Was thinking this the other day. At least three coaches have failed to get the club to defend properly. What is going on with the club? Has to be something cultural doesn’t it?
It is. And when we got angry we stamped our feet.
Then we got Americanised, and now we chomp and stomp.
I think we have always been a step behind defensive trends and by the time we get used to it, it changes on us.
The one thing that has changed since Scott has gotten there is the way defenders hand off their opponents to free themselves up (either to be the dedicated intercept marker, or an offensive play).
When we had Zerk, Laverde, Ridley, Redman, Hep and McGrath in the backline, they hand off defenders incredibly well. It’s a chemistry between the three. It’s when a few are missing or a bit off their game that it all breaks down. And far too quickly.
Now we have to build that chemistry with Ben, Ridley, Redman, McGrath and Reid. You can have brilliant individual players, but as a group they have to work well together. And for that to work well, they need a good block of games together at AFL level and to continue training on it through the week.
We have not had a settled defensive core of four defenders for a while. And when we have, it barely lasts longer than ten weeks before injuries or suspension gets in the way.
Any great defensive structure is made up of experienced players who have worked together enough to know what they’re doing and work on instinct.
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i think as a team we need to button down
the media were vocal, not the coach.
Assistant coaches are pretty much the same.
But that only partly explains what I am referring to. The forward line defense to retain the ball in the forward 50. The midfield defense to stop the ball traversing the centre of the ground.
We always seem to be letting someone free or someone sitting outside the contest it let free and the ball inevitably ends up in there hands and coast to coast it goes.
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Gonna like this C_H. It does come down to personelle. However, it’s a start. I know it’s not 2000 but back then teams were scared. Not just retaliation but initiating heavy contact.
Other teams knew! Good idea to start building reputation.
Back then blokes weren’t scared to put their body on the line either.
Flare players ignited knowing they were protected. “Out this week? No worries you’ll be straight back in!”
Reputations are built upon action, not words.
Our players getting into Sicily’s face is not playing with edge. I’m actually pretty sure it’s impossible to play with any edge anymore with all the new rules. All we can do is push players softly in the arms.
Or kick them - softly.
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Velvet Sledgehammer?
My problem with it is I have no idea what it means. If it means testing the limits of the rules, it seems pointless to me.
What we need to be doing as a club is lifting and maintaining our pressure levels. Football always comes down to the same things: if you’re first to the ball and you outnumber your opponents at contests, you win, and if it’s the other way around then you lose. At times we did that well on Saturday – there was a point in the first quarter where one of the commentators said our pressure level was over 200 and Hawthorn’s was 180, but we don’t do it consistently.
Saturday will be a test. Sydney are hot and they are chock full of talent and skill. So our standard procedure would be to lie down and say, “Kick me.” I’d really like to see something a bit different this time, such as us taking it right up to them from the first bounce and keeping it up right through to the end. We still won’t win because we just don’t have the same level of talent, but it would be good to see us starting well and sticking within a goal or two of them all game. And if they are a little bit off for some reason, then we could win.
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I’d be happy with consistent hard running, manic tackling and taking full accountability for everything that happens. While sticking to the game plan. And structure. And not getting suspended. And scoring more than the opposition. Total points, that is. Oh, and living a professional lifestyle and not getting done for snorting coke off a hooker’s clevage. Hardy body. Not too many injuries - or at least, just inconsequential ones. And also, a youth-first policy. Get games into them. And leadership. On-field of course. But also, off field. No man-buns. Good diet. Get in the game. Play smart. But tough. But smart. Make a contest. Take the contested mark. Or bring it to the ground. Or score. As long as you score. More than the other team. Total points, that is. Take a man. Man up. Man the ■■■■ up. But block angles and avenues while doing it. Stop letting teams waltz through arc to arc. Team defense. But attack. Score. Kick straight. Best stat in the game. ■■■■ the umps. Go the ■■■■■■■ knuckle. Mow the ■■■■■ down. Line in the ■■■■■■■ sand. But…play smart. Take a breath. Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t let the team down. Don’t have a brain fade. Concentrate. And for ■■■■■ sake - don’t make embarrassing runs at players only to get flipped over like a ■■■■■■■ flopping trout. Take judo lessons or something. Get a tackling coach. Hard footy is good footy. But it’s also in the head. Hard head. Psychology, that’s where it’s at. Clean out the doubts. Play to win. Never say die. Never give in. Take it to the limit. Reach for that grail. Sip the nectar of the gods. Lick your enemy’s tears like ambrosia. Rain goals like manna from heaven. Break the drought. And always remember - use sunscreen.
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That’s fully down to coaching and recruitment.
We haven’t had a good pressure forward since Alwyn Davey Snr. I think Menzie will be good, but he needs time and help.
And we haven’t had a dangerous goal scoring small forward since Bewick (Fantasia is close but we couldn’t get him on the park).
Another aspect is not getting minutes into midfielders and sticking them in the forward line. We can allow more than one of the forward spots to be used this way, but we’ve been using two or three for a while now.
As far as coaching, Worsfold tried to work with a team that tried to rebound out of the backline with speed. Weirdly, this play style plays into the hands of a well organised team with forward pressure (like Richmond had). Rotten tried to bring that style to us (blue collar) but the players we had were so far away from blue collar that it was destined for failure.
I think Scott (and the rest of the coaching group) has the backline players that he believes will be resilient enough and with good connection to work well together.
He’s still trying to sort out the wings and centre bounce players that give him better balance both forward of the ball and backward.
The forward line needs time. It simply hasn’t had time to settle. Stringer out at time, Wright out most of last year, Langford and Menzie had their first years there, etc. Very little continuity there, but when they are there, it works pretty well.
But still needs to be improved.
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My two bobs.
I agree with your point of historically using too many mids rotating through the forward line. We need wherever possible to play specialist’s in those positions. We certainly did that in round 1 by starting all three of Gresham, Menzie and Guelfi in the 22. You’d just love that group of three to be better quality and quicker to close down space (defensively) or get separation (offensively).
As Parish, Hobbs and Shiel all become available too I fully expect for Brad to play at least one less small forward. Maybe even two.
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They’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
Only they know exactly what it means to them, and really that’s all that counts.
I’d say it relates to a sharper, more aggressive manner of play. Being a bit more aggressive, not being dictated to or being bullied anymore. Redman crossed the line, but the right balance is key.
That’s what we’ve been wanting for a long time. Whatever the slogan, who cares. As long as they’re more aggressive, not meek, mild, nice and whatever term we’ve described them in the past.
It has to be seen as another positive bit of progress.
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Aaaaaahhhhh!! 
Don’t give me suicidal thoughts! 
I think that might be a dig at me, seeing it’s a reply to my post, and I’ll say thanks for making the effort. But unfortunately I’m too dumb to understand it, so I guess I have to say you missed the target.
Nah, was just spouting rubbish. Needed a clense 
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so you’re not actually against it
so I assume you’re for it?