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Mid-season Coaching Revamp

dazzledavey36
dazzledavey36
in Melbourne Demons

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  On 18/06/2019 at 11:02, Diamond_Jim said:

what worries me is that there was no hint of a change in the gameplan.

Anyway let's see what Saturday etc brings

There not going to come out and say anything about a game plan mid season, that would be inviting thrashings. 

To be honest i don't think the game plan is all that wrong, it got us to a prelim last year. What's gone very wrong is the execution, which can be partially be blamed on injuries (hello backline) but a lot should fall onto those in charge of execution, so the shake up of the coaches should only be a good thing. In a poor season we've still manged to record a very high inside 50 count, very bad teams have not only a lot kicked against them but also can't get the ball inside 50. I think our issues this year are fixable and I'm hoping these changes will have 1 eye on getting everything right for next year and beyond.

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    Heard Mahoney on SEN talking to Garry Lyon and Tim Watson about this.

    Lyon was very positive.

     Lyon: did you sit down and review?

    Mahoney: we haven't been sitting on our hands. Mid season gives an opportunity to see what's going wrong, maximise the next 10 weeks. Offence needs lot of work. Players are out of form. Changes around offensive coach, therefore Rawlings. McCartney, Rooke moved to development -- that's their strength

    Watson: how have they accepted changes?

    Mahoney: Terrific. Also changes in high perf area. Attitude is we want to improve. Players also asked to go away and think how to maximise the next 10 weeks

    Watson: did you underestimate the Hogan effect?

    Mahoney: forward line was functioning without him last 6 weeks of 2018. But some players from then haven't been able to play. Thought we could cover it.

    Watson: what is there to salvage?

    Mahoney: who knows. Finals still a chance, we will push as hard as we can for that. It's a game of small margins. Ball can start to bounce your way. Played some of our best footy in the last month eg against WCE

    Watson: still finals chance???

    Mahoney: [while not actually saying yes ...] It's not out of our thoughts. We don't have many mulligans left

    Lyon: Misson. What about Darren Burgess?

    Mahoney: [was non committal] It's open to all discussions

    Lyon: have you spoken to him?

    Mahoney: have been some discussions (there are mutual friends at the club)

    Lyon: give us an injury update

    Mahoney: Jetta, Melksham to come back in next month. VdB, JSmith long term injury list. Others like Lewis, ANB week to week

    Lyon: who will play on Hogan?

    Mahoney: May will , or Frost [hinted they would double team him]

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    • Like 7
      On 18/06/2019 at 12:15, DeeSpencer said:

    Plapp and Chaplin seem exactly the type of guys Goodwin will keep.

     

      On 18/06/2019 at 12:21, Lucifer's Hero said:

    Or maybe Goodwin is a control freak who wants 'yes men' around him.  He wouldn't be the first nor the last control freak AFL coach.

    I will now don my flak jacket as the heavens will surely descend upon me for the audacity of that comment?

    Goodwin will lose some of his power after this season....and that's a good thing.

    All coaches start as control freaks and the ones that stay in the job get their wings clipped at some stage.

    If they learn to deal with it they become good coaches.

    Recent examples are Buckley and Hardwick.

    Goodwin won't have the say in who is appointed and kept on.

    He will of course be consulted but a year like this looses him some chips on the table.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 10:05, bluey said:

    Officially in crisis mode, nothing’s off the table from here on in, including all coaches, players and the bored!

    That would be a Goodly number, methinks.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 11:28, nosoupforme said:

    Good changes, to see Jade Rawlings back  sitting in the box. An experienced assistant  which will be of great support to have around for Goody and the team.

    Underrated and missed a few coaching opportunities through his time however is well regarded at our club and will help having him back as a line coach for the forwards.

    Gave up his coaching position to help out the seniors.  That is a committed team member.

     

     

    Was it Rawlings' choice? He's an employee of the club. He may be happy with the change and he may have volunteered, but do we know that? Isn't it possible he would have preferred to stay at Casey but has shifted because as an employee of the club he's doing what his employer requires of him? Whether it was his choice or not, and this goes for all the coaches and support staff, I'd like to think they are all committed team members. If they're not, they should be looking elsewhere.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 22:58, rjay said:

     

    Goodwin will lose some of his power after this season....and that's a good thing.

    All coaches start as control freaks and the ones that stay in the job get their wings clipped at some stage.

    If they learn to deal with it they become good coaches.

    Recent examples are Buckley and Hardwick.

    Goodwin won't have the say in who is appointed and kept on.

    He will of course be consulted but a year like this looses him some chips on the table.

    Is this based on knowledge or an intuitive view of what should happen?  Not asking you to divulge info.

    I've said many times on here I expect(ed) a review to put someone in place to mentor and hold Goodwin accountable.  And I have said that isn't Mahoney as he has endorsed Goodwin's decisions of the last 3-4 years.  I have little doubt Goodwin publicly backed Mahoney as CEO to maintain the status quo and his own power base.  I will be very concerned if we don't have changes in football structure and assistant coaches. 

    I share your views if intuitive and I certainly hope that any info you have is correct.

    Edited by Lucifer's Hero

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:11, Lucifer's Hero said:

    Is this based on knowledge or an intuitive view of what should happen?  Not asking you to divulge info.

    I've said many times on here I expect(ed) a review to put someone in place to mentor and hold Goodwin accountable.  And I have said that isn't Mahoney as he has endorsed Goodwin's decisions of the last 3-4 years.  I have little doubt Goodwin publicly backed Mahoney as CEO to maintain the status quo and his power base.  I will be very concerned if we don't have changes in football structure and assistant coaches. 

    I share your views if intuitive and I certainly hope that any info you have is correct.

    No inside info 'Lucifer'.

    ...but it's no coincidence that Bartlett has been looking into the FD and some changes have already been made.

    Expect more at the end of the season.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 10:50, Lord Nev said:

    'See you later' to the highest average goal kicker from a team struggling to score?

    Not sure that's the first move I would make myself.

     

    It's an interesting one. I see your point about his goals and given our scoring woes it has merit. Though quite a few of Jeff's  goals have been easy, last link in the chain goals. And he has missed some very gettable goaps at critical times. And elected not to try to kick from 30 against the pies, again at a critical time.

    But his failure to commit to multiple contests would have seen him out of the side last year. And for mine should this year. Or else what message are you sending to Bedford, spargo etc.

     

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      On 18/06/2019 at 22:54, Mazer Rackham said:

    Watson: did you underestimate the Hogan effect?

    Mahoney: forward line was functioning without him last 6 weeks of 2018. But some players from then haven't been able to play. Thought we could cover it.

    That has proved to be a terrible miscalculation. Season destroying really. Thinking that McDonald would back up his 2018 fair enough (although dicey given he’s not a natural forward) , but to rate Weideman so highly off the back of a single finals game performance was wildly optimistic at best, at worst reckless and dumb.

    It’s this type of comment by Mahoney that makes me question his abilities along with others in the FD charged with these decisions. That includes Goodwin. 

    You live and die on the margins of error in elite sport and this season has seen some major blots in the copybook. Clearly they’re all on notice now, including Mahoney I would expect. My estimation of him took a hit when he coughed up two first rounders for Lever without a whimper and now this comment about “thinking they could cover it” (the loss of Hogan).

    No more mulligans left indeed, Josh.

    Edited by Matsuo Basho

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      On 18/06/2019 at 22:54, Mazer Rackham said:

    Heard Mahoney on SEN talking to Garry Lyon and Tim Watson about this.

    Lyon was very positive.

     Lyon: did you sit down and review?

    Mahoney: we haven't been sitting on our hands. Mid season gives an opportunity to see what's going wrong, maximise the next 10 weeks. Offence needs lot of work. Players are out of form. Changes around offensive coach, therefore Rawlings. McCartney, Rooke moved to development -- that's their strength

    Watson: how have they accepted changes?

    Mahoney: Terrific. Also changes in high perf area. Attitude is we want to improve. Players also asked to go away and think how to maximise the next 10 weeks

    Watson: did you underestimate the Hogan effect?

    Mahoney: forward line was functioning without him last 6 weeks of 2018. But some players from then haven't been able to play. Thought we could cover it.

    Watson: what is there to salvage?

    Mahoney: who knows. Finals still a chance, we will push as hard as we can for that. It's a game of small margins. Ball can start to bounce your way. Played some of our best footy in the last month eg against WCE

    Watson: still finals chance???

    Mahoney: [while not actually saying yes ...] It's not out of our thoughts. We don't have many mulligans left

    Lyon: Misson. What about Darren Burgess?

    Mahoney: [was non committal] It's open to all discussions

    Lyon: have you spoken to him?

    Mahoney: have been some discussions (there are mutual friends at the club)

    Lyon: give us an injury update

    Mahoney: Jetta, Melksham to come back in next month. VdB, JSmith long term injury list. Others like Lewis, ANB week to week

    Lyon: who will play on Hogan?

    Mahoney: May will , or Frost [hinted they would double team him]

    If we start double teaming Hogan it will be time to review the defensive line coach.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:28, binman said:

    It's an interesting one. I see your point about his goals and given our scoring woes it has merit. Though quite a few of Jeff's  goals have been easy, last link in the chain goals. And he has missed some very gettable goaps at critical times. And elected not to try to kick from 30 against the pies, again at a critical time.

    But his failure to commit to multiple contests would have seen him out of the side last year. And for mine should this year. Or else what message are you sending to Bedford, spargo etc.

    I guess I see it differently. We are desperate for outside players and finishers, so I'm not one to bag a player who is actually doing those things for us. Everyone talks up the 'hardness' of Oliver, Viney and Brayshaw, but they are our 3 worst users going inside 50, and Viney is rated as worst in the league, for some reason though 'hardness' is rated higher than skill by the average footy fan. I get that it's something about the game that we all love, but clearly our balance is tipped far too much to one side.

    It does require an ability to read the game to be that last 'link in the chain', and for a team with a weakness for ground balls inside 50 his ability to crumb and create scoring opportunities is vital, and I think the message it sends to Bedford, Spargo etc is they need to provide more than just 'hardness'.

    Incidentally, Garlett leads our team for average tackles inside 50, so I'm not sure I buy this narrative some supporters have about him being 'soft' and not chasing or working hard enough.

    We can't complain about a lack of scoring, forward pressure and marks inside 50 and then drop the player who leads us in every one of those categories.

     

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      On 18/06/2019 at 21:12, old dee said:

    LH keep your powder dry there will be more news come 1st August.

    Well it's about bloody time . Hopefully the club has the clarity to firstly identify those causing our underwhelming results and providing rubbish advice and secondly have the gonads to show them the door.

    I know whod be on my list...wouldnt be many left tbh  

    Edited by beelzebub

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      On 18/06/2019 at 13:50, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

    Rawlings is now in a no loose situation as far as I can see.

    Casey's season appears to me to have not got off the ground this season due to a severe lack of AFL listed players.

    Getting back more of our best list pre and post bye, the MFC's season should be on an upward trajectory from this point onward and Rawlings would no doubt get more Kudos for reviving the floundering forwardline of an a senior AFL side than anything which he might have achieved with Casey for the remainder of the season.

    Personally, I'm glad to see Rawlings more involved at the most senior level.  I kind of get it, but why should the MFC do more favours by Rawlings by giving him the opportunity of showing his wears coaching his own side at Casey, than getting more value out of him where he is most presently needed at AFL level?  I care more about the fortune of the MFC than I do about Rawlings coaching aspersions at another club and that's the way the MFC should see it too.

    McCarthy has been widely acknowledged as a great development coach, both at the Cats and the Dogs, so :

    i) I don't know why we would move him from that role in the first place;

    ii) I think it's good he is now back in that role and it doesn't indicate to me he is on the way out;

    iii) Would Maca have been a better fit for the Casey coaches position than Rawlings either in the first place or now that Rawings has been promoted?  Or it best to keep the team coach and development coaches roles seperate?

    Interesting thoughts and the only reason I can think of is that some senior players still cannot warm to Macca. Don't forget that when Macca came to MFC Daniel Cross was concerned and wanted nothing to do with Macca. His last stint as senior coach did not finish well and that would influence whether you sent Macca to Casey. I do believe he may have done some line coaching at Geelong and the players loved him and his tough love.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:39, Older demon said:

    Interesting thoughts and the only reason I can think of is that some senior players still cannot warm to Macca. Don't forget that when Macca came to MFC Daniel Cross was concerned and wanted nothing to do with Macca. His last stint as senior coach did not finish well and that would influence whether you sent Macca to Casey. I do believe he may have done some line coaching at Geelong and the players loved him and his tough love.

    macca came to the Dees....many left

    we've done so well since

    Edited by beelzebub

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:37, beelzebub said:

    Well it's about bloody time . Hopefully the club has the clarity to firstly identify those causing our underwhelming results and providing rubbish advice and secondly have the gonads to show them the door.

    I know whod be on my list...wouldnt be many left tbh  

    In the olden days, it used to be eunuchs that showed people the door. How times have changed.

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    • Haha 4
      On 18/06/2019 at 23:39, Older demon said:

    Don't forget that when Macca came to MFC Daniel Cross was concerned and wanted nothing to do with Macca.

    Where did you hear this? And why would Cross stay at the club if this was the case?

     

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    My suggestion:

    Make Rawlings senior coach. Hes the only one with a clue. Let him pick his staff. Let Goodwin play with the magoos...it's about his level.

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:37, Lord Nev said:

    ........Re Jeff Garlett.....

    We can't complain about a lack of scoring, forward pressure and marks inside 50 and then drop the player who leads us in every one of those categories.

     

    However if we look at goal per game average, disposals av, frees for, contested possessions,  effective disposals, disposal efficiency, clearances, rebound 50's, one percenters, stopage clearances, metres gained, intercepts another player is in front of him. Can you guess who?

    Edited by ManDee

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    The biggest line I have taken out of this is the players feedback around this issue. Changes have been made based on feedback from staff and players.

    And the big one to come out of that was McCartney now won't be involved with match day commitments on a full time basis but instead will be at Casey working on development on players and coaches. 

    Am I the only who sees this as players not wanting much of McCartney come game day?

    Apparently Rawlings is highly respected amongst the playing hence why now he has been given a full time role on match day.

     

    Edited by dazzledavey36

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:53, ManDee said:

    However if we look at goal per game average, disposals av, frees for, contested possessions,  effective disposals, disposal efficiency, clearances, rebound 50's, one percenters, stopage clearances, metres gained, intercepts another player is in front of him. Can you guess who?

    Jeff is number 1 for goal average.

    Oliver leads us for disposals, Gawn for frees, Clarry for contested, Jetta for effective disposals and on and on. It's not just one player.

    Not sure what relevance the other stats have as far as our forwards go though?

    Edit - this is for players who have played a minimum of 3 games. Less than that is too small a sample size to use averages.

     

    Edited by Lord Nev

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:58, Lord Nev said:

    Jeff is number 1 for goal average.

    Oliver leads us for disposals, Gawn for frees, Clarry for contested, Jetta for effective disposals and on and on. It's not just one player.

    Not sure what relevance the other stats have as far as our forwards go though?

    Edit - this is for players who have played a minimum of 3 games. Less than that is too small a sample size to use averages.

     

    Braydon Preuss leads goal average and he can't get a game and I for one do not understand why he has only played 2 games and yes it is a small sample but he kicked more in pre season matches as well. Small sample but I think it is still valid.

    Edited by ManDee

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:55, dazzledavey36 said:

    The biggest line I have taken out of this is the players feedback around this issue. Changes have been made based on feedback from staff and players.

    And the big one to come out of that was McCartney now won't be involved with match day commitments on a full time basis but instead will be at Casey working on development on players and coaches. 

    Am I the only who sees this as players not wanting much of McCartney come game day?

    Apparently Rawlings is highly respected amongst the playing hence why now he has been given a full time role on match day.

     

    McCartney just been pushed to the exit lounge. I expect he will be one of the first names gone in September followed by any number of the assistants and possibly some admin as well. Loyalists to Peter Jackson will be feeling the heat. This is Gary Pert's show now.

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      On 19/06/2019 at 00:03, ManDee said:

    Braydon Preuss leads goal average and he can't get a game and I for one do not understand why he has only played 2 games and yes it is a small sample but he kicked more in pre season matches as well. Small sample but I think it is still valid.

    Yeah, 2 games is a bit of a small sample size to be using averages for half a season, but I totally get where you're coming from.

    He struggles to run out more than a half, so I can understand the reasoning for him not being picked often given our weaknesses at ground level, but you would think we would have tried him again by now given how dire things have been. Will be interesting now that Rawlings has gone from coaching him every week to being in charge of the seniors forward line if the outlook changes.

     

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      On 18/06/2019 at 23:37, Lord Nev said:

    I guess I see it differently. We are desperate for outside players and finishers, so I'm not one to bag a player who is actually doing those things for us. Everyone talks up the 'hardness' of Oliver, Viney and Brayshaw, but they are our 3 worst users going inside 50, and Viney is rated as worst in the league, for some reason though 'hardness' is rated higher than skill by the average footy fan. I get that it's something about the game that we all love, but clearly our balance is tipped far too much to one side.

    It does require an ability to read the game to be that last 'link in the chain', and for a team with a weakness for ground balls inside 50 his ability to crumb and create scoring opportunities is vital, and I think the message it sends to Bedford, Spargo etc is they need to provide more than just 'hardness'.

    Incidentally, Garlett leads our team for average tackles inside 50, so I'm not sure I buy this narrative some supporters have about him being 'soft' and not chasing or working hard enough.

    We can't complain about a lack of scoring, forward pressure and marks inside 50 and then drop the player who leads us in every one of those categories.

     

    I agree. It annoys me that Jeff has been very unfairly criticised.

    I am amazed the number of times the midfield kicks to Garlett when he has 2, 3 or sometimes the whole opposition backline on him. If he is unable to beat the key backs he gets labelled as ‘soft’.

    Why does he get in this situation? – because he is the only one who seems to knows how to lead properly. It clearly is not his role to be the marking option, but he has to do it when he is alone in the 50. Where are the other forwards? Leading to the wrong places or too far up the ground

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