Strategy Changes & Pre-match Discussion - Round 24 vs. Essendon, MCG, Fri 25/08, 7:50pm

[KinderSmock]

Any updates on Murph?

Elliott won't play based on Instagram, McCreery suspended.

De Goey, Hill back for limited minutes given neither is eligible for VFL.

 

[Jen2310]

Any updates on Murph?

Elliott won't play based on Instagram, McCreery suspended.

De Goey, Hill back for limited minutes given neither is eligible for VFL.

Wait til wed for Murph.
He looked a concern to me this morning. Running very ginger, then had a chat to wade and walked inside.

 

[Aussie pie]

I think we might have a few more outs this week (rested/managed) which will affect our VFL finals. I’m not against it as it would give players that extra week to be right for the finals. I do feel sorry for the VFL squad who after fighting all year to be in finals contention might lose a lot of players. As much as people mock the VFL, for those players it’s literally their finals and the highest level they play at.

Anyway, rest and manage as many as we need and let’s see if the AFL have anything to say about it.

Ps. I doubt fly will rest players even though he should, this is one thing I disagree with in his philosophy, Geelong showed last year how it’s done.

 

[KinderSmock]

Changes to the 23

INS: DeGoey, Hill
OUTS: Ryan, McCreery (susp)

Cox into the 22 and starting ruck.

Howe back into defence.

WHE/Markov the sub.

If Murphy is no good then Ruscoe.

Personally, would like to see Lipinski out as well.

Add to Elliott to that list.

Don't think the club will play Ruscoe if Murphy is no good. He's not part of our future plans so we'll choose someone else.

 

[Aussie pie]

Any updates on Murph?

Elliott won't play based on Instagram, McCreery suspended.

De Goey, Hill back for limited minutes given neither is eligible for VFL.

Didn’t think they need to be eligible as both teams are still playing.

 

[sam_e]

So for all the carry on we've gone 8-4. Admittedly we've lost 3 from the past 4, far from ideal but due to recency bias we're apparently no good anymore and can't win the flag.

For mine it's been our inability or lack of desire to defend the ground that's stood out like dogs balls. For the better part of 19 rounds we defended the ground like our life depended on it. It was evident in the Blues game where they transitioned the ball far too easily from defence which at times made our defenders look silly. Murphy and Moore are the kings of killing the high ball, but 1 on 1 against the likes of Curnow is a different ball game. In saying that we were some straight kicking away from being right in that game deep into the final quarter. We followed that up with a woeful performance against the Hawks. Our trademark ability to arrest momentum was nowhere to be seen, and you cop the 5 goal loss on the chin. The desire to win had eluded the boys on this occasion.

The past 2 weeks, we've engaged in old fashioned shoot outs, games that felt more like watching a pre season hit out than a late season Home and Away game. Was this by design? Surely we realise that taking the Lions on this way is not conducive to a win. A bit of cat and mouse going on here for mine.

So, have we backed off our contested brand in order to freshen up for September? After all there's no use 'peaking' too early. You don't lose your ability over night and the old saying that form is temporary and class is permanent comes to mind.

It's been a strange old season. Not often do you see the top 4 so far in front of the field with a month til finals. The chasing pack of 8 have had to play their best footy in order to reach September. Journos then get a hard on over this and fall in to the trap that a fairytale premier will emerge from 5th-8th.

Outside of the Dogs stumbling on a flag, history suggests that it will come from the top 3 sides. This week is just another pre season game, rest a few that need it and fine tune certain parts of our game. The Bombers have seemingly thrown the towel in. All roads lead to a date with the Dees on September 8th.

Good post. This is the big question for mine. Have we fallen away in our ability to defend the ground and therefore coughed up 'scores against' bc of our drop off in effort /intensity around the ball (likely) or bc teams have worked us out (also likely)? Likely a bit of both.

If the effort/intensity part, to crank the 'pressure rating' to 200+ and keep it there, is related to a lack of desire/incentive (ie. above the shoulders /mental edge or lack thereof) bc of confirmed top 2 finish then we can, and hopefully will, regain that edge come finals. If, however, it's due to an ageing on-ball brigade with tiring legs then god (N.Daicos), JDG and possibly McCreery, helps us.

If teams have worked us out and are short-passing their way through our very aggressive, front-footed, numbers at contest/fall-of-ball defensive zone, then adjustment is required. It does appear that teams are both:
a) picking /kicking their way through our zone (slow play) to minimise the intercept ability of Moore /IQ/Murphy et el; and
b) running the ball directly back at us (counter-punch, fast play) on turnover given our willingness to come-forward at all costs to pressure and defend.

Tweaking the all-ground defensive zone on a slow play (a) should in theory be easier, that is, just stand a yard or two closer to a man than purely marking space / grass, in order to prevent the easy 15-yard hit-up pass.

Tweaking the all-ground defensive zone on a fast play counter-punch (b) might be trickier. Minimise turnover, when we have the ball, would be a good start. Beyond that, watering down the 'come-forward to pressure at all costs' approach and replacing it with a 'collapse back and get goal-side faster than your opponent' (Swans style of defence) or a hybrid version of that, might also help.

Super easy to type out those words, less easy to implement this late in the season. Let's hope Fly and his crew can get the balance right. And also hope we can get our better players back on the park!

 

[Harry O]

Murphy should be rested.

And if he is we should use Frampton Howe and Maynard as the tall defenders

 

[Big Bryza]

Except I'm not?

So again, just so I can clarify....

You're saying that winning means nothing can be wrong with your game?

There's something wrong with every team. You expect perfection which is going to leave you unsatisfied on a weekly basis.

 

[sr36]

Murphy should be rested.

And if he is we should use Frampton Howe and Maynard as the tall defenders

With Howe, I think where they use him will depend on where they want to use him in finals - I suspect it will be horses for courses - defence against Port as they play 3 tall forwards - forward against the other two as we won't need to cover 3 tall forwards.

 

[Harry O]

With Howe, I think where they use him will depend on where they want to use him in finals - I suspect it will be horses for courses - defence against Port as they play 3 tall forwards - forward against the other two as we won't need to cover 3 tall forwards.

I think they like the option to play Howe forward if the opposition has a Lever , Stewart, Andrews type they wish to nullify
Fly did say after the Brisbane game though Howe in that forward role makes it very hard to select 2 rucks

 

[sr36]

I think they like the option to play Howe forward if the opposition has a Lever , Stewart, Andrews type they wish to nullify
Fly did say after the Brisbane game though Howe in that forward role makes it very hard to select 2 rucks

Every good team has a quality intercepting defender. Lever/May, Aliir, Andrews, Moore, Weitering.

 

[manicpie]

Wait til wed for Murph.
He looked a concern to me this morning. Running very ginger, then had a chat to wade and walked inside.

From what I heard he has a lower back complaint and will miss 2 weeks

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

There's something wrong with every team. You expect perfection which is going to leave you unsatisfied on a weekly basis.

I don’t expect perfection

All I said was that I thought cracks started to appear once Daicos was moved

That’s literally acknowledging imperfection

You decided that winning meant all is good, no issues

 

[No SPIN]

They were lovely. Totally true. But if taps don't go directly to Pendlebury, he's too slow to play in there with Mitchell/Adams. When Cameron is rucking the ball just ends up in our defence otherwise.

But if the taps do go to Pendlebury we usually score - so that’s a greater positive.

 

[sr36]

I don’t expect perfection

All I said was that I thought cracks started to appear once Daicos was moved

That’s literally acknowledging imperfection

You decided that winning meant all is good, no issues

We got smacked in the midfield by WCE and Nth before they moved him there. He rejuvenated our midfield and helped get us some wins.

 

[BuildEmUp]

Murphy should be rested.

And if he is we should use Frampton Howe and Maynard as the tall defenders

so put maynard and howe on a rack to strecth them say 6 inches?

 

[No SPIN]

Add to Elliott to that list.

Don't think the club will play Ruscoe if Murphy is no good. He's not part of our future plans so we'll choose someone else.

Unless Howe moves back, a bare cupboard means Ruscoe plays.

 

[BuildEmUp]

Unless Howe moves back, a bare cupboard means Ruscoe plays.

Ruscoe copped a bit of an injury at VFL .. may not come up

 

[NMBB]

.... . You expect perfection which is going to leave you unsatisfied on a weekly basis.

Are you a marriage counsellor?

 

[Jen2310]

Ruscoe copped a bit of an injury at VFL .. may not come up

Trained fine this morning.

 

[Big Bryza]

Are you a marriage counsellor?

Yep.

Anything you need help with?

 

[BuildEmUp]

Trained fine this morning.

then cool, he prolly gets a run in teh AFL ..

 

[NMBB]

Yep.

Anything you need help with?

Going ok today thanks but I'll keep you in mind.

 

[Harry O]

so put maynard and howe on a rack to strecth them say 6 inches?

Hardly like Langford and Stringer are gorillas. Frampton for 2MP

 

[sr36]

Hardly like Langford and Stringer are gorillas. Frampton for 2MP

I'm pretty sure that Stringer has a fair percentage of gorilla in his DNA.