Modern football: principles and practices

[Sanctorum]

One of the developments in modern day team sport is the increased focus on specialised coaching, currently St Kilda has 10 to assist the senior coach. Not that this appears to have done much good as in season 2018 the skill levels of the St Kilda players have deteriorated, and with just 4 wins there are serious questions about the effectiveness of the team’s game plans.

Fair to say that the 2018 season was a shocker, as bad as 2001 and 2014 when they also managed just 4 wins.

No wonder Saints supporters have been up in arms, especially so when at the start of the year St Kilda was expected to remain in the top 12...

I sometimes wonder if the fallout from all of this specialist coaching causes problems for individual players, because it can lead to suppression of their natural abilities and will cause them to lose confidence or hesitate under the pressure of the contest.

Likewise, with multiple coaches it is quite possible for a player to receive conflicting messages about his kicking, or things like defensive or offensive strategies.

It has been reported several times in recent years how senior coaches have spent the off-seasons to review their own performance and adopt a less intensive approach to their match day coaching, and to give the playing group on the day much greater responsibility for the way they play the game.

Crucial to the latter is on-field leadership, and clearly that has been a major failure at St Kilda since the retirement of Nick Riewoldt, because the team simply lacks strong and experienced leaders. This to a large degree explains the recruitment of the Swans’ Dan Hannebery who will be expected to help to remedy this deficiency.

Similarly, it would be expected that the new assistant coaches, especially the experienced and highly regarded Brett Ratten, will augment the way Alan Richardson coaches the team in 2019, and follow the example of Hawtorn’s Alistair Clarkson who has noted on numbers of occasions that he swears by the KISS principle. It stands to reason that the more complicated the game plan, the less likely that the players will be able carry it out – I’m not sure if this has been an issue for the Saints this year, but I have no doubt that next year there will be far greater emphasis on "Keep It Simple, Stupid"!

[8bloggs]

When the club announced a coach for "Tranistion" last season (Kingsley?) I thought at the time how this was going to work with the individual line coaches and whether this would lead to situations on field when players would be unclear as to what to do. A times I thought this was happening and comments on this site during the season mentioned players were not happy with how the assistants were working.
Keeping it simple may very well help this year, combined with and ability to move the ball quickly and accurately to our forwards.

[st.byron]

Reflected in Billings’ interview on the Saints website. He talks about keeping it simple.

http://www.saints.com.au/video/2018-12- ... focus-1312

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

Good strong post Sanctorum. Keep 'em coming.

[Gershwin]

My ITK (In The Know) who sits on the boundary in an official capacity at all matches, felt strongly that our problem was a lack of good players. When I mentioned players like Billings, McCartin, Newnes, Dunstan and Acres he just shook his head and said NO. That is not to say players can't improve from one year to the next.

I would like to see significant changes in the team that runs out in 2019. Hopefully the team will include Hannebery, Kent and Parker as well as Roberton and Bruce returning.

PS. I don't share his view on Billings.

[Cairnsman]

My ITK (In The Know) who sits on the boundary in an official capacity at all matches, felt strongly that our problem was a lack of good players. When I mentioned players like Billings, McCartin, Newnes, Dunstan and Acres he just shook his head and said NO. That is not to say players can't improve from one year to the next.

I would like to see significant changes in the team that runs out in 2019. Hopefully the team will include Hannebery, Kent and Parker as well as Roberton and Bruce returning.

PS. I don't share his view on Billings.

Roberton and Bruce are significant changes aren't they.

[Yorkeys]

It may be that the person most confused and flustered by the inherent complexity of so many assistants and other entouragers was Alan. It seems the club has recognised that might be the case and has rationalised his role as well as pointed out to him that the coach/player relationship(s) is much more nuanced than in the times when he was ordered around by the likes of Leigh Mathews, N. Buckley and Tony Shaw. CEO has been distracted by return to Moorabbin and parlous finances. On the face of it the fitness persons did a poor job in 2018 but you have to cut them some slack as perhaps the horrific and badly timed injuries were more bad luck than competence based. While that was going on Nick and Joey retired and Alan's flaws were exposed. He seems loyal to a fault once he likes a player and doggedly stubborn if he doesn't or feels a suitable apprenticeship hasn't been served i.e. you start in VFL and need to get BOGs then on the bench for the firsts, graduate to do your time in defence and if someone gets injured you may move upfield. Ok but a cookie cutter approach can miss some marvellous development opportunities and chances to exploit opposition weaknesses. Unless you are Paddy then you play and have to fit the gung-ho attacking/defending style instead of the team adjusting the forward entries to your strengths. Finnis, Lethlean and the new Pres will have learned a lot the hard way from 2018 hence changes in personnel so far. I look forward to a less than humiliating 2019 season, an inspired choice for coach in 2020 and the introduction of current form based selection so the incoming coach has a game hardened mentally tough group to work with.

[guitars4]

I'm all for change because obviously last year was a train wreck. Even after the first game when we came from behind to beat a struggling Brisbane at home the alarm bells were ringing loud & clear. From there it never really got any better, absolutely belted by North in round 3 was the beginning of the end. Should of lost to Gold Coast & just hung on to beat Melbourne so we really could of had 2 wins instead of the paltry 4 . Apart from the draw we never even got close to winning another game. The ability to shut teams down when they had a run on was non existent not to mention the horrible game plan & the ability to carry it out . The skill level for an AFL side was embarrassing at best even when not under pressure & the amount of goals we conceded just from kick ins was horrific . I know all the Ted lovers will say I'm being negative Nelly & it's going to be remarkable turn around because the club knows what it's doing & as much as I would like to believe it can't say I'm convinced I guess the proof will be in the pudding