Rolling zones

[twaters]

How do we beat it?

Crawford says we are the prime dupes for anyone who uses it, eg St Kilda. Clearly preseason watchers said we were training to counter it; in NAB we tried Thomas at half back; in first 5 AFL rounds we tried Cox as quarterback; last night we even nearly handballed as much as we kicked (while we also were leading clearances, not too far behind on tackles, but were still being smashed).

Could it be that as in chess, this new ambit will always beat the ambit that says lets run our pawns up the edges of the board and hope they magically turn into new queen pieces? Worked for Hawthorn to be daring. Ie is our game plan (even with our current increased handball, some quarterbacking, and a touch more speed of ball movement) basically in the bin of history?

Do we need to just have a plan B occasionally? Or do we need to spend the rest of the year developing games into players now who can kick, have an instinct for corridor play and forgive them any sins they may commit along this new way?

It kind of irks me (and may irk some of the current playing group?) to know that Crawf and other old heads have us worked out in our current ways. Neil Craig has said this week they'll be going back to an up tempo game plan. Are we too proud, stubborn, traditionally set in our ways?

I don't think we should be countering others' game styles - we should be setting new styles ourselves. Be visionaries, not only be blue collar honest triers. Hawthorn dared to be different.

I don't fully grasp these zones that roll in full or part, and I don't care if they go up or down, left or right or wiggle in quantum or any other kind of mechanics. Let's not just combat that. What is the next big idea for a game plan beyond that? Can we invest our money and energies into that forward proactive thinking, rather than have another generation of CFC players bravely and intensely fighting others' game plans and becoming yesterday's heroes?

Time to let it rip. Now how can we best do that?

 

[The Royal Sampler]

We definitely need a plan B.

The whole idea of the rolling zone is to allow the opposition to kick out to the boundary, and then give them no further options by blocking that side of the ground and the corridor. Our game plan revolves around going to the boundary anyway, we actually do the job for them.

I like the fact that we're a kicking team, but we need to learn how to run, handball and protect the ball carrier and the next option in line using the corridor. We don't need to do it all the time, but we need to be capable of doing it when the match up dictates.

 

[bothfeetshanker]

As hard as it is to say anything positive about Essendon , the way they played on Friday showed that if you are able to adapt during a game, take risks and have confidence in your team mates and anything can happen, even against the magical, mystical rolling zone.

It just seems that the belief for the Pies at the moment isn't in each others skills and natural abilities, but it is in the game plan - as flawed as everyone not intimately involved in the club sees/knows/believes it is!!!

One passage last night where we ran and carried the ball using hands from the backline through the centre showed we can do it - if you can do it 10+ goals down why not at the beginning of a game??? Just a pity we had no forward line to do anything with it once we got it in last night.

 

[Frankie23]

We definitely need a plan B.

The whole idea of the rolling zone is to allow the opposition to kick out to the boundary, and then give them no further options by blocking that side of the ground and the corridor. Our game plan revolves around going to the boundary anyway, we actually do the job for them.

I like the fact that we're a kicking team, but we need to learn how to run, handball and protect the ball carrier and the next option in line using the corridor. We don't need to do it all the time, but we need to be capable of doing it when the match up dictates.

Pretty much sums up everything right there. If i was an opposition coach who implements the 'zone', i would love to play Collingwood.

Now why can't we get through it?

In my opinion there are 2 main reasons:
1. Our game plan. The way our plan is designed we will NEVER beat a team with the zone. Short kicks along the boundary cannot cut it. MM implements that plan because we don't have the skills to go down the corridor, but the problem is going down the boundary when a team has the zone puts even more pressure to hit targets in such a confind space. Then when we cough it up with all our players being on the boundary, the opposition can easily carry it up the middle as we somply don't have any players to protect it.

2. We simply don't run and carry hard enough. Essendon for example tore down Hawthrons zone thanks largely to Andrew Lovett running and breaking the lines. Not once last night did we try to take them on in the middle, running and protecting the ball carrier. Weather we lack the personal or just don't want to do it, it is the only way we will ever beat the zone.

I don't know what MM and the assistants did over summer to try and beat the zone, but it hasn't worked, and imo they havent changed much from last year.

Another question, if it so sucessful, why don;t we try one?