Why Melbourne Must Hire a Coach to Solve Their Forward Woes

[Bates Mate 4,450]

52 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Tracc and Max were the main offenders. 
I have Faith they can both improve with hard work over the off season 

I don't, it's a technique thing and they are way to add in their careers to be able to change kicking technique

[Sir Why You Little 36,797]

6 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

I don't, it's a technique thing and they are way to add in their careers to be able to change kicking technique

Depends how much they both want to improve.

Seriously their kicking for goal cost us a lot of games this year. Not having a dig at either, but it is a fact  

It is a Flaw that can be worked on with repetition 

 

[deegirl 1,569]

2 hours ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

I'm all for moving Stafford on for a genuine forward coach.

Have heard him and Goody are close mates though so probably unlikely.

His mid-season man-bun was reason enough to give him the flick 😁

[Jjrogan 1,416]

22 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

I don't, it's a technique thing and they are way to add in their careers to be able to change kicking technique

Ya. It's incredibly rare that player improve their kicking to a significant degree even if they want to. The muscle memory is too far engrained once they enter the AFL. Like a golfer who has to de construct his whole swing. 

I can't think of many players that went from horrible kicks to great ones just through training and practice. I can think of countless that remained awful, despite training their butts off I'm sure.  Jobe Watson became a very good kick over one off season but he was never that bad.   

[roy11 3,796]

2 minutes ago, Jjrogan said:

Ya. It's incredibly rare that player improve their kicking to a significant degree even if they want to. The muscle memory is too far engrained once they enter the AFL. Like a golfer who has to de construct his whole swing. 

I can't think of many players that went from horrible kicks to great ones just through training and practice. I can think of countless that remained awful, despite training their butts off I'm sure.  Jobe Watson became a very good kick over one off season but he was never that bad.   

Well if the technique can't be changed and he remains a little inconsistent then hopefully a fit and firing forward line with the addition of McAdam will reduce the necessity of rotating Petracca there, although he was there "resting" at times etc 

[Ugottobekidding 1,116]

2 hours ago, drdrake said:

Solving forward line Woes is a midfield, game plan issue not a forward line one.  Fix the garbage delivery going in and your 80% the the way there.  

You reckon... Forward line doesn't have any structure... Mids aren't going to do anything... 

[Ugottobekidding 1,116]

Jack Watts as forward coach😆😂🤣

[Guest]

3 hours ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

I'm all for moving Stafford on for a genuine forward coach.

Have heard him and Goody are close mates though so probably unlikely.

Coz that’s precisely how our Club decides who stays and who goes, right? 
🙄

[loges 6,767]

2 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Certainly worth considering. Our goal kicking for most of 2024 was atrocious. With our Forward Entry numbers, we should have been unbeaten and winning every game by 10 goals. 
the Scoring Return was shocking 

Time travelling now SWYL, hope this is not a prediction that comes true.

[Brownie 5,929]

3 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Has there been any analysis of which shots were most problematic in 2023, both relatively and absolutely? Set shots, subsets angle and distance? In play, subsets running and snap? Kick type, subsets straight and round the corner? This might inform the type of coach experience / skill set.

It's a really good question.

To blame it purely on goal kicking is simplistic.

It was definitely a factor, however. IMHO

Because of slow ball movement, our forward line was typically congested with defenders and our forwards weren't leading into space or moving much at all.

Delivery therefore was typically a bomb to a clump and our forwards were continually smashed in packs (maybe more injuries and wear and tear at least).

Our small forwards were then trying to snap goals out of stoppages and through traffic or we were trying to take shots from poor angles or from 40 to 50m out.

I was really jealous of watching other teams move the ball quickly then centre those kicks to a forward leading into space 20 to 30m directly in front.

It hardly ever happened for us.

So, I think it's a mix of Fast ball movement, good delivery into the forward line and good leading and finishing by our forwards. Simple really I guess.

it's on Goodwin to fix this and... It's on Stafford to tell the coach what's not working.

I think Stafford needs to go and Goodwin needs to stop being so stubborn.

this "just pure numbers of forward entries will win us games" stuff is a rubbish way to look at things.

I wonder how long Petty and JVR will want to hang around if they spend another season or two standing under bombs and getting smashed?

you want to see Pickett reach his full potential? 

let him work out of the goal square one on one with space around him like Charlie Cameron gets. He'll beat almost anyone one on one.

Teams have worked us out. Come on Simon, stop being so stubborn and loyal to your mate. Make some changes.

We lost a flag this year because of our delivery and forward set up.

Steven May is bloody spot on.

[JimmyGadson 3,455]

25 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Coz that’s precisely how our Club decides who stays and who goes, right? 
🙄

Lol. 

Well yes, there's evidence of that everywhere across AFL clubs over the years. 

What rock are you living under? 

[mo64 5,766]

2 hours ago, roy11 said:

The article is more about getting JvR and Petty (two relatively inexperienced key forwards) firing early and cohesively more so than our real issues.

A lot of our woes in 2023 were caused by the injury crisis, inaccuracy and decision making. Whether we like it or not the game plan is the game plan and I still believe if we have the cattle on the pitch we'd have had a much better end of the season.  Hopefully McQualter can address some concerns though re: delivery with some fresh ideas though.

These 3 will be the main threats in 2024.

• JvR - 20 years old kicked 28.9, he will build on this.
• Fritta kicked 35.25 missing a huge chunk of the season, two seasons prior he kicked 55.22 and 59.24 so he was a little off this year.
• Petty kicked 12.1 in a injury ravaged season, if his foot is good, he will be good.

They should all kick a bag in 2024.

The Depth options weren't that wasteful, they'll chip in this year, as will McAdam

• Melk Booted 20.11
• Joel Smith 11.4 in limited game time
• BBB 11.4 in limited game time

We had a decent return from the small forwards, but this is where it gets a bit more inefficient

• Pickett was 37.30 which was a bit wasteful but he's still kicked 120 in the last 3 season
• Chandler kicked 24.13
• ANB 19.11

Whoever is forward coach, needs to get Petracca sorted as he has kicked 28.34 and 19.31 in his last 2 seasons. He can definitely win a game off his own boot but needs to be more clinical. 

 

 

These stats are telling. The players who generally score from set shots have an excellent conversion rate. 

I haven't seen the stats across all teams, but it seems like our conversion rate against the better teams is poor. If that's the case, then it comes down to our scoring attempts in broken play. We rarely kick to the "hot spot" in broken play, instead we kick to the flank. Naturally this will lead to a lower conversion rate.

So it boils down to the gameplan rather than just the players.

[BDA 22,520]

no brainer. I've little confidence in Stafford. Get the best coach out there. 

 

[Neil Crompton 5,386]

15 minutes ago, JimmyGadson said:

Lol. 

Well yes, there's evidence of that everywhere across AFL clubs over the years. 

What rock are you living under? 

What evidence?

(just asking for a friend)

[Roy Boy 373]

My Nana would come up with a better forward half game plan than Goody and Stafford.

1. Alternate leads, space it out.

2. Less bombing into forward line, and when it does, Kozzie stay down PLEASE.

3. Even if a grub kick comes in, Koz is faster than a lot of defenders.

4. Lower the eyes, the amount of times long bombs come flying in only to go straight to the opposition, it’s enough to send you bonkers.

5. Move it in quick, don’t give opposition time to ‘set up’.

6. Don’t rely on Gawn on a set shot, he’s a putrid kick for a professional footballer, even with the ‘apparent’ master coach Choco in his corner.

[Redleg 40,621]

1 hour ago, Ugottobekidding said:

Jack Watts as forward coach😆😂🤣

Certainly as a kicking coach.

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, JimmyGadson said:

Lol. 

Well yes, there's evidence of that everywhere across AFL clubs over the years. 

What rock are you living under? 

You really believe that in a four-and-a-half-billion-dollar industry being friends with the head coach of the club is what keeps you in one of the most important roles? Because that’s specifically what the poster said. 

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, Neil Crompton said:

What evidence?

(just asking for a friend)

🙋‍♀️
I’m his friend!

[Demonstone 22,030]

2 hours ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

I don’t know if Cranbourne is Amish country  but we need a good old barn raising so that our forwards can spend their summer trying to hit the side of it. 

That's a great idea!

 

[Deemania since 56 6,584]

2 hours ago, Redleg said:

I think we are all forgetting about Jefferson.

If he can develop a little quicker, he is another key forward option.

He can take a contested mark and unlike most of our forwards, is a good kick for goal.

A good pre season in the gym and on the track, could land us another key forward.

Let's not forget the improving JSmith in equations for forward line coherence and skills. He could well take another forward step from his opportunities.

[Deemania since 56 6,584]

1 hour ago, Brownie said:

It's a really good question.

To blame it purely on goal kicking is simplistic.

It was definitely a factor, however. IMHO

Because of slow ball movement, our forward line was typically congested with defenders and our forwards weren't leading into space or moving much at all.

Delivery therefore was typically a bomb to a clump and our forwards were continually smashed in packs (maybe more injuries and wear and tear at least).

Our small forwards were then trying to snap goals out of stoppages and through traffic or we were trying to take shots from poor angles or from 40 to 50m out.

I was really jealous of watching other teams move the ball quickly then centre those kicks to a forward leading into space 20 to 30m directly in front.

It hardly ever happened for us.

So, I think it's a mix of Fast ball movement, good delivery into the forward line and good leading and finishing by our forwards. Simple really I guess.

it's on Goodwin to fix this and... It's on Stafford to tell the coach what's not working.

I think Stafford needs to go and Goodwin needs to stop being so stubborn.

this "just pure numbers of forward entries will win us games" stuff is a rubbish way to look at things.

I wonder how long Petty and JVR will want to hang around if they spend another season or two standing under bombs and getting smashed?

you want to see Pickett reach his full potential? 

let him work out of the goal square one on one with space around him like Charlie Cameron gets. He'll beat almost anyone one on one.

Teams have worked us out. Come on Simon, stop being so stubborn and loyal to your mate. Make some changes.

We lost a flag this year because of our delivery and forward set up.

Steven May is bloody spot on.

K'NOATH!

[Sir Why You Little 36,797]

1 hour ago, loges said:

Time travelling now SWYL, hope this is not a prediction that comes true.

Yes. I do apologise 

 

[Bates Mate 4,450]

33 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Certainly as a kicking coach.

 

1 hour ago, Ugottobekidding said:

Jack Watts as forward coach😆😂🤣

Swimming coach 😅🏊‍♂️

[jnrmac 19,997]

5 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Stevie Johnson for me or maybe Jack Gunston.

Dont mind the idea of a Gunston that could potentially play for a year and coach our group.

[Brownie 5,929]

1 hour ago, Roy Boy said:

My Nana would come up with a better forward half game plan than Goody and Stafford.

1. Alternate leads, space it out.

2. Less bombing into forward line, and when it does, Kozzie stay down PLEASE.

3. Even if a grub kick comes in, Koz is faster than a lot of defenders.

4. Lower the eyes, the amount of times long bombs come flying in only to go straight to the opposition, it’s enough to send you bonkers.

5. Move it in quick, don’t give opposition time to ‘set up’.

6. Don’t rely on Gawn on a set shot, he’s a putrid kick for a professional footballer, even with the ‘apparent’ master coach Choco in his corner.

Does Nana want a part time footy role?