Jump to content

YOU BE THE COACH

Featured Replies

Posted

Everyone here believes that Bailey ought to go due to his lack of game plan and/or poor game plan. With the game plan being flood the back line then, when in possession, run and handball in numbers down the ground not working what do you suggest?

It's easy to criticise without offering an alternative.

Personally I think Bailey should stay but here is my game plan if I was coach:

I believe the biggest most important thing we need to address is our inside 50's. Stating the obvious, you can't score a goal unless you get it in there (unless of course you bomb one from outside 50!). We are getting low inside 50m tally's because we are turning it over with our handball happy game style along the half back line. To get the ball inside 50 more often I would make these positional changes:

Davey deep inside 50m. His forward pressure would cause more turnovers from the opposition coming out of their backline causing more inside 50's for us.

Tapscott to half forward. Strong overheard marking and deep long kicks into our 50m would help our team. We have one of the most talented forwards in the comp just twiddling his thumbs in the forward 50. We need to get it down to him!

Grimes to the middle. Grimes was put into the backline to give us a steady foot and assurance back there. Realistically however, he is a turnover king which not only diminishes our inside 50m count but also costs us on the score board. His overheard marking is fantastic however and this should be the utilised more effectively as a midfielder and a potential target for kick-ins. Not the actual kicker himself.

Structural changes:

No flooding the backline anymore. Back our numbers in at the contest. The extra numbers that are usually flooding the backline can now provide options when coming out of defence. The likes of Davey, Bennell and Wonaeamirri etc. can come up into the centre section of the ground to provide an option for defenders but no further. This will space out the ground more and provide a more healthy option for defenders. jurrah doesn't leave the forward 50m however. So instead of having all the numbers in the defensive 50m and running the lines from there. The defensive 6 will have extra options provided by midfielders(half back line area) and forwards pushing up the ground (centre section). This gives us numbers on the first 3 sections on the ground. deep inside defensive 50m, half back line and centre line. From the centre line we can then keep running transition using our numbers and/or kick it to jurrah 1 on 1 inside 50m. If they choose to flood their backline, so be it. Ironically, that will be shooting themselves in the foot just the same way we are right now.

 

Easiest interview ever :)

 

Like your theory and at least offering an alternative however Davey to the forward line 5 years ago good move, he plays footy now like he is above the hard running and chasing, when was the last time he chased and tackled?

Tapscott up forward is another good move but we lose to much hardness from the backline which we desperately need at the moment. Our problem is getting it out of the backline so we need good kicks to be able to use the footy, the setup isn't bad now but we dont leave players forward of the ball to kick to and we move it to slow and allow them to setup a zone, we don't switch it quick enough...

I'm actually horrified to say this. But I agree with everything that Freak has said.

I would keep Davey in the middle but rotate into the forward line a lot more frequently.

I would play Green in the middle. Our midfield needs some leadership and experiance.


Also a couple of non-negotiables

A minimum of 68 effective tackles a match- that's just 2 per player. TWO.

We will win more games on that alone...

We must win at least 60% of clearances. That is how the best teams carve up the opposition. 60% as min means that even on a day where the boys may be 5 or 10% off their game which happens even to the best teams, we should still break even on clearances.

Edit: spelling

Its amazing how well any game plan looks on paper (or in this case on computer screen). That would win multiple premierships Freak... However the trouble is there is also an opposition team with their own game plans, as opposed to witches hats! Getting hands on the pill and being able to keep it are the major concerns.

There are 3 basic systems that must be in play

1 When we have the ball

2 When they have the ball

3 When the ball is in dispute

That means 3 separate game plans. Need a counter for opposition floods, man on man, clusters and now presses. As well as our own floods, man on man times, clusters and forward +/- midfield press.

This cannot be done in one paragraph. This means every single player knowing his role and executing it at all times. 42 players on the list is a complicated mess at best. I wouldn't where to start trying to fill the required 50 odd page document to fully cover a 'game plan'

We are currently in player development mode as opposed to team development mode, unfortunately looking at last night we need a lot more development!!!!

Also a couple of non-negotiables

A minimum of 68 effective tackles a match- that's just 2 per player. TWO.

We will win more games on that alone...

We must win at least 60% of clearances. That is how the best teams carve up the opposition. 60% as min means that even on a day where the boys may be 5 or 10% off their game which happens even to the best teams, we should still break even on clearances.

Edit: spelling

might want to try edit arithmetic too ...

 

He's saying that it's 2 tackles per player ... across both teams. Assuming that the opposition lays zero tackles, then it averages out as two per player.

might want to try edit arithmetic too ...

HA....my mistake sorry. I got lost in my rant...

A THREE tackle minimum for EVERY Melbourne player (and a smidge more if you want to be exact)... ;)


Pagan's Paddock!

Every forward plays defensive side of the square and we leave ONE man down there....you know who I'm talking about. The freak could kick 150 goals.

  • Author

Its amazing how well any game plan looks on paper (or in this case on computer screen). That would win multiple premierships Freak... However the trouble is there is also an opposition team with their own game plans, as opposed to witches hats! Getting hands on the pill and being able

Agree, but the game plan we are playing at the moment is probably the one would that looks good with witches hats. The one i did is something I believe would be a much safer bet and much more flexible. I also think that by the time the guys run the 100 metres done the ground, they often cannot execute into the forward 50m because they are tired.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Featured Content

  • PREVIEW: Essendon

    As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie? 
    Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG. Unfortunately, performances like these went against the grain of what Melbourne has been producing from virtually midway through 2024 and extending right through to the present day. This is a game between two clubs who have faltered over the past couple of years because their disposal efficiency is appalling. Neither of them can hit the side of a barn door but history tells us that every once in a while such teams have their lucky days or come up against an opponent in even worse shape and hence, one of them will come up trumps in this match.

      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Essendon

    Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

      • Thanks
    • 224 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 05

    Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

      • Thanks
    • 15 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Geelong

    There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Geelong

    I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 04

    Round 4 kicks off with a blockbuster on Thursday night as traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton clash at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to assert themselves as early-season contenders and the Blues seeking their first win of the season. Saturday opens with Gold Coast hosting Adelaide, a key test for the Suns as they aim to back up their big win last week, while the Crows will be looking to keep their perfect record intact. Reigning wooden spooners Richmond have the daunting task of facing reigning premiers Brisbane at the ‘G and the Lions will be eager to reaffirm their premiership credentials after a patchy start. Saturday night sees North Melbourne take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium, with the Swans looking to build on their first win of the season last week against a rebuilding Roos outfit. Sunday’s action begins with GWS hosting West Coast at ENGIE Stadium, a game that could get ugly very early for the visitors. Port Adelaide vs St Kilda at Adelaide Oval looms as a interesting clash, with both clubs form being very hard to read. The round wraps up with Fremantle taking on the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in what could be a fierce contest between two sides with top-eight ambitions. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

      • Thanks
    • 273 replies
    Demonland