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Note to MFC Coaches & Players... Kicking to the Pocket or Bombing = Losing Strategy

Demon Dynasty
in Melbourne Demons

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20 hours ago, BDA said:

I don't think the strategy is the issue per se. Reckon execution isn't good enough on Friday or in the second half of the season

Players are 5% off. Not sure why. We need to get back to basics, clean in possession and make better decisions

And lower the eyes going inside 50. IF the oppo think we're going to the pocket and commit numbers there then there must be free targets we can hit

Exactly.  Can't hurt to use the pocket option 'occasionally' but once it's happened a few times in a row and the oppo is drifiting their expecting us to go there again, surely there are gaps and the odd player in front or on the fat side we could hit up or kick to advantage.

Remember the Harmes 'steal' and great vision in the GF where he spotted Fritta out the back, kicked it to his advantage (beautifully) and hit him lace out leading to the fat side for that subsequent much needed goal!  A goal that started the come back and consequent avalanche and ultimately lead to this team breaking a 57 year drought.

We have a huge opportunity to tweak aspects and methods here and go back to back.  Let's hope we do so vs going back into our shells and hitting that pocket / bombing so often.  It's a non thinking easy 'get out of jail' card for players.  Maxy one of the biggest offenders of late.  Wakey wakey ...time to lead by example pls Maxy and change things up a little son!  Alter course and let's bring home the bacon....again!

Let's be more daring with our ball use and disposal coming inside 50!  A little more finesse wouldn't hurt either!!

Dare to dream....dare to win!

Edited by Demon Dynasty

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    I hate this kick as much as most but do see the necessity for it.

    The pocket kick is the safe kick lock the ball in as worse case.  It enables your team defense to push up and control the game in your forward half.  Repeat entries and you hope to break it open to score.

    The issue on Friday and games we have lost we haven't had the ground ball pressure up forward to lock it in.  Back line push up expecting the forwards to lock it down, if we don't ball comes out backline is out of position and the sling shot effect kicks in.

    The last kick in isn't the main issue it is the ball movement in the centre third, we are slow and don't take any risk which enables opposition to get numbers back leaving this dump kick as only option.  The other issue is our field kicking isn't good, especially our mids hitting the difficult 35m kick is hard for us so the safer option is put it into a dead spot, set up and try to score from repeat entries.  

    Playing no true chf is also hurting us, b Brown needs to be close to goal hitting up, not flying for contested marks in the middle

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    • Like 2
    On 9/5/2022 at 12:36 PM, 1964_2 said:

    How many times this year have we heard players and coaches after a loss say something along the lines of 

    “We won the contest, time in forward half and a lot of the key stats we care about, but just needed to be more efficient going forward”

    or 

    “We had things on our terms for much of the game, but they just executed their game plan for longer than we did” 

     

    It appears our “learnings” are always “need to be more efficient connecting with forwards” and/or “need to execute our game plan for longer” 

    rather than “learning how to combat opposition tactics”, and/or “improve the method with which we play the game” 

     

     

    Goody quotes from AFL 360

    ”You know your best is good enough, but we need to execute it for longer, we need to do the basics better for longer”

    “The last six weeks our forward line has actually operated the best it has for the whole year”


    “It’s a consistent theme for us that when we start to struggle in some games our forward line can have some trouble scoring at times.

    But that’s not what we focus on the most in our game. We focus on our contest, our pressure, our defence, and we get our offensive opportunities on the back of that.”

    ”We’ve got one of the best groups of forwards that creates defensive pressure and intensity that you need throughout the game” 

     

    SIMON, 0 - 5, AGAINST THE BEST 3 TEAMS. THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULT.

    Please SIMON. & Sorry for caps. 
     

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    2 hours ago, 1964_2 said:

    Goody quotes from AFL 360

    ”You know your best is good enough, but we need to execute it for longer, we need to do the basics better for longer”

    “The last six weeks our forward line has actually operated the best it has for the whole year”


    “It’s a consistent theme for us that when we start to struggle in some games our forward line can have some trouble scoring at times.

    But that’s not what we focus on the most in our game. We focus on our contest, our pressure, our defence, and we get our offensive opportunities on the back of that.”

    ”We’ve got one of the best groups of forwards that creates defensive pressure and intensity that you need throughout the game” 

     

    SIMON, 0 - 5, AGAINST THE BEST 3 TEAMS. THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULT.

    Please SIMON. & Sorry for caps. 
     

    That last quote is a bit of a worry

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