RedBloodBlackSwan
Premiership Player
- Aug 29, 2021
- 3,115
- 6,167
- AFL Club
- Sydney
Horse is a good coach but his Achilles Heel is being able to adapt.
We have lost the same way for several weeks now and he is still talking about needing to even contests. I’m not sure he realises that other teams have worked us out, and our players are therefore playing at a disadvantage in every contest, and are also run down and losing confidence week on week (which does not take responsibility off the players for todays appalling result).
One thing Horse often says, and he is right, is that it is never one factor. We have had injuries, players got ahead of themselves, players got tired, key players re-signed on long contracts (which may have let some of the air out of the balloon) - but I reckon the biggest factor is that teams have worked us out.
Which isn’t really that surprising, as we were scoring at will for a big chunk of the year and making everyone else look like fools. All opposition teams have been watching us closely and watching what has worked and hasn’t worked for other teams. The formula to counter our success is now well know.
We need to adapt.
Horse needs to find the headspace to do so. He could consider giving big cox the lead for a couple of weeks while he spends time analysing the game plan and seeking input from the players, coaches and external experts without the pressure of preparing for the next week. Big cox might get the short term “new coach” bounce while Horse would gain the headspace to mix things up.
We have lost the same way for several weeks now and he is still talking about needing to even contests. I’m not sure he realises that other teams have worked us out, and our players are therefore playing at a disadvantage in every contest, and are also run down and losing confidence week on week (which does not take responsibility off the players for todays appalling result).
One thing Horse often says, and he is right, is that it is never one factor. We have had injuries, players got ahead of themselves, players got tired, key players re-signed on long contracts (which may have let some of the air out of the balloon) - but I reckon the biggest factor is that teams have worked us out.
Which isn’t really that surprising, as we were scoring at will for a big chunk of the year and making everyone else look like fools. All opposition teams have been watching us closely and watching what has worked and hasn’t worked for other teams. The formula to counter our success is now well know.
We need to adapt.
Horse needs to find the headspace to do so. He could consider giving big cox the lead for a couple of weeks while he spends time analysing the game plan and seeking input from the players, coaches and external experts without the pressure of preparing for the next week. Big cox might get the short term “new coach” bounce while Horse would gain the headspace to mix things up.