Game Plan Exposed

[B.M]

There are two obvious things I notice about our gameplan and yesterday they went horribly wrong and was exposed

First the defensive game plan
It requires clearance pressure and pressure on the opposition ball carrier because all our numbers roll back deep hoping for a long entry
Wilkie drops off and he and and Howard either mark or spoil and we outnumber and clear

Where that went wrong yesterday
We were smashed early at clearance and there was zero pressure on the ball carrier, so instead of a long deep entry they were hitting up leading targets and exposing defenders who were sitting off. Also with all players rolling back, Essendon had free numbers everywhere (and used them) uncontested marks were out of control.

Secondly
Our offensive system of pushing high and waiting for a quick clearance or slingshot from d50 and getting in behind the defence is our one Wood. Teams know this and hold their back six now and allow the ball to come to them. Which is why Butler and Lonie can’t get a kick and King is struggling.

The Dusty tactic
Jake Stringer started in the centre square and had no intention of playing as a mid (hasn’t got the tank)
He just did what Dusty does and charged forward and did a hand over with a forward straight away. Dusty has been doing this for 4 years with Kane Lambert.
It has a three fold effect
1/ They have a beast in the centre square
2/ A power forward ends up with a midfielder defending him i50
3/ The defender loses their forward opponent who ends up a loose mid.

Yesterday
We were smashed on field and off field

[The Fireman]

yep..... good summary .

Ratten now needs to get his head down and arse up

[farquhar]

Very good summary, thanks for posting. Clearly we have been worked out. Not a surprise as it happens to all teams, but now is the time to adapt.

[bangaulegend]

Well said B.M you are on the money but how do we turn it around ?

[Moods]

There are two obvious things I notice about our gameplan and yesterday they went horribly wrong and was exposed

First the defensive game plan
It requires clearance pressure and pressure on the opposition ball carrier because all our numbers roll back deep hoping for a long entry
Wilkie drops off and he and and Howard either mark or spoil and we outnumber and clear

Where that went wrong yesterday
We were smashed early at clearance and there was zero pressure on the ball carrier, so instead of a long deep entry they were hitting up leading targets and exposing defenders who were sitting off. Also with all players rolling back, Essendon had free numbers everywhere (and used them) uncontested marks were out of control.

Secondly
Our offensive system of pushing high and waiting for a quick clearance or slingshot from d50 and getting in behind the defence is our one Wood. Teams know this and hold their back six now and allow the ball to come to them. Which is why Butler and Lonie can’t get a kick and King is struggling.

The Dusty tactic
Jake Stringer started in the centre square and had no intention of playing as a mid (hasn’t got the tank)
He just did what Dusty does and charged forward and did a hand over with a forward straight away. Dusty has been doing this for 4 years with Kane Lambert.
It has a three fold effect
1/ They have a beast in the centre square
2/ A power forward ends up with a midfielder defending him i50
3/ The defender loses their forward opponent who ends up a loose mid.

Yesterday
We were smashed on field and off field

Let's be serious. What club can handle opposition mids streaming through the centre of the ground en masse?. It's a defenders nightmare and a fwds dream. All you can really do is roll back in that situation and hope they kick long. The skills of the modern footballer are that good that they will hit a target on the lead 9/10 times when there's zero pressure applied to the ball carrier (Saints 5/10)

[The Billings Method]

Very good summary, thanks for posting. Clearly we have been worked out. Not a surprise as it happens to all teams, but now is the time to adapt.

Good at poking criticism. Never a solution, unfortunately.

[B.M]

Foe list?

Solutions are pretty simple

Make some changes in the way we play.

Midfield don’t fold back as quickly

Forwards hold their position and hit up

Mids - show some fkn effort and try running a little bit (Steele aside)

Can’t do much about the ruck situation. But I’m guessing the Mids should set up defensively as a starting point?!

But hey, I’m not the StK coach and coaching panel... I don’t get paid 600k to coach footy with 6 assistants.
That job would be Brett Rattens

[True Blue Sainter]

yep..... good summary .

Ratten now needs to get his head down and arse up

Don't think it'll happen.

He hasn't made any positive changes to the game plan this season, and the knock on his Carlton teams of a decade ago were that they were too one-dimensional and downhill skiers.

Seems familiar.

[Scollop]

Sometimes you come up against a team that can carve you up.
Our mids as a group got smashed

Merrett and Parish and Smith and McGrath and Stringer are not B graders.

If they're on and if they have the cattle, it doesn't matter how simple or how complex your game plan is

We did the same to the Premiers last year and in 2017

[B.M]

Their midfield was definitely too quick

Saw it at the very first contest

[Yorkeys]

Simples, no possession no plan. Back to basics: get ball, keep ball, especially don't gift opposition ball. No frills, just man up in defence (yes that also means forwards/mids), value possession, composure, practice ball handling under pressure. For a bit of finesse after remembering basics realise that if you hand ball more than twice in any play the opposition will nail the next receiver from his blindside - surprise, oppositions read the play so well when you telegraph your moves. Golden rule: do unto team mates with a hospital pass as you would they do unto you.

[shanegrambeau]

Mathew Lloyd said Ratts and his crew tried a variety of things, all too no avail. So there isn't any hint that Ratts and crew don't know these things were not going on. The tactic of starting in the centre and causing a temporary mismatch would be bread and butter Grade one for all coaching teams - no surprises there i would think. It is just that we couldn't stop them. They got on a hop and we were lacklustre..over.

How on earth we plan to cover the West Coast with Darling and the other bearded neanderthal Kennedy? Howard will give it a whack of course. Wilkie too, but then who? Coffield? Boy we need Frawley now.

West Coast seem to play Marvel pretty well and their win/loss is about 45/55. They've beaten us on our 'home' turf more than lost, not that records should count.

Essendon fans prayed for a miracle last week and their Gods delivered in spades. maybe we should try the same.

Here is the plan.

1) Somebody breaks through security at Marvel and jams the roof in the open position.
2) Somebody bribes the Fire Fighting Aircraft Response Authorities to 'accidentally' practice water bombing, flooding the ground and causing an epic Moorabbinesque bog
3) Somebody else pays the ump to 'win' the toss for us putting Kennedy and Darling straight into the late afternoon awkward sun
4) Somebody inserts time-release valves in the footies so that air gradually leaks and footy assumes pancake shape

[The Billings Method]

Foe list?

Solutions are pretty simple

Make some changes in the way we play.

Midfield don’t fold back as quickly

Forwards hold their position and hit up

Mids - show some fkn effort and try running a little bit (Steele aside)

Can’t do much about the ruck situation. But I’m guessing the Mids should set up defensively as a starting point?!

But hey, I’m not the StK coach and coaching panel... I don’t get paid 600k to coach footy with 6 assistants.
That job would be Brett Rattens

Unfortunately, others repost your garbage. Even someone of your limited intellect should be able to understand that.

Again, no insight or solutions. Par for the course. If the solutions were as simple as you say are, surely the club would've contacted you by now. Somehow, I don't think they will, teach.

<banned for directly commenting negatively on another poster>

[B.M]

No they didn’t

I’m not on your foe list, you can’t help yourself, you need to read my posts so you can make little cowardly potshots.

I know your type

Still don’t know why you bag me because you think I’m a teacher?

Is that meant to be derogatory? Something wrong with teachers??

If I were a teacher, should I feel embarrassed???

Do tell...

[The Billings Method]

You are on my FOE list. You are a teacher. One of those junior high, Neanderthal, PE types who is betrayed by your illiteracy and lack of intellect.

Oh how you wish you could send me to detention or stand over me. We all know a teacher like you. You are a joke, left behind in the mists of time, while the rest of us got on with our lives, educations and professional development.

<1 week ban for commenting on another poster>

[kalsaint]

Very good summary, thanks for posting. Clearly we have been worked out. Not a surprise as it happens to all teams, but now is the time to adapt.

Good at poking criticism. Never a solution, unfortunately.

I ask myself the question on how can a side blow another away like that? How do they get the freedom?. Firstly, butchering the ball when not under pressure puts the whole side under pressure from a swarm of opposition players that seek to use the open area created by spread from receiving the present of a loose ball get. If skills are enabling some control of the ball, perhaps we need to consider how to protect the ball carrier to provide him time to pick the best options by not just bombing the ball or not kicking to an area of the ground where a multitude of opposition players inhabit. They will spread quickly and become super dangerous immediately leading to chasing butts all day, especially if they leave without any forward pressure. We continually overturned the ball, did not pick up crumbs from aerial contests, did not pressure their opposition to a faster, more risky disposal.

Swans have now a defensive system that flicks over to offense by large ground usage. Any skills issues can be retrieved as long as the turnover doesnt lead to a quick spread. Essendon are great at this but have historically leaked goals to do this. We applied no pressure, Swans have adapted defence all over the ground. Effort is key, Saints need to show that when they pressure up they dont bring the defence too far forward. We suffer from defensive and offensive structures failing to enable quick ball movement when we turnover the ball so easily. Protection is essential or the pressure leads to turnovers and oppo goals.

We need to get clear then use quality kicking within a set game speed to avoid turnovers. Saints turnovers are massive supplies for opposition goals. There's a time for speed but its a must to have ball control in check so tempo plays need consideration. Remember Melbourne over 2017-2019. Congestion at the contest was a major problem due to their desire to speed. We even showed them that in early in the 2019 season. They mix the speed according to their situations. We seem to be pushing a button no matter what the circumstances. Stop it. Geelong are excellent over slower games but their kicking is far betteras per Eagles. I tend to agree with Clarko that our game plan wasnt/isn't totally suitable for finals. We need to address the game speed and we need seniors to demonstrate how and when this is done.

[asiu]

that was a good effort

ta

[B.M]

A lot of assumptions there

Fact is, you don’t know a thing about me?!

I could easily write a number of insults about you too, but don’t care enough.