Mick Malthouse says Geelong needs to change its game plan

[Ikan Bodoh]

Josh Hunt has been pretty reliable too.

I think you are right but he has lost a lot of distance on his kicking in the last 18 months. I remember earlier this year when he didn't make the distance on a set shot from 50. He would have landed those in the second level 2 years ago. No long kicks from kickouts anymore either, in fact I would say he is taking less than half of the kickouts this year.

On the subject of kicking, Stokes has made me laugh this year. Can barely kick 30 metres these days.

 

[winty]

I think you are right but he has lost a lot of distance on his kicking in the last 18 months. I remember earlier this year when he didn't make the distance on a set shot from 50. He would have landed those in the second level 2 years ago. No long kicks from kickouts anymore either, in fact I would say he is taking less than half of the kickouts this year.

Guess you missed Josh's torp straight down the guts in the 3rd term on Saturday then.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Maybe Mick Malthouse should've made such an observation regarding his own team before playing us last year.

 

[Skerret]

Guess you missed Josh's torp straight down the guts in the 3rd term on Saturday then.

Exactly what I was going to say. A good 70-75 metres that one.

 

[you pick one]

The thing that has changed for me is what made us look quick in the last few year, we backed our players in to win every contest and were already running forward of the ball into space before the contest was won and it normally was or they forced a stoppage.
That luxury is gone.

 

[you pick one]

On the subject of kicking, Stokes has made me laugh this year. Can barely kick 30 metres these days.

I agree with this bit,I wrote some time ago I thought he may have a groin injury or even Osteitis Pubis,couldn't kick over a jam tin at the moment.

 

[romeoh]

Guess you missed Josh's torp straight down the guts in the 3rd term on Saturday then.

And didn't he kick a long goal in the GF?

 

[footscore]

maybe starting to take note

If you change around some of those names "Hunt to Selwood to Johnson to Hawkins"

 

[catman 71]

There are many, many reasons why we're not as good this year. Among them (to me at least) are:

1. Lack of leg speed. Not in close when we're winning the ball, but across the ground as sides spread out. We're getting hurt constantly here.
2. Lack of defensive pressure up forward. This is almost non-existent. We've got too many small forwards who either a) don't get the ball or b) don't lay tackles. Or worse - c) both. If Hawkins doesn't mark it the ball comes out very quickly.
3. Decline of experienced players. Corey mainly, a little bit Wocjinski, at times Chapman. It may not be huge but it's true nonetheless.
4. Mistakes by inexperienced players. This is going to happen. Personally I think every one of them can play. But they won't turn into 100 game dependable players overnight. They take time and they do make mistakes.
5. Not good enough conversion up forward. Hawkins is getting a lot of blame for this, some warranted, some not. But he's not alone.
6. Inconsistent gameplan. Some weeks they look to be just playing simple direct football, some weeks being far too precise (first quarter against Collingwood a prime example).
7. Poor starts. This has slaughtered us all year long. Roger put up an amazing stat about how poor our first quarters have been. Our lowest first quarter score since 1918. That's nearly 100 years - a very scary statistic. You can't argue with facts.
8. Inexperienced ruck division. Yes it's an issue, but this is to me where it comes in the list of problems. And with experience West and Simpson (and Vardy) will get better. West is getting better.

You mention about our forwards not tackling in the forward line.

Well, I know one player who often did- and this may explain why we are falling down in it this year.

That player is Travis Varcoe, who has been out all season.

 

[catman 71]

Maybe Malthouse wants Geelong to go back to the gameplan that beat his mob in the Grand Final last year-LOL!

 

[canny30]

dunno if anyone else saw this on Friday...but at the game i thought it was plain to see that we have a pretty effective rebound from Defence kinda structure...however our leg speed was seriously lacking to take advantage of the Collingwood Defence pushing up the ground.....gameplan is good...lack of leg speed is def the issue IMO......

+1 This is spot on.

It's how quick the ball moves. Not how quick your feet move.

I lol'd all of last year when commentators said leg speed will expose us while we kicked the ball long over all their heads and won the GF.

 

[Partridge]

I agree with this bit,I wrote some time ago I thought he may have a groin injury or even Osteitis Pubis,couldn't kick over a jam tin at the moment.

I didn't think much of it at the time but in the Carlton game he handpassed off nearly every time he had the ball. It would make sense in light of how he's lost some penetration with his kicking.

 

[Partridge]

And didn't he kick a long goal in the GF?

Don't think so. Kicked a goal in the first quarter of the QF against Hawthorn though. Actually, for his flaws, as a defender he's been a pretty good shot for goal most of the time.

 

[romeoh]

Don't think so. Kicked a goal in the first quarter of the QF against Hawthorn though. Actually, for his flaws, as a defender he's been a pretty good shot for goal most of the time.

Thanks - that must be the one I am thinking of. Yep he has been pretty reliable shot on goal-hardly ever misses on the odd occasions he has a chance.

 

[Gavin Excell]

we misstoo many targets and get killed on the turnover

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Don't think its as much a gameplan issue as an execution issue at the moment.

However, I would rather our youngsters learning the Geelong way and not going into a defensive, boundary hugging mindset that will stifle there development.

The facts speak clearly - the Geelong way (albeit slightly modified last year) has delivered 3 premierships against a tide of defensive minded opposition who have kept themselves in the hunt but failed to deliver on the big stage.

Have every bit of confidence that we are progressing the right way and whilst many think we are on the decline, I think we are improving and have a sharp upside that will follow over the next few years!

 

[AM]

Don't think its as much a gameplan issue as an execution issue at the moment.

However, I would rather our youngsters learning the Geelong way and not going into a defensive, boundary hugging mindset that will stifle there development.

The facts speak clearly - the Geelong way (albeit slightly modified last year) has delivered 3 premierships against a tide of defensive minded opposition who have kept themselves in the hunt but failed to deliver on the big stage.

Have every bit of confidence that we are progressing the right way and whilst many think we are on the decline, I think we are improving and have a sharp upside that will follow over the next few years!

There are times using the boundary is the best option and times the corridor is the best option. It’s not either or.

I’m also confident we’re on the right path. I’d like to see our up-n-comers get a run of games rather than cameos although I get why that has been the way we’ve gone to date.

There have been many pointers to us being more about 2015 than 2012 this year. In our system teams inevitably dip and need to rebuild. The draft and salary cap ensure that. How low that dip is and how long it takes to become a serious flag contender again is dependent on how well run a club is both off field and on field.

Malthouse said tonight that because we are a well run club he didn’t think we would bottom out but there would be a period of rebuilding. Can’t argue with that IMO.

 

[barmy44]

Thanks - that must be the one I am thinking of. Yep he has been pretty reliable shot on goal-hardly ever misses on the odd occasions he has a chance.

he kicked a huge goal on his right foot in the PF, too...

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

There are times using the boundary is the best option and times the corridor is the best option. It’s not either or.

I’m also confident we’re on the right path. I’d like to see our up-n-comers get a run of games rather than cameos although I get why that has been the way we’ve gone to date.

There have been many pointers to us being more about 2015 than 2012 this year. In our system teams inevitably dip and need to rebuild. The draft and salary cap ensure that. How low that dip is and how long it takes to become a serious flag contender again is dependent on how well run a club is both off field and on field.

Malthouse said tonight that because we are a well run club he didn’t think we would bottom out but there would be a period of rebuilding. Can’t argue with that IMO.

Definitely, but there is an either or between being a team that takes the game on and a team that reverts to safety and plays within itself. Geelong, historically have been a team that constantly take the game on (Blight era, Thompson era and Scott).....when we reverted to conservative footy (think Ayres era) the results were that we stayed reasonably competitive but failed to develop players to their maximum potential.

I guess what i'm trying to say is that I would rather see us develop players by encouraging them to take game on rather than trying to hide them within a team structure that plays conservative, defensive mid-range football.

I agree with Malthouse when he says we are a well run club and he doesn't expect us to be down to long - I think we have already set some real wheels in motion and we are going to be much better at handling the transition than other teams have been.

 

[darren forssman]

watch Saturdays nights game early in the 2nd 1/4. Smedts marked the ball after a great passage of play in which we controlled the ball all the way down the ground til there. He stood there for what was the max time as Taylor Hunt was all alone and waving in front of goal.

that was indeed strange, maybe he didnt think he kick the distance and hit the target, but still no excuse.