I've figured it out.. our game plan!

[gandaal]

I have a stupid question.

What does "ropeadope" mean? I've seen a few people say it and I have no idea what they're talking about!

Google is your friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Google is your friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope

Thanks.

 

[gab213]

Would be an interesting game plan. Certainly it hasn't worked against Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney, Fremantle, Bulldogs, or North this year.

Even the football media have a hard time knowing what our game plan is supposed to be. All we know is that we frequently don't follow it.

As long as the players can follow it ( recent performances seem to suggest they are starting to) i don't have an issue with supporters not being able to do the same

 

[jj1978]

It will be interesting as our next opponent in Sydney is also a containment team and wonder if we can hold a lead halfway or be down by no more than 2-3 after halftime it's game on!

 

[BluStreak]

Just wing it.

Yes more Lucas.

 

[gbatman]

Lisa needs braces.

Dental plan

 

[95blues]

Interesting watching the replay (3rd time) that for the entire 1st half our mids stand behind their man at the bounce/stoppages, then switch it up and are ALWAYS in front during the 2nd half.

 

[jj1978]

Mick alluded to this gameplan just realised... he said he wasn't worried about what transpired in the first quarter as we went in hoping to contain and wait for our moment to pounce...

 

[chunkylover53]

Played the boundary perfect yesterday.

Forced Richmond to bring it wide, they would turn it over in their deep 50, we would rebound out the other wing and spread.

That is Micks plan down to a tee and we FINALLY put it together!

 

[Carlo]

Similar to Essendon's game plan against you lot.

 

[T2B_]

Yeah but thankfully our gameplan doesn't involve drugs.

 

[Just Kreuzing]

Essendon getting a mention in September just doesn't sound right to me....

 

[Quazza]

My concern (and I'm not saying this is what is definitely happening - just a thought) is that in the first half, we are trying to hard to stick to Mick's plan, and not trusting our instincts. When it doesn't work, he loosens the shackles at half time, and we just play footy.

As I said though, just a thought

 

[billybloggs]

Similar to Essendon's game plan against you lot.

Yes I think you are spot on!

 

[Blueboys11]

The Ali/Foreman style gameplan is the way we have to go about it throughout the rest of this finals series

You could clearly see in the first half on Sunday that when we came out of the backline our options were limited. There seemed to be a clear directive to not push too many numbers out of the backline early on and to try and absorb the pressure. And to be honest we really should of been within a couple of goals at half time as Richmond had to rely on three 50 meter penalties (2 ridiculous ones, and 1 that was technically there) to actually put a bit of space between us. We had actually nullified the majority of their thrusts in that first half and had made them take long range shots when they did get it.

After half time you could just see the added enthusiasm to run to space. And there seemed to be options everywhere. Im not convinced we did that the previous week against Port though as the space they had in the forward line in the fist half was ridiculous. Maybe Mick learnt from that, and there was a bit more of a directive to stay more defensive side in 50/50 contetsted ball situations.

Whatever the directive was, it was bl@@dy fantastic watching that 2nd half surge on Sunday!

 

[BM123]

Noticed today what we were doing at kickouts. Almost every time we'd play on to the right, run it 20 metres and bomb it to the wing. So basic. So effective.

So much better then the old kick it long to your ruck man strategy that quite a few other teams employ.

 

[Windhover]

My concern (and I'm not saying this is what is definitely happening - just a thought) is that in the first half, we are trying to hard to stick to Mick's plan, and not trusting our instincts. When it doesn't work, he loosens the shackles at half time, and we just play footy.

As I said though, just a thought

It is a thought I happen to agree with. Those who really think that the similarities between the Port game and the Richmond game are indicative of some pre-arranged game plan are kidding themselves or, more likely, deliberately kidding us. That said, all kudos to MM for giving up on what is not working long enough for the raw ability of the players to win the game.

 

[gbatman]

As soon as Richmond started kicking it sideways we had them and they always seemed to end up on the boundary. Keepings off possession footy and taking risks up the middle (the way teams like Essendon and Richmond play) may work most of the times in the H&A season but finals is always contested footy and like all Malthouse coached teams, we have been playing contested footy all season, and unlike teams that haven't we aren't afraid to go to contests and we know how to go about it. The Swans don't mind a contest, they will be hard to beat, just hoping they are more beaten battered and bruised than we are.

 

[BALKAN]

So you guys are saying if we're 50 points down at 3 QTR time that I should keep watching and NOT put my antique nightstand through the telly?

 

[Beloved]

I will have to watch the replay to believe it was effective. During game I could not believe we did not have a better way to keep possession.

It's not about keeping possession, it's about getting it outside of the defensive 50 to a contest on the boundary. We effectively had Warnock and Kreuzer against Maric, both who were on top of Maric for most of the contest. If I can convert a kickout to a ball in on the wing with a ruck/clearance advantage, I'll take it.

 

[blue healer]

So you guys are saying if we're 50 points down at 3 QTR time that I should keep watching and NOT put my antique nightstand through the telly?

If we're 50 points down against the Swans at 3 QTR time I'd say get that antique nightstand ready if you haven't already used it.

 

[blue to the bone]

Similar to Essendon's game plan against you lot.

Your game plan involves taking banned substances and backing a joke of a coach in turd. good luck with that by the way.now run along as we have better things to deal with, like playing in a semi final.

 

[Number42]

It's all well and good but if we continue to give up massive leads then the good teams will put us away very quickly. We have been lucky we have played average teams and gotten away with it, but I can see Sydney smashing us if we do it against them.

 

[ChrisCarlton]

Thanks to this thread I just spent an hour on youtube watching Muhammad Ali fight George Foreman.