Game plans, tactics and all that jazz

[Bombay Airconditioning 6,428]

What will our gameplan in 2025 look like?

I read with interest that during pre Christmas training some of the drills had us full ground spreading and pulling the trigger, using the corridor with quick ball movement. I feel if we don’t play this way we will be left behind and have another wasted year. The obvious comment is do we have enough skilled players to play this way? My counter argument would be who does? The Giants perhaps the only one yet a few teams play this way, Hawks, Pies, Port etc. How much of this style is about

Having elite kicks of the footy on every line

vs

Having your best users by foot coming out from halfback.

Players running / spreading to create an overlap and breakdown a zone.

Relentless pressure when not in possession including laying effective tackles.

Quick direct ball movement to an open fwd line. 

A well drilled gameplan.

Using Collingwood as an example,(some might say not a great one as they missed finals last season) they player for player wouldn’t be as skilful as the Giants yet they tick all the other boxes. Then when the ball goes fwd they have Miohcheck (no star but constantly presents and competes) DeGoey (on his day is very dangerous) Hill (unchecked will kick multiple goals) Elliot (is star often kicking clutch goals). We’ve struggled to score for the past three seasons. Now replace Miohcheck for JVR, DeGoey for Trac, Hill for Kosi and Elliot for Fritsch. How many goals a game / season do those four players kick playing in Collingwood’s forward line.
With this style there’s also the element of bamboozlement, the ball constantly coming in quickly, and the opposition has a range of different sized, highly skilled fwds with space to deal with, they often become overrun and multiplie goals can be scored quickly. 
The other thing I believe teams do better than us is back in their guns in one v one contests.

If the ball is turned over it can quickly come back the other way with interest, but both teams can be out of position.  It’s also hard to sustain this week in week out but we should be aiming to play a more attacking style for longer parts of each game. Last year at times when we do play with speed on the ball we looked dangerous.

[640MD 3,453]

On 20/08/2024 at 14:30, Adam The God said:

I never like to let this thread go too cold.

Okay, figured I'd go the early crow and do a best 22+1 pre draft and trade period, which is a bit dangerous.

The task here for no particular reason is to build a side that I think could contend, by only utilising those on the list currently, so no new players. (obviously, we will bring in talent and this side will change and get even stronger)

With a fresh pre season, I think this team could go places, and score more, but probably concede a little more too.

Here goes...

AMW May Lever

McVee TMac Salem

Langdon Oliver Windsor

Fritta Turner Melksham

Koz JVR Trac

Max Viney Rivers

Bowey Spargo Kolt Petty

Sub. between Billings, Sparrow and Howes.

Playing Fritta and Melksham as high half forwards would certainly lessen our defensive set up, but I think have an astronomical effect on the efficiency of our inside 50 entries. I'd be playing Spargo as the more defensive high half forward in that group, but his ball use by foot is also elite. Trac would rotate between high half forward and deep forward too.

Midfield rotations are: Oliver (as the anchor with most CBAs), Viney (also spending time as a pressure forward), Rivers (also playing half back attacking role), McVee (also playing half back attacking role with Rivers - occasionally will be out of rotation to play lockdown defensive role), Trac (40% mid, 60% forward, rotating forward high and deep), Koz (25-30% mid burst play, keep building on his 2024 output in midfield), Kolt (mostly forward, but some around the ground stoppages to use his explosiveness and bash and crash physicality) and if necessary, Salem (mostly half back anchor though). If Sparrow plays as sub, he plays his usual defensive role, which frees someone else up.

Petty plays forward for 2025, but is to be utilised as a swingman if injuries occur down the other end.

JVR plays second ruck again, not ideal, but it is what it is.

I'd be playing +1 or even +2 at contest next year, be really aggressive at stoppages, back our defenders to win 1v1s behind the ball, and get it to the likes of Trac, Melky, Fritta, Koz, Spargo across half forward, and Salem, McVee and Windsor across half back.

I always liked this thread.

Given our new recruits, how do they fit in with this post

Keep this thread warm !