Everyone has had a go at team selections,skills,game plans etc but havent touched on 'general play'

What we need is more RUN - all over the ground

This is one of the areas I'll be looking for once the season kicks off.

We need to run to support a player with the ball (backing up)

Run to create overlaps.

Run to space to create options

Run to man up

And is it just me but over the years we seem to concede the oppositon the easy short kicks to an unmarked player between 1/2 back to 1/2 forward. We seem happy to stand off 20 metres away,rather than stand the man.

Fiercer tackling is another issue, tackle to stop, and make them feel like they have been tackled.

McKenzie showed he executes tackles superbly. (NAB Ess game)

We have young legs, I want to see them run more.

'The Fire Has Started' - lets set the ground alight.

I will be happy if we can turn the ball over less when we are no under pressure. I think if we can do that then the confidence to do the rest will come.

Can i add shepherding to the list? Too many times we stop thinking when we haven't got possession. We have to protect the ball carrier and also create some space for the guy going for the ball. Maybe the changes in the interpretation of the bump rule caused players to avoid laying strong defensive shepherds in case they make contact with the head. That's a pity.

Everyone has had a go at team selections,skills,game plans etc but havent touched on 'general play'

What we need is more RUN - all over the ground

This is one of the areas I'll be looking for once the season kicks off.

We need to run to support a player with the ball (backing up)

Run to create overlaps.

Run to space to create options

Run to man up

And is it just me but over the years we seem to concede the oppositon the easy short kicks to an unmarked player between 1/2 back to 1/2 forward. We seem happy to stand off 20 metres away,rather than stand the man.

Fiercer tackling is another issue, tackle to stop, and make them feel like they have been tackled.

McKenzie showed he executes tackles superbly. (NAB Ess game)

We have young legs, I want to see them run more.

'The Fire Has Started' - lets set the ground alight.

Couldn't agree more! What I like about this is you've highlighted the team things - overlapping, backing up, shepherding, creating options, providing a contest and so on. This is where we really have room to improve, and it will all come with more games together & getting to know each other's strengths & weaknesses. For example, Scully will be much more dangerous when his teammates shepherd or block for him in close, when they know to give him more than one option for handballing it out (because it seems that he won't take an option that's bad), when they provide short options rather than long options for his kicking, etc etc. I'm just using Scully as an (admittedly speculative) example, but the principle applies to all players. They'll perform better as individuals when everybody gets to know each others' games better and start doing the team things.

Which, incidentally, is why I'm not too concerned about losses before the team starts to click together in this way. They clicked in a few games last year, now they have to get it all over again.

. For example, Scully will be much more dangerous when his teammates shepherd or block for him in close, when they know to give him more than one option for handballing it out (because it seems that he won't take an option that's bad), when they provide short options rather than long options for his kicking, etc etc.

Exactly.. We are on the same page

. For example, Scully will be much more dangerous when his teammates shepherd or block for him in close, when they know to give him more than one option for handballing it out (because it seems that he won't take an option that's bad), when they provide short options rather than long options for his kicking, etc etc.

Exactly.. We are on the same page

This is a good point and something that Melbourne hasn't had any experience with. It would be nice to get a midfield coach from Geelong, either a retiring player or ex coach, to have first hand knowledge of how they work with Ablett.

I will be happy if we can turn the ball over less when we are no under pressure. I think if we can do that then the confidence to do the rest will come.

Guess what... run run run finally!

Next question -- can they substain it.

As stated Deevoted Run Run Run is the key and we finally got that but it really does come down to if we can do that week in week out...

I think we caught the pies with their pants down on Sat.

Kicking the 1st 2 goals of the game helped us believe in ourselves, then it grew from there.

We still made a lot of fundamental errors, and our lack of a power forward in the square found us out a number of times. But If we can continue to run and carry we proved we can worry the hell out of a teams throughout the year.

We lack some high marking (contested) players all over the ground, Jamar is our best contested mark atm, pity help us if he gets injured.

Morton , Sylvia, Pettard are about the only others that can consistently hold strong pack marks.

The downfall is IF the opposition shuts down our run and carry,then we are forced to kick to contests,then we fall back into erratic handballs (hawks game)

Adelaide will study the Pies game and work out a plan to stop that run and carry,if we dont run,or they nullify us,we need a plan B, I dont think we have a plan B.

Keeping the lid on it for now, its going to be and up and down year.