart footballers and for everyone to be team player for this to function. Many in the team are still learning their craft. DBJ and Pittard seem very smart indeed. I am enjoying Dixon's game immensely and more and more with each game. I wanted him left in the forward fifty but he is everywhere, doing his role wherever he finds himself. Still a very tough year ahead and who knows how we'll go but if our first and second tier players can adapt and grow I can't wait for the next few years. Ken and his coaches have shown faith in the players and were rewarded yesterday. It was only Brisbane, but we learned last year that no team is to be taken lightly. Thanks for your work Janus and your thoughtful posts. They have sustained me through some difficult weeks.

 

[Janus]

I'm just glad you're now starting to see what I've seen from the very beginning. It will take time to perfect it, and as we add back the missing pieces you'll see more complex variations - but we're now at least in the race because the players have all bought in and are playing their roles. True mastery comes not from being able to do everything, but from being able to do one thing well. And in this team...that's to defend.

The saying "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" is true not because one aspect is more important than another, but because a great defense can and will lead to superior offense due to catching opponents out of position. Unexpected moves are hard to counter, which is why our structure - or lack there of - is focused on fluidity and adaptability, creating turnovers in advanced positions where possible.

But it takes self-belief. The players have bought in. Now the fans have to.

 

[Jello_B]

I'm just glad you're now starting to see what I've seen from the very beginning. It will take time to perfect it, and as we add back the missing pieces you'll see more complex variations - but we're now at least in the race because the players have all bought in and are playing their roles. True mastery comes not from being able to do everything, but from being able to do one thing well. And in this team...that's to defend.

The saying "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" is true not because one aspect is more important than another, but because a great defense can and will lead to superior offense due to catching opponents out of position. Unexpected moves are hard to counter, which is why our structure - or lack there of - is focused on fluidity and adaptability, creating turnovers in advanced positions where possible.

But it takes self-belief. The players have bought in. Now the fans have to.

How have the heat maps looked in the last couple of games?
Also, do you think that the heat map analysis will be skewed forward if you are winning (ie you are forward more often) than losing? Cheers and genuinely interested.

 

[OneGreatClub]

How have the heat maps looked in the last couple of games?
Also, do you think that the heat map analysis will be skewed forward if you are winning (ie you are forward more often) than losing? Cheers and genuinely interested.

Looking side on at the oval on Sunday one could see that in Q 1 every player seemed to be in Brisbane's half for the whole quarter and all I could keep thinking was oh boy this heat map is looking shit.

 

[Jello_B]

Looking side on at the oval on Sunday one could see that in Q 1 every player seemed to be in Brisbane's half for the whole quarter and all I could keep thinking was oh boy this heat map is looking shit.

The flood seemed on at that point of the game no doubt, but you couldn't have the whole game in your front half. Keen to see the map for the entire game. Still not sure if it is hot in your front half because you are beating the other team.

 

[Janus]

The flood seemed on at that point of the game no doubt, but you couldn't have the whole game in your front half. Keen to see the map for the entire game. Still not sure if it is hot in your front half because you are beating the other team.

 

[R_Gray_Jnr_Jnr]

View attachment 245543

Forgive my ignorance but what do these heat maps mean?

What are the blue dots and what is the significance of the red and yellow area on the map?

 

[Jello_B]

View attachment 245543

Thanks Janus, so based on your previous analysis this would mean we have a better balance of counter press and getting back for team defence?

 

[Macca19]

Forgive my ignorance but what do these heat maps mean?

What are the blue dots and what is the significance of the red and yellow area on the map?

The blue dots signify the spot on the ground where a disposal took place. The heat part of it just signifies what part of the ground we are winning the most possessions.

 

[OneGreatClub]

View attachment 245543

So this is the map for the entire game? Then as the players were in Brisbane's forward half for most of the first quarter I am guessing the last 3 quarters were in ours, hence evening out the map? This is a good heat map?? Or am I still totally lost?

 

[Janus]

The blue dots signify the spot on the ground where a disposal took place. The heat part of it just signifies what part of the ground we are winning the most possessions.

The first part is right - not sure about the second part though. I originally thought it was like that too. But look at the third quarter:



If that was the case you'd think the heat map would be pushing toward the centre of the ground where there's that whole cluster of disposals, or even equally down both wings, but it's not. I'm pretty sure it's not just disposals, but disposals that lead to score involvements that the heat map tracks.

 

[OneGreatClub]

Talking of heat maps
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...n/news-story/b5434dc8cac96ec48fbed85ddbeafe98

 

[Macca19]

Not sure. There is 24 disposals in and around that red zone compared to 8 in that centre cluster.

If you were to look at our heat map from Q4 against Hawthorn early last year then the whole defensive 50 would be red.

 

[OneGreatClub]

I think the penny has dropped. I thought the red part meant where we got most of our possessions, but it actually means effective possessions?

 

[Janus]

Not sure. There is 24 disposals in and around that red zone compared to 8 in that centre cluster.

I'm more referring to the faded red portion that pushes toward the wing

Here's the second quarter for comparison:



Now, there are 19 possesions in the centre square but they chose to focus the hot spot on the 20 on the right half forward flank. It's gotta be more than just where most possesions are.

 

[Macca19]

Maybe look up Richmonds 4th Quarter against us when they only scored 0.1, or Essendons 3rd quarter when they scored the same.

 

[Janus]

Maybe look up Richmonds 4th Quarter against us when they only scored 0.1, or Essendons 3rd quarter when they scored the same.

Hmmm - well it's not scoring involvements then. But it's not possessions either. It has to be where most of the play is being directed. I know CD tracks ball movement data.

 

[bluemoon86]

I always thought heat maps represent player movements/locations ie. the red zones are where players have spent most of their time. Just because a player gets a posession or another event happens in a certain location, doesn't mean thats where that player spent most of their time.

Look at individual players heat maps like this and it might help find your answer as it will be more simplified than a whole team heat map. I'm assuming these are available seeing as this site posts individual player heat maps.

http://dtlive.com.au/afl/heatmaps.php

Find a heat map for a individual player like a defender or a forward who doesn't get many posessions in a particular game and see what shows up.

 

[Macca19]

I'll see if I can get an answer from someone I know that works for CD

 

[Janus]

I always thought heat maps represent player movements/locations ie. the red zones are where players have spent most of their time. Just because a player gets a posession or another event happens in a certain location, doesn't mean thats where that player spent most of their time.

Look at individual players heat maps like this and it might help find your answer as it will be more simplified than a whole team heat map. I'm assuming these are available seeing as this site posts individual player heat maps.

http://dtlive.com.au/afl/heatmaps.php

Find a heat map for a individual player like a defender or a forward who doesn't get many posessions in a particular game and see what shows up.