Jack your a smart guy and entitled to have a crack but doing so make sure you're right.
You say big deal in winning the key indicators of tackling and inside 50s. Last week your biggest issue was our lack of completed tackles and small tackle count. This was addressed this week, big improvement.
2nd issue you had was the failure of getting the ball past the middle of the ground in the last quarter. We won inside 50s so issue addressed = big improvement.
As far as the game plan you believe absent. It's beyond humanly unreasonable to expect the side to click into a brand new game plan within the first 12 rounds let alone 3 and let alone a side that is unbelivanly raw and inexperienced. StKilda under Ross Lyins first year is an example and they had a vastly more experienced and quality listed players playing.
Would agree that indictors as we have discussed was an impovement last night, although kicking was a disgrace.
Game plan and the style that we are trying to achieve is extremely cloudy.
Will point this out.
Under Spud, his game plan was kept simple, and I will try and explain it simply.
When in possesion, we had 3-4 players that would be designinated targets( these players were K. Johnson, R.Hilton, G. Tivendale etc ).
These players would be required to be in the "'corridor "' at all times. All players were instructed to square up through the corridor. without being ripped into by posters on here, this was something that all players understood and tried to achieve, although in Spuds latter years, he didnt have a plan B or C and the opposition would sit on these "release players"' through the corridor. One of the many reasons we got some severe floggings in Spuds last year.
We all are aware of Wallaces game plan, but at least he had one.
His target of 16 goals a game, wanted 15 entries inside F 50 a quarter, all things being equal, he would at least have 7 shots at goal.( a quarter)
All of this was through a run and carry out of D50, with short kicks with as many players around the ball carrier as possisble.
He always referred to being like Geelong, but this was no where near the truth as Geelong DONT run and carry but rather spread and use quick transition.
Now with Hardwick, I havent any idea, but to say that the onballers have been given the option to either kick or handball from a stoppage, it cannot be both as they arent predictable to there team mates. Eg Martin tries to kick, Cousins tries to handball, although last night he seemed to kick as first option.
You knew under Wallaces game plan that we were predictable as it was always a handball first option and then a short kick.
Its seems that only thing that is predictable at the present time is the long kick to the top of the square, as was the case last night when someone kicked it to a 3 on 1 inthe goal square , when Reidwoldt goaled
We need to see some direction.
The indicators were an improvement, I agree, although the style we are trying to achieve is a real worry
I think the biggest difference is that Under Spud we had the likes of Johnson, Tivendale, Knights, Campbell.
Under Wallace we had Richardson, Brown, Bowden, Coughlan, Tuck
Hardwick we have a bunch of boys learning the game. Cotchin can't be expected to beat a Brett Kirk tag. Only Gary Ablett does that. Our run from defense can't be expected to beat Sydney when our vastly experienced and higher quality sides have failed in the past.
Hardwick is trying to build a house with nothing but a hammer and nails. It's going to look like nothing is happening for a long time. At least he's been an apprentice under some successful mansions and knows how it happens. Wallace and Frawley tried to build houses with wood, nail guns and cement but failed as they've never done it before. This is why I'm confident that the job will get done or at least the best of any other regime before it for the last 30 years.
I refuse to believe that Hardwick, Lade, Leppeitch and Campbell simply have no game plan. At worst it's a game plan the players are struggling to adapt to as anything is when new. But I'll back these coaches 100% that they know its the right one for success. You can't argue against Hardwicks defense that his game styles worked at Essendon, Port and Hawthorn that won premierships. Wallace and Spuds gameplan took us nowhere.
Give it time.