We’ve all read how the team has ranked in league stats over the past 5 weeks. The numbers look great but got me thinking.. how have we actually turned it around?

Since we lost to Richmond a few things have changed. 

1. Personel. There are 7 different players in the team from Sunday that that didn’t play in our last loss. Viney, McDonald, Smith, Fritsch, Spargo, and Hannan. That’s a significant chunk of the team!

2. Game plan. In the first 5 weeks, our press was far too high. This was evident by watching our defensive structure from level two. Even on the TV you could see how many times we got opened up out the back, and how many one on one contests the opposition had in their forward 50. The coaches addressed this and implemented a better structure behind the ball from round 6.

3. Confidence. The immeasurable stat! You can see players are intent on moving the ball forward and taking the game on knowing they will be supported by their teammates. 

Enjoy the ride and go Dees!

Great thread. We spend so much time analysing defeats. I'very been wondering what's made everything click.

I agree with all of the above and also.

Disposal efficiency has been great

Our spread around the packs seems to also have more room for us than other teams. We're getting it out of packs fast and efficiently. 

Our whole style of playing is clicking into gear at both afl and vfl levels.

1. JVand TMac back in the team

2. Allowed ANB, Harmes and Gussy to play themselves back into form

3. We don’t have 3 players trying to win the contest, we have two peeling off and looking to play on quickly.

4. We’ve got a goalkeeper, typically OMac or Lewis, both of whom area great kick

5. We play on immediately, the speed of ball movement creates forward space

6. We are selfless

7. Our forward line is omnipotent and highly unpredictable 

 

 

 

I think we have started taking advantage of our contested ball domination too. We have more trust in each other to win the ball so we don’t have every man and his dog trying to win it and leaving the opposition with multiple options around the contest for the quick handball. Our setup around the contest, our winning of the contested ball and lightning spread away from the contest has really sped up our ball movement and made scoring much easier than it was. 

Also choosing better options entering F50 lately has made us a much better side. 

Just a couple of ideas. Whatever it is, I like it. 

• I think the defence settling in with lever there
• tmac coming into the side.  His running capacity and the teams confidence in him allows us to go quickly knowing that we will have one of hogan tmac or bull to mark or bring the ball to ground.  Structurally has allowed himself and hogan to interchange from deep ff into further up the ground.
• and just pure grunt and competitors all over the ground.
• gus, anb, melksham coming into form together

Brayshaw playing in the midfield rather than off a flank has had a major impact. I think it was the saints game that we made that move. 

As you noted we have set up behind the ball better, this has helped us hold momentum. Obviously when you are hard to score against it has a multitude of different effects. Confidence and momentum being two that come to mind.

Having TMac in the side has really stretched the opposition defence. This makes it easier for everyone else as there is most likely more room to move around in behind as someone has to go with him and Hogan up the ground. This can pull the structure of the opposition around makes it hard to settle. BeforeTMac came back in we were still winning the contested footy in each game however he has made us more potent and created match up headaches. This has resulted in us being able to capitalise on our midfield dominance I believe.

Kicking straight certainly helps. 

Not over handballing for most of the game, nor trying to break every tackle.

Handballing out of contests are 5+ meters and not 1 meter. That is also due to us not having 5 at the ball, but 2-3 with the others 5+ away from the contest.

I have watched replays of the last few games a couple of times and the thing that strikes me is that we are hunting the ball and the players near the ball in a structured pack. Much like a wolf pack. 

There is a trust that the player contesting the ball will win it. If he falters then the next one takes a turn and so on until they are successful. further away from the ball the players are making position to make sure they either present options for the ball winner or to be in position for the next contest. The players that have come into the team have also given the rest of the team confidence.

Go the Demon Wolf Pack.

We were showing signs of things to come in round one. We had 23 more inside 50’s against the cats but couldn’t score. They were on the ropes for the entire second half but we couldn’t punish them. Now that we are converting these dominant inside 50’s it makes for a snowballing effect. Piling on constant scoreboard pressure makes us stand taller in all aspects whilst the opposition wilt.

Edited May 29, 20186 yr by america de cali

4 things for me:
- basically full list available 
- Confidence - intangible ingredient that we are now benefiting from
- Forward entries - not bombing in, the structure including tmacs inclusion has assisted this
- No cheap goals out the back eg goal keeper set up

1 hour ago, The team we love said:

 

3. Confidence. The immeasurable stat! You can see players are intent on moving the ball forward and taking the game on knowing they will be supported by their teammates. 

Enjoy the ride and go Dees!

I can only humbly agree      one hell of a lot of it   is             above the shoulders

 

Enjoy the Ride Indeed    GO DEES  !!

Mutual trust means each player doesn’t have to think they have to go it alone

This results in far better positioning for shots at goal

Running and spreading giving options for the guy with the ball

The return of JV and TMcD, and of Gus in career best form 

The emergence and gain in poise of Fritsch, Hannan, Spartacus, ANB and Harmes

The gelling of the defence again allowing trust to leave the direct opponent

It's the "Deep Whirlpool"...when we have the ball

I think there have been a few key structural changes that have had huge flow-on effects.

• Three key forward marking options who can all push up the ground (Hogan, McDonald and Weideman/Smith)
• Brayshaw into the guts
• Fritsch up to a wing

I also feel like we get far less crowded around the contest so have more options on the outside and less handballing in circles.

Remember early on we had just Hoges as a forward target but he was playing part mid, part forward with a bevy of small forwards yet we were just bombing it long into the forward line with a too high press. Massive inside 50’s but small rate of conversion. Could not work out the game plan.  Basically very agricultural,  kick the ball forward at all costs with no idea how to convert. But the last 5 week’s, things have turned on their head, our conversion rate for inside 50’s has gone through the roof. Our forward press is rational with Lever making sure he is between the opposition and the goal. Work through those structural issues, plus add Mad dog mid, Viney and key forward in TMac and the whole equation changes. Please let it continue! 

Lever and Hibberd gone from bad to awesome. Anb and milkshake average to awesome. Tmac and viney back. 

Edited May 29, 20186 yr by leave it to deever

The other thing to bear in mind in relation to our "accuracy" is the impact of how close to goal most of our shots are coming from.   Yes we are kicking straighter but a whole heap of shots are from inside 25 or closer.  A big part of the inside 50s 

39 minutes ago, Harbinger43 said:

The other thing to bear in mind in relation to our "accuracy" is the impact of how close to goal most of our shots are coming from.   Yes we are kicking straighter but a whole heap of shots are from inside 25 or closer.  A big part of the inside 50s 

And Maxy isn’t taking shots within 25m which helps!! ?

Edited May 29, 20186 yr by small but forward

1 hour ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I think there have been a few key structural changes that have had huge flow-on effects.

• Three key forward marking options who can all push up the ground (Hogan, McDonald and Weideman/Smith)
• Brayshaw into the guts
• Fritsch up to a wing

I also feel like we get far less crowded around the contest so have more options on the outside and less handballing in circles.

We do still handball a lot ofmut if congestion but the speed with which we're doing it now is crazy. The ball pings from one player to another to another in a split second getting that player free to put the ball into space before the opposition really know what's happened. And we're not handballing to a guy 1m away it's more like 5m which allows us to spread quicker rather than the receiving player getting tackled before he's got the footy

1 hour ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I think there have been a few key structural changes that have had huge flow-on effects.

• Three key forward marking options who can all push up the ground (Hogan, McDonald and Weideman/Smith)
• Brayshaw into the guts
• Fritsch up to a wing

I also feel like we get far less crowded around the contest so have more options on the outside and less handballing in circles.

That's a big one.

Since our last loss..

We have brought in Fritsch - and played him on the wing. Hannan has come back in, and has been influential. Spargo has replaced Garlett and appears to be making an impact. I look at it and think Fritsch, Spago and Hannan have been huge for us. They give us versatility and all are hard match ups. Its not like Tyson or Bugg where they can be exploited. If Fritsch is given a spare metre he will kill you by foot (he is one of the best kicks in the league).

Angus into the middle, Salem more back than middle, Petracca more forward than middle. McDonald more forward than back, Viney back in is absolutely huge. Lever into form allowed more opportunities for Hibberd and Lewis.

Goodwin really looking like a genius with all these moves. They have all worked. Be interesting to see how he handles players like Bugg, Tyson, Garlett and Hunt. My guess is they will more than have to earn a game because our balance at the moment is spot on. Its even going to be hard to get Tim Smith out of the side now, as he is playing great football and really provides something up forward.

Edited May 29, 20186 yr by KingDingAling

I'm not going to win many friends with my thoughts, but I think Jordan Lewis has been huge over the past few weeks.

His calmness, leadership and decision making has helped control ball movement from the back half and really helped settled the back 6.

He has also publicly stick up for Lever, and I'm sure he has been instrumental in settling Jake down back.

In a word? TomMcDonald.

The main thing is our spread I think. The ball isn’t getting stuck in the contest. We’re winning the contest and immediately moving the ball quickly is n the outside. 

The balance was wrong in the first 4 rounds and has gradually improved since. Against Adelaide is was damn near perfect.

Half our team was out of form the first month.   It was really weird.  So many of our prime movers were down on form, and to make it worse our second tier players were playing like garbage.

Somehow we beat the Kangas and Lions, but we did have those two big lulls in both games before getting easily beaten by the Hawks and Tiges.

No idea what changed to be honest but I'll just put that first month down to the after effects of the camp drama.

 

Edited May 29, 20186 yr by Petraccattack