Post all game plan is Rubbish Posts ; here

[saintsRrising]

Well RL has copped a bagging most weeks of late for his "rubbish" game plan....


So another week...another opportunity to bag the gameplan...

Go for it..


Just a shame this week that the players kicked more accuratley, tackled harder, executed better etc.....

[Oh When the Saints]

When sides lose, the coach gets far too much blame.

When sides win, the coach gets far too much credit.


Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but by and large I believe that old maxim holds.

[Dal_Santos_Gal]

it was an all round effort yesterday...

let's just leave it at that

[firthy]

Thank heavens it was nothing like our game plan of the last few weeks it should be remembered as the day our beloved st Kilda was returned to the faithful. It was terrific to watch us take risks and space our play so we could go all day , like we used to be able to do . look out we are on our way to the finals. St Kilda you bloody beauties.

[meher baba]

FWIW it looked to me as if we kept our players in the midfield and inside our forward fifty on more occasions that against other teams. And, for that matter, Freo also didn't flood as much as some of our opponents do. But we still saw a fair bit of Gehrig and, especially, Riewoldt running around in the middle of the park. But, to be fair, they probably achieved a bit more there than they have done (I loved Fraser's impersonation of NDS in the second quarter!!).

It was great to win, particularly with our adversities re injuries (when will it ever end? Probably not until the TD gets demolished or we can get the MCG as our home ground).

But, to be honest, I still think we were a bit of a rabble for much of the game. Freo, as I predicted, only played well in bursts and they failed to take their chances big time, especially in the second quarter. We played better than we have probably played since the Hawks game, but will need to lift further to trouble the WCE next week.

[Oh When the Saints]

But, to be honest, I still think we were a bit of a rabble for much of the game. Freo, as I predicted, only played well in bursts and they failed to take their chances big time, especially in the second quarter.

I agree that Fremantle missed a few chances, but nothing that would have altered the outcome of the match.

Fremantle played a sensational and largely consistent first half ... the standard of the first half was as good a standard as I have watched in a game this year.

They dropped off a bit in the second half, but surely a lot of that must be credited to our relentless pressure and quick ball-movement?


To say we were a rabble for "much of the game" is ridiculous IMHO.


If we were a rabble yesterday, what have we been in the last four weeks?

[yipper]

A rabble?? Yesterday?? sheesh - how ridiculous!! We played a good team, on a role who were having crack, we copped injuries along the way - finished with 2 on the bench. And won the game with a very even performance across the whole game - plenty to like about that performance yesterday. Plenty.

[meher baba]

OK, perhaps I was hasty in using the word "rabble". But I'm still not crazy about our structure: although, to be fair, it was thrown a bit by Max getting injured so early in the game.

[saintsRrising]

Thank heavens it was nothing like our game plan of the last few weeks it should be remembered as the day our beloved st Kilda was returned to the faithful. It was terrific to watch us take risks and space our play so we could go all day , like we used to be able to do . look out we are on our way to the finals. St Kilda you bloody beauties.

Gameplan was the same as against Sydney (which is agme we most likely would have won if X had kicked straight...)

Ross is on record as stating that he wants our players to take more risks and back themselves.....it is not gameplan but execution...


Confidence was back.


A GTrain over his FOOT injury and the FLU that he had the last two games is helpful as welll....he only has to play with his injured hand now.

[saintsRrising]

FWIW it looked to me as if we kept our players in the midfield and inside our forward fifty on more occasions that against other teams. .

That is only becuse we move the ball more accurately and swiftly.

GtTain for example still ran down the ground....did you not love that spin in the middle with deft handball off???????

[Oh When the Saints]

OK, perhaps I was hasty in using the word "rabble". But I'm still not crazy about our structure: although, to be fair, it was thrown a bit by Max getting injured so early in the game.

I actually thought our structure was better once Max went off ... Chips was better playing on Pavlich and it got rid of the whole loose man crap that can sometimes be a hindrance.

[meher baba]

FWIW it looked to me as if we kept our players in the midfield and inside our forward fifty on more occasions that against other teams. .

That is only becuse we move the ball more accurately and swiftly.

GtTain for example still ran down the ground....did you not love that spin in the middle with deft handball off???????

Yes indeed, loved it!! That was what I was referring to when I talked about Fraser's "NDS impersonation" (well, it's as close as the big feller is ever going to get!!!).

[joffaboy]

We played completely different to the last six weeks.

Long and direct, with Sam Fisher and X Clarke and Fiora making long penetrating runs through the middle and delivering deep into the attacking 50.

It was good attacking football that yielded 19 goals and probably should have yielded more.

It was nothing like the boring "tempo" stoppage type footy we have played since the break.

We play like we did yesterday and we look like a football team, not a soccer team taking uncontested mark after mark in the backline

Dont care what you lot say. We play like we did against Sydney and the Bulldogs and my passion for the game will dwindle.

Flooding just cannot be tolerated. It is boring and is not Aussie Rules.

[saintsRrising]

I agreed that we "played" differently...but not that the gameplan was different.

We still flooded back..

We still went sideways when we did not have a forward option....

We still also played tempo football at times...

We still "coralled" the opposion when they sought to run out of their backline...



BUT importantly we did things better..we PLAYED better...

Bakes got his mojo back...marks stuck...players hot targets....players had confidence to run straight....


and YES it helps when you win the ruck battle too....

[plugger66]

We had more forward structure than the last few weeks. That was the difference. It allows us to put pressure on the ball carrier and creates turnovers which we have lacked the last few weeks.

[Life Long Saint]

I agreed that we "played" differently...but not that the gameplan was different.

We still flooded back..

We still went sideways when we did not have a forward option....

We still also played tempo football at times...

We still "coralled" the opposion when they sought to run out of their backline...



BUT importantly we did things better..we PLAYED better...

Bakes got his mojo back...marks stuck...players hot targets....players had confidence to run straight....


and YES it helps when you win the ruck battle too....

But we took risks...That is the element that has been missing.
That's what makes us more dangerous than most other clubs. We take risks and it brings our forwards in to play.
We've been playing way too carefully. Who would know whether that's game plan or confidence or confusion?

The important thing to do now is stick with that style and not revert back to a careful style when a few of the risks backfire. That includes the players and coaches.

[Dan Warna]

was noticing that for almost the whole game we had at least 1 person in the F50, if it was v2, milne or gehrig.

i would be suprised if over hte whole 120 minutes or so we spent more than 5 mins with an empty f50.

also I would say we made more mistakes than most other games from a statistical perspective as when we attacked and attacked it got turned over, but we beat them down with sheer volume of pressure.

also Freo did flood back and we had the midfield wall so when the ball did come out, it allowed us to reload (as opposed to other games when we flooded back, it was just an opportunity for them to reload )

sure we got hurt on the rebound, and in the last quarter (ball was off for a fair wedge of the game and came on later after a bit of strapping) so the last quarter can be put down to injurys and no bench however we still attacked in the last quarter instead of turtling as we have done in the past, EVEN WITH A SHORT bench...

also as others have posted we kicked to contests and chased up for the rebound instead of going back and marking our man.

you are going to get hurt on the rebound, but we took that in our messure and continually attacked.

haven't seen the stats outside the 1/2 time and 3/4 time posts on the scoreboard but it was relentless pressure and natural football and we took risks, we left our man, and attacked the ball.

gg st kilda.

[StSteven]

A rabble?? Yesterday?? sheesh - how ridiculous!! We played a good team, on a role who were having crack, we copped injuries along the way - finished with 2 on the bench. And won the game with a very even performance across the whole game - plenty to like about that performance yesterday. Plenty.

I will reserve judgement until we play a team in the eight! Ok to beat lowly sides but nothing to get excited about.

[JeffDunne]

The biggest difference yesterday was that the Dockers don't flood (much) and they lack accountability.

We should beat a team like that at the Dome.

I was pleased with the intensity shown and the added pressure we put on the ball carrier. Players were prepared to back themselves more, but I'm not sure if the difference was instruction or Fraser firing. When the big man is playing like yesterday I have no doubt it gives players up the ground more confidence.

[n1ck]

When the big man is playing like yesterday I have no doubt it gives players up the ground more confidence.

I have no doubt that when the midfield is firing, it gives the big man confidence.

[Otiman]

We still suck at bringing the ball past defensive 50 from a kickout.

[BackFromUSA]

Personally I saw a significant shift in game plan after half time. All year I have been watching our 4 forwards (the 2 half forward flankers play as midfielders) journey up the ground in a diamond formation (stolen from the swans) to be the "next contest" once we rebound the footy but with never enough speed, enduance over 4 quarters, or experience to run back into space to execute this game plan effectively. After half time and maybe for the last 10 minutes of the second quarter I was amazed that of our forward 50 included 3 (not 1, not 2 but 3 stay at home forwards - unless they followed their running defender out when Fremantle had the ball but if they did they quickly returned to 50) which means when we transitioned and broke hard from the back half after a turnover, we didnt have to look sideways for the hold up option. I think the turning point was when Fiora was on a quick break and had no option to look sideways and when he went that way, the ball was chopped off. Perhaps a lightbulb went off in the coaches box or the players made the change? Either way, that is what I have been waiting for ALL year - playing to our team strengths - quick rebound 50 into our dominant forwards who can win 1 on 1, or even 2 on 1, but natuarlly struggle when uber-flooded and the ball moves in slowly. MUCH better forward structure equals more goals.

Hopefully that is bye-bye to the floating forward diamond strategy.

[Oh When the Saints]

Fremantle do allow you to play that way BFUSA as they tend not to chip it sideways and prefer to handball and try and run it up the corridor.

They play similarly to the Dogs, and I think you are correct that Lyon adapted his positioning of our forwards slightly to allow us to beat the Dockers more easily.

Sides that are prepared to be a bit more patient with the footy (Swans, Port, Crows) will exploit this more when your forwards just sit at home, and generally do a lot better.

Against those sides, it can be more advantageous to use the "diamond strategy" and flood back, as they do not move the ball as quickly and you can often prevent them from scoring if executed correctly.