Strategy 2024 game plan

[Ford Fairlane]

This piece by Cal Twomey about centre square tactics is worth a look.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1110954...the-organised-chaos-of-a-centre-bounce-battle

Sydney trio Isaac Heeney

5

Isaac Heeney

Age

28

Ht

185cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.7

5star

M

4.9

5star

T

4.1

5star

CL

2.2

4star

D

14.3

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

5.5

3star

M

4.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

0.8

3star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.8

3star

, James Rowbottom

8

James Rowbottom

Age

23

Ht

186cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.0

4star

K

8.1

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

2.2

2star

T

4.3

5star

CL

2.0

4star

D

14.6

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.6

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

3.4

4star

CL

2.5

4star

D

14.4

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.6

5star

CL

1.2

4star

and Chad Warner

1

Chad Warner

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

2star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

4star

CL

0.0

1star

are rated the equal-best centre bounce combination in terms of clearance differential this season, but Port Adelaide's Connor Rozee

1

Connor Rozee

Age

24

Ht

185cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.6

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.0

4star

M

3.3

3star

T

3.6

5star

CL

1.0

3star

D

12.8

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

5.3

3star

M

2.9

3star

T

2.4

3star

CL

1.6

4star

D

16.4

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

8.4

5star

M

4.2

4star

T

3.4

5star

CL

0.8

3star

, Zak Butters

9

Zak Butters

Age

23

Ht

181cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.3

4star

K

7.7

3star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.8

3star

D

14.7

4star

K

8.9

4star

HB

5.9

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.1

3star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

and Willem Drew

28

Willem Drew

Age

25

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.9

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

8.7

5star

M

2.2

2star

T

5.6

5star

CL

2.3

4star

No current season stats available

D

18.0

5star

K

9.2

4star

HB

8.8

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

4.2

5star

CL

2.8

5star

rank first for most points scored from centre bounces this year when they are a combination. Port Adelaide is the best centre bounce scoring side so far this season, while Fremantle is the best centre bounce clearance side.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

I've been of the opinion but I haven't stated it here that centre bounce midfields should almost be like lines on a ice hockey team.

 

[Jimmy Unchained]

Half-way through the year and it looks like more of the same.

Ball in hand
Aggressive Ball Movement, High corridor usage.

Indicative Stats:
16th in Disposals per Game
2nd in Kick to Handball ratio

Resulting Stats:
1st in Scoring from Kick-ins
7th in Scoring from Defensive Half
1st in Marks Inside 50 (5th in Mi50 differential)
"Clearly the best kicking team in the competition" - Daniel Hoyne

Without the Ball
High pressure, front half press

Indicative Stats:
3rd in tackles
1st in least Opponent Marks Per Game
14th in Opponent Rebound 50s per Game
"Best pressure team in the competition" - Daniel Hoyne

Ball is in Contest
Invest numbers at stoppage, burst out of clearance

Resulting Stats:
3rd in Clearance Differential
6th in Centre Clearance Differential
4th in Scores from stoppage

What it costs/Downsides

1) Leaky once ball gets through our front half
- 6th most points conceded per i50 against

2) Poor Accuracy in front of goal due to fatigue from frenetic pressure game and crowded i50:
- minus 7.33 on expected score differential per game (-10 if you exclude that Essendon game)

3) Average to poor transition and i50 game:

• 8th for Points per i50
• Port Adelaide are the worst team on the deck/outside stoppage in the competition - Daniel Hoyne
• 10th for scores from Turnover

We are 3rd for least players used, we have been lucky enough with injuries to properly implement the game style the coaches want. I think we have maxed out this game style and teams who have better i50 strategy and score better through turnover like Sydney, Carlton and GWS are going to smash us when it matters.

 

[Dazalinko1988]

Sack hinkley

 

[Peninsula Boy]

We haven't really seen a game where Rozee, Butters and the Hornet tear the opposition a new one.

The Hornet has definitely been playing at AA level so it will be good to see after the break whether we can humiliate a few midfields.

 

[The Hobo]

Ball is in Contest
Invest numbers at stoppage, burst out of clearance

I noticed particularly in the Carlton game, where it looked like we had the clearance, and the team burst forward. Carlton would win the post clearance - either by somehow getting a hand in to stop a pass, or some other mechanism. Either way, suddenly all our players are ahead of the ball, and Carlton have an easy rebound. Nobody at the contest is goalside as cover.

 

[The Hobo]

We haven't really seen a game where Rozee, Butters and the Hornet tear the opposition a new one.

The Hornet has definitely been playing at AA level so it will be good to see after the break whether we can humiliate a few midfields.

Which means nothing unless it's against a good midfield.

We saw the three of them absolutely demolish the Essendon midfield earlier in the season. Was beautiful to watch, but Essendon were pretty horrid that day and lacked any sort of defensive work in the middle.

 

[QPower]

Tredders and Ginever were talking about overhauling elements of the game plan during the bye if we are to improve.

Once you abandon (or need to abandon due to failure) what you trained all summer and try and change elements of the way you play in season, you’re not going to succeed.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

Which means nothing unless it's against a good midfield.

We saw the three of them absolutely demolish the Essendon midfield earlier in the season. Was beautiful to watch, but Essendon were pretty horrid that day and lacked any sort of defensive work in the middle.

We need some consistent a$$ whipping from the Three Amigos to get it going.

 

[The Hobo]

Tredders and Ginever were talking about overhauling elements of the game plan during the bye if we are to improve.

Once you abandon (or need to abandon due to failure) what you trained all summer and try and change elements of the way you play in season, you’re not going to succeed.

Rubbish, game plans get tweaked throughout the season all the time. You'd struggle to find a premiership team in the past that hasn't made some form of change.

It's the stubborn coaches that refuse to change anything that end up struggling.

 

[PowerBaz]

I've always said Kenny sets his agenda in the summer, hardly deviates.

 

[Enviable Tradition]

I've always said Kenny sets his agenda in the summer, hardly deviates.

It's more like the assistants convince Kenny to change in the off season and we have a better game plan for the first 4-5 weeks.

Then Ken finds a way to undermine the changes and they revert to form.

 

[Wargreymon90]

The “high press” has always been a shit game plan. Clogs the forward line and makes us easy to score against going the other way.

Even conceptually it’s stupid. “Locking it in” requires us to either miss or turn it over. It’s a loser mindset from the outset.

 

[RossFC]

The “high press” has always been a shit game plan. Clogs the forward line and makes us easy to score against going the other way.

Even conceptually it’s stupid. “Locking it in” requires us to either miss or turn it over. It’s a loser mindset from the outset.

I noticed when the other teams have kick ins, we still given them a crap load of space to get out. Despite having a high press in other situations.

Our talls on the forward flanks when the oppo kick long sometimes are not even there to contest.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

The “high press” has always been a shit game plan. Clogs the forward line and makes us easy to score against going the other way.

Even conceptually it’s stupid. “Locking it in” requires us to either miss or turn it over. It’s a loser mindset from the outset.

It's borderline insane.

It is the antithesis of modern footy and footy in general.

And then to have it for so many years consistently fail and not been held accountable and no other assistant coaches criticise it [perhaps not] and then the players not criticise it [I understand that but there comes a time] and then the board to continually approve it [I like my title] and then the Chairman thinking all of this is good to go [Hindenburg disaster].

There is nothing wrong in having a great big laugh about all of this just because it is so batshit crazy.

 

[The Hobo]

The “high press” has always been a shit game plan. Clogs the forward line and makes us easy to score against going the other way.

Even conceptually it’s stupid. “Locking it in” requires us to either miss or turn it over. It’s a loser mindset from the outset.

I don't mind the high press as a mechanism to winning the ball back. But then we overcommit and leave ourselves open for a counter.