- May 8, 2006
- 13,700
- 11,432
- AFL Club
- Essendon
- Other Teams
- NYJ
Myth No.1: That the 1970 GF was the 'birth' of the free-running, play-on and handpass style of play/tactic that delevoped into the modern game we see now.
Read these then I'll explain...
He called for the stats sheets. Barassi knew that Carlton's running and handpassing was way down, and he wanted to quote the figures to the players. His eyes went straight to the hand-pass total for the first half.
He knew it must be low but he hadn't realised how low. He asked two players, Kevin Hall and Robert Walls, for their estimates.
They were both well out with their guesses but at least they understood that the team was well below the normal average of about 40. The figure, in fact, was 16.
He roared this at the players: 'A lousy, stinking, rotten 16 handballs.
They were in deep trouble and Barassi just asked each player to relax and think about his own game. He told them that the selectors and he were going to consult...in the next room.
Collingwood's tall players were causing trouble, so Barassi devised a plan to try to reduce their effort. Whenever Carlton had a kick, either a free kick or from a mark, and weren't playing on, a team-mate was to stooge around near the opposition man on the mark.
As the kicker came to take his kick, his team-mate would drift forward, the handpass would go over the head of the man on the mark and the reciever would take the ball, dash down the field and kick.
Barassi's theory was that this would leave the Collingwood big men- Eakins, Jenkin, Waters and Len Thompson- out of the marking contests. Other normal handball tactics had to come into use- the Blues just had to get their running game going.
From the book: Barassi- The Life behind the Legend. By Barassi and Peter McFarline
Nobby8-
The Carlton selectors and Barassi disagreed on one thing during that meeting at half-time. Barassi wanted to bring Ted Hopkins on at the start of the 3rd qtr and take off Bert Thornley who was playing like ####.
Hopkins was a reserve for many games during the 1970 season and was desperate for a run in the GF. In those days, once a player came off he couldn't come back on the ground, so it was a big risk to switch players unless there was an injury.
The selectors wanted to wait and see what happens for the first 10 minutes. Barrassi reluctantly agreed. But at the very last moment, just before the players were about to run out, he says something inside him said 'Put Hopkins on now'..and he got his way and Ted was on.
The play-on style that Carlton played in that 2nd half created moments of space for Hopkins. He ran around like a madman and got into position to recieve handpasses andd kicked two goals in the first four minutes and four for the half. The other Carlton players got their full confidence back with-in the first 10 minutes of the qrt and the many Carlton stars who had done nothing in the 1st half started to lift and get involved.
Carlton were still 27 points down with 10 minutes to go the final qtr but they continued to play- on and handpass over opposition players to get the ball moving towards goal. Hopkins scored a goal (his 4th) that put them with-in one point after recieving a Syd Jackson handpass from over the top of a pack of players. But Hopkins wasn't the match winner- the team as a whole just lifted and played 3 qrts of hard and fast footy.
On the day, Barassi's plan just came together and Collingwood's high marking big men were left to chase smaller quicker players who were all running around hand-passing to each other and playing-on and drilling it down the ground towards the goals.
It's not as if every team around the country suddenly started playing like this. But it didn't take long for sides like Richmond in the early '70s and Essendon and Hawthorn in the '80s to combine this modern play-on style of game with the supreme fitness of all players on the ground.
Barassi then talks about how he had been trying to introduce this type of attacking hand-passing style of game for some time before the 1970 GF but it didn't always come off well.
Teams of the time were still in the mode of taking a mark and turning your back on the play and slowly going back to take your kick-This kick would almost always be up the field to an almost certain contested situation between two or more tall players.
Barassi knew from personal experience that this type of play had been around for awhile, but to make it work on game day it needed a team that displayed total self-discipline to make it all come together.
The coach can suggest it and make them practice it at training, but it's game day that matters and things don't always go to plan on match day.
During his own playing days at MFC under Norm Smith, he was part of Smith's plan to have hard-running,agressive ball carriers who took a handpass and ran down the field to leading forwards.
Norm Smith got many of his ideas from his brother Len and it's Barassi himself who says that Len Smith is basically the one who 'invented' the modern style of play.
A far less dour approach to play was cultivated by Len Smith, the brother of the more famous Norm. During the 1950's Len challenged the conservative conventions that dictated how teams should occupy territory and move the ball around the ground.
He pioneered a system of play that combined possession football with a speedy, play-on style in which players were free to move outside their customary postions and rotate with team-mates.
He emphasised the rapid movement of the ball by hand and foot and the need to maintain possession for as long as possible before initiating a systematic forward thrust.
From the book More than a game- Hess and Stewart.
I'm just so sick of reading articles every finals series about how the 1970 GF changed the game over night and everything else before that game was a slow 1880s style of play.
If anyone can be 'credited' for the 'birth' of the modern style of footy it should be Chris Connelly when he was coaching Fremantle.
Rotation of mid-fielders is what the modern game is all about compared to the old days, not playing-on and handpassing.
Is the Myth busted?
Thoughts?
Next myth?
Read these then I'll explain...
He called for the stats sheets. Barassi knew that Carlton's running and handpassing was way down, and he wanted to quote the figures to the players. His eyes went straight to the hand-pass total for the first half.
He knew it must be low but he hadn't realised how low. He asked two players, Kevin Hall and Robert Walls, for their estimates.
They were both well out with their guesses but at least they understood that the team was well below the normal average of about 40. The figure, in fact, was 16.
He roared this at the players: 'A lousy, stinking, rotten 16 handballs.
They were in deep trouble and Barassi just asked each player to relax and think about his own game. He told them that the selectors and he were going to consult...in the next room.
Collingwood's tall players were causing trouble, so Barassi devised a plan to try to reduce their effort. Whenever Carlton had a kick, either a free kick or from a mark, and weren't playing on, a team-mate was to stooge around near the opposition man on the mark.
As the kicker came to take his kick, his team-mate would drift forward, the handpass would go over the head of the man on the mark and the reciever would take the ball, dash down the field and kick.
Barassi's theory was that this would leave the Collingwood big men- Eakins, Jenkin, Waters and Len Thompson- out of the marking contests. Other normal handball tactics had to come into use- the Blues just had to get their running game going.
From the book: Barassi- The Life behind the Legend. By Barassi and Peter McFarline
Nobby8-
The Carlton selectors and Barassi disagreed on one thing during that meeting at half-time. Barassi wanted to bring Ted Hopkins on at the start of the 3rd qtr and take off Bert Thornley who was playing like ####.
Hopkins was a reserve for many games during the 1970 season and was desperate for a run in the GF. In those days, once a player came off he couldn't come back on the ground, so it was a big risk to switch players unless there was an injury.
The selectors wanted to wait and see what happens for the first 10 minutes. Barrassi reluctantly agreed. But at the very last moment, just before the players were about to run out, he says something inside him said 'Put Hopkins on now'..and he got his way and Ted was on.
The play-on style that Carlton played in that 2nd half created moments of space for Hopkins. He ran around like a madman and got into position to recieve handpasses andd kicked two goals in the first four minutes and four for the half. The other Carlton players got their full confidence back with-in the first 10 minutes of the qrt and the many Carlton stars who had done nothing in the 1st half started to lift and get involved.
Carlton were still 27 points down with 10 minutes to go the final qtr but they continued to play- on and handpass over opposition players to get the ball moving towards goal. Hopkins scored a goal (his 4th) that put them with-in one point after recieving a Syd Jackson handpass from over the top of a pack of players. But Hopkins wasn't the match winner- the team as a whole just lifted and played 3 qrts of hard and fast footy.
On the day, Barassi's plan just came together and Collingwood's high marking big men were left to chase smaller quicker players who were all running around hand-passing to each other and playing-on and drilling it down the ground towards the goals.
It's not as if every team around the country suddenly started playing like this. But it didn't take long for sides like Richmond in the early '70s and Essendon and Hawthorn in the '80s to combine this modern play-on style of game with the supreme fitness of all players on the ground.
Barassi then talks about how he had been trying to introduce this type of attacking hand-passing style of game for some time before the 1970 GF but it didn't always come off well.
Teams of the time were still in the mode of taking a mark and turning your back on the play and slowly going back to take your kick-This kick would almost always be up the field to an almost certain contested situation between two or more tall players.
Barassi knew from personal experience that this type of play had been around for awhile, but to make it work on game day it needed a team that displayed total self-discipline to make it all come together.
The coach can suggest it and make them practice it at training, but it's game day that matters and things don't always go to plan on match day.
During his own playing days at MFC under Norm Smith, he was part of Smith's plan to have hard-running,agressive ball carriers who took a handpass and ran down the field to leading forwards.
Norm Smith got many of his ideas from his brother Len and it's Barassi himself who says that Len Smith is basically the one who 'invented' the modern style of play.
A far less dour approach to play was cultivated by Len Smith, the brother of the more famous Norm. During the 1950's Len challenged the conservative conventions that dictated how teams should occupy territory and move the ball around the ground.
He pioneered a system of play that combined possession football with a speedy, play-on style in which players were free to move outside their customary postions and rotate with team-mates.
He emphasised the rapid movement of the ball by hand and foot and the need to maintain possession for as long as possible before initiating a systematic forward thrust.
From the book More than a game- Hess and Stewart.
I'm just so sick of reading articles every finals series about how the 1970 GF changed the game over night and everything else before that game was a slow 1880s style of play.
If anyone can be 'credited' for the 'birth' of the modern style of footy it should be Chris Connelly when he was coaching Fremantle.
Rotation of mid-fielders is what the modern game is all about compared to the old days, not playing-on and handpassing.
Is the Myth busted?
Thoughts?
Next myth?
