THE GAME PLAN - PLEASE EXPLAIN

[fired up 77]

Could some one please explain the Game Plan to me because I'm positive there isn't one.

Also I take my hat off to Brad Green in my opinion only senior player our young guys should watch and be inspired.

[stranga 328]

Hand ball round in circles in defensive 50 to flat footed players until you get tackled or turn it over because of our poor skills.

[titan_uranus 24,631]

Sad that after all this time, we enter Bailey's third year, after 3 pre-seasons with the club, and we are asking the same questions as we were 2 years ago.

We cannot continue to allow our forwards to push up the ground. It hasn't worked once in 3 years, and it didn't work again today. We don't score enough goals and we don't go inside 50 enough. We need to leave 2-3 forwards well forward of the centre at all times. Players like Green or Petterd who can take a mark on a lead.

Too often we push a man behind the ball when the opposition gets on a roll. Again today we saw it happen as early as the first quarter. It seems to be Bailey's go-to plan, and it doesn't help us at all.

At centre bounces, we start with Bate, Dunn, Davey and others standing on the 50, and running in. All that does is clog up the midfield and cause our quick kick forward (when we get one) to end up becoming a turnover. Our forwards aren't deep enough, and don't lead towards the ball carrier.

And our skills aren't good enough. We've been in pre-season training since October and we're still making basic skill errors. Dropping uncontested marks. Missing handpasses. Missing kicks. Not being able to bounce the ball (e.g. Bate).

Edit: I should add that our positioning, at all times, is woeful. From Hawthorn kick-ins, we have no plan. From our own kick-ins, we have no plan. At stoppages we don't look like we have a plan. It's very, very sad.

Edited March 27, 2010 by titan_uranus

[Moloney22 0]

If there is a game plan, i can't see it at all. That was an absolute disgrace today......i counted 7 or 8 hawthorn goals from direct turnovers in a def 50m. we aren't skillful enough to be chipping and trying pinpoint passes via hand or foot. And playing on is only useful when you have players in support or someone moving into space and giving you an option up the ground.

If anyone can explain our kick ins - i'd be rapt.....because i dont understand. Players standing in space completely flat footed waving their arms calling for the ball doesent constitute a plan. Chip 15 metres to the pocket, look up, have no targets to kick to, no movement, chip back across goal, miss your target, pressure, turnover, goal.

[Gorgoroth 12,712]

What's a game plan?

[melbournefc18 4]

hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball oh and did i say hand ball?

And also play on even when under extreme pressure.

It may only be rd1 but i wish they would sack Bailey NOW. This club is not going anywhere with him as head coach. Todays game reminded me of rd1 2008

[Bay Riffin 1,454]

Hand ball round in circles in defensive 50 to flat footed players until you get tackled or turn it over because of our poor skills.

Nailed it perfectly. This is our game plan all right.

[Moloney22 0]

hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball oh and did i say hand ball?

And also play on even when under extreme pressure.

It may only be rd1 but i wish they would sack Bailey NOW. This club is not going anywhere with him as head coach. Todays game reminded me of rd1 2008

If Buddy, Sewell, Rioli & Burgoyne had of played it would have been worse than 2008. And if Hawthron hadn't of switched off for the last qtr it could've been worse than 2008. Anyone who thinks we fought it out to the end today is kidding themselves. We only scored some consolation goals half way through the 3rd and last when the Hawks took the foot off the gas. We are a long, long way behind the comp at the moment.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

Could some one please explain the Game Plan to me,because i,m positive there is'nt one.

There is one (of course). It's just that these players can't manage it (lacking skills, experience, body strength, etc), so it looks ugly.

What is of concern is that there's no plan B. When the Game Plan that's been worked over and taught and discussed all summer, fails in the first quarter of the first game, why no fall-back?

It's not like it should come as a surprise to DB, it's happened in front of his eyes the past 2 seasons. Now deja vu. Only difference, we've got some new players, and got rid of some, and others have had 1 or 2 seasons to try and master it.

What happened in the second half is they started to move the ball more quickly and directly into the forward line, no doubt because suddenly they had a leading target in Green (gutsy game like you say).

I watched DB's expressions and responses in the box today, he looked totally exasperated. I think he shoulders much of the blame, because the type of fiddly handballing out wide, to players in worse positions, surrounded by opposition, is clearly a response to coaching instructions and not the players' instinctive response. Today it looked dreadful. It gave the Dawks time to get numbers back and pressure our guys, whereas quick direct movement gives forwards the advantage (if they still refuse to lead, drop them & pick someone who will).

Plan B in my opinion should be basic direct football, with the skilful quick handball game added on as skills and confidence develop. It could even be tried in the last qtr when young legs should have the fitness advantage.

Today hurt.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 10,851]

Sad that after all this time, we enter Bailey's third year, after 3 pre-seasons with the club, and we are asking the same questions as we were 2 years ago.

We cannot continue to allow our forwards to push up the ground. It hasn't worked once in 3 years, and it didn't work again today. We don't score enough goals and we don't go inside 50 enough. We need to leave 2-3 forwards well forward of the centre at all times. Players like Green or Petterd who can take a mark on a lead.

Too often we push a man behind the ball when the opposition gets on a roll. Again today we saw it happen as early as the first quarter. It seems to be Bailey's go-to plan, and it doesn't help us at all.

At centre bounces, we start with Bate, Dunn, Davey and others standing on the 50, and running in. All that does is clog up the midfield and cause our quick kick forward (when we get one) to end up becoming a turnover. Our forwards aren't deep enough, and don't lead towards the ball carrier.

And our skills aren't good enough. We've been in pre-season training since October and we're still making basic skill errors. Dropping uncontested marks. Missing handpasses. Missing kicks. Not being able to bounce the ball (e.g. Bate).

Edit: I should add that our positioning, at all times, is woeful. From Hawthorn kick-ins, we have no plan. From our own kick-ins, we have no plan. At stoppages we don't look like we have a plan. It's very, very sad.

well analysed, well worded post. Could not have said it better.

[Chook 14,998]

hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball, hand ball oh and did i say hand ball?

And also play on even when under extreme pressure.

In all seriousness, this is our actual gameplan. It's a shame we have no plan B and no ability to even execute plan A.

[deanox 9,665]

i 'think' the game plan involves handballing to advantage to a player running past the contest. it may involve handballnig to a player running to the defensive side of the contest, allowing that player to make space.

the big problems are a) most players don't run past the contest to make space B) handballs often go directly to a player (which means they are either court flat footed, or they have to stop to recieve the ball, meaning they cannot satisfy a) ) or c) after the first 2 handballs make some space, the 3rd player looks to handball again, instead of kicking it forward.

c) is caused by: d) indecisiveness and a lack of confidence, e) poor work up the ground from players (i.e. no leading or making space for the next ball to be delivered) or f) no one up forward because the half forwards have all pushed outside the forward 50.

Solutions:

-Players need to run past the contest to accept handballs, not stand still and call for it

-Players need to handball (and kick) to advantage by putting it out in front so their team mates can run onto it

-Players need to take the attacking option when it presents (i.e. kick it forward when they have the space and time to do so, not another handball)

-The forward line needs to stay deeper, so that there is always a forward line; they need to lead at the ball so that as soon as the ball is released they are ready to be hit up

[jayceebee31 697]

i 'think' the game plan involves handballing to advantage to a player running past the contest. it may involve handballnig to a player running to the defensive side of the contest, allowing that player to make space.

the big problems are a) most players don't run past the contest to make space B) handballs often go directly to a player (which means they are either court flat footed, or they have to stop to recieve the ball, meaning they cannot satisfy a) ) or c) after the first 2 handballs make some space, the 3rd player looks to handball again, instead of kicking it forward.

c) is caused by: d) indecisiveness and a lack of confidence, e) poor work up the ground from players (i.e. no leading or making space for the next ball to be delivered) or f) no one up forward because the half forwards have all pushed outside the forward 50.

Solutions:

-Players need to run past the contest to accept handballs, not stand still and call for it

-Players need to handball (and kick) to advantage by putting it out in front so their team mates can run onto it

-Players need to take the attacking option when it presents (i.e. kick it forward when they have the space and time to do so, not another handball)

-The forward line needs to stay deeper, so that there is always a forward line; they need to lead at the ball so that as soon as the ball is released they are ready to be hit up

A great coaching effort wasn't it- just pathetic.

[... 11]

Sad that after all this time, we enter Bailey's third year, after 3 pre-seasons with the club, and we are asking the same questions as we were 2 years ago.

We cannot continue to allow our forwards to push up the ground. It hasn't worked once in 3 years, and it didn't work again today. We don't score enough goals and we don't go inside 50 enough. We need to leave 2-3 forwards well forward of the centre at all times. Players like Green or Petterd who can take a mark on a lead.

Too often we push a man behind the ball when the opposition gets on a roll. Again today we saw it happen as early as the first quarter. It seems to be Bailey's go-to plan, and it doesn't help us at all.

At centre bounces, we start with Bate, Dunn, Davey and others standing on the 50, and running in. All that does is clog up the midfield and cause our quick kick forward (when we get one) to end up becoming a turnover. Our forwards aren't deep enough, and don't lead towards the ball carrier.

And our skills aren't good enough. We've been in pre-season training since October and we're still making basic skill errors. Dropping uncontested marks. Missing handpasses. Missing kicks. Not being able to bounce the ball (e.g. Bate).

Edit: I should add that our positioning, at all times, is woeful. From Hawthorn kick-ins, we have no plan. From our own kick-ins, we have no plan. At stoppages we don't look like we have a plan. It's very, very sad.

That's hit the nail on the head.

The problem is not that players WANT to handball in ever increasingly small circles until they get crunched, it's that they have no choice, because our forwards don't present options.

Jones today, ran out of the back pocket onto the half back flank on the Olympic stand side, looked up, and all that was in front of him was two Melbourne forwards running away from him and toward the boundary line, and they were a good 60m from him. So Jones, realising he couldn't kick the ball that far, then gets into trouble and gets tackled, and the Melbourne crowd goes crook at him for trying to do too much. It's [censored]. Not Jones' fault at all.

The point about where our forwards line up is spot on. They are all up towards the 50m arc when the centre bounce is happening. It is simply impossible in that situation to lead and present yourself as an option to the midfield when you are already standing in the place you should be leading to. So it seems the plan there is to kick the ball over our forwards' heads (and I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I think this really is the plan) and have them double back towards goals, gather the ball off the ground while running at full tilt with an opponent up their clacker, steady, not get tackled, and kick the goal. When the ball is coming out of our backline, the plan for our forwards seems to be that they try to sneakily double back and take an uncontested mark by having run their opponent under the ball first. It simply does not work. We wind up with these bloody up and under kicks to clear the opposition player, which most of the time end up being pure widow-makers. It is a ridiculous plan.

Most Dees supporters sitting around me spent most of the day rubbishing Miller. OK, so he's dropping sitter-marks and kicking poorly. I don't argue that point. Thing is though, he is the only bloke who EVER presents himself to the ball carrier as a target. At least he sometimes gives that contest. I'd like him to do it more (by starting deeper forward and running at his team mate who is looking to dispose of the ball). Miller always gives a good contest in that situation, and it is the job of Petterd and the other small forwards to crumb. They don't do that. In Petterd's defense, he did present a couple of times later in the game, but these episodes were minor punctuations on a game dominated by him doing otherwise.

So I believe without shuffling a single player, without bringing in any of our injured players, and before the return to form of an under-done Bate... all the players need do is present to the bloody ball carrier instead of trying to get cheapo uncontested kicks out the back of the opposition defense.

If we start doing that (which requires our forwards to start deeper, read the play, and run at the ball carrier) we will improve immensely and immediately. Suddenly, the 'you have it, no you have, no you have it' handballing in the midfield will be much less frequent; people will start to see that we do have some skills; and we will start entering our inside 50 with intent.

Add Sylvia, Jurrah, Morton and company, and things start to look quite ok.

In summary: Coach - lift your game.

Positives today: Great pie at half time. Jordie McKenzie with 11 tackles - 4 of them awarded with frees and a general showing of the famous bloodnut aggression. Trengove with equal highest possession count and a very cool head under pressure. Scully for his ability to win one-on-one contests - this kid has a real football brain, he's not just an athlete. Rivers was very good. I completely disagree with other posters synopses of Warnock - considering the amount of inside 50s, he did a very serviceable job. Strauss was excellent - he started the game magnificently with great pace, good reading of the play, and beautiful spearing passes; unfortunately he made two big blues and dropped his head after that; I'm not concerned about him though, he'll be a ripper. Cam Bruce was pretty good today and led with experience - it's hard to shine when you're getting reamed by 10 goals at half time. Beamer is better than his effort today, so I'm looking forward to his next game.

Come on Dees, we're not as far off as we think. --> Coach... LIFT. You're making it too complicated. You're forgetting major principles. Do like the midfield set ups though with the mix of kids and experienced players.

GO DEES. We'll roll Collingwood next week

[dee-luded 2,959]

Could some one please explain the Game Plan to me,because i,m positive there is'nt one.

Also i take my hat off to Brad Green in my opinion only senior player our young guys should watch

and be inspired.

You can't have a game plan with five, 0 gamers coming into the side.

The forwards have to push up the ground with so much youth to help defend the space. Thats the [censored] about blooding so many kids at once.

It'll be a month of pain till we get some experience back. Lets hope we're holding some confidance & form when we come up against the Tiges.

Hold onto your hats, its getting bumpy.

[Sir Why You Little 36,668]

Solutions:

-Players need to run past the contest to accept handballs, not stand still and call for it

-Players need to handball (and kick) to advantage by putting it out in front so their team mates can run onto it

-Players need to take the attacking option when it presents (i.e. kick it forward when they have the space and time to do so, not another handball)

-The forward line needs to stay deeper, so that there is always a forward line; they need to lead at the ball so that as soon as the ball is released they are ready to be hit up

So why was this not drilled into players over the summer months?

Do the players really have passion for the club and jumper- and i mean deep down? Hawthorn players love their jumper, that was obvious.

Bailey has got to get this sorted out real quick, hawthorn had first gamers as well today-didn't see them drop easy marks when the game was alive.

The Attitude in the Football club must be sorted.

[Chook 14,998]

i 'think' the game plan involves handballing to advantage to a player running past the contest. it may involve handballnig to a player running to the defensive side of the contest, allowing that player to make space.

the big problems are a) most players don't run past the contest to make space B) handballs often go directly to a player (which means they are either court flat footed, or they have to stop to recieve the ball, meaning they cannot satisfy a) ) or c) after the first 2 handballs make some space, the 3rd player looks to handball again, instead of kicking it forward.

c) is caused by: d) indecisiveness and a lack of confidence, e) poor work up the ground from players (i.e. no leading or making space for the next ball to be delivered) or f) no one up forward because the half forwards have all pushed outside the forward 50.

Solutions:

-Players need to run past the contest to accept handballs, not stand still and call for it

-Players need to handball (and kick) to advantage by putting it out in front so their team mates can run onto it

-Players need to take the attacking option when it presents (i.e. kick it forward when they have the space and time to do so, not another handball)

-The forward line needs to stay deeper, so that there is always a forward line; they need to lead at the ball so that as soon as the ball is released they are ready to be hit up

So, put simply, an inability to execute a), b and c) are results of d) and e), which are in turn caused by f), itself the result of an attempt to provide options so that a) may be executed. Thus, b and c) are caused by an ill-conceived attempt (f)) to rectify a). Am I right about that? If so, then the elimination of f) would vastly improve our chances of properly executing a).

Edited March 27, 2010 by Chook

[gOLLy 401]

Game plan = Flat feet. Not putting you hand in the air saying "kick it to me"

[jayceebee31 697]

So why was this not drilled into players over the summer months?

Do the players really have passion for the club and jumper- and i mean deep down? Hawthorn players love their jumper, that was obvious.

Bailey has got to get this sorted out real quick, hawthorn had first gamers as well today-didn't see them drop easy marks when the game was alive.

The Attitude in the Football club must be sorted.

Again - as I have said time and time again it is our football department overall- pathetic- in particular our coaching panel- we have trained since the 12th October to see this trash.

[dee-luded 2,959]

So why was this not drilled into players over the summer months?

Do the players really have passion for the club and jumper- and i mean deep down? Hawthorn players love their jumper, that was obvious.

Bailey has got to get this sorted out real quick, hawthorn had first gamers as well today-didn't see them drop easy marks when the game was alive.

The Attitude in the Football club must be sorted.

Oh, the B & C words?

[dee-luded 2,959]

Game plan = Flat feet. Not putting you hand in the air saying "kick it to me"

Your right Golly, they were doing exactly that after half time, they (the senior players) had dropped their bundle. Its time for the mid 20's aged players as a group to find some guts & hold their composure & verve, & lead this team onfield.

[agent_orange 0]

This team is struggling in almost every facit of the game. Bailey has alot to answer for. Those who employed him have a lot to answer for too.

There is no point rebuilding if the person doing the rebuild cannot coach to save his life.

Bailey always blames the players but I doubt they would be playing so bad under a coach who had a plan to develop a winning team.

[maximum bob 462]

Agree particularly with your comment on Jordie McKenzie Barry D.

There's a lot to like about this kid, the way he goes about it. For obvious reasons he lacks a bit of consistency and polish but give him a couple of seasons experience alongside Scully, Grimes, Trengove etc as they play together and he could become a significant player for us.

I'll give Bailey this much - get games into the kids. Hopefully he'll stick with Jordie.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,012]

There were some clear signs of a gameplan today. Sadly, not a good gameplan, but given that the players were doing the same things over and over again, I guess that's what we have to call it. Of particular note was moving the ball out of the defensive 50. I'll admit that I noticed this because it was the part we spent the most time doing today. It involves a short kick to the pocket for a safe mark to player A. Player B further up the ground then runs in to provide a shepherd so that the player A can slip around the boundary side and run off. Player C provides an option for an inboard handpass from player A, who continues running and in turn receives a handpass from player C, thus moving the ball up to the half forward flank in a series of 1-2 handpass combos. I would guess that this is meant to be followed by a kick to the leading player on the wing/Half forward flank or possibly moving it into the corridor, but since we'd always turned it over by then, I can't be sure.

Obvious flaws in the plan:

.Player B has an opponent who follows him in. While he is blocking the man on the mark, his opponent is already shutting down player A.

.The opposition have a man marking player C and another standing on the boundary in front of player A. We either passes to a contest or is tackled. Should he pass and Player C get the return pass off, it is either intercepted by the man on the boundary or player A is tackled as soon as the ball reaches him.

I'd really like to know what our plans are for kick-ins, both ours and the opposition's. It has already been noted that our guys just stand there. It should also be pointed out that the kicker never noticed when there was a free man. Not once today, and there were plenty of times they could have found one if they had kicked quickly. Aside from that though, our work at opposition kick-ins is just as bad. When we try to zone it tends to be uneven and sloppy, which is easily picked apart by better drilled opponents. I think a couple of times we had people go man on man and be torn apart when their opponents refused to stand still with their hands in the air and instead ran away from them.

Important phrase in the last paragraph people. Better Drilled. It really does seem that we have a schoolboy team playing against professionals, and that can only be placed on the heads of our coaching staff. It is simple professionalism that we lack. Quite frankly it is amateur hour at the Demons. I have suspected for a while now, from my own observations, from comments from our coaching staff and from the way other teams regard Melbourne, that nobody in our organisation really comprehends how far off the pace we are. Obviously we have been lacking decent facilities for a long time, but I think the real lack is in our training methods. Looking at the top teams in the league, it's not about them having better players or higher draft picks, it that they are better drilled, more disciplined and don't make the stupid mistakes that litter our game.

[TonyMelb 7]

This team is struggling in almost every facit of the game. Bailey has alot to answer for. Those who employed him have a lot to answer for too.

There is no point rebuilding if the person doing the rebuild cannot coach to save his life.

Bailey always blames the players but I doubt they would be playing so bad under a coach who had a plan to develop a winning team.

Coaches have to bear some blame for the insipid effort today! Demons played without any heart and did not come ready to play! Skills were very poor and defensive drills of multiple dinky handballs clearly (a) did not work (B) weren't executed well and ©Dawks wer onto them, Result was several easy goals to Dawks which were gifts. Young players drilled to take high risk options which did not come off.

No reation or any signs of any plan B either (presuming there was a plan A!)

The Captain's excuse on MMM was that the MFC was shellshocked because they were blown away by the Dawks from the first bounce. Strange but I thought our boys had most of the play in the first 5 minutes and had the first 2 scoring shots of the game????

Most of us MFC supporters are realistic enough to not expect too much from our side this year with so many young players. However we were hopiing to see some reasonable play and signs of some system and a sound playing platform starting to emerge. It was extremely dissappointing that we did not get any of these today. Nothing to encourage or base any faith on. Very few positives if any. Ony Brad Green of the senior players could hold his head high! Best player even though only played a half! About 6 would not play agaoin if there was anyone to replace them with! Bearly broke enevn in the rucks despite Dawks being down to the 6th best one! At half time not one of our midfielders has had 10 possessions!