and finally, go back to the free wheeling run and gun style we started with and forget this BS tempo footy we are clearly not suited to would be a start...
I reckon that's what they are trying to do either by coaches or the players and that's why we are seeing so many stupid handballs. Hardwick probably spent all pre season drilling into them a stupid game plan that might of worked 5 years ago but forgot that we had a game style that suited what the game evolved into. Now they are trying to bring it back but without the practice and the enormous pressure you get in AFL they are struggling.
Agree. Think we are making a conscious effort to run and carry the ball more but it is resulting in these ridiculous handball chains that continually refer pressure. The turnovers and resulting goals yesterday were reminiscent of games we were losing 3 years ago.
i have no doubt that these ridiculous handball chains are in fact trying to achieve run and carry. It has clearly been drilled into them and sometimes it does actually work. Think of the three man weave training drill. when the players are actually moving and running similar lines, and more importantly are under little pressure it results in quick ball movement that creates an overlap.
But it falls down way to often, because the player receiving the ball is stationary, not running the correct line, or are under immediate pressure, or actually running into pressure.
Other times you can see when they handball forward to a stationary player facing the wrong way, the intent is to run on and get the old 1-2, or there is supposed to be another runner to receive the handball.
Again it does work sometimes, but generally when there is no pressure. Too often the player recieving the first handball is under pressure, which results in a rushed handball that is not pin point. If the reciever is under any sort of pressure, the handball nees to be pin point. When the opposition are good at putting blocks on to the runners, and they dont have to be much of a block, again it all falls down.
I cant see what is happening up the ground, but i could imagine players starting to lead when the ball carrier looks like he is clear, only for him to handball and then mess up the timing of the lead.
Alternatively the players are holding their leads expecting the unnecessary handballs, but either the ball is turned over or there is a rushed kick under pressure which hardly ever results in kicks to advantage.
It is just so frustrating to see so many players take possession and their first instinct to handball forwards, with no real regard if it is actually the correct option.
This whole thing falls down so often, the players soon confidence and suffer the rabbit in the headlights syndrome.
Then Hardwick has the gall to single out Dusty for trying to switch and create space with a kick. Perhaps he would be better drilling how to kick to advantage when switching rather how to handball to put teamates under pressure.
It seems to me that Hardwick is trying to implement something that works well when under no pressure, but falls down badly when the opposition can close the game up, thus Newmans comments about waiting for the game to open up after the Footscray game.
