Game Plan

[froars]

I will be the first to admit i am a nincompoop when it comes to tactics and stuff.  Remember, i'm a girl and i only like the aesthetics of the game hahaha!  Okay, i know a bit more than that, but game plans I just don't see it and having never played the game, i have no idea.

Can someone please explain to me over the year what Wallace will be doing different to Spud, what they're gonna do it against different teams etc. 

[Harry]

Good post Moi.  I think the most important change that Terry will bring into our game plan, or style of play is the inside run and carry he has harped on about from day one.  Frawleys game plan revolved heavily on winning a contest then dishing a handpass backwards to a teamate who would then conservatively look wide and short for a chip pass to a teamate, who would then stop, assess and look for another kick to a teamate etc.  This was either Frawleys game plan or the players were always playing outside the team rules because they consistently played this way.  Frawley's major downfall as coach was that he either couldn't see or couldn't teach his players how to play the modern hard running linking up down the middle style of play.  That is, to always have numbers in support of the ball carrier to provide constant option for a dish off when pressure warrants it.  Watching the preseason games it is becoming very obvious what Wallace game plan is.  At every opportunity players are ducking back towards the middle off a half back flank and looking to dish off a handpass to someone running forwards from CHB.  This move sets the ball rolling.  The player receiving the ball has the option to now go long (if a lead is on) or look to dish off again by hand assuming he has runners along-side him.  It becomes a situation similar to rugby league where teamates are running in waves and dish off sideways before being hit by a tackle to a teamate with momentum to continue the thrust forward.  The key to this is to have numbers in support of the ball carrier and to have the confidence to leave you immediate opponent.  The signs in this regard have been very good so far regardless of the fact that our skill errors are still there.  With time and confidence these skill errors will rectify themselves just as long as they continue to do what they are doing and not go into their shells when behind.

[froars]

Frawley's major downfall as coach was that he either couldn't see or couldn't teach his players how to play the modern hard running linking up down the middle style of play.

In a slight defence of Frawley here, we never really had the players who could play that kind of game either or were willing to.  But in 5 years as coach, it was up to Frawley to build a list of those kind of players and develop the ones we had and he didn't.  That stop start, holding onto the ball for an eternity "pull your hair out watching it" drove me insane, and i'm predicting pretty easy for opposition coaches just to flood our forward line etc.  Looking forward to something so much different this year - we've got the hard runners now and i'm predicting a very exciting, attacking style of play. 

[letsgetiton!]

as u would have seen moi on saturday, heaps more players backing themselves, plenty of overlapping and assisting, never going sideways just forward! and heaps more use of the corridor!

[froars]

as u would have seen moi on saturday, heaps more players backing themselves, plenty of overlapping and assisting, never going sideways just forward! and heaps more use of the corridor!

I would have noticed a lot more things on Saturday if i wasn't talking lol
Welcome to OER, LGIO 

[Ox]

In a slight defence of Frawley here, we never really had the players who could play that kind of game either or were willing to. 

You're forgetting the "incapacitation" factor.

[froars]

You're forgetting the "incapacitation" factor.

WTF is that lol

[mightytiges]

You're forgetting the "incapacitation" factor.

WTF is that lol

Ox politely saying Spud was a dopey coach lol.

Spud had plan A and only plan A. His gameplan initially relied on two tall forwards to bomb long to but when injuries and poor recruiting decimated the number of talls on our list after 2001 he still tried to play the same plan A with only Richo at FF  . As Harry mentioned our short stop start  style meant other clubs would have time to flood back.

Wallace will try to get the ball forward as quickly as possible to give our tall forwards a chance to compete 1-on-1 either on the lead or jostling. That'll give a chance for our crumbers to feed on any spills. Our midfielders will also be kicking goals as they will be running in waves forward as Harry said. The success of this style will depend on the fewer errors (turnovers) we make. This should happen over time as our list improves and the kids develop into top line players.

[letsgetiton!]

u may have noticed against the lions, tw used what i called the "centre square flood".
whenever the lions were running the ball out of defence, the tigers flooded the centre square,
preventing the lions from playing their direct long style of play , forcing them to chip wide to the wings!
basically tw will have a game plan for us, but depending on who we play and the situation we r in , th eplan will change.
thus a plan a , b, c, d, and so will exist unlike the df days!

[Harry]

Hmmmmm the centre squae flood eh?  Wonder how prominent this plan is amongst other coaches if at all.  It's quite an interesting game plan as teams are so much more dangerous when going down the middle.  It's trickier than it sounds because you'll really expose your wings and flanks with un-marked opposition runners if your not too careful.

[letsgetiton!]

it may not work all the time but as i said , i think tw will approach each game on its merrits, use different tactics 4 diff teams, against the lions he utilised this centre square flood as i called it, the flanks and wings were exposed but it prevented the lions going direct down the guts on a small ground! it worked this time , lets wait n c

[Fishfinger]

"centre square flood".

StKilda used to have that gameplan too.
Every Friday night before a game at Moorabbin.

I think I know what you mean lgio (can i call you X for short? )
What I noticed against Brisbane was the centre players pushing back to give the half backs a chop out and limit forward options. Then when we got the ball they ran forward hard and through the guts to make themselves options for the backmen to kick to.
The option for Brisbane to chip sideways was left open and usually taken by them. Hard to know if Lappin, Black and Brown would put a spanner in the works but it was very effective with them not there.

[mightytiges]

IMO the "centre square flood" would work well at a Docklands, Footy Park or SCG where attacking from the wings is very difficult and easier to defend against. At wider grounds such as the 'G and Subi it would be harder to set up a zone that adequately forced sides wide enough to the boundary line. Still given the top sides play down the corridor it's obvious Terry has been thinking during his time in the media about how he would counter the old-fashioned brute force direct route style. Something to keep up his sleeve. Any plan that causes the opposition to go sideways and gives our midfield more time to push back into defence and clog their forward line is a good plan.

One thing we use to do under Spud was get sucked in the short side when the opposition had the ball in their defence and leave the fat side of the ground wide open. Against the likes of the Lions and Port who loved to switch the play before going forward it just gifted them goals  . The Saints loved it as well as when their was a throw-in or ball-up on the wing they would drop three players a kick back so if we won the contest and got a quick kick forward they would win the ball switch the play, link up and score a goal. Of course our former coaching staff didn't bother to man these guys up even though it was obvious to all what Grant Thomas was up to. No wonder we got smashed .

I'd presume part of the (re)educating process Wallace did over summer with his footy "lectures" for want of a better word was to teach the players to show leadership on the field and adapt to changes in opposition strategy themselves without waiting for the coach to necessarily make a move from the box which can take 5 minutes to take affect or wait to the breaks to reorganise while in the meantime you get blown away. Sheeds gives Hird a free license go wherever Hird thinks he is most needed.

[mightytiges]

"centre square flood".

StKilda used to have that gameplan too.
Every Friday night before a game at Moorabbin.

  @ FF. We could've used a swamp as our home ground too to cover up our skill deficiencies the last few years .

Just on Moorabbin as I went to see a little bit of Coburg the other week. The actual playing surface now is in the best nick it's ever been. The rest of the ground is a shambles though. Doesn't look like it's been touched since the day they stopped playing AFL footy there. A bit like Punt Road Oval before the 80's.

[letsgetiton!]

"centre square flood".

StKilda used to have that gameplan too.
Every Friday night before a game at Moorabbin.

I think I know what you mean lgio (can i call you X for short? )
What I noticed against Brisbane was the centre players pushing back to give the half backs a chop out and limit forward options. Then when we got the ball they ran forward hard and through the guts to make themselves options for the backmen to kick to.
The option for Brisbane to chip sideways was left open and usually taken by them. Hard to know if Lappin, Black and Brown would put a spanner in the works but it was very effective with them not there.

u can call me X if u want , thats what i am known as elsewhere but not PRE as i am not in th ebest books with them there if u know what i mean, but am a regualar poster on "y&b" forums. WilliamPowell wioll know me from ther, i am the character X-CITED.