Coach Alastair Clarkson IV - HFC Racism Investigation Discussion

[Samsquanch]

That's still my biggest question regarding last season. Just being a s**t head coach shouldn't have led to us having literally nothing that resembled a gameplan.

Agreed but I reckon a few of us were posting within the first few weeks of 2021 that there was no sign of a cohesive game plan - some called it out (correctly) during the escort cup matches.

No system. North players were just ball chasing. We had some of the young blokes taking it upon themselves to create structures. No wonder we had players who had lost faith in the coach.

 

[Del191229]

Oh we had a gameplan, it was just reliant on AARON HALL to be the transition lynchpin.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Agreed but I reckon a few of us were posting within the first few weeks of 2021 that there was no sign of a cohesive game plan - some called it out (correctly) during the escort cup matches.

No system. North players were just ball chasing. We had some of the young blokes taking it upon themselves to create structures. No wonder we had players who had lost faith in the coach.

When players are unable to carry out a game plan, it appears that there is no game plan. That's especially the case when players start to panic and stray from the game plan when the opposition gets on top as it's natural to try to protect your own game.

 

[Samsquanch]

When players are unable to carry out a game plan, it appears that there is no game plan. That's especially the case when players start to panic and stray from the game plan when the opposition gets on top as it's natural to try to protect your own game.

No doubt however I am still firm in the opinion that the Noble game plan was unsuited to the players and that it was unsuccessful from game one until the last he coached.

If the personnel on the field couldn't carry it off then that is still on the coach.

 

[zoomba23]

Oh we had a gameplan, it was just reliant on AARON HALL to be the transition lynchpin.

To be perfectly fair, he did a reasonable job of it. It was only towards the end of this year that his mistakes really started to hurt. In my eyes he's still best 22 and should get one of the wing spots, but others probably won't see it that way

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

No doubt however I am still firm in the opinion that the Noble game plan was unsuited to the players and that it was unsuccessful from game one until the last he coached.

If the personnel on the field couldn't carry it off then that is still on the coach.

Absolutely, yes. But I thought we had something reasonable brewing in the second half of 2021 under Noble. Our skills weren't up to the task, but that style of taking on the 45 kicks to pick apart zones was really exciting. Until we inevitably missed an ambitious target and got cut open on the rebound. But there was something there. It was a game plan that Shaw introduced in 2020 and it was just starting to show signs.

When we began 2022 with something completely different, I really didn't understand why. As has been discussed previously, it takes at least two years to bed in a game plan, and we should have continued with the one that was starting to work. The new style seemed to involve a lot of handball to players in worse positions. Or run with the ball until you've got no-one left ahead of you to kick to. But maybe someone with a better list can make that game plan successful.

 

[Themanbun]

To be perfectly fair, he did a reasonable job of it. It was only towards the end of this year that his mistakes really started to hurt. In my eyes he's still best 22 and should get one of the wing spots, but others probably won't see it that way

The problem wasn't the person transitioning it from the back half, it was the abysmal structure ahead of the ball. We could've had prime Shaun Burgoyne back there and it wouldn't have worked.

 

[Psicosis]

I don’t blame Hall at all. He did an excellent job at picking up a role he had never previously played. The game plan of d50 transition should not have revolved purely around him. Averaging 35+ touches is just ridiculous. He should be getting it 20 times with an even spread across other medium/small defenders.

I expect Hall to play half back in 2023 & be much more effective in a more balanced system.

 

[Nutjob]

Clarko could be a huge success like Barassi, Parkin, Walls, Malthouse all were at their second coaching stop.

It’s been mentioned earlier, he’s no dill. He’s not taking the job on if he thinks there’s no hope.

Lethal went ok second time around


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[Woolly Mammoth]

Lethal went ok second time around


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Ditto Allan Jeans

 

[astrovic]

You'd reckon there was a game where junk time would set in, the oppo would ease off to get ready for a bigger fish, and we'd chip off a few cheapies to smooth off some of the rough edges of a tough day.

Nup.

And there was only 4 where it was even competitive.

It's like they put the cue in the rack and spent the next hour watching us hit balls around the table randomly without potting a single one.

 

[Del191229]

To be perfectly fair, he did a reasonable job of it. It was only towards the end of this year that his mistakes really started to hurt. In my eyes he's still best 22 and should get one of the wing spots, but others probably won't see it that way

Yes, that's why the gameplan looked so good.

 

[Mixed Results]

The gameplan from 2021 was different to 2022 as others have pointed out.

The 2021 style suited Hall perfectly. Get the ball, try and move it as quickly forward as you can, and use the middle whenever possible. His kicking was hit-and-miss, but he was genuinely an elite player over the second half of that season.

For 2022, Noble emphasized shorter and more conservative ball movement. Player positioning was a lot more congested too, so those short kicks had to be a lot more precise. It wasn't 2021 where you could bang it long and get it close enough to someone that they'd run onto it. Any skill error went straight to the opposition for the most part, and given Noble had us living in our back half it usually meant an opposition score. The back half flooding also meant that we almost never had one on ones forward of the ball either, so Hall's long kicking would usually go to an outnumbered contest.

The scary part about Noble and 2022, was that there was a clear and understandable gameplan. The positioning and general pattern of chip kick, chip kick, chip kick, turnover persisted all year before the Collingwood game. Player movement was robotic and predictable to both fans and the opposition who carved us up week after week.

2022 may have been the worst coached year that any side has ever had. Considering his unlikeable personality, self-sabotaging gameplan, and inability to connect with the players, just bringing in an average coach to replace Noble would improve us by at least 4 wins.

 

[amaz199]

The gameplan from 2021 was different to 2022 as others have pointed out.

The 2021 style suited Hall perfectly. Get the ball, try and move it as quickly forward as you can, and use the middle whenever possible. His kicking was hit-and-miss, but he was genuinely an elite player over the second half of that season.

For 2022, Noble emphasized shorter and more conservative ball movement. Player positioning was a lot more congested too, so those short kicks had to be a lot more precise. It wasn't 2021 where you could bang it long and get it close enough to someone that they'd run onto it. Any skill error went straight to the opposition for the most part, and given Noble had us living in our back half it usually meant an opposition score. The back half flooding also meant that we almost never had one on ones forward of the ball either, so Hall's long kicking would usually go to an outnumbered contest.

The scary part about Noble and 2022, was that there was a clear and understandable gameplan. The positioning and general pattern of chip kick, chip kick, chip kick, turnover persisted all year before the Collingwood game. Player movement was robotic and predictable to both fans and the opposition who carved us up week after week.

2022 may have been the worst coached year that any side has ever had. Considering his unlikeable personality, self-sabotaging gameplan, and inability to connect with the players, just bringing in an average coach to replace Noble would improve us by at least 4 wins.

I would go as far as saying Brad Scott would've done better too.

Noble's coaching reminded me of the state/local league tactics. It was just very bland and ugly. I am not sure what happened after 2021 but 2022 completely reversed the progress made in 2021.

Kicking a decent score proved to be very challenging as we just kept making it harder for ourselves to score.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

The gameplan from 2021 was different to 2022 as others have pointed out.

The 2021 style suited Hall perfectly. Get the ball, try and move it as quickly forward as you can, and use the middle whenever possible. His kicking was hit-and-miss, but he was genuinely an elite player over the second half of that season.

For 2022, Noble emphasized shorter and more conservative ball movement. Player positioning was a lot more congested too, so those short kicks had to be a lot more precise. It wasn't 2021 where you could bang it long and get it close enough to someone that they'd run onto it. Any skill error went straight to the opposition for the most part, and given Noble had us living in our back half it usually meant an opposition score. The back half flooding also meant that we almost never had one on ones forward of the ball either, so Hall's long kicking would usually go to an outnumbered contest.

The scary part about Noble and 2022, was that there was a clear and understandable gameplan. The positioning and general pattern of chip kick, chip kick, chip kick, turnover persisted all year before the Collingwood game. Player movement was robotic and predictable to both fans and the opposition who carved us up week after week.

2022 may have been the worst coached year that any side has ever had. Considering his unlikeable personality, self-sabotaging gameplan, and inability to connect with the players, just bringing in an average coach to replace Noble would improve us by at least 4 wins.

I would go as far as saying Brad Scott would've done better too.

Noble's coaching reminded me of the state/local league tactics. It was just very bland and ugly. I am not sure what happened after 2021 but 2022 completely reversed the progress made in 2021.

Kicking a decent score proved to be very challenging as we just kept making it harder for ourselves to score.

In fairness to Noble, several players improved under his tutelage whereas Brad Scott had effectively written them off. Ben McKay, LDU and Nick Larkey would be at another club or on the scrapheap if Scott was still with us.

 

[Le Grille]

I will stand on the theory that the gameplan eventually got proven as inadequate but first and foremost the run and fitness was barely masters level let alone afl level

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

I will stand on the theory that the gameplan eventually got proven as inadequate but first and foremost the run and fitness was barely masters level let alone afl level

Spot on and this fitness deficiency was highlighted by a game plan that required superior speed and stamina while in possession, and we just didn't have it. And then we doubled down on the problem by turning the ball over more than anyone else and having to chase.

 

[tazaa]

Our game plan was absolutely ****ed

That's still my biggest question regarding last season. Just being a s**t head coach shouldn't have led to us having literally nothing that resembled a gameplan.

The problem wasn't the person transitioning it from the back half, it was the abysmal structure ahead of the ball. We could've had prime Shaun Burgoyne back there and it wouldn't have worked.

The preseason games last year were such an eye opener. I liken it to 93. How we got to levels that low and thought the Noble appointment was going to work it’s just sad.

Looking back I still can’t believe there was no changes made at the time but the club maybe knew there was no obvious replacement. We had to go through the motions until we could sound out Clarko.

Much has been said about Noble, and I always found it interesting where ex North people end up after leaving the club. Do they downgrade or upgrade?
Luffy ended up managing a golf course which when compared to being an AFL list manager is crazy. Noble becoming CEO of Dick Johnson racing is just well again, well paid role but this campaigner was coaching an AFL club 6 months ago. So inadequate for the role.

Anyways I’ll take my own advice and forget and move on.

 

[Psicosis]

The preseason games last year were such an eye opener. I liken it to 93. How we got to levels that low and thought the Noble appointment was going to work it’s just sad.

Looking back I still can’t believe there was no changes made at the time but the club maybe knew there was no obvious replacement. We had to go through the motions until we could sound out Clarko.

Much has been said about Noble, and I always found it interesting where ex North people end up after leaving the club. Do they downgrade or upgrade?
Luffy ended up managing a golf course which when compared to being an AFL list manager is crazy. Noble becoming CEO of Dick Johnson racing is just well again, well paid role but this campaigner was coaching an AFL club 6 months ago. So inadequate for the role.

Anyways I’ll take my own advice and forget and move on.

Agree 100%.

Moving forward, I think we will get a pretty good read on where we are at from the practice games this year. If we remain absolutely uncompetitive, strap in for a long year. Hopefully (and I’m expecting), we begin to see signs of a game plan and it looks very different to what we saw in the 2021 praccy games.

 

[DunderHead]

Agree 100%.

Moving forward, I think we will get a pretty good read on where we are at from the practice games this year. If we remain absolutely uncompetitive, strap in for a long year. Hopefully (and I’m expecting), we begin to see signs of a game plan and it looks very different to what we saw in the 2021 praccy games.

What do you think it will look like?

I can see us playing more accountable. More systematic and less risky in ball movement in dangerous areas of the ground.

 

[DuckYeah]

Lethal went ok second time around


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Lethal had a 125% salary cap to work with and IMO the greatest team on paper in history.

 

[Psicosis]

What do you think it will look like?

I can see us playing more accountable. More systematic and less risky in ball movement in dangerous areas of the ground.

Huge emphasis on team defence. It’ll take time, but I imagine we will see glimpses pretty early. I expect he will be looking at ways he can exploit 6v6 and I’m excited to see what that looks like given the success of the Clarko Cluster.

I expect our spread from contest to be far better. Watching some of our games from last year, it was so obvious there was a breakdown in system after the first/second possession at stoppage. Which is a low hanging fruit IMO, as we are actually a good clearance side. I think Ratten will really help in this area, given it’s his bread & butter. This will have a ripple effect on everyone’s bug bear (inside 50s), which will magically look better with better spread up the field.

Lastly I expect him to hold players accountable if their disposal isn’t up to scratch. One non-negotiable in all Clarkson sides, is players need to be able to consistently execute the fundamentals. FWIW I think many of our players kicking will look much better in a better system.

 

[Samsquanch]

Lethal had a 125% salary cap to work with and IMO the greatest team on paper in history.

Bit of shady use of bloods as well.

 

[Kanga Glory]

Clarko will getting a big bonus from Mazda, the amount of times he will be interviewed or in the papers will be double from the other coaches before him. It will be nice to have extra coverage in the media. Can’t wait for the day he gets angry at the media conference defending our club

 

[shinboner magic]

Every time I read a preseason story of how we go then they mention that we’ve got clarko as coach - I’m all