7 hours ago, CYB said:

I mean this is leading patterns 101. Have the tall decoy into the forward pocket and then have your best kick and lead in mark run at the ball carrier.

The only thing that makes this unlikely is our forward 50 entry angle. We are usually coming in from the flank, which leaves the fat side completely exposed if we can’t hit the target. 
 

What Geelong do is switch it to the corridor. Before pulling off that kick inside to Hawkins. 

It may be Leading Patterns 101 but perhaps they go back to uni on this one…

And it doesn’t have to be too lateral - it can be at the footy. The lateral kick is there to mids and Spargo/ANB when we move the footy on quick plays - it’s safer too because we have the numbers from what I can see. 

Im talking about creation on slow plays to get our best forward to do his thing.

Live at the ground last night, it was evident from the outset that we had the energy to close off most exits from the back half of the ground. Irrespective of our own scoring, the ability to spread from contest, spread without the ball, and burst away from packs was fantastic. And, so was our decision making in tight, and when options were open in the forward line,  which was great to see - something that has not been done to full effect for nigh on 2 months.

I was at the Freo match, the Geelong match and the most recent Collingwood match - and we did nothing like that consistently throughout any of those matches.

There was no switch flicked of course. There is an exciting month ahead...

1 hour ago, Engorged Onion said:

Live at the ground last night, it was evident from the outset that we had the energy to close off most exits from the back half of the ground. Irrespective of our own scoring, the ability to spread from contest, spread without the ball, and burst away from packs was fantastic. And, so was our decision making in tight, and when options were open in the forward line,  which was great to see - something that has not been done to full effect for nigh on 2 months.

I was at the Freo match, the Geelong match and the most recent Collingwood match - and we did nothing like that consistently throughout any of those matches.

There was no switch flicked of course. There is an exciting month ahead...

Have to agree wholeheartedly EO. We looked to have an extra yard of pace, extra ability to close players down and running the lines as well as we have this year. Whenever there was down the ground vision at a Brisbane kick in we had our structure setup within 2 seconds. 

I said this in the post game but all those things we bemoan when we lose but never give enough credit to when we win like: "We didn't close off the corridor, we didn't roll the zone over quick enough and cut the switch out, we didn't shut off the exits" we did all those things in spades last night. These things don't just happen by chance and there is really no other way to explain how it did happen other than with fresher legs and longevity in our aerobic and anaerobic output. The layman would say that we were just more fired up for this one, maybe true but this was mostly a 4 quarter effort against a very good side om their deck. It's not luck, it's not chance, it's not just Bris being crap. So totally agree being able to run it out played a huge part.

It's a game I would have loved to have watched live from the stands but if I had to guess I reckon our 22 was moving at all times and rarely flat footed, moving when the ball carrier moves so to speak. It was a joy to watch.

When it came to the 'shot selection' kicking into the 50, we went from being highly predictable to completely the opposite. We hit men up short, in the pocket and used the bomb occasionally but because it was mixed up the bomb came when they least expected it.

Decision making wise, it was probably as good as we've had this year. All staff deserve credit: coaches, fitness, playing group.

Is it possible that Goody and team have been deceiving us?  We as supporters here on dland have all kinds of opinions on the way we play as a team, positive and negative, and Goody even explains our method nearly every week. But the more I think about it and witness how good we really are as a team I wonder how much more Goody is not letting on about. He knows we are the hunted and why should we show them others what we really have in reserve. Until Friday nites “silence of the lambs” we have played pretty much the same way all year, with little variation in game plan, certainly more intensity when needed. We witnessed a lowering of the eyes going inside 50, and a few different kick in’s on fri nite. I suspect Goody and co have more too be revealed now the business end off the season is here. Trust and belief I’m still having trouble with after so, so many,………you all know. I wasn’t confident going into Fridays game as usual, but that game was MY line in the sand game. I follow a Demon outfit I can trust and believe will give it their best shot every time. So many unsung heroes doing their job for the team, and us as supporters. So I’m sure Goody IS deceiving us all, and I say long may it continue. Go the mighty Dee’s.

I saw us kick out from full back and go right.....what the hell is going on!!

15 minutes ago, Hellaintabadplacetobe said:

I saw us kick out from full back and go right.....what the hell is going on!!

When was that? Need to watch it back and pause so I can print out a screenshot to leave on Goodwin's windshield..

1 hour ago, Hellaintabadplacetobe said:

I saw us kick out from full back and go right.....what the hell is going on!!

Don’t get too excited, looked like a shanked kick to me😉

I reallY liked how hard players who lost the marking contest made Brisbane earn the mark, they were on them like a rash! It really set up doubt for those who might have thought that they were in space, totally won the mental battle with sustained physical efforts 

7 hours ago, Wodjathefirst said:

Don’t get too excited, looked like a shanked kick to me😉

I was looking at the way May spins the ball in his hand to see if he was signalling before the kick out, I think I found the tell...

 

 

 

Just joking

When you don't even start the All Australian captain in his rightful position I'm pretty sure we have a few tricks up our sleeves.

I really like this thread, it's aqua profunda for some and they stay away.

Anyway, for me the biggest difference between 21 and 22 has been injury, I am beyond impressed that we arrive at finals with a fit list, when we have clearly had our share of struggles this year. In a game of tiny margins between the top 8 teams. I think this has accounted for a drop in pressure and intercepts and other metrics that we blew up last season. It must be said we had one of the most exceptional runs with injury gods in 21, expecting that 2 seasons in a row is more than a tad King Canute. 

What blew me away was forward 50 connection (how much did you love May celebrating their success in his post match IV), and as much as I have looked for a tactic (and I might have missed it) I really can only say that I think it is belief. I think we are an extremely unified team. We have found our dare where we have been staid. We will be close but triumphant against Sydney, murder Collingwood and beat Geelong senseless in the GF.

Our pressure is not a gimmick, it requires a fit list to get to the contest and effect it... we are now fit.

Our skills require trust, there is no more unified team.

Our game plan requires preparation, does anyone think our coaches have not been working towards this moment with utter clarity? I do hope May starts kicking right in finals...

Lastly, think about our losses, Geelong, Collingwood etc, they celebrated hard, no-one has taken beating us for granted. 

I expect to see high pressure, and large scores from turnover. Nothing about our game has gone out of style it just takes an enormous amount of work and fitness.

10 hours ago, Hellaintabadplacetobe said:

I saw us kick out from full back and go right.....what the hell is going on!!

Reckon we've been playing a little rope-a-dope this year. 

Let everyone come at us with known tactics. Obviously we unleashed some variety on Friday. It's in the bag 🏆

Most enjoyable thread ranging from:

- Try harder

- weak forward line

- David King statistics highlight xx with little real analysis or any depth

- Occasional TV analysis highlighting some specific points

- Daisy, Bartels among better analysts

- I missed Craig Jennings on the radio as he was pretty astute, this year Brenton Sanderson is okay

- Realistically most analysts get a light touch view of the 18 teams across the season, so don’t go into depth on any team

- Fortunately at Demonland courtesy of Andy we get Binman and George weekly, supported by Vipercrunch and a few others. They provide really good analysis and look behind what is in plain sight

- Friday highlighted that Demons have been loading and started their build towards the finals 6-7 weeks ago. Demons were dynamic, speed of covering the ground, ball movement, skills were just fantastic. At half time Fagan must have just gone it f……. Happened again, they just blitzed us, no way we beat the Demons this year.

We head into the finals:

- Looking ready to peak in the finals, having torched the 4th team

- Fit list with TMac possibly ready by Prelim final

- Goodwin having kept a few tricks up his sleeve

- Other contenders will have looked at that first half and gone oh crap, we ain’t winning a flag without beating the Demons who just destroyed the Lions in a half, not beat but massacred them

- We know Trac, Clarke, Gus, Maxy, Frittata, Viney, Salem, May, Lever, BBB all big game players, look at Rivers, Hunt, Hibberd, Harmes, Langdon, Dogga, Petty, Sparrow all coming into form, Kossie firing on all cylinders, Spargo, Melksham using ball well and defending hard, ANB running till he spews(with a little help), and medi sub options galore

- Forward line kicking over a 100 points and really we stopped in the last quarter 

- When it comes to TACTICS and timing looks like Goody and co. Have timed our September preparation perfectly with a few surprises up our sleeve 

GO Demons with just a little Lady Luck we are ready to March onto a back-back flag!!

 

Clear 'tweaking' of the game play evident on Friday night.

Any thoughts on what was a blitzkreig in the first half became a comparatively even tussle in the second.

Did we stop doing anything?

3 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Any thoughts on what was a blitzkreig in the first half became a comparatively even tussle in the second.

Did we stop doing anything?

Given it was the week before finals, and we most likely had top 4 sorted, I actually think we didn’t really well to maintain most of the half time lead in the 2nd half. 

Would be different if playing a bottom 4 team, but need to remember just how extraordinary a 66 point half time lead is against a top 6 team.

 

The decision to hold back our cards and be a bit bolder with our ball movement in finals was a big coaching error IMO. We were clearly unprepared for the new untested game plan and we gave up two goals with risky corridor kicks last night. The change also meant we were out of position defensively at times.

And changes like we made need to be player specific. Gawn should not be going for risky inside kicks. 

Sydney's quick gathers in congestion and quick gives to one, two or three handball chains, then break at pace clinically demonstrated to us how to turn pressure into attack. I've said it over an over on here, Twitter, my old blog, Facey, etc - if you know what you are going to do with the ball when you approach it in traffic, you will approach it with confidence, attack it, grab it, and use it with precision. Then, as your outriders see you are going to win it, they back you in an run to attack and provide options. We, on the other hand, don't appear confident in out first approach and then try to manufacture dinky taps and short gives. Longmire gave us a lesson in team methods, as well as consistently made adjustments to throw us off our game - for example, Buddy as lure to draw May away. Separating backmen is a - if not the - key aspect of team forward craft; especially in this ear of zone defence.

We copped a lesson - I hope we learned from it. And hopefully, we didn't take any learnings from it.

We have games where we move the ball quick and take risks.. beautiful to watch….other games we play this safe slow mode. I hate watching the safe mode, even if we win close games- it doesn’t make me keen to go watch.

Would love to see something new next year.

Really hated seeing our Fwd set up in the 3rd quarter. 3 tells deep with anb spargo and kosi on the square at the centre bounce.

Hack kick comes Fwd and no marking option at CHF - bounces straight back the other way.

We need a proper CHF big time

 

42 minutes ago, SPC said:

We have games where we move the ball quick and take risks.. beautiful to watch….other games we play this safe slow mode. I hate watching the safe mode, even if we win close games- it doesn’t make me keen to go watch.

Would love to see something new next year.

And we don’t appear to recognise mid game when the safe slow mode isn’t working. Longmire / Scott / Mitchell / Clarkson / McRae and others would tweak things mid-game. Where as our supporters know to not even hope for mid-game changes, as they rarely come. 

 

48 minutes ago, SPC said:

We have games where we move the ball quick and take risks.. beautiful to watch….other games we play this safe slow mode. I hate watching the safe mode, even if we win close games- it doesn’t make me keen to go watch.

 

We play safe & slow when the other team brings the heat, which we often can't handle.

There is a stark difference between rnd 23 vs Lions and last night.  In rnd 23 we switched play and centered the ball deep i50.  The result was we kicked a high score and were accurate. 

Reverting to the kick-down-the-line, into- the-pocket didn't look deliberate.  It was partly Sydney forcing us to play that way and partly when under pressure players/teams revert to habit.  We went back to what was most familiar.

It is a miracle Fritsch kicked any goals let alone 3.  When we got possession up the ground he was literally sandwiched between two Sydney players.  Fritsch's opponent would walk him into a the back of another Sydney player who was pretending to causally walk backwards and they sandwiched him.  Even when they separated the front player still stopped Fritsch getting to space.  That plus Max and BB not having anywhere to lead left us going to the pockets where the ball came to ground and our lack of pressure allowed Syd to move the ball out.

All that aside, what surprised me that we started the last qtr 2 goals down in a low scoring match.  Why oh why did we not switch to an attacking game?  There was no way we were going to beat Sydney playing our defensive/contested game.  Attack was the only way to win.  Take some risks; play the corridor.  Hell we may as well lose my 6 goals as 1 point but at least give us some chances.

Last night the clear difference was their forward 50 efficiency versus ours. Other than that it was a really even game.

Fundamentally, we are no longer able to stop sides scoring. If you compare last night (and rd 12) to our win against Sydney last year, the only difference was their scoring efficiency.  Last year 31%, round 12 46% and last night 42%.

Tactically, I wonder if we are paying the price for Gus not playing wing. Last year, it felt like we had an extra defender and could absorb periods of dominance by other sides a lot more than this year.

The other thing, is Sydney struggle to defend as well, especially marks on the lead.  The way to exploit that is to move the ball quickly after turnover.  Other than the 1st quarter we just did not challenge them or try and exploit their weakness.

Has Scott been smart resting and rotating players to keep them fresh?

We look cooked in last quarters.