Coach Fages and the coaching group

[Cubs2Lions]

Honestly one of the best shows I have watched. It's finished now, so you can watch the whole thing without waiting a year for the next season.

It’s a shame that there is only 3 seasons of Ted Lasso but can understand why the producers have decided that.

 

[p4p1]

It’s a shame that there is only 3 seasons of Ted Lasso but can understand why the producers have decided that.

It's probably better that a show finishes while it is still great but I would love more Ted Lasso.
Who knows, maybe we get a spin off or something. Would love to see Roy's first season as Manager.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

Never watched Ted Lasso, is it worth a watch?

Nope
EDIT: Oops, sorry, don't mean to run down a show others seem to really enjoy. But personally I couldn't stand it by the end of season 2 and stopped watching.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Might want to grab a coffee before reading, it’s quite long, but worth a read nonetheless.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/chris-fagan-opens-up-brisbane-coach-speaks-for-first-time-on-the-impact-of-the-hawthorn-racism-scandal/news-story/17ed82e10bcc4dccb91ae4b3c6170147

Chris Fagan opens up: Brisbane coach speaks for first time on the impact of the Hawthorn racism scandal

For the first time, an emotional Chris Fagan reveals the impact the bombshell Hawthorn racism report had on him, his family and the Brisbane Lions.

Chris Fagan would wait until dark to go for his walk.
It was the hurt. The uncertainty. The shock of it all tied into a knot in his stomach.

Three days after the Brisbane Lions were bounced out of the 2022 preliminary final by Geelong, the club’s senior coach was left stunned by allegations made about his and Alastair Clarkson’s time at Hawthorn.

The Hawks’ premiership heroes rang him, one after the other. His wife and daughters wanted to talk. Fagan’s 85-year-old mother in Tasmania was confused.

While Fagan has categorically denied any wrongdoing as part of a year-long fight to clear his name, those first few weeks in October last year were so upsetting Fagan barely left his Brisbane home.

The Lions’ senior coach had taken a leave of absence from the club, and watched his players celebrate the year at the best-and-fairest night in his tracksuit pants from his house.

And when he needed to go for his usual daily stroll to deal with some of the considerable stress, Fagan, 62, would wait until nightfall, unsure how others may react to the allegations and headlines.

I went through a period where I was just at home and I wouldn’t really venture out in daylight hours,” Fagan told this masthead.

“I love my exercise and my walks, but, yeah, I would wait until it got dark every night to go for a walk then instead.

“People don’t know the truth, and people can take sides and I thought if I put myself out here what’s it going to be like? Are people going to come up and abuse me?

“After a couple of weeks I realised I couldn’t keep living like that.

“So I got back to normal and discovered that I didn’t think I had a person say a bad word about me.”

The allegations were serious. First Nations players and their families said they were deeply hurt by the treatment they received at Hawthorn during 2008-16.

Fagan, Clarkson and the club’s former welfare officer Jason Burt were all named in a bombshell ABC website report.

All have strenuously denied the allegations and were cleared by an AFL investigation which was wound up in May this year.

But the spectre of a Human Rights Commission hearing remains.

Nine months on, Fagan fought back tears as he talked for the first time about the impact on him and his family in an interview in the foyer of the Pullman Hotel across from the MCG, on the Lions’ trip to beat Collingwood in round 23.

In one of the season’s most compelling storylines, the Lions have brushed off the disruption and uncertainty of the Hawthorn report – which was run by former player Phil Egan – to enter September as second favourite for the flag.

It has been immensely challenging.

Fagan opened up about the meetings he called with Brisbane’s Indigenous players in the immediate aftermath of the allegations that were leaked in grand final week last year, knowing full well the impact it could have on them.

But Fagan’s Lions remained united.

How has the senior coach felt over the past year?

“Hurt, frustrated, bewildered,” he said.

“I also feel sad for everyone involved to be honest. All sides. No winners.

“And I tried to remember back to those times and it was just shock. I was stunned.

“My wife (Ursula) was the same. It was really upsetting for her. We have been married for a long time – 37 years.

“Married in 1985. We went to university together. She knows me. She (read it) and I remember, she looked at me and said, ‘Nah, nah. That’s not you’.

“But the biggest thing which has helped me is I have got a clear conscience.

“So that enables you to get up every day and keep going to work with the people you love and doing what you do.

“I can sleep. I don’t lie awake at night. Probably other than the first few days when I couldn’t get over it.”

Fagan thought of the ripple effect. On his family and his players. His wife’s blood pressure became an issue, and required treatment, while Fagan’s first thoughts went to his Indigenous players.

Ursula said they relied on each other in that time after the report dropped, but said Fagan never thought about giving coaching away.

“You were just so confused, and numb,” Ursula Fagan said.

“It does stop you in your tracks, so you have 24-48 hours to just digest and try to understand something that is so confusing.”

Ursula said she had “more respect than ever” for the way her husband had handled the past year.

“Chris has an ongoing belief in people and goodness, and he’s enormously trusting,“ Ursula said. “He is very, very giving in his general spirit and his character.

“I get so inspired by that. I think that is what life is all about – getting out there and giving it a go.”

Fagan has been on a journey with the Lions since he joined them on the back of a disastrous 2016 season, lifting them from basket case in 2017 to genuine premiership contender over seven years.

But the report was out of the blue.

Immediately, Fagan spoke with the Lions’ Indigenous liaison officer Anthony Corrie about the importance of opening up to his Indigenous players.

What did they think? How could it impact them?

He told them as much as he knew from the time in question.

“I did have that moment. It was right at the end of the season so we lost the preliminary final and then they (players) all disappeared on their (post-season) breaks,” he said.

“So I spoke to the group – our Indigenous players – when it happened.

“And then I had a couple of zoom meetings over the break with them because I wanted to keep them in the picture.

“It was a really high priority.

“They were confused at the start, for sure. Everyone was. Very confused.

“They talked to me about how they felt about it all. I get that. We have full trust.

“And Anthony Corrie, our Indigenous liaison officer at the club, has been absolutely magnificent as well.

“I don’t feel like my relationship with any of those boys has suffered at all this year and in fact it feels like it has been stronger than ever.”

Brisbane figures said Fagan shared a special relationship, in particular, with speedy goal kicker Charlie Cameron, who has blossomed to become one of the top small forwards in the game.

Fagan said Cameron was often the life of the group, providing a special energy and buzz for the rest of his teammates, either at training or on the team bus.

Fagan always sits up the front, Cameron often down the back.

“Yesterday my phone rings on the bus and it is Charlie and he says, ‘Fages, it is cold back here, mate, can you ask the driver to turn the air conditioner, down?’” Fagan said.

“He’s always joking around. He’s a fast talker. He’s a beauty, Charlie, and he wants to have fun and enjoy life.

“It is great he can feel like he can be himself around me and I think that is a really important part of coaching.

“The players can be who they are. I don’t try to turn them from what they are. I don’t think you can fundamentally.

“You work with the personalities there and help them become the best versions of themselves. You don’t want a bunch of robots.

“That is the beauty of coaching. Having different personalities and harnessing it all together to become a team.”

Through it all, Fagan has deeply appreciated the love and support of his family and football club.

Even when the pressure rose, the Lions backed him. That’s chief executive Greg Swann, football manager Danny Daly, and director Leigh Matthews, to name a few.

Fagan worried about the impact on his family, including his wife and mum in Tasmania. His daughters saw all the headlines.

“My wife, Ursula, has been unbelievable. I have been worried about her,” he said.

“I don’t know whether this is coincidence or not, but she got a lot of flus and things in the three or four months after it all started, and suddenly she’s on blood pressure tablets.

“I don’t know if that is coincidence or just us getting older.

“Mum is in Tassie and the only connection mum has got with the world about what is going on other than when I talk to her is the media, and she’s ringing me worried as anything about things.”

At the club, Fagan said he didn’t want the stories to become an elephant in the room. It is why the air had to be cleared, so the team could press on with its premiership aspirations.

On Saturday night, the Lions will take on Port Adelaide at the Gabba for a preliminary final berth. It is the fifth season in a row his team has posted at least 14 wins.

And the support was there from the get-go late last year when Fagan had to take his leave of absence in September-October.

That five-week period was when Fagan did some of his most important work helping set up the season, tinkering with the side, the game plan, the structure of things in the football department.

“The club has been magnificent. I told everybody I don’t want this to rule the world this year,” he said.

“I knew there would be a lot of ongoing publicity around it, but I said the best thing you guys can do for me is just get on with things and if I need to talk to you about stuff I will, but otherwise leave it with me.

“And everyone has respected that. Early days, everyone was checking in on me and it was a beautiful thing.

“But I said, ‘You can’t keep doing this. I tell you what, I’ll keep you informed and if I’m going no good, I’ll seek help’.

“The critical things are I have got a clear conscience and I have had great support around me which is something I am really grateful for.”

I think there's a part 2 to this piece if anybody is able to get behind the paywall...

 

[tony]

I think there's a part 2 to this piece if anybody is able to get behind the paywall...

Chris Fagan opens up on his close bond with Neale Daniher, his path to coaching and how he helped rebuild the Lions​

Chris Fagan’s arrival at Brisbane was a move few people saw coming. He had not played or coached at the top level and was walking into a club on its knees. This is how he rebuilt the Lions.

Chris Fagan has nine beanies up on the wall of his coaching office.
Every now and then, when he feels frustrated or lost for answers, Fagan finds inspiration up on the wall.

Each beanie represents one of Neale Daniher’s “Big freeze at the ’G” fundraisers, and the almighty fight his great mate has waged against the horrific motor neurone disease.

The perspective came in handy when Fagan took over the toughest job in footy in 2016, and led a struggling Brisbane Lions side to only five wins in each of his first two seasons in charge.

Or when the Lions were pipped by one and three points in the 2019 and 2021 finals series, and were repeatedly potted for their failures at the MCG in recent years.

But no matter the headache, Fagan, 62, finds the clarity he needs in the blue beanies.

“I have got all of them sitting up in my office, and every time I think about feeling sorry for myself I look at them. I think, ‘Get on with it. Play on’,” Fagan told the Herald Sun.

“I read his book. My players know a lot about Neale Daniher. I talk about him and I quote him all of the time.

“He is such a great example of resilience, which is what we have needed more than anything to be that club which was no good, to be the club that is now a respected team and we are in the hunt every year.”

On Saturday night, Fagan’s Lions will face another key crossroad when they take on Port Adelaide at the Gabba for the chance to book another home preliminary final in a fortnight’s time.

The criticism of the Lions in recent years has been that they cannot be trusted. Certainly not at the home of football.

But he is unshaken by the so-called hoodoo. As he tells his troops, the MCG is where the Lions toppled Melbourne in last year’s semi-final under similar pressure, knocking that monkey off their backs almost 12 months ago.

“People can talk about us at the MCG all they like. It’s not something we are concerned about. We look forward to playing there,” Fagan said.

There have been many of these sorts of sliding doors moments across Fagan’s decorated 40-year career which included the four famous flags at Hawthorn.

There was the time he gave up teaching to coach the Tassie Mariners in the mid-90s, the phone call he received from Daniher about taking over Melbourne’s reserves which changed his life, the premiership dynasty at Hawthorn, and then the call from Lions’ CEO Greg Swann about joining Brisbane.

Brisbane was a lost cause in 2016. Players left and the coach was sacked. They won three games, and were largely uncompetitive.

The Queensland club needed a steady hand. A positive force. Someone to connect with the players and re-instil self-belief.

When Fagan first joined Brisbane he was struck by the lack of confidence he noticed. Players seemed a bit ashamed.

Fagan had to change that.

He had dreamt of coaching all his life and took a considerable pay cut when he threw in his teaching job to accept the Tassie Mariners’ gig 30 years ago.

“Back then I just hoped one day there might be an opportunity when I could coach full-time and when I did, I thought ‘Oh wow, how good is this’,” he said.

“I had to go backwards a fair bit (in pay) because you got paid OK as a teacher and I had a young family, but my wife, Ursula, she just said ‘You’ve got to go for it’.

“I have always loved the game and developing people not only in a football sense but in a holistic sense.

“Football won’t last forever, so I have always just wanted people to learn good life lessons. Become better people.

“But I also love a contest. I have grown up with that since my old man was a coach on the West Coast of Tassie.”

It was a move few people saw coming when Brisbane made a play for Fagan, then aged 55, to replace Justin Leppitsch when Fagan was footy manager at Hawthorn.

He had not played or coached at the top level, but remained one of the most respected figures in the game for his role in the Hawks’ golden run.

When Clarkson was struck down and hospitalised by Guillian Barre syndrome in mid-2014, it is said that Fagan was the one who kept the club on track.

Friends described him this week as a father figure; a big-picture thinker, and a cool head in high-pressure environments, and most importantly a connector.

Fagan values his memories, the achievements and his friendships from the Hawthorn days enormously, despite the racism allegations.

“I reflect back on it (premierships) very positively,” he said.

“It is nearly impossible to be involved in something like that considering how competitive AFL footy is and to go four grannies in a row and three premierships in a row.

“It was a pretty special group of players and staff.”

Brisbane not only needed someone who could pull the right moves on the field, but also restore players’ self-esteem.

Fagan remembers the phone call from Swann at the end of 2015, vividly.

“Swanny said to me, ‘So are you a football manager or are you a coach?” Fagan said.

“I said ‘I’m a footy manager at the moment’ but I always wanted to be a coach.

“To be honest, I always thought that would be a stretch too far given my background and the way the industry usually makes decisions and goes down a traditional path of picking coaches who are ex-players

“I understood that, but then I got the call. And the rest is history.”

It was a left-field move from the club which earlier this year re-signed him to a two-year extension (keeping him until 2025) despite the Hawthorn report allegations.

But Daniher, in particular, knew the Lions had made an excellent decision.

Daniher made the same call in 1997 plucking Fagan from obscurity in Tasmania to help lead a Melbourne team featuring some of the biggest names in the club’s history, including Garry Lyon, Todd Viney and Jim Stynes.

Shaking like a leaf when he first spoke in front of the group, uttering something brief like “thank you and I hope to earn your respect”, Fagan proved himself quickly as Melbourne rose to play in the 2000 Grand Final against Essendon.

But Daniher was direct. “He said you are not just here to move the cones, you know. He provided that opportunity for you to step up.”

Fast forward to 2016, as the Hawks came to the end of their glorious run, Fagan embraced the big chance at Brisbane and quickly went to work.

Brisbane had been terrible in contested ball for about a decade. Membership was about 20,000. And the players seemed unsure of themselves.

“I remember when I first got the job some people thought I was crazy (accepting it),” he said.

But Fagan’s first two years were about sowing the seeds of belief.

Even when they were well beaten at times, the coach didn’t blow up. He was positive and encouraging. People even questioned whether he was too optimistic.

But there was a big picture. He’d find the areas the graph was tracking positively, like contested possession, or inside 50s, centre clearances and turnover scores and put them up in lights in the auditorium.

“When I first turned up I felt like the players were ashamed of themselves and how they were going and didn’t really want to reach out to be a part of the community,” Fagan said.

“But now they are, and they changed pretty quickly and I think that was a little bit connected to self-esteem I think.

“Maybe they were not feeling great about the way the team was performing?

“It is a slow process. You have got to get good coaches in, good players in.

“‘Hodgey’ (Luke Hodge) was pivotal in getting our group going a little bit because he had all those experiences, and he just helped me enormously to coach the group to have the right mindset.

“So you are building relationships with players and understanding what makes them tick.”

But in the third season, the club skyrocketed from five wins the year before to 16 wins in 2019.

But this next step, trying to make the grand final and potentially premier is the toughest one, Fagan said.

They have previously bowed out in two semi-finals and two preliminary finals.

Goal kicking inaccuracy has been costly, but it’s the bumps you ride. The beanies bring him back to task.

“(That) third year was a bit too fast in a way, going from bottom or second-bottom to second top. Maybe we got under a few teams‘ guards,” he said.

“But it was staggering. It was fun to be involved with. It set a bar pretty high pretty quickly.

“Sometimes teams can spike like that and go down.

“We have managed to keep knocking at the door for the last five seasons. I think this is our fourth top-four finish in five years.

“History says you have got to earn premierships and you have got to go through that learning process and keep knocking at the door until you get through.

“So we have been doing that and I know you can’t do it forever, but we have been a pretty honest group.”

 

[Grasshopper17]

Chris Fagan opens up on his close bond with Neale Daniher, his path to coaching and how he helped rebuild the Lions​

Chris Fagan’s arrival at Brisbane was a move few people saw coming. He had not played or coached at the top level and was walking into a club on its knees. This is how he rebuilt the Lions.

Chris Fagan has nine beanies up on the wall of his coaching office.
Every now and then, when he feels frustrated or lost for answers, Fagan finds inspiration up on the wall.

Each beanie represents one of Neale Daniher’s “Big freeze at the ’G” fundraisers, and the almighty fight his great mate has waged against the horrific motor neurone disease.

The perspective came in handy when Fagan took over the toughest job in footy in 2016, and led a struggling Brisbane Lions side to only five wins in each of his first two seasons in charge.

Or when the Lions were pipped by one and three points in the 2019 and 2021 finals series, and were repeatedly potted for their failures at the MCG in recent years.

But no matter the headache, Fagan, 62, finds the clarity he needs in the blue beanies.

“I have got all of them sitting up in my office, and every time I think about feeling sorry for myself I look at them. I think, ‘Get on with it. Play on’,” Fagan told the Herald Sun.

“I read his book. My players know a lot about Neale Daniher. I talk about him and I quote him all of the time.

“He is such a great example of resilience, which is what we have needed more than anything to be that club which was no good, to be the club that is now a respected team and we are in the hunt every year.”

On Saturday night, Fagan’s Lions will face another key crossroad when they take on Port Adelaide at the Gabba for the chance to book another home preliminary final in a fortnight’s time.

The criticism of the Lions in recent years has been that they cannot be trusted. Certainly not at the home of football.

But he is unshaken by the so-called hoodoo. As he tells his troops, the MCG is where the Lions toppled Melbourne in last year’s semi-final under similar pressure, knocking that monkey off their backs almost 12 months ago.

“People can talk about us at the MCG all they like. It’s not something we are concerned about. We look forward to playing there,” Fagan said.

There have been many of these sorts of sliding doors moments across Fagan’s decorated 40-year career which included the four famous flags at Hawthorn.

There was the time he gave up teaching to coach the Tassie Mariners in the mid-90s, the phone call he received from Daniher about taking over Melbourne’s reserves which changed his life, the premiership dynasty at Hawthorn, and then the call from Lions’ CEO Greg Swann about joining Brisbane.

Brisbane was a lost cause in 2016. Players left and the coach was sacked. They won three games, and were largely uncompetitive.

The Queensland club needed a steady hand. A positive force. Someone to connect with the players and re-instil self-belief.

When Fagan first joined Brisbane he was struck by the lack of confidence he noticed. Players seemed a bit ashamed.

Fagan had to change that.

He had dreamt of coaching all his life and took a considerable pay cut when he threw in his teaching job to accept the Tassie Mariners’ gig 30 years ago.

“Back then I just hoped one day there might be an opportunity when I could coach full-time and when I did, I thought ‘Oh wow, how good is this’,” he said.

“I had to go backwards a fair bit (in pay) because you got paid OK as a teacher and I had a young family, but my wife, Ursula, she just said ‘You’ve got to go for it’.

“I have always loved the game and developing people not only in a football sense but in a holistic sense.

“Football won’t last forever, so I have always just wanted people to learn good life lessons. Become better people.

“But I also love a contest. I have grown up with that since my old man was a coach on the West Coast of Tassie.”

It was a move few people saw coming when Brisbane made a play for Fagan, then aged 55, to replace Justin Leppitsch when Fagan was footy manager at Hawthorn.

He had not played or coached at the top level, but remained one of the most respected figures in the game for his role in the Hawks’ golden run.

When Clarkson was struck down and hospitalised by Guillian Barre syndrome in mid-2014, it is said that Fagan was the one who kept the club on track.

Friends described him this week as a father figure; a big-picture thinker, and a cool head in high-pressure environments, and most importantly a connector.

Fagan values his memories, the achievements and his friendships from the Hawthorn days enormously, despite the racism allegations.

“I reflect back on it (premierships) very positively,” he said.

“It is nearly impossible to be involved in something like that considering how competitive AFL footy is and to go four grannies in a row and three premierships in a row.

“It was a pretty special group of players and staff.”

Brisbane not only needed someone who could pull the right moves on the field, but also restore players’ self-esteem.

Fagan remembers the phone call from Swann at the end of 2015, vividly.

“Swanny said to me, ‘So are you a football manager or are you a coach?” Fagan said.

“I said ‘I’m a footy manager at the moment’ but I always wanted to be a coach.

“To be honest, I always thought that would be a stretch too far given my background and the way the industry usually makes decisions and goes down a traditional path of picking coaches who are ex-players

“I understood that, but then I got the call. And the rest is history.”

It was a left-field move from the club which earlier this year re-signed him to a two-year extension (keeping him until 2025) despite the Hawthorn report allegations.

But Daniher, in particular, knew the Lions had made an excellent decision.

Daniher made the same call in 1997 plucking Fagan from obscurity in Tasmania to help lead a Melbourne team featuring some of the biggest names in the club’s history, including Garry Lyon, Todd Viney and Jim Stynes.

Shaking like a leaf when he first spoke in front of the group, uttering something brief like “thank you and I hope to earn your respect”, Fagan proved himself quickly as Melbourne rose to play in the 2000 Grand Final against Essendon.

But Daniher was direct. “He said you are not just here to move the cones, you know. He provided that opportunity for you to step up.”

Fast forward to 2016, as the Hawks came to the end of their glorious run, Fagan embraced the big chance at Brisbane and quickly went to work.

Brisbane had been terrible in contested ball for about a decade. Membership was about 20,000. And the players seemed unsure of themselves.

“I remember when I first got the job some people thought I was crazy (accepting it),” he said.

But Fagan’s first two years were about sowing the seeds of belief.

Even when they were well beaten at times, the coach didn’t blow up. He was positive and encouraging. People even questioned whether he was too optimistic.

But there was a big picture. He’d find the areas the graph was tracking positively, like contested possession, or inside 50s, centre clearances and turnover scores and put them up in lights in the auditorium.

“When I first turned up I felt like the players were ashamed of themselves and how they were going and didn’t really want to reach out to be a part of the community,” Fagan said.

“But now they are, and they changed pretty quickly and I think that was a little bit connected to self-esteem I think.

“Maybe they were not feeling great about the way the team was performing?

“It is a slow process. You have got to get good coaches in, good players in.

“‘Hodgey’ (Luke Hodge) was pivotal in getting our group going a little bit because he had all those experiences, and he just helped me enormously to coach the group to have the right mindset.

“So you are building relationships with players and understanding what makes them tick.”

But in the third season, the club skyrocketed from five wins the year before to 16 wins in 2019.

But this next step, trying to make the grand final and potentially premier is the toughest one, Fagan said.

They have previously bowed out in two semi-finals and two preliminary finals.

Goal kicking inaccuracy has been costly, but it’s the bumps you ride. The beanies bring him back to task.

“(That) third year was a bit too fast in a way, going from bottom or second-bottom to second top. Maybe we got under a few teams‘ guards,” he said.

“But it was staggering. It was fun to be involved with. It set a bar pretty high pretty quickly.

“Sometimes teams can spike like that and go down.

“We have managed to keep knocking at the door for the last five seasons. I think this is our fourth top-four finish in five years.

“History says you have got to earn premierships and you have got to go through that learning process and keep knocking at the door until you get through.

“So we have been doing that and I know you can’t do it forever, but we have been a pretty honest group.”

Thanks so much!

 

[irel]

I would have thought that this thread would be buzzing with activity. But no, not a single post.

Now where is that Positives Thread?

 

[Kevvo]

As always, Fagan quick to credit other coaches in the post-match presser—Cam Bruce this time. He looked focussed and didn’t get carried away with making the prelim.

Exciting times.

 

[Squizz89]

We still need to do some work defensively over the next couple of weeks. We were giving up far too many shots at goal especially in the first half last night. Offensively we’re rolling again right now, but defensively we still need some work. If we can nail that over the next couple of weeks we are right in this.

 

[Nunez]

We still need to do some work defensively over the next couple of weeks. We were giving up far too many shots at goal especially in the first half last night. Offensively we’re rolling again right now, but defensively we still need some work. If we can mail that over the next couple of weeks we are right in this.

I was quite happy with 75 against a very potent stoppage scoring team. The fact we had 13 goals from stoppages meant we comprehensively beat them in their strongest area.

Ultimately, it was only two more goals than the Pies managed to score too so overall not bad.

 

[p4p1]

We still need to do some work defensively over the next couple of weeks. We were giving up far too many shots at goal especially in the first half last night. Offensively we’re rolling again right now, but defensively we still need some work. If we can mail that over the next couple of weeks we are right in this.

They had a lot of gifts that came directly or indirectly from frees.

 

[Squizz89]

I was quite happy with 75 against a very potent stoppage scoring team. The fact we had 13 goals from stoppages meant we comprehensively beat them in their strongest area.

Ultimately, it was only two more goals than the Pies managed to score too so overall not bad.

Yeah to be fair though they did miss some fairly easy shots, which if they had their time again they would expect to kick.

Like I said after the game, I think if we play like that for the next 2 games we will be hard to beat, but I also understand we’ll be up against better defences then last night, so we may not kick 120 points again, and as such our defence has to be on top of its game too.

 

[buttermuffs]

We still need to do some work defensively over the next couple of weeks. We were giving up far too many shots at goal especially in the first half last night. Offensively we’re rolling again right now, but defensively we still need some work. If we can mail that over the next couple of weeks we are right in this.

From what I could see at the ground, they took a spare down back and instead of keeping our spare down back we played an extra at the stoppage. This made it a 5v5 forward line down back and so when they managed to burst forward from the stoppage (particularly from their defensive midfield) they had a paddock for Rozee and Butters to kick into. Thankfully they never got that opportunity too often with an extra man at the stoppage.

Halfway through the third they seemed to equalise the numbers at the stoppage but our defence had shored up by that point. They had fewer shots in the second half off 14 more inside fifties. To go from 92% conversion in the first to finish the game on 52% was an amazing defensive improvement.

 

[BuntonRules]

Yeah to be fair though they did miss some fairly easy shots, which if they had their time again they would expect to kick.

Like I said after the game, I think if we play like that for the next 2 games we will be hard to beat, but I also understand we’ll be up against better defences then last night, so we may not kick 120 points again, and as such our defence has to be on top of its game too.

Every time they missed one in the first half, it was on the back of us missing a similar shot, e.g. Hippy and Marshall

 

[Squizz89]

Every time they missed one in the first half, it was on the back of us missing a similar shot, e.g. Hippy and Marshall

Oh yeah for sure. Eric missed some sitters early himself, but thankfully we corrected and kicked well after that.

That doesn’t change the fact though they were allowed some very easy looks themselves, and as we are now at the prelim stage I want our game as close to 100% as it can be, so I believe it’s something we can work on the next couple of weeks.

 

[Tom14]

Yeah to be fair though they did miss some fairly easy shots, which if they had their time again they would expect to kick.

Like I said after the game, I think if we play like that for the next 2 games we will be hard to beat, but I also understand we’ll be up against better defences then last night, so we may not kick 120 points again, and as such our defence has to be on top of its game too.

FWIW:



Of course now we are in the finals, my view is

 

[Grasshopper17]

From what I could see at the ground, they took a spare down back and instead of keeping our spare down back we played an extra at the stoppage. This made it a 5v5 forward line down back and so when they managed to burst forward from the stoppage (particularly from their defensive midfield) they had a paddock for Rozee and Butters to kick into. Thankfully they never got that opportunity too often with an extra man at the stoppage.

Halfway through the third they seemed to equalise the numbers at the stoppage but our defence had shored up by that point. They had fewer shots in the second half off 14 more inside fifties. To go from 92% conversion in the first to finish the game on 52% was an amazing defensive improvement.

Thankyou for this. I had noticed this shift in the stats during the game and had wondered if there had been a strategic change. I got too busy ball watching and barracking and bantering with mates to spot spare men etc... well done

I'd be interested to know if there was anything we did at half time to, in your words, shore up our defence.

It also makes for an interesting discussion point, as to how we'd rather play... would we rather double their inside 50s but leak scoring shots at 80%-90%? Or concede more entries but less shots? Does it depend on the opponent?

We also scored more freely in the second half... is that partly due to your spare men observations, but also partly due to the fact we attacked from deeper, denying Port's defence the opportunity to set up adequately?

 

[Grasshopper17]

Or was it simply down to Port's injuries?

 

[Nathan Barley]

Or was it simply down to Port's injuries?

I think Port shifted to play more aggressively and got burnt 5e other game. Attacking setup at stoppages, ridiculous kicks into the corridor, etc.

 

[Tom14]

Thankyou for this. I had noticed this shift in the stats during the game and had wondered if there had been a strategic change. I got too busy ball watching and barracking and bantering with mates to spot spare men etc... well done

I'd be interested to know if there was anything we did at half time to, in your words, shore up our defence.

It also makes for an interesting discussion point, as to how we'd rather play... would we rather double their inside 50s but leak scoring shots at 80%-90%? Or concede more entries but less shots? Does it depend on the opponent?

We also scored more freely in the second half... is that partly due to your spare men observations, but also partly due to the fact we attacked from deeper, denying Port's defence the opportunity to set up adequately?

Double their inside 50s any day. I don't think we have the personnel/form in the back half to deal with a weight of inside 50s and our best strength is our forward half turnover game.

 

[Daniel_Rich]

Yeah to be fair though they did miss some fairly easy shots, which if they had their time again they would expect to kick.

Like I said after the game, I think if we play like that for the next 2 games we will be hard to beat, but I also understand we’ll be up against better defences then last night, so we may not kick 120 points again, and as such our defence has to be on top of its game too.

Better defences like the Dees side we put up 93 and 104 against, or like the Pies side we put up 116 and 124 against?

 

[Squizz89]

Better defences like the Dees side we put up 93 and 104 against, or like the Pies side we put up 116 and 124 against?

Yep, we've performed very well against them this year, especially from an attacking sense. But in the heat of a prelim & hopefully a GF, I want to have everything as close to 100% as we can, especially if we have an off night in front of goals, which we are certainly prone to the odd game. If this happens, we need our defence to stand up a bit better than what was happening in the first half on Saturday.

I certainly don't want it to sound like I'm complaining about our performance on Saturday. As I said, it's the first time personally I've seen this team look like a premiership calibre team during a finals series & we definitely improved defensively in the second half, but we were giving up far too many easy looks early.

Now that we have two weeks off again, we "may as well" do our best to get it as close to perfect as possible. I'm sure we will.

 

[Elixuh]

FWIW:



Of course now we are in the finals, my view is

Stats are for nerds

 

[Mighty Lions]

Stats are for nerds

I kind of agree with Coach Bill on stats. They are for people like King & Cornes who need to justify their lame predictions or for people who dont know enough about the game to form an opinion without them. They are also mis-leading in a lot of situations. Sure they help to analise any given game but they are not the reason a side wins or loses like many people claim. (unless you refer to the points for/points against stat. )

 

[Tom14]

I kind of agree with Coach Bill on stats. They are for people like King & Cornes who need to justify their lame predictions or for people who dont know enough about the game to form an opinion without them. They are also mis-leading in a lot of situations. Sure they help to analise any given game but they are not the reason a side wins or loses like many people claim. (unless you refer to the points for/points against stat. )

I think stats can tell you a lot of interesting things but you can't assume they are predictive or that things will just repeat. Too often poeple make far too strong conclusions based upon data that to be honest isn't that precise for AFL.

We don't have a game like baseball where the variables are easy to isolate, so can't make too big a deal out of it. But I do think that stats can give us a useful insight and I find some of them interesting enough to pay attention to.