Biggest difference was we played a forward press for once. it was great - so much pressure on their defense! Please Bailey (and I'm sure you read this site) do not change this! Who cares if we're copying everyone else - if we can continue with this forward defensive pressure then we will make a lot of other teams turn the ball over. Seems we did learn something from west coast eh.

yes, but the fwd press only works if you get more inside 50s than your opponent and this is best achieved by winning more centre clearances.... and this is exactly what we did. Give the credit firstly to the midfield then secondly to the fwd press.

The game resembled our footy o last year. We still did the reload off half back and run and carry it up but like last year, we ran it up through the guys rather than wide around the wing. We haven't really done that this year, we have stayed wide. Our skills were better today - less fumbles than the last couple of weeks. We ran harder for our teammates i.e. leading, when up the ground or off half back.

Our forward pressure was much better than previous weeks - we really tackled and did our best to keep the ball in. I think we pushed up the groud to keep it in more than we have in previous weeks - this is a definite tweek compared with last season.

We also played our short/mobile forwards deep (Petterd, Wonna, even Dunn) and our taller forwards further up the ground (Watts, Bate). I believe this was done to keep Johncock deep in defense and run Rutten around up the field. It worked successfully.

Petterd was playing as a defensive forward to occupy Johncock, and it was almost the opposite with Rutten, as he's learnt to drop off and zone for long leads, so whoever he was matched up on made multiple short sharp leads so he had to be accountable.

The game resembled our footy o last year. We still did the reload off half back and run and carry it up but like last year, we ran it up through the guys rather than wide around the wing. We haven't really done that this year, we have stayed wide. Our skills were better today - less fumbles than the last couple of weeks. We ran harder for our teammates i.e. leading, when up the ground or off half back.

Our forward pressure was much better than previous weeks - we really tackled and did our best to keep the ball in. I think we pushed up the groud to keep it in more than we have in previous weeks - this is a definite tweek compared with last season.

We also played our short/mobile forwards deep (Petterd, Wonna, even Dunn) and our taller forwards further up the ground (Watts, Bate). I believe this was done to keep Johncock deep in defense and run Rutten around up the field. It worked successfully.

The biggest difference yesterday to this year's form was we finally seemed able to defend in the forward line. Our forward press was excellent but we still had the positives from last year's gameplan: run out of defence; spreading; use of the corridor; high marking forwards. The weakness was we were caught out a number of times when the Crows broke our zone and scored easy goals as a result, but to be fair we did the same thing to them except a lot more often. It is a danger though which we will need to think about against top four sides.

Edited May 8, 201114 yr by DeesPower

yes, but the fwd press only works if you get more inside 50s than your opponent and this is best achieved by winning more centre clearances.... and this is exactly what we did. Give the credit firstly to the midfield then secondly to the fwd press.

How good was the synergy between Jamar and Moloney in the middle ? The understanding between them is great to watch.

What you have just stated there DC is very much what our discussion earlier in the week was touched on. The midfield. We lack quality granted (although Moloney is beginning to prove some have gone early on dismissing him as a C grader - even McAvaney labelled him "elite"...that's special), but when we do well at clearances and contested ball (and tackle well with pressure), we can set oursleves up for i50's and apply the forward press more often; we become the hunter more often and not the hunted. It allows us to set up more. ie. 1st quarter - I thought we set up well after most of those behinds (7).

I thought Bailey did well to rotate Bartram & Maric through there and give them a taste. I still think we'll look much better with McKenzie & Scully in there.

Note: We were winning the mids battle anyway and when Dangerfield went off with concussion and Thompson with injury, we had more of a "field day" in winning contested ball thanks to their depleted rotations through the middle. That said, we were always competitive for the four quarters.

Regarding our set-ups in defence when kicking out, I thought we had Adelaide on the hop. I liked seeing more urgency (so much that Tapscott went to the bag of balls as McKernan was lining up for goal), that's what we've got to do against every side. Set up quickly.

We got much confidence from that game, which was pleasing..now to back it up.

* That was our highest winning margin (96 points) against the Crows at the G, since our 48 point win over them in the First Qualifying Final in 1998.

* The win eclipsed our all-time greatest winning margin over the Crows, which was previously a 51 point margin, round 13, 1996 at AAMI Stadium. (Football Park then).

* The win (score of 22.17.149) also eclipsed our highest score against them, which was previously a paltry 19.9 (123) in the same game - round 13, 1996, AAMI Stadium.

I liked the fact that when we won the footy at half-back or through the middle we actually had some targets further afield. I'm not sure whether that was a change of tactics or whether our forwards simply did better at not getting sucked up the ground.

I also thought we used the corridor more, but perhaps we just found it easier to do so versus Adelaide.

I liked the fact that when we won the footy at half-back or through the middle we actually had some targets further afield. I'm not sure whether that was a change of tactics or whether our forwards simply did better at not getting sucked up the ground.

I also thought we used the corridor more, but perhaps we just found it easier to do so versus Adelaide.

Agree. Looking at those not getting sucked up the ground, it looked to me they were concious of that. They communicated well and even called a player or two back with them at times. Particularly in the first half.

SO I think it was bit of both, tactical change (directive) and being aware of it as players.

Our teams ability to be able to have quick transition, more importantly better use of the ball as well as our spread enabled more use of the corridor IMO. I think our pressure applied to the ball carrier was high intensity and it created many turnovers, Adelaide were caught short many times and we punished them accordingly. We made them look second rate and the more scoreboard pressure applied it bred confidence; at the same time sapping the Crows, dorcing more errors on their part.

Wonderful to witness that by our "young" side.

There will still be ups and downs this year. Let's enjoy the ups though.

I don't think that there has been any distinct change in game plan, it all comes down to effort.

Every coach in this competition has a good enough game plan to win when pressure is placed on the opposition.

I think yesterday was huge for the boys as they have finally played a full 4 qtr effort and I think we can fairly safely say that we haven't done that for at least 4 years. We've had big wins but still had periods of the game where our effort isn't there.

Even if they have a few bad games along the way, at least now they have a reference point.

Edited May 9, 201114 yr by WAClark

I don't think that there has been any distinct change in game plan, it all comes down to effort.

Every coach in this competition has a good enough game plan to win when pressure is placed on the opposition.

I think yesterday was huge for the boys as they have finally played a full 4 qtr effort and I think we can fairly safely say that we haven't done that for at least 4 years. We've had big wins but still had periods of the game where our effort isn't there.

Even if they have a few bad games along the way, at least now they have a reference point.

Surely you don't think that was the same game plan as used against WC

We must have different ideas on what a game plan is

Surely you don't think that was the same game plan as used against WC

We must have different ideas on what a game plan is

The only change I saw was a distinct desire by the players to press up on their backmen.

So the change might be down to increased application, or it might be new instruction.

I believe it was increased application due to the fact that you can't get that good at a press that quickly if it was foreign to you.

The only change I saw was a distinct desire by the players to press up on their backmen.

So the change might be down to increased application, or it might be new instruction.

I believe it was increased application due to the fact that you can't get that good at a press that quickly if it was foreign to you.

Aided by the fact that MFC were allowed to do what it wanted to do given the insipid opposition by Adelaide.

I was surprised to see the ball in our forward line for such a long time. Even our forwards in the 1st quarter looked so surprised that they fumbled at least three easy uncontested marks within range. About time to see proactive football and pushing to keep the ball forward.

Last week Crows in home strip have big win over saints

Melbourne get thrashed by Weagles wearing their away strip

fast forward to this week.....

Dees wearing home strip thrash the pants off the Camry Cows

Crows wearing their away strip (even more horrible than ours) get thrashed

obvious conclusion - don't wear your away strip B)

Last week Crows in home strip have big win over saints

Melbourne get thrashed by Weagles wearing their away strip

fast forward to this week.....

Dees wearing home strip thrash the pants off the Camry Cows

Crows wearing their away strip (even more horrible than ours) get thrashed

obvious conclusion - don't wear your away strip B)

....Brisbane wearing their away strip get beaten by Gold Coast

....North beaten by Geelong wearing god knows what - a derivative of the Argentinian strip ?

....Fremantle wearing their away strip get beaten by Richmond

....Hawks wearing their away strip against Port Adelaide...win...oops.

Last week Crows in home strip have big win over saints

Melbourne get thrashed by Weagles wearing their away strip

fast forward to this week.....

Dees wearing home strip thrash the pants off the Camry Cows

Crows wearing their away strip (even more horrible than ours) get thrashed

obvious conclusion - don't wear your away strip B)

It's all so clear now!

The Crows were bad but we were dynamite. The first complete domination I can remember since Carlton 2004?

Scoring shots from 73 I50s were 9, 8, 13, 9.

That's pretty good.

I

The first complete domination I can remember since Carlton 2004?

did you forget the Kreuzer Cup?

I was surprised to see the ball in our forward line for such a long time. Even our forwards in the 1st quarter looked so surprised that they fumbled at least three easy uncontested marks within range. About time to see proactive football and pushing to keep the ball forward.

i'm sure Garland was the most surprised!

our forward line was very rusty in the first half.

i'm sure Garland was the most surprised!

our forward line was very rusty in the first half.

true, but conditions were greasy

did you forget the Kreuzer Cup?

TJ got 42 touches.

I remember.

Well, a domination against a team that was trying...

I'm not judging Blues fans - I love Jordan McMahon...