I thought the plan was ok to kick down the wing in the last for some relief, we just couldn’t execute it. Twice we kicked out on the full from half back, McKenna was unable to mark and when it was brought to ground our mids lost the contest, yet we were somehow set up well enough defensively to repel all but three of their 17 inside 50s.
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It’s an excellent point and one I’ve considered myself.
I honestly don’t think it was panic.
And as you point out regarding the results from doing that, I’m not even convinced it was wrong.
It looked shocking, but it’s not a beauty contest.
We could have chipped it out.
We could have switched.
We constantly chose not to and that says plan to me.
Slowly but surely I think Woosha has been made to make the moves that we’ve wanted him to make. Stop gifting games to senior players ahead of the kids. The fact Myers had to relinquish his spot in the team says volumes about the bloke, but that sacrifice has given games to Dylan Clarke, who has been superb as a tagging/run with player, call it what you like. There’s added responsibility on Parish and Langford. They are delivering. Laverde is now getting a good run in the team when previously he’d play one bad game and be dropped.
There’s still some areas we need to clean up on, but you can’t fault the boys and their endeavour to turn the season around. If there were any misgivings about the coach, they wouldn’t have won those games and shown the fight and character they have displayed. The club now MUST back Woosha and employ the right people around him to allow him to succeed. I still want a club-wide review of the footy department, especially surrounding game strategy/game day coaching and the fitness and conditioning. These areas, if we address them correctly, will provide us with the greatest improvement more than any new recruits we can sign. With the announcement of Harding and Corrigan departing at season’s end, maybe that process is already underway.
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We have to keep finding a way as injuries are now starting to hit in full force.
hopefully dan jordan’s terrific coaching and development of the younger players in the vfl has put them in good stead for an afl berth.
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He has built some incredible depth over the last few years. Can go with the “finals or bust” mentality but he’s aiming at a flag and the way to do that is have a deep squad, amongst other things.
5-1 in last 6.
6-2 since the Sydney loss.
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Well said. Some of the back-peddling is cringe-worthy - at least have some spine and acknowledge you might have got it just slightly wrong - rather than claiming that it was the magic changes that you already knew about (those sleepy coaches were just too slow to realise this!) that has turned our form around.
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He’s the right coach and has his team going in the right direction. Some recognise it now, others will with the benefit of hindsight.
He hasn’t deviated from what he said on day 1. Process and player driven.
He knows what he’s doing.
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Distinguishing coaching from players individual efforts is a tricky business, but there are a few things that have been pretty clear the past 6 weeks:
- Our gameplan holds up. Pretty significant given many in the media and on here seem to think a 50 year old coach couldn’t possibly understand the nuances of modern footy.
- We are planning for the opposition and getting our match ups right more often than not. Half this place wanted Hooker on Brown 5 minutes into the match, then Hooker nowhere near him 5 minutes into the last. Woosha is a touch conservative by nature, but at least he doesn’t ■■■■ the bed every time something goes awry. His steadfast nature is flowing through the group, Essington moments are fewer and fewer.
- The group is resilient, playing through adversity, and rising to the occasion when pressured in a way I haven’t seen at this club in a long time.
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While I don’t care where he sits, the fact that that has changed would put paid to the idea that nothing has changed.
Thankfully we have a VFL backline which is AFL quality.
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Everything changes all of the time. (Especially the umpiring interpretations from week-to-week). However, very few significant changes can be made by AFL coaches during the year. We know this as the best coaches continually tell us this fact.
The problems that were repeated on here ad nauseum as to why our coaches were hopeless and why we had a poor W-L ratio - no viable gameplan, unable to motivate, no idea of modern day footy, dysfunctional communication, lost the players etc etc - have not changed significantly, because scott, clarkson and all the top coaches tell us it takes preseasons to prepare the players so they play like they currently do.
We’ve still achieved absolutely nothing of any value. We’re still hopelessly unsuccessful using any criteria applied since 2004. We are decimated at the top end by injury but showing some spirit. That is due to players having some heart, and the coaches preparing them well over the past few years.
Fluctuations in form from week to week won’t change these facts. Beyond these few clear observations, who is performing off-field is a mystery to all of us, and those that pretend otherwise are delusional, and need to attend confessional over on the flog thread and repeat 100 times - I am a flog.
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I agree it must have been a plan, it was frustrating to watch and only just worked, just in time. I think the plan was to kick down the line, the panic is what made the kicks rushed and why we couldn’t execute.
At the time I wondered if it was relevant that we were kicking towards the interchange bench - I guess it’s a lot easier to message the players that way to change things up or come on/off, etc.
If we could go see this as a “learning” that we need to add an alternative strategy for this situation (and drill it until we are comfortable to do it in game) then bring it on.
I think we are right to question it even though it worked.
Yeah, I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that whole ‘coaches don’t change much’ schtick at all in any way.
I wonder if the fact he “only” got 1 flag with the famous midfield of Judd, etc. has changed his thinking and planning?
Doesn’t seem content with a win but wants to create a longer period of success it seems.
Worsfold:
Has an agreement that he will give X plenty of notice if he doesn’t have the desire to continue and family in Perth is not working. Similarly, X will inform him if club thinks not working.
Absolutely has the desire now.
Has a very good arrangement and plans in process and no longer than 3 weeks without seeing family.
Will not miss a significant family event.
Didn’t go to Gills dinner as wife and kids were here.
Son here at the weekend and loved the game.
Has a great understanding with the family as to how to make it work and is very happy with the arrangement.
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Yes, but it is also significant that woosha’s coaches room talk immediately after the game was mostly about what they did wrong in that period and how they could have stopped being locked in their own half for so long, rather than just celebrating a miracle victory.
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So the plan wasn’t to kick it long down the same side of the ground? Or was it smaller things like numbers at contests and positioning?
I agree. Some things might take time, personnel, training etc but things like tagging and alternate strategies should be preseason 101.
Not just preseason.
We actually have a guy with the title ‘Game Intelligence and Opposition Strategy Coach.’
And what, we find that part of a plan very obviously doesn’t work in the first ten minutes and say, ‘oh well, at least we tried?’
It’s nonsense.
Adorable nonsense.
Can someone who is more tactically knowledgeable than me explain what it is about our game plan/style of play that would lend itself to not standing up in finals? We’re clearly capable of winning clearances and contested footy and applying pressure. We don’t rely on slingshotting from defence with McKenna and Saad as our only way of winning. We are also not getting scored heavily against either. Our skills into 50 are the main thing letting us down to my eye. What am I missing? To me I don’t see why our game doesn’t stand up to finals when others team does.