Analysis System, buy in and talent

[Quicky]

I've noticed that our mids can give up front position easily at the centre bounce. It's ok to be standing in front of beside your opponent before the able is bounce but what happens when the ball is in the air has me scratching my head. Sometimes it looks like the initiative is being stolen too easily and the opposition are getting to the drop of the ball first.

Keeping an eye on the bounce and match day threads, I see comments about Grundy's tap work being shite and yet I've seen the same play as a mids issue. E.g Treloar and even Pendles letting players body them out or too laconic on consecutive occasions.

Sam Newman said something interesting. He noted that it was the ruckman's responsibility to hit the ball to a spot and the mids' responsibilty to get to that spot. Just another way of looking at it. Not saying Grundy is blameless but we do need to look at what our mids are doing as well.

Good analysis Filo. It's hard to judge without knowing what the strategy is. I'd love to ask Buckley some questions around it to get a better feel about what's being attempted and what's going wrong.

 

[Gone Critical]

For me our improvement is coming from continuity, chemistry, high functioning defence, good and very good players getting to the magical 50 games, new assistant coaches, other influential new personnel, and the senior coach seeming more relaxed and flexible.

I'm holding my breath until after the bye, hoping and praying we are able to maintain this improvement.

It goes without saying that having Moore and Elliott available would be enormous for us; I'd add Aish to that mix too.

I think that's well described VP, there is a vibe about all those things you discuss that gives a sense of improvement. Without further analysis the 7:4 WL record backs that up. Still probing our season to date makes me wonder.

Objectively all we have to show for the season is a good win over Adelaide the 9th placed team. We have beaten the bottom sides with varying degrees of conviction. Our draw has been very easy so far but gets a bit harder from here. 2017 was different in that we dropped games against lesser sides, Hawthorn, Saints and Carl but did much better against top sides that we are this year so far. That's a concern which we hopefully rectify shortly.

In 2017 we played 13 of 22 matches against teams in the top half of the ladder at the end of the season. This season will end up being 9 or 10 depending on whether we finish in the top half. In 2017 we played 11 matches against top 8 sides and went 3w, 1d, 7l. This year we are 0:2. This year, assuming no one below 11th makes the finals, safe bet, we will only have 8 or 9 matches against the top 8.

So far our season has shown we are performing better against bottom side compared to 2017 but worse against top sides. Have we improved? There is a sense we have but not much quality evidence to support that yet. Hopefully Monday brings a big dollop of that.

 

[doppleganger]

Richmond are an example of why players who can apply defensive pressure across the forward line are so valuable.

Butler, Castagna and Rioli they are 10 touch 1 goal per game players. Defensive pressure they apply is critical and they set the tone. Collingwood don't have any players up forward who do this, apart from Blair.

Down back they also have continuity - Rance, Astbury, Grimes and B.Ellis - all played 20 games this year.

We aren't far off, we made transition a focus this year after struggling in 2016. We jumped from below par - 12th for inside 50s and 13th for marks inside 50 in 2016 to 4th and 5th this year.

We need to clean up our ball use across HB, too many crazy unforced clangers, and get more pressure from our small forwards to lock the ball in our forward half better.

We are much better across HB now, Scharenberg and Langdon playing with confidence and injury free a big help there.

Having Howe, Dunn, Berg and Crisp play 10 or 11 games to date has given us the continuity we have lacked down back. Throw in Langdon and Maynard, who have both missed a couple of games, and we finally have a backline that can cope with most forward mixes and provide the rebound.

Up forward we are much better with Stephenson, J.Thomas and WHE able to run both ways and put plenty of pressure on whilst also hitting the scoreboard.

A guy like Phillips elevating his game so much that he is now another a legit quality midfielder, similar to lambert at Richmond in 2017, always helps too!

 

[jonbe54]

Some are saying we have only beaten the Crows and they are sitting 9th.

That is now, not then.

Fortunes vary throughout the season, with injuries and illness taking their toll on all clubs, add in a lopsided draw that every club suffers from and it's Oh so easy to slip 3 or 4 spots in a couple of weeks or skyrocket up alternatively.

All we or any club can do is play the hand we or they are dealt and make the most of it.

7 from 4 is a big improvement at this early stage so take it and move on.

And for those of you still nervous about the season remember . . .

Neither the doggies or the tiges were given any show half way through their last premiership seasons.

Side by side.

 

[noideaatall]

I reckon it's Grundy's tap work. He over thinks it too much. At around the grounds he can lock arms and wrestle - that suits him. In the centre bounce his taps are really poorly directed. If he could clean that up, he would be unstoppable

Good post. Give Grundy a couple more years and that should be ironed out. Then our mids will have it on a platter. Now they don't, just on a napkin. I think our mids are a part of the problem in that they allow their opponents to get away at times.

 

[jonbe54]

Mids need to learn to rove to a losing ruck, we did it as a team for years with the Josh Fraser experiment.

 

[Vicky Park]

I think that's well described VP, there is a vibe about all those things you discuss that gives a sense of improvement. Without further analysis the 7:4 WL record backs that up. Still probing our season to date makes me wonder.

Objectively all we have to show for the season is a good win over Adelaide the 9th placed team. We have beaten the bottom sides with varying degrees of conviction. Our draw has been very easy so far but gets a bit harder from here. 2017 was different in that we dropped games against lesser sides, Hawthorn, Saints and Carl but did much better against top sides that we are this year so far. That's a concern which we hopefully rectify shortly.

In 2017 we played 13 of 22 matches against teams in the top half of the ladder at the end of the season. This season will end up being 9 or 10 depending on whether we finish in the top half. In 2017 we played 11 matches against top 8 sides and went 3w, 1d, 7l. This year we are 0:2. This year, assuming no one below 11th makes the finals, safe bet, we will only have 8 or 9 matches against the top 8.

So far our season has shown we are performing better against bottom side compared to 2017 but worse against top sides. Have we improved? There is a sense we have but not much quality evidence to support that yet. Hopefully Monday brings a big dollop of that.

Thx GC, I have no query with your analysis of our win/loss performances to date.

But as to the issue of has the team improved? I think we as fans are saying yes, in that we’re enjoying watching the team more, and the players also appear to be ‘up and about’. Confidence in the game plan, confidence in your teammates, a steadier hand in charge. Bouncing back well after a loss. We seem to have improved in these areas in 2018. That improvement should soon lead to wins against good sides.

 

[jmac70]

Thx GC, I have no query with your analysis of our win/loss performances to date.

But as to the issue of has the team improved? I think we as fans are saying yes, in that we’re enjoying watching the team more, and the players also appear to be ‘up and about’. Confidence in the game plan, confidence in your teammates, a steadier hand in charge. Bouncing back well after a loss. We seem to have improved in these areas in 2018. That improvement should soon lead to wins against good sides.

I’m lovin’ ya growth mindset!

 

[Gone Critical]

Thx GC, I have no query with your analysis of our win/loss performances to date.

But as to the issue of has the team improved? I think we as fans are saying yes, in that we’re enjoying watching the team more, and the players also appear to be ‘up and about’. Confidence in the game plan, confidence in your teammates, a steadier hand in charge. Bouncing back well after a loss. We seem to have improved in these areas in 2018. That improvement should soon lead to wins against good sides.

Yep, I think Dennis's Denuto may have described our feelings the best.

 

[Countrypie]

I've noticed that our mids can give up front position easily at the centre bounce. It's ok to be standing in front of beside your opponent before the able is bounce but what happens when the ball is in the air has me scratching my head. Sometimes it looks like the initiative is being stolen too easily and the opposition are getting to the drop of the ball first.

Keeping an eye on the bounce and match day threads, I see comments about Grundy's tap work being shite and yet I've seen the same play as a mids issue. E.g Treloar and even Pendles letting players body them out or too laconic on consecutive occasions.

Sam Newman said something interesting. He noted that it was the ruckman's responsibility to hit the ball to a spot and the mids' responsibilty to get to that spot. Just another way of looking at it. Not saying Grundy is blameless but we do need to look at what our mids are doing as well.

Spot on observation. I think ultimately we're talking about connection between the Ruckman and his ground level players. When I was a kid I was privileged to watch Len Thompson's work with Wayne Richardson. It was almost telepathic. I thought that's what all ruckmen did. Sam Newman's opinion reflect what most ruckmen are capable of, I suspect Grundy is aiming for something better (Thompson/Madden like) THe connection just isn't quite there yet