I have hated watching some Pies games this year. I've been following them for 50 years. I have coached football and basketball at junior levels. I hate the new basketball AFL. I am not referring to the players style but the coaching.
I was at a TAC team HQ last week and saw posters all around the walls for game plays and it dawned on me that i was looking at a basketball court shaped as an oval.
Here's a novel idea - how about putting all players back in traditional football positions, then when a player looks up the ground he has someone to kick to on the lead. What's wrong with this? How does every player following the ball 'basketball style' increase the chances of scoring?
Even commentators use basketball terms: ZONES, TRANSITION, FAST BREAKS, DEFENCE, OFFENCE, SUBS, GAMEPLAY etc. instead of forward line, backline...
Catch instead of a "mark"?, give me a break!
Some of our players do look stupid because at the half back line they look up and have no one to kick to. It is common to dish of a little handball or retreat backwards.
NOT EVEN BASKETBALL LETS THE OFFENCE CROSS BACK INTO THE BACKCOURT ONCE THEY CROSS THE MIDCOURT LINE.
Last night Nick Reiwoldt stood at FULL FORWARD while the basketball game was played. The commentators were screaming that he had snuck off on his own. NO! He was playing full forward - it used to be a position. The FULL BACK should have been next to him. He wasn't because apparently now Riewoldt plays on the wing!
The FOOTball is now forced across the boundary line to set up stoppages and set basketball game plans. Players need to remember exactly where they are supposed to be. It's not a simple game of footy anymore.
Our great skills of goal kicking, high marking at a contest, passing are superfluous to the strategies.
A basketball court is 29 metres long; a football field is approx. 160 metres long.
Most of our players are running at intensity for 10 to 15km per game every week. Of course, you can miss a goal when you've just run a kilometre to get the ball 45 metres out. How many times do you see players trying to catch their breath before lining up for goal?
Players aren't robots. Have you ever gone to work feeling just a little off colour or tired? Our players need to be at their peak every game to cope.
Don't get me started on on soccer being called football here in Australia either. Football is AFL in this country. Soccer is soccer. Their is only one 'football' code in Australia.
The worst game I watched this year was when we played WC. It was a basketball game. Players swarming from end to end - one team playing offence, the other playing defence.
Bucks wants all our players playing basketball defence. It hasn't worked. For the second year in a row we could not sustain it for the full season. It has caused injuries to our under developed young players and affected our goal kicking.
Of course, our young backline look like idiots. They get 'possession' and look up to no 'outlets' so they 'pivot' and 'handoff' to the next closest player.
Bucks is a basketball coach thinking he and others like him are innovators. Just as a novel idea, mate, how about putting everyone back in their positions 'man on man'. Because man on man defence is another basketball strategy that we don't seem to adapt to. Zones are only part of a basketball strategy.
So what is Luke Beveridge doing with the Bulldogs young team? Well, he has them playing football against the basketball strategies resulting in big scores. Pretty simple really; have a Full Forward and Centre half forward and kick it to them then if they drop the mark the Forward Pockets and Half Forward Flankers crumb the goals.
On TV, the true demise of our great game is not visible because you cannot see the 75 metres of vacant forward space. It looks like our players are under pressure making stupid mistakes.
I can't wait until the Collingwood Basketball franchise starts up because we have a coach and captain that will make the transition very easily.
Maybe by then, a football coach will be available who will make players accountable for their direct opponents and actions.
Seriously, do we have to bring in netball zones to keep players in positions? Eliminate the interchange? How about no more "subs", just a good old 19th and 20th man as reserves.
Should I start on the basic football rules; in the back, around the neck, holding the ball, dropping the ball, holding the man? Don't get me started!
Anyway, that is my Sunday morning diatribe. It is my opinion and I am happy for you to disagree.
I just thought I'd write something different than the 'execute' everyone at the club rants that I am reading lately. Thousands of BF posts don't make you an expert. Give the players some leniency for trying to play basketball and football - two entirely different games - every week.
I was at a TAC team HQ last week and saw posters all around the walls for game plays and it dawned on me that i was looking at a basketball court shaped as an oval.
Here's a novel idea - how about putting all players back in traditional football positions, then when a player looks up the ground he has someone to kick to on the lead. What's wrong with this? How does every player following the ball 'basketball style' increase the chances of scoring?
Even commentators use basketball terms: ZONES, TRANSITION, FAST BREAKS, DEFENCE, OFFENCE, SUBS, GAMEPLAY etc. instead of forward line, backline...
Catch instead of a "mark"?, give me a break!
Some of our players do look stupid because at the half back line they look up and have no one to kick to. It is common to dish of a little handball or retreat backwards.
NOT EVEN BASKETBALL LETS THE OFFENCE CROSS BACK INTO THE BACKCOURT ONCE THEY CROSS THE MIDCOURT LINE.
Last night Nick Reiwoldt stood at FULL FORWARD while the basketball game was played. The commentators were screaming that he had snuck off on his own. NO! He was playing full forward - it used to be a position. The FULL BACK should have been next to him. He wasn't because apparently now Riewoldt plays on the wing!
The FOOTball is now forced across the boundary line to set up stoppages and set basketball game plans. Players need to remember exactly where they are supposed to be. It's not a simple game of footy anymore.
Our great skills of goal kicking, high marking at a contest, passing are superfluous to the strategies.
A basketball court is 29 metres long; a football field is approx. 160 metres long.
Most of our players are running at intensity for 10 to 15km per game every week. Of course, you can miss a goal when you've just run a kilometre to get the ball 45 metres out. How many times do you see players trying to catch their breath before lining up for goal?
Players aren't robots. Have you ever gone to work feeling just a little off colour or tired? Our players need to be at their peak every game to cope.
Don't get me started on on soccer being called football here in Australia either. Football is AFL in this country. Soccer is soccer. Their is only one 'football' code in Australia.
The worst game I watched this year was when we played WC. It was a basketball game. Players swarming from end to end - one team playing offence, the other playing defence.
Bucks wants all our players playing basketball defence. It hasn't worked. For the second year in a row we could not sustain it for the full season. It has caused injuries to our under developed young players and affected our goal kicking.
Of course, our young backline look like idiots. They get 'possession' and look up to no 'outlets' so they 'pivot' and 'handoff' to the next closest player.
Bucks is a basketball coach thinking he and others like him are innovators. Just as a novel idea, mate, how about putting everyone back in their positions 'man on man'. Because man on man defence is another basketball strategy that we don't seem to adapt to. Zones are only part of a basketball strategy.
So what is Luke Beveridge doing with the Bulldogs young team? Well, he has them playing football against the basketball strategies resulting in big scores. Pretty simple really; have a Full Forward and Centre half forward and kick it to them then if they drop the mark the Forward Pockets and Half Forward Flankers crumb the goals.
On TV, the true demise of our great game is not visible because you cannot see the 75 metres of vacant forward space. It looks like our players are under pressure making stupid mistakes.
I can't wait until the Collingwood Basketball franchise starts up because we have a coach and captain that will make the transition very easily.
Maybe by then, a football coach will be available who will make players accountable for their direct opponents and actions.
Seriously, do we have to bring in netball zones to keep players in positions? Eliminate the interchange? How about no more "subs", just a good old 19th and 20th man as reserves.
Should I start on the basic football rules; in the back, around the neck, holding the ball, dropping the ball, holding the man? Don't get me started!
Anyway, that is my Sunday morning diatribe. It is my opinion and I am happy for you to disagree.
I just thought I'd write something different than the 'execute' everyone at the club rants that I am reading lately. Thousands of BF posts don't make you an expert. Give the players some leniency for trying to play basketball and football - two entirely different games - every week.