Team Meeting TRANSCRIPT

[FR0GGY]

Any chance this would fit on our banner?

 

[Dewy006]

The little dig at Lynch kicking into the man on the mark all the time was just perfect.

 

[brucetiki]

This isn't too far from the truth

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The inspiration...

 

[cleanhands]

My first read since posting..... very very clever,exceptional work, I can imagine this actually happening ,LEGEND

 

[DERO]

 

[DERO]

If there is a transcript for Worsfold's learnings, I'd love to see it.

 

[asdfasd]

He's back!

 

[Thetrader15]

Did someone say "long down the line"?

Third quarter...FMD!

 

[WeeBlake]

We literally have no other plan

 

[adelcrows]

This was literally us the whole bloody night.. swap Smith for seed on the 80m thing and this was the speech I’d say..

 

[JP Sauce]

Yep I was 90% sure pregame but now I’m 100% certain this is a real transcript.

 

[Schulzycrow]

Carl, you can predict the future. But with the AFC its not that hard to do.
Need to send this to the club.

 

[Deaneus!]

The coaches, players and Mark Ricciuto are gathered in the changeroom at Footy Park.

Nicks: Boys, the game on Saturday really brought it home to me that there are some football basics we need to bed down before we can even begin to think about winning games.

So if everyone can set up their chairs in a circle around the mini oval on the floor here we’re going to go through a few ball movement things.

Ok, so the water bottles are us and the Gatorade bottles are the opposition. We’ve got a mark at half back but it’s a slow play situation. No chance of a quick give. What are our three kicking options?

<long pause>

Nicks: Well, what’s the most attacking option?

Brown: Long down the wing?

Nicks: Ummm… no. What about this guy here (taps water bottle near the centre)? The 45 kick. That’s the most attacking option. Takes us forward and changes the angle.

All: Ohhhhhh.

Nicks: If the 45 option is covered then what do we look for next?

<long pause>

Nicks: C’mon this is pretty basic stuff. Option B is…?

Brown: Long down the wing?

Nicks: Wrong again. The switch. Quick switch, shift the defence and try to open up a 45 kick for someone else. Ok, what if the 45 kick is covered and they’ve manned up across the field? Browny?

Brown: Yes?

Nicks: What’s the bail out option? You had it before…? Option C…?

Brown: <stares blankly>

M Crouch: (whispering to Brown) Handball to the ruckman.

Nicks: Now we go long down the line.

Brown: Why don’t we just do that the first time like I said? Save all the messing around.

Nicks: It’s because it becomes very predictable. Teams concentrate their numbers there and our talls get smashed. We need to mix up our ball movement. Everyone understand? I’m seeing some confused faces.

We’ll soldier on. Ok, so let’s say we’re going to try the 45 kick. Our target is here and his opponent is there. Where do we kick it?

Laird: As high as you can, that way you know you’ll get a contest.

<Mackay gives Lairdy a high five>

Mackay: Spot on, Lairdy. Effective disposal in the bank.

Nicks: No, not as high as you can. We don’t want a contest. You kick to the advantage side. Where the space is that our player can work into.

M Crouch: What if you can’t kick that far?

Nicks: Wha-…? Then don’t take that option.

Knight: What if there’s an opposition player in the space?

Nicks: Well then it’s not space is it. Don’t kick it there.

Walker: Knighta, as if you’d get a kick anyway.

Brown: Sorry… so which one is the space side?

Nicks: Ummm… here. Where the space is. Away from the opposition player.

All: Ohhh.

Nicks: Maybe it might help if we explore this space concept from a forward’s point of view.

Now Billy and Himma… see these water bottles? That’s you two and here are your opponents (places two Gatorade bottles down). I’ll plonk them down here around the top of the fifty. So here’s Frampton and here’s Himmelberg.

<Nicks produces a banana from his jacket pocket>

Nicks: And this evil yellow fellow is an extra defender. They’ve dropped someone back. Three on two. So… what do you guys do?

<Both stare blankly>

Nicks: Well where do you go?

Frampton: Man him up?

Himmelberg: Yeah, gotta engage the defender.

Nicks: No… Let’s imagine Billy that you push towards the boundary and drag your man with you. Now Himma, what do you do?

Himmelberg: Go with him?

Frampton: Yeah, gotta support your team mate.

Knight: Numbers to the footy, works every time.

All: Whoooo-eeeee!

Nicks: No! C’mon… you get as far apart as you can. That way the banana won’t know which one of you to go with.

<confused silence>

Nicks: Separate. Spread the defence. Create some space and some one-on-one opportunities instead of being outnumbered all the time.

<moves water bottles and Gatorade bottles apart>

Now Billy and Himma have separated…. So Mr Banana here has got to hedge his bets. You all see that?

And what does the ball carrier do? Now you’ve got a couple of options. One towards the boundary, one in the middle and their spare in between. Where do we kick it?

Murphy: Split the difference between our two guys?

Mackay: (nods knowingly) Experience tells me that that doubles our chances of getting it.

Nicks: No… (massaging temples)

Laird: Kick it as high as you can.

Nicks: No you fool. That way the banana will get there wherever you kick it. (prompting) We kick it….?

Kelly: Backwards? No! Sideways… no, backwards. Definitely backwards or sideways. Also you need to hang onto it first.

M Crouch: Ignore them both and go short? That way you can get the 1-2.

Laird: Really, really high?

Ricciuto: We should be videoing this stuff. Show people how hard we’re working. This is brilliant.

Nicks: Actually I don’t think that would go down all that well. This is honestly pretty basic. I had no idea we’d need to cover this.

So back to the kick - not high, not backwards, not short but…..? Low. We kick the ball low. And to which side of the contest? C’mon, we’ve done this…. The space side. Our player’s advantage side.

Low to the advantage side.

Sloane: If a defender’s right in your face do you still kick it low?

Walker: Only if you’re Tommy Lynch. Hi-ohhhh!!!!

Nicks: If someone is about to smother your kick then don’t kick it. Get around him. Use your football skills, use your hands, free up someone who can deliver the ball low.

The opposition want you to kick the ball high. That’s what applying pressure is all about. Their plan is to make you hurry a high kick forward because that’s easy pickings for any defence…

Walker: Except ours.

Nicks: Yeah… heads up though guys, it can’t be easy down there.

Now Billy and Himma… back to you guys. That space is crucial. You need to get your body between your opponent and the space. Now you can protect that space. It’s yours. Your opponent can only get to that space if he gets around you.

Himmelberg: What if he does?

Nicks: Well… that’s what being a forward is. You’ve got to stop that happening. Fight for it. So we kick into the space to the advantage side of our player and we kick it…?

All: High.

Nicks: Low. We’ve been over this. And why do we want to kick the ball low?

<confused silence>

Nicks: Ok I’ll give you some hints. <points down at the banana> So that….? The banana…? The banana can’t…. do what? Anyone? Bueller? Impact the….? <clicks fingers several times> Have a look at the oval again.

Knight: Where’s the ball?

Nicks: Oh, come on! The kicker is here. There’s the banana and here’s our two forward options. Now why do we want to keep the kick low…?

Kelly: Which way are we kicking?

Nicks: For fu**’s sake. If you kick it low to either of our guys then the banana can’t get there. One-on-one good. If you kick it high then the banana can get there. Two-on-one bad. Geddit? Christ the Scotch College 2nds were all over this.

Himmelberg: How do you work out which side is the space side?

Nicks: Ok Himma, let’s take this water bottle which is you and this Gatorade one which is your opponent. So which side is there space? Which is your advantage side?

<Nicks indicates large vacant area>

Himmelberg: To the right

Nicks: Left.

Himmelberg: That’s my right.

Nicks: Yeah I know it’s on your right as you’re sitting here on the chair but to the water bottle it’s your left. We’re pretending you’re the water bottle remember?

Himmelberg: Oh yeah.

Nicks: The space is to the water bottle’s left. And Lairdy if you’ve got the footy here where do you kick? Where’s the space?

Laird: To the left

Nicks: To the right. Where the space is (indicating on oval).

Laird: You said the space was to the left

Nicks: Yeah, Himma’s left. But you’re facing him. His left is your right.

Laird: He’s sitting next to me.

Nicks: On the oval you’re facing him.

Laird: Oh yeah.

Nicks: Is everyone following this?

Sloane: This is why we don’t do it.

Frampton: Should we be leading?

Nicks: If you can. Big space you can lead into it. Small space though you’ve got to guard the space with your body. If you lead you run out of tarmac. I mean there’s 18 players out there, space disappears fast. That’s why it’s important to move the ball quickly and for the forwards to protect whatever space there is.

Walker: Is it possible to create space?

Nicks: Hmmm… no offence Tex, but I have to say that’s a slightly worrying question from a former team captain and a 200 game key forward to be asking now. Benny? Haven’t you guys been working on this for years?

Hart: I played mostly down back.

Nicks: Yeah okay…. Well Taylor, forwards should separate to spread the defence out. This creates pockets of space. Movement is good too. If you can drag your opponent with you this can create space in behind for someone else.

Walker: What if the forward and the kicker think the space is on different sides to each other? You get blokes on different wavelengths.

Nicks: Can’t you see where the space is though? <reorganises drink bottles> Let’s say Tex and his opponent are here. Where’s the space?

Sloane: There’s space behind him.

Nicks: Yeah but you can’t kick it 80 metres.

Smith: I can.

Nicks: Here. On Tex’s side. That’s where we want to kick. Not on his opponent’s side.

Ricciuto: Blighty used to call that the dumb side.

Walker: Now he calls us the dumb side.

Nicks: Have you guys really not heard the concept of advantage side?

Sloane: Nicksy, with all due respect this is why we tend to kick long and high all the time. It takes out these complicated, technical areas and misunderstandings.

Mackay: Simple is better.

Sloane: Just kick it high and long, down the line. The forwards make a contest. Everyone knows where it’s going.

Nicks: The opposition sure does.

Genius

this stuff writes itself