DAWN

[beelzebub 23,390]

Whilst we certainly had the upper hand to sugestwe were playing sans pressure is probably somewhat dismissive of the Swans.

What we decided to do was take the game on and run them hard. Almost becomes chicken and egg but Imwith the view that it was BECAUSE we decided to kick it longer...kick to contests occasionally and put them under pressure that they then began to second guess their disposals. Ironically they played more like weve been acused of ..they finished with more HB than Kicks.. thats normally our preserve. Amazing what happes when you have a bit of confidence. More than a few scorebaord hurters came fronm marks in or around the goal square.

So again I wouldnt go as far as to say we played where no pressure existed..simply we were making better decisions and therefore use of the ball.

I will of course agree there is a time and place for both, as is the nature of the game but be gained far more distance and effect by kicking than overuse of the hand. That first goal a case in point.. we got it moving and got it long... put it in the danger zone and presto..

In many ways the game's ot as complex as some make out...justsome teams get a bit panicky..or a bit too cute...thats when teh rot sets it..that WAS us.. hopeful...WAS being the operative word there

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

So again I wouldnt go as far as to say we played where no pressure existed..simply we were making better decisions and therefore use of the ball.

We also made "better decisions and therefore use of the ball" against WB and the Pies. But they did put us under some hammer.

With the exception of Goodes and McGlynn, the Swans could barely have put less pressure on us. It does not detract from the quality of the win but the opposition effort was feeble.

[Inner Demon 1]

I find the notion that any team would adopt an identical gameplan week in, week out, regardless of the opposition pretty amusing.

I would encourage those who have a particular interest in the machinations of the game plan to put aside a few dollars each week between now and the start of next season and join the Before the Bounce group so you can hear first hand exactly what the players are being instructed to do. You can even ask questions if there's something you don't understand or have noticed from your spot in the stands. Then when you watch the game you know immediately whether the problem is with the instruction or the application.

[Jaded No More 68,976]

Same team, same game plan, but completely different attitude and confidence.

When you're staring down an 8 goal deficit in the first quarter, you are going to play very differently to when you are leading by 8 goals.

A young team thrives on self belief, and we had it in spades from the minute Dunn soccered that ball through for a goal.

[rpfc 28,966]

I find the notion that any team would adopt an identical gameplan week in, week out, regardless of the opposition pretty amusing.

I would encourage those who have a particular interest in the machinations of the game plan to put aside a few dollars each week between now and the start of next season and join the Before the Bounce group so you can hear first hand exactly what the players are being instructed to do. You can even ask questions if there's something you don't understand or have noticed from your spot in the stands. Then when you watch the game you know immediately whether the problem is with the instruction or the application.

You are confusing small tactical changes with a plan.

Don't worry - you not the first.

Geoge W had the same problem.

[Demon trucker 1,800]

When players run and expect to win the football they run to space and demand the footy. Then players kick it to them.

from the start DB has said he wants good kicks of the football, thats his game plan, to kick it, Honor the leading player, it only comes to confidence, when we have confidence, then we play our game plan to plan,there is no change in game plan just playing game plan well.

[Sydney Pennski 309]

This was Dean Bailey's day in the sun. It's hard to assess the performance of a coach in charge of a development team. There is so much frustration and inconsistency that the doubts inevitably raise themselves. 

And I think that's the crux of the matter.

In many ways we haven't been able to properly assess Bailey and his game plan while the team was carp. As the personnel and consequently the skills improve, we can better appreciate what the coach is trying to instil into the team.

[Guest DeesPower]

There is no doubt at all that when we have a kick to handball ratio greater than 1 (i.e. we kick more than we handpass) we play good football. The question is a bit of a chicken and egg one: does the good football come from using the ball by foot more, or is the higher kick count a reflection of a good day at the office?

IMO it's the former. Either way it's clear that the game plan is not based upon over-using the handpass and that our best football comes when we use it by foot more than hand.

I think the key to this is having our full strength forward line. Much of the handball/holding up the play was a result of not wanting to give up possession by kicking long into the forward line. Now we have high marking falls like Jurrah, Dunn and Green (and sometimes the Russian and PJ), the mids feel they at times can kick long because the forward have a good chance of marking it, or if they don't the likes of Bennell, Wonna and Watts will fight hard to maintain possession once the ball hits the ground. It is a much much better set up, and the option of kicking long mixed into our relentless run and carry game put huge pressure on opposition back as they more often than not get caught out of position.

It will be interesting in the coming weeks to watch how opposition teams counter this gameplan. I remember being similarly excited after the Lions game at the G when we first saw Bailey's gameplan successfully on display. The team dropped off in the following weeks as they fought to overcome opposition tactics. This was most pronounced in my view at the Carlton games where many of our key players were relentlessly harassed (particularly Davey and trengove) and we struggled to get free from the close marking man on man tactics the Blues employed that day.

Expect a re-run of this in coming weeks.

The recent modification to the model though brought about by the improved forward line set up