36 goals in two weeks

[Bluthy]

That is what we've leaked. You aint winning games of footy letting that amount of goals in.

What do you put around your house to protect it?



How are leaking so many goals? I suspect it is that habit we have had under Richo of falling in a hole with exhaustion and not having a complex enough onfield structure that will:

1) Conserve our energy - keeping the footy, locking the ball down
2) Hold up when players are tired and the momentum is against us

We seem to need all players to be up and about with effort ALL the time to keep the dogs at bay. Once that slackens (as it will at some point) and the oppo are up and about with momentum, we have no true underlying system as a safe guard (such as ensuring you have a sweeper on the last line all the time, or being able to flood the half-back line, or being able to grind it to a stalemate for a while at ball ups).

Are our midfielders defensive minded enough? It's easy to run around getting touches as an unmarked midfielder but are they honest and focused enough on defense and running both ways (Acres has paid a price for this but what about others?) Defence matters for every player on the ground. Dogs play "total football" where every player needs to be an attacker at certain times (including the backmen) and go into defence modes at other times.

We are 13th in the league for tackles. So much for our highly touted pressure. If a team is talented enough, corralling, pressuring and touching them to record pressure points isn't enough - they will use clever hands to flick it on and on again and on again until it gets out. TAckling is the killer. It stops them dead, can give you a free, makes them pay a physical price for daring to grab the ball, puts doubts in their mind about being crunched every time they get the footy.

We are 15th in the league for hit-outs and 14th for contested possessions. Generally speaking we don't get much chance at first use of a contested ball and are chasing tail straight away.

We are 16th for marks and 17th for disposal. We do not keep the footy. We get pressured and turn it over due to our poor kicking team that is lacking in footy-IQ.

We chase tail. That is our game plan. And the huge problem with that is we don't even have particularly quick players to do run-downs. Chase, chase and chase (and every now and then we actually get close enough to tackle but not often).

Any wonder our players come off the field like this

[WellardSaint]

2 games in- a bit early to be coming out with stats from such a tiny sample size, dontcha think?
Hit-outs: Gawn gave Hickey a lesson; the no-third man rule has caught us off guard.
Marks- we have always been hopeless at marking, Bruce cannot hold his marks and just does a volleyball slap, same with Paddy. Rooey is the only one with soft hands.

Running till they burst: agree with ya here, silly AR brings the super-fit Port Power ethos and blames the players for not trying hard enough, but the truth is they are wasted and spent
near the end of each quarter, so the oppo get free use and a run-on.

There's dumb effort and smart effort. He trains them to just run and run all day- not thinking about timing the running and dictating the tempo.
Until the coaches can get an epiphany and realise the top teams don't bust a nut with running when they shouldn't, we'll keep getting exhausted.

Robbo (Dylan, not the drunk reporter) admitted that Homeless Guy got late goals because "we were trying to win the game and nobody was helping Brownie" WTF?
That's not playing team footy, it's just running with no reason or logic.
Defend when you have to defend.

Late in each qtr, Wet Cokers were able to dodge feeble tackles- why? Because the nearby sainter was too tuckered to change direction.
Bulldogs or Swans would never ever be dodged that easily.
Stupid stupid coaching tactics by the whole coaching pantheon, governed by our version of Donald Trump, Richo.
He's a Toyota Coaster Van, not quite a coach

[Bluthy]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

[saynta]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

Gee wiz mate. How the f*** did we win 12 games last year.
The other sides musta been tankin.

[Sainternist]

Absolutely spewing about Dempster at the moment.

[WellardSaint]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

Gee wiz mate. How the f*** did we win 12 games last year.
The other sides musta been tankin.

Stats can be used to back-up any argument, if they're manipulated in the correct way.
"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" somebody once wrote

[Joe Bloggs]

2 games in- a bit early to be coming out with stats from such a tiny sample size, dontcha think?
Hit-outs: Gawn gave Hickey a lesson; the no-third man rule has caught us off guard.
Marks- we have always been hopeless at marking, Bruce cannot hold his marks and just does a volleyball slap, same with Paddy. Rooey is the only one with soft hands.

Running till they burst: agree with ya here, silly AR brings the super-fit Port Power ethos and blames the players for not trying hard enough, but the truth is they are wasted and spent
near the end of each quarter, so the oppo get free use and a run-on.

There's dumb effort and smart effort. He trains them to just run and run all day- not thinking about timing the running and dictating the tempo.
Until the coaches can get an epiphany and realise the top teams don't bust a nut with running when they shouldn't, we'll keep getting exhausted.

Robbo (Dylan, not the drunk reporter) admitted that Homeless Guy got late goals because "we were trying to win the game and nobody was helping Brownie" WTF?
That's not playing team footy, it's just running with no reason or logic.
Defend when you have to defend.

Late in each qtr, Wet Cokers were able to dodge feeble tackles- why? Because the nearby sainter was too tuckered to change direction.
Bulldogs or Swans would never ever be dodged that easily.
Stupid stupid coaching tactics by the whole coaching pantheon, governed by our version of Donald Trump, Richo.
He's a Toyota Coaster Van, not quite a coach

You don't go out and get an epiphany..
You have an epiphany.

Here's hoping you have an epiphany .

[Bluthy]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

Gee wiz mate. How the f*** did we win 12 games last year.
The other sides musta been tankin.

We had a pretty soft draw last year. But also Richo did put on a good show most weekends:

ALAN RICHARDSON PRESENTS



Richo's Swarm (c) Bluthy Enterprises. All rights reserved. May be used for non-commercial purposes. One per customer. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offers.

I think we use a swarm style in both defence and offense. He got the players to buy into that well last year, and commit themselves to the ball carrier in numbers when we didn't have it until we forced a turnover, and then run hard and support their team-mates in waves when we did have it. We would often over run teams in sheer numbers last year. Our pressure and perceived pressure seemed to spook teams and they would often get rid of the ball poorly.

My worry with that style is:

1) It's a taxing way to play - perhaps our players are not having much left in the tank during quarters and getting rubbery legs and spinning heads which means they are in the most balanced state of mind to make decisions and dispose of it well - hence our average disposal

2) It may not be sustainable in the long run. Port did well for a couple of years with their hard running style but seemed to burn out a bit. Players may get sick of the relentless, inefficient running required. Have we seen a bit of that this year with players looking flat in that first game?

3) Teams will have studied us closely last year and worked us out a bit. Melbourne set the formula of winning contested ball and keeping it off us to run us ragged. WC seemed happy to hang on to the ball rather than kick or handball blindly under pressure backing themselves that we couldn't stick our tackles and they would be able to dish it off effectively. They cottoned on that the swarm was full of insects pretty easy to flick off.

4) It's a pretty simple system that masks an underlying lack of complexity with structures and formations. It might work to get us halfway up the ladder, but be too simplistic to get us right to the top.

But its possible that maybe players still have heavy legs after a tough preseason and we will be more consistent as the year goes on - we came home with a wet sail last year. And as our young players get stronger they may be able to continue the swarm harder and deeper, with less drop off leading to momentum swings, and actually start landing tackles more. Who knows, Richo's Swarm could win us a flag and sit alongside Clarksons Cluster, Bevo's Handball Acamedy, Malthouses Wings as an iconic flag winning approach that gets copied by other teams.

But I have my doubts. I need to see those stats about goals given up improve dramatically. Last year we were sixth highest in goals given up averaging 13.6. The top four teams averaging giving up around 10 goals - Sydney, Geelong, Bulldogs, GWS. Says it all. Defence gets you top 4 and wins you flags.

[spert]

We just don't get enough of the ball. Last week's game showed us again way down in possessions and beaten in most areas according to the stats. More players need to get their hands on the ball over four quarters and do something effective with it. Sounds simple, but thats what the problem is. Leaking goals was a big problem last season, and Richo hasn't solved the problem from a coaching perspective- time that he did me thinks, as it's costing us in our attempt to make the finals. It's early in the season, but we can't afford to to throw it away.

[saynta]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

Gee wiz mate. How the f*** did we win 12 games last year.
The other sides musta been tankin.

We had a pretty soft draw last year. But also Richo did put on a good show most weekends:

ALAN RICHARDSON PRESENTS



Richo's Swarm (c) Bluthy Enterprises. All rights reserved. May be used for non-commercial purposes. One per customer. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offers.

I think we use a swarm style in both defence and offense. He got the players to buy into that well last year, and commit themselves to the ball carrier in numbers when we didn't have it until we forced a turnover, and then run hard and support their team-mates in waves when we did have it. We would often over run teams in sheer numbers last year. Our pressure and perceived pressure seemed to spook teams and they would often get rid of the ball poorly.

My worry with that style is:

1) It's a taxing way to play - perhaps our players are not having much left in the tank during quarters and getting rubbery legs and spinning heads which means they are in the most balanced state of mind to make decisions and dispose of it well - hence our average disposal

2) It may not be sustainable in the long run. Port did well for a couple of years with their hard running style but seemed to burn out a bit. Players may get sick of the relentless, inefficient running required. Have we seen a bit of that this year with players looking flat in that first game?

3) Teams will have studied us closely last year and worked us out a bit. Melbourne set the formula of winning contested ball and keeping it off us to run us ragged. WC seemed happy to hang on to the ball rather than kick or handball blindly under pressure backing themselves that we couldn't stick our tackles and they would be able to dish it off effectively. They cottoned on that the swarm was full of insects pretty easy to flick off.

4) It's a pretty simple system that masks an underlying lack of complexity with structures and formations. It might work to get us halfway up the ladder, but be too simplistic to get us right to the top.

But its possible that maybe players still have heavy legs after a tough preseason and we will be more consistent as the year goes on - we came home with a wet sail last year. And as our young players get stronger they may be able to continue the swarm harder and deeper, with less drop off leading to momentum swings, and actually start landing tackles more. Who knows, Richo's Swarm could win us a flag and sit alongside Clarksons Cluster, Bevo's Handball Acamedy, Malthouses Wings as an iconic flag winning approach that gets copied by other teams.

But I have my doubts. I need to see those stats about goals given up improve dramatically. Last year we were sixth highest in goals given up averaging 13.6. The top four teams averaging giving up around 10 goals - Sydney, Geelong, Bulldogs, GWS. Says it all. Defence gets you top 4 and wins you flags.

If you are replying to me and want me to read your post ,take a leaf out of shinners playbook and be a man of fewer words.

One or two sentences would suffice.

[magnifisaint]

2 games in- a bit early to be coming out with stats from such a tiny sample size, dontcha think?
Hit-outs: Gawn gave Hickey a lesson; the no-third man rule has caught us off guard.
Marks- we have always been hopeless at marking, Bruce cannot hold his marks and just does a volleyball slap, same with Paddy. Rooey is the only one with soft hands.

Running till they burst: agree with ya here, silly AR brings the super-fit Port Power ethos and blames the players for not trying hard enough, but the truth is they are wasted and spent
near the end of each quarter, so the oppo get free use and a run-on.

There's dumb effort and smart effort. He trains them to just run and run all day- not thinking about timing the running and dictating the tempo.
Until the coaches can get an epiphany and realise the top teams don't bust a nut with running when they shouldn't, we'll keep getting exhausted.

Robbo (Dylan, not the drunk reporter) admitted that Homeless Guy got late goals because "we were trying to win the game and nobody was helping Brownie" WTF?
That's not playing team footy, it's just running with no reason or logic.
Defend when you have to defend.

Late in each qtr, Wet Cokers were able to dodge feeble tackles- why? Because the nearby sainter was too tuckered to change direction.
Bulldogs or Swans would never ever be dodged that easily.
Stupid stupid coaching tactics by the whole coaching pantheon, governed by our version of Donald Trump, Richo.
He's a Toyota Coaster Van, not quite a coach

You don't go out and get an epiphany..
You have an epiphany.

Here's hoping you have an epiphany .

Not an epic fanny?

[Wayne42]

2 games in- a bit early to be coming out with stats from such a tiny sample size, dontcha think?
Hit-outs: Gawn gave Hickey a lesson; the no-third man rule has caught us off guard.
Marks- we have always been hopeless at marking, Bruce cannot hold his marks and just does a volleyball slap, same with Paddy. Rooey is the only one with soft hands.

Running till they burst: agree with ya here, silly AR brings the super-fit Port Power ethos and blames the players for not trying hard enough, but the truth is they are wasted and spent
near the end of each quarter, so the oppo get free use and a run-on.

There's dumb effort and smart effort. He trains them to just run and run all day- not thinking about timing the running and dictating the tempo.
Until the coaches can get an epiphany and realise the top teams don't bust a nut with running when they shouldn't, we'll keep getting exhausted.

Robbo (Dylan, not the drunk reporter) admitted that Homeless Guy got late goals because "we were trying to win the game and nobody was helping Brownie" WTF?
That's not playing team footy, it's just running with no reason or logic.
Defend when you have to defend.

Late in each qtr, Wet Cokers were able to dodge feeble tackles- why? Because the nearby sainter was too tuckered to change direction.
Bulldogs or Swans would never ever be dodged that easily.
Stupid stupid coaching tactics by the whole coaching pantheon, governed by our version of Donald Trump, Richo.
He's a Toyota Coaster Van, not quite a coach

You don't go out and get an epiphany..
You have an epiphany.

Here's hoping you have an epiphany .

Not an epic fanny?

What sort of fanny, an American one or an Australian one. It's the only thing i know of that moves an inch as you travel from one of those countries to the other.

[To the top]

We have Carlisle in for a Champion player in Sam Fisher plus Brown ahead of being able to confirm that Goddard is the player to hold down full back in the manner we hope he will

That apart we have 2 skilled defenders in the 194cm Gilbert and Roberton

Then the problem starts

We have names from the honest Geary to the potential of White and McKenzie

We play Montagna back there as the 7th defender to provide class but we need others apart from Montagna with class who can really damage opponents defending and coming out of the back half

The last match against Brisbane was a shoot out where Riewoldts 9 got us across the line

So this week will be interesting as a comparative including particularly the ability of our defence to contribute to the result

White made his impressive debut against Brisbane last season, but Fisher apart our defenders were found wanting noting the absence then of other key defenders and where we now have Brown

[WellardSaint]

We have the same 3 blind mice as last week.
Donlon, O'Gorman, Harris.
AFL being ridiculous, dontcha think?

[Bluthy]

We just don't get enough of the ball. Last week's game showed us again way down in possessions and beaten in most areas according to the stats. More players need to get their hands on the ball over four quarters and do something effective with it. Sounds simple, but thats what the problem is. Leaking goals was a big problem last season, and Richo hasn't solved the problem from a coaching perspective- time that he did me thinks, as it's costing us in our attempt to make the finals. It's early in the season, but we can't afford to to throw it away.

Lack of disposals I think that reflects that we aren't good at keeping the footy when the pressure come on. Guys like Weller, Robbo, Gilbo, Savage, Webster, Armo, Dunny etc are all ok but don't have that really clever, creative ability with foot and hand that you need to keep working it out under real pressure. Are we doing a Handball Academy? Quick accurate creative hands are so important now. Being able to share it around quickly to confuse the oppo and shake them out of their defensive structures and create holes. We have that in guys like Rice, White and Sincs but they aren't being played.

[Bluthy]

We have Carlisle in for a Champion player in Sam Fisher plus Brown ahead of being able to confirm that Goddard is the player to hold down full back in the manner we hope he will

That apart we have 2 skilled defenders in the 194cm Gilbert and Roberton

Then the problem starts

We have names from the honest Geary to the potential of White and McKenzie

We play Montagna back there as the 7th defender to provide class but we need others apart from Montagna with class who can really damage opponents defending and coming out of the back half

The last match against Brisbane was a shoot out where Riewoldts 9 got us across the line

So this week will be interesting as a comparative including particularly the ability of our defence to contribute to the result

White made his impressive debut against Brisbane last season, but Fisher apart our defenders were found wanting noting the absence then of other key defenders and where we now have Brown

I definitely agree about the lack of class ball using from the back. But I think the problems are all over the ground with our inability to keep the footy consistently. Hence we get exhausted swarming and things drop off even more. Its a viscous circle. Will be really interesting to see if Brisbane are able to get the sort of momentum swings that Melbourne and WC have done to us where they kick multiple goals in a row. That will be a huge warning sign to me.

WE need to keep Brissy to 13 goals tops. If we can't do that against a team finishing near the bottom of the ladder and very young forwards its a serious worry.

[shrodes]

We just don't get enough of the ball. Last week's game showed us again way down in possessions and beaten in most areas according to the stats. More players need to get their hands on the ball over four quarters and do something effective with it. Sounds simple, but thats what the problem is. Leaking goals was a big problem last season, and Richo hasn't solved the problem from a coaching perspective- time that he did me thinks, as it's costing us in our attempt to make the finals. It's early in the season, but we can't afford to to throw it away.

Lack of disposals I think that reflects that we aren't good at keeping the footy when the pressure come on. Guys like Weller, Robbo, Gilbo, Savage, Webster, Armo, Dunny etc are all ok but don't have that really clever, creative ability with foot and hand that you need to keep working it out under real pressure. Are we doing a Handball Academy? Quick accurate creative hands are so important now. Being able to share it around quickly to confuse the oppo and shake them out of their defensive structures and create holes. We have that in guys like Rice, White and Sincs but they aren't being played.

It can be misleading. Last week the Eagles racked up possessions by chipping it around half back trying to defeat our zone. Other teams abuse one-two handballs which inflates possession count.

Not necessarily saying that we don't need possessions, just that pure stats don't always tell the full story. The AFL app has time in possession % when the games are on, and I think we were leading that for a good majority of the night.

[Bluthy]

It can be misleading. Last week the Eagles racked up possessions by chipping it around half back trying to defeat our zone. Other teams abuse one-two handballs which inflates possession count.

Not necessarily saying that we don't need possessions, just that pure stats don't always tell the full story. The AFL app has time in possession % when the games are on, and I think we were leading that for a good majority of the night.

I agree you can get impotent play with sideways kicking like Richmond were doing the last couple of years. But what were we doing while WC were chipping it around - chasing and wearing ourselves out. There is a lot to be said for just keeping the ball for a while as long as you can pull the trigger on penetrating attacks as well. Sydney under Roos had a strategic plan to often chip the ball around for a bit to control the tempo. They wouldn't bomb it into the fifty and give the oppo a chance to get it back. They would be patient to keep hitting up 15-20m targets.

Even if we have a good chunk of time in possession, I feel our ability to keep the footy is very labour intensive involving a hella lot of support from a hella lot of players every time in that offensive swarm style. Not sure its the cleverest, energy saving system.

[Spinner]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

Gee wiz mate. How the f*** did we win 12 games last year.
The other sides musta been tankin.

Stats can be used to back-up any argument, if they're manipulated in the correct way.
"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" somebody once wrote

How are those states manipulated? When would you like to start looking at them, round 22?

Yes they don't paint the whole picture. Like 1 contested possession could be the difference between 15th and 5th... but you def need to start looking straight away and I'm sure the club are to get an indication of what the hell is going wrong.

[samuraisaint]

2016 stats

Disposals 11th
Kicks 13th
Marks 9th
Hitouts 13th
Tackles 15th
Contested possession 16th.

Bit better but not much. There is a clear pattern. We ain't skilled, we ain't quick, we don't win one on ones, and we don't stick tackles. But we are great with pressure points! Yay!

Gee wiz mate. How the f*** did we win 12 games last year.
The other sides musta been tankin.

We had a very friendly draw last year:

Carlton (most people's choice of wooden spooner) twice
Essendon (with 12 of their best suspended for the year) twice at Etihad
Melbourne twice (both times, including their home game, at Etihad)
Brisbane Lions at Etihad

With all due respect that gave us a 7 game walk up start.
Our best wins were against Collingwood when we completely shut them down at the G, the come from behind win against Geelong and, of course, beating the Bulldogs in the last man standing affair.

With Fisher no longer there, and Dempster retiring effective immediately we are going to have a bit of a transition season I think. Carlisle will be a good player for us, like Gehrig was, and Brown can hold down FB until Goddard is ready. Roberton is our third defensive tall. These four players need games together to get used to the way each other plays. I think the heavy scoring against us will settle down in the next couple of games.

I am more worried about our overall team balance and the fact that we rely so heavily on our veterans - rushing back Roo this week instead of bringing in another ruckman like Longer to give Hickey a chop out and allow him to rest up forward, or drop back if Brisbane's mids get on top. Or even a young midfielder to go into the rotations to cover thee loss of Steven and Armo.

I don't advocate gifting players games, but I'd like to see some debutants (Long, Rice, Battles), or at least like the likes of DMac, Sinclair, Longer, getting games if they deserve them. Roo and Joey may retire at the end of the year and it is preferable for our recruits to get senior experience now rather than wait for next year and we end up getting hidings again because of inexperience.

Today is must win, then we have a 50/50 against Collingwood, another winnable one against Geelong, and then a 50/50 against the Hawks in Tassie. 3 out of the next four after the Hawthorn game include matches against last year's grand finalists and the team which finished third, so we could be 2 or 3 wins out of 10 before the bye. Aftre the bye we play Adelaide in Adelaide! In the next four games, including today, only Geelong should be a realistic chance of kicking a hundred points against us. If any of the other teams do the coaches will need to have very good look at their game plans.

If the Hawks lose today (unlikely, I know), it will mean that three of last years finalists have lost the first three games and top 8 looks unlikely for them, and opens up the race for finals. I think we are still a season away, but it would give the players a bit of extrinsic motivation.

[spert]

I just think the whole team needs to lift its work rate- they don't seem switched on. I'm not looking any warm and fuzzy for last week's loss- we were behind in most stats and could have lost by more in the end. Today is the day where the intensity needs switching back on!

[Scollop]

I reckon our effort is great. I think we'll beat the same sides we did last year and we'll push most other sides in the 8 but I just think that we don't have the cattle to be a contender in 2017. We need midfield class and guys that can consistently perform.

Put Selwood and Danger in our side and we are pushing for top 4 imo
Same if we had Kennedy and Hannebery, Pendlebury and Sidebottom, Dusty and Cotchin; Fyfy and Neale; Port's Boake and Gray; West Coast's Gaff and Shuey; Sloane and Laird (or even Tom Lynch) - get the picture

The club has backed our current crop of mids and they have 2017 (one last chance this year) to show if they should be kept as a group. Otherwise we focus on getting FA mids and recruiting top 10 draftees that can play midfield.