THE GAME PLAN - PLEASE EXPLAIN

[agent_orange 0]

Not sure we have the correct coaches.

Something is wrong down in the football department. Have a feeling Bailey is going to destroy this great club if he remains much longer.

[mikiedemon 0]

Hi there!

I`m just new here and went to the game today.

I didn`t go to the last practice match so i don`t know how he went but can someone please explain why Stef Martin wasn`t picked, when it was clear as day to me and others sitting around me that we needed a big target up forward! The guys there aside form Green just had no idea and Hawthorn were able to rebound far too easy!

[deanox 8,623]

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).

thats how i read it. the forwards push up to try and offer short options around the contest, because for some reason the guys around the contest don't get it out. the reasons I see that they don't get it out are a, b and c.

rectifying f) will do two things imo: at first we will get smashed. the mids will constantly get done holding the ball, and will turn it over a lot. but the upside is that there will be a lot more space for them to work in as well, so they will able to see where to run without having 3 half forward flankers all standing there. as they start to realise this, hopefully they wills tart to run to the right positions, which imo are natural footballing positions to run to, and as a result will have more time to look up and see the forwards (who are now in the forward line, preferably leading towards the contest).

It may take a few weeks of the midfield getting smashed for them to learn how to do this, but I think trying to drag our forwards back into the forward line will result, in the long term, in the midfielders having more space to work with and implementing their part of the game plan better.

HOWEVER, if we did this, initially other teams would smash us. They would have more space, they would be applying the pressure, and we would have less bodies around to lock the ball up (sort of like a localised flood).

Ever wonder why the opposition always seems to have 2 spare blokes floating a kick or less just behind the play, so that when we turn it over they are ready to smash us? Thats because their players aren't pushing into the contest to lock up the play.

What does everyone else think of this?

[Dexter23 2]

Please Explain?

Why Davey did not start in the centre? Why at some stage of the day wasn’t he put on the ball? He is our “Best” Player. No Impact today very Sad.

Why “Frawls” takes the kick outs?

Why Spencer is put “deep” in the forward line when he can’t mark? Is it to “bring” the ball to ground? Not good enough.

Why Jamar didn’t spend time “Deep” in the forward line? Bomb the ball long, he has 80 more chance marking it than miller. Dawks were down a Ruckman we should have exposed them.

Why Miller can’t take one grab marks?

Why Bruce got a game? He looks unfit and struggled to run. (I thought) Why he doesn’t take his first option an dispose of the ball before he’s under TOOOOO much pressure.

Why do we not man up on our players. We were smashed by uncontested marks. Is it a Zone? Are we supposed to allow them to get possession? (That’s what it felt like.) I was always taught that “Man Up” was to find a man and stand as close to him as you can that you can put your finger up his bum!! Grab his jumper, stand on the corridor side to stop them from leading in. Has this changed?

Why Bate and Dunn let me down when i talk them up to other supporters. (see u guys)

Why Bate can’t Bounce?

Why Scully and Trengove were pick No 1 & 2. -  Oh yeah Today was why; Composure, Footy Smarts, Can Hit a Target, Can Run. Now we just need the “TEAM” to protect these guys, while they do their work.

Why we don’t Sheppard? Why don’t you see any “MFC” player doing what Kennedy done for his team mate, took out Slyvia to protect his player. We have no hardness. Can’t wait till Slyvia is back, he’ll show Em!

Why we were outnumbered at all one on ones..................

Why we didn’t run......Apart from chase Dawks Ass’ all day.

Why we didn’t draft a Forward in the PSD.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

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

Spot on. Lack of run and responsibility.

[agent_orange 0]

Spot on. Lack of run and responsibility.

None of the players help each other out. To be a good side, you need to play for your team mates. Half of them just stand around.

[Jarka 767]

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.

Good post Barry, didn't completely agree with absolutely everything everything but nothing you said was over the top.

I think we just need a couple of adjustments and we'll improve alot, and as you said, it begins with the forwardline.

Unfortuantely we don't have any real natural forwards playing right now so it's going to be a struggle untill that happens. I was very pleased with some of the kids, I'm still pretty excited by the future. Add Sylvia, Morton, Garland, Blease, Gysberts, Watts and Tapscott to that team and within a couple of years it will be very exciting.

We all know that we're still a couple of years from being consistently competitive, unfortunately we'll still have more days like today before we're back in the eight.

[Jarka 767]

Why Scully and Trengove were pick No 1 & 2. -  Oh yeah Today was why; Composure, Footy Smarts, Can Hit a Target, Can Run. Now we just need the "TEAM" to protect these guys, while they do their work.

Why we don't Sheppard? Why don't you see any "MFC" player doing what Kennedy done for his team mate, took out Slyvia to protect his player. We have no hardness. Can't wait till Slyvia is back, he'll show Em!

This is a really great point. We have two potential champions now (Scully and Trengove are both going to be great, today just reinforced this), whay we should do is head hunt a current midfield coach or player from Geelong to be our midfield coach. The team needs to learn how to protect these guys like Geelong does for Ablett, right now the other mids like Jones, Moloney etc have no idea. Now is the time to start these type of behaviours.

[4jacks 0]

I have come to the conclusion that Watts is the answer.

I don't care how much smaller he may be than Lake, Scarlett, Presti or whoever, can we please just stick him in the goal square. We need a target, and Watts can provide it - I would back him to beat any full back on the lead 10 times out of 10, provided he gets some decent delivery. Sure, he'll get monstered by the big guys if the mids just bomb it to the square - so we don't do that. Abandon that stupid handball game plan for now, and go long and direct - that's how we scored goals today, with long kicks through the middle and inside 50.

Our mids - Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Morton, Davey, Sylvia, Moloney (Tapscott, Gysberts and Blease eventually) - have the pace and/or talent to take the game on by running it through the middle and hitting up longer targets. Why must they waste that talent by pissfarting around with the ball on the half-back line, getting caught hand-balling around in circles? Sure, it'll cause some turnovers at first, but it will help our forwards no end - imagine the frustration of Bate, Miller et al, trying to work out when they should lead? The mids consistently go the extra handball when there are options up the ground. It's little wonder our forwards got sucked up the ground and had to turn around and run back towards the goals, almost every single time.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

Having executed the Game Plan "A" to the coaching staff's instructions, ie. whipped off a quick short handball to the next player wherever they are, infront, behind, surrounded by opposition, flat-footed - it doesn't seem to matter, just get rid of it like a hot potato - most of our players simply stop.

There's no follow-up effort to protect or present another option. Except Scully did this magnificently a couple of times, Trengove expected it from others but rarely got it (probably the way his SA sides played), and Jordie McKenzie was in everything.

Are they lazy? If I was coaching this lot, I'd give them heaps the next few days. So by the time they take the field against the filth, they'd be playing for their lives... literally.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

BTW even the short handballs seem beyond their skills right now, how many were too low, wide, some too high, often right at the receiver who had to stop to get the pill.

If I'm being harsh, it's just my frustration. To properly execute the quick running handball game, you've not only got to have the handball skills but also the mental ability to think quickly where to place the ball to the receiver's advantage. Greg Williams was the best I've seen at this, he could do it blindfolded. My worry is, maybe some of our current players just simply don't have the thinking capacity for what the coaches are asking.

[Chopper 0]

I have been reading this site for a long time now, probably from its inception, but have never taken the time to register or post.

Firstly, the site is fantastic and a great read always.

I felt like I needed to post to respond to this topic. I was at the game today, like I am at most games and happened to take my 3 year old daughter along with me.

Halfway through the first quarter, she turned to me and asked, "Why do the Melbourne players not run fast like the other team?".

Can you believe that this came from a 3 year old and she has summed up our deficiencies in the first 15 minutes of watching the first game that she has ever seen.

It is very obvious that our players have absolutely no idea how to run in numbers, either when attacking, or defending.

We do not protect, shepherd, or run with our teammates, instead standing and waiting for a handball. We do not run into space to give an option, instead we stand in space and clog up the areas that are there to lead in to (this is pertinent, as how is a player supposed to take a good option, when all the space is taken away around the ground and there is no movement ahead).

I could go on, but I do not want everyone on here to dislike me before I even get started.

I was actually excited for this year, but I always had my hesitations about Dean Bailey's ability to coach. I think that has been shown glaringly in this game and I just hope that the great young kids that we have don't get wrecked by an ordinary coach, because they are genuinely guns, especially Scully, Trengove, Grimes and Strauss.

Here's to hopeful improvement and to Dean Bailey proving me wrong.

[mauriesy 6,802]

Why we were outnumbered at all one on ones..................

Lost me there. If it's a 'one on one' how are you outnumbered?

Outplayed by more skill and bigger bodies, maybe.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

Hi there!

I`m just new here and went to the game today.

I didn`t go to the last practice match so i don`t know how he went but can someone please explain why Stef Martin wasn`t picked, when it was clear as day to me and others sitting around me that we needed a big target up forward! The guys there aside form Green just had no idea and Hawthorn were able to rebound far too easy!

welcome! I was like you 2 years ago, joining here kept me sane through what was my worst season ever following the Dees. Kind of, therapy. Which it seems we'll need a lot more of this year too.

There are lots of positives, just tough on a night like this to see them terribly clearly. Think Scully (not just his skills but he's thinking about his footy), Jordie McKenzie, Grimes, Moloney, Strauss will be good (he'll hate that goal where he got man-handled out of the way, bet he bulks up quick!).

[Damo 2,995]

I have been reading this site for a long time now, probably from its inception, but have never taken the time to register or post.

Firstly, the site is fantastic and a great read always.

I felt like I needed to post to respond to this topic. I was at the game today, like I am at most games and happened to take my 3 year old daughter along with me.

Halfway through the first quarter, she turned to me and asked, "Why do the Melbourne players not run fast like the other team?".

Can you believe that this came from a 3 year old and she has summed up our deficiencies in the first 15 minutes of watching the first game that she has ever seen.

welcome chopper

great first post. Theres room for your daughter on the MFC coaching panel.

[Dexter23 2]

Why no one went in and remonstrated when Roughy took Scully (what a gun!! Got up and kept going!!!)

We just need to show something!!!

Too say we played the first half poorly and not the last half is beyond a joke. Thank God "Greeny" came back, i love this guy, always puts in 100% is classy and can kick goals...

I worked out what our game plan was. To go in with the game plan that we had and stick to it no matter what.

Not many players had passes today.

On the positive we do have players to come in. Its a hard truth but a flag is a long way off. This core of 30 players need to play realistically 80+ games together which with injuries and players being delisted or traded(Eg,Dunn,Bate&Miller(?)) will be 5 years. Finals in 2011 and work from there.

Why did our tackles not "stick"...

Why did Dean Bailey not to go off his rocker today? Is it he has set us up to lose. game to win and not just be "competitive". What i mean by that is. Play our young players, i'm alll for this, though dont play them out of position, and if they are getting betten look to one of our older more experienced guys to shut down that player. The FD is responsible for throwing "Strausy" in the deep end and leaving him there. Doesnt do much for his confidence i'd think.

Why did we have no "accountability"..

[Demon3 2,541]

Structure.. we just could not keep our structure. it is so important in footy, to have a fwd structure that you know will be in place when you are trying to move the ball quickly. you cant have one without the other. we have to be mentally strong and disciplined enough to keep our structure in place. what makes our ball carriers look silly is that when we move it quickly, spuds like Miller, have been sucked up the ground and are out of position.

At one point today we moved the ball well around the southern stand wing, and miller had all the space behind him, he had been sucked up to about the 45m mark, instead of realising and understanding the feel for the game and leading back to the square to allow a penetrating kick to position, he decided to lead fwd, while he was behind his opponent, the ball carrier (sorry, i cant remember who it was) had no choice other than to honor the lead, but the ball was cut off.

Footy smarts are the most underrated skill in the game, but the most important in my opinion, if you dont have them, then you are a liability in this game. And sorry to say, that makes Miller, Dunn, Moloney and Jones a big liability. And on the flip side, that is why Trengove, Scully, Grimes will be A graders, they are smart!

[TopCorner 89]

Why did our tackles not "stick"...

Agreed - this was a huge gap between us and them. They are closer in body development to Geelong - even if we did catch them they could stand up in a tackle and still get a clean disposal. Compare this with the likes of Jamie Bennell, who was bumped off the ball at will. So many of our guys seem a long way from being able to withstand the physical pressures the better teams can dish out.

[Dexter23 2]

Did anyone notice how Dawks structured their forward line at bounces?

I saw it quite a few times and i though it worked effective. (anything would've today)

[MikeyJ 60]

thats how i read it. the forwards push up to try and offer short options around the contest, because for some reason the guys around the contest don't get it out. the reasons I see that they don't get it out are a, b and c.

(snip)

You've hit the nail on the head. We need to have a midfield that will at least break even with the opposition before our gameplan will come to fruition. It's a hoary old chestnut but all the other problems are a function of having a losing midfield.

Given that our best clearance midfielder is currently 18, we've got a little way to go before we get to the stage where we can win enough of our own footy to allow the forwards to play to their structure.

[Milesh 26]

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.

A lack of confidence and self-belief. Poor skills is a copout IMO.

In hindsight David Neitz was such a leader for our players. He demanded the respect of everyone, he reinforced game plans and strategies and the players felt comfortable with Neita leading from the front --- in this case not literally.

Observing from the outside, McDonald has been an invisible captain and how he was chosen ahead of Green, Moloney, Sylvia or Davey is a mystery. The guy puts in a huge workload and breaks his back for the team, but the same criteria can be applied to Whelan or Godfrey or Jones.

The right man to lead our boys can ignite the self-belief --- in fact it should be a mandatory requirement of a captain.

[deanox 8,623]

You've hit the nail on the head. We need to have a midfield that will at least break even with the opposition before our gameplan will come to fruition. It's a hoary old chestnut but all the other problems are a function of having a losing midfield.

Given that our best clearance midfielder is currently 18, we've got a little way to go before we get to the stage where we can win enough of our own footy to allow the forwards to play to their structure.

so do you think the problem with the mdifled is that they are not good enough to get it out, or that they don't have anyone to give it to?

i think its the later, whether the issue is 'don't have any other mids to give it to because they are all flat footed' or 'don't have a forward to give it to because they are all out of position' i'm not sure, likely a combination of both.

[demons27 1]

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.

The Game Plan is clearly to drive all Melbourne supporters to an early grave as Bailey does his best to impersonate an AFL coach

[Eth 4]

I have come to the conclusion that Watts is the answer.

I don't care how much smaller he may be than Lake, Scarlett, Presti or whoever, can we please just stick him in the goal square. We need a target, and Watts can provide it - I would back him to beat any full back on the lead 10 times out of 10, provided he gets some decent delivery. Sure, he'll get monstered by the big guys if the mids just bomb it to the square - so we don't do that. Abandon that stupid handball game plan for now, and go long and direct - that's how we scored goals today, with long kicks through the middle and inside 50.

Our mids - Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Morton, Davey, Sylvia, Moloney (Tapscott, Gysberts and Blease eventually) - have the pace and/or talent to take the game on by running it through the middle and hitting up longer targets. Why must they waste that talent by pissfarting around with the ball on the half-back line, getting caught hand-balling around in circles? Sure, it'll cause some turnovers at first, but it will help our forwards no end - imagine the frustration of Bate, Miller et al, trying to work out when they should lead? The mids consistently go the extra handball when there are options up the ground. It's little wonder our forwards got sucked up the ground and had to turn around and run back towards the goals, almost every single time.

I've found a replacement for Dean Bailey. That's exactly what we can't do, but it's what we need to do

[heartbeatstrue 57]

I have come to the conclusion that Watts is the answer.

Does anybody share my concern that if Watts is thrown into what we witnessed yesterday, he'll be crucified? There'll be three defenders dropping back on him every time the ball comes in, and because we stuff around with it so much getting it there, they'll have heaps of time to get the numbers back.

The last thing we want is for his confidence to be shattered. I feel we need a forward structure that can take the pressure off him at first. Right now, he'd be chief cook in a very hot kitchen.