Are the Players Playing for Bailey?

[Jaded No More 68,600]

None of those three sides had a forward line that would get near ours. They NEEDED their players to run and carry because moving it long and direct wasn't going to do it for them.

You're kidding me aren't you?

Our forward line is pathetic, with Neita all but gone, Robbo falling to the ground at every contest, and Davey gone missing, who the hell do we have in our forward line that demands long and direct kicks to them?

Sydney have Hall, and a plethora of other gun forwards. West Coast have Lynch, a bit on the crap side, but he sure can take a mark. They also have an actual CHF. We don't.

Our forwards are no longer great like they once were. They now need all the help they can get. Don't go kidding yourself that we are robbing our multi-faceted forward line of great service. Our forward line couldn't master a decent scoreline if you handed them the ball on a friggin silver platter.

By the way, I think Bailey is hoping to make the transition to more of a Geelong game style. The problem is, that Geelong's backline is far better equipped to quickly rebound the ball.

[mo64 5,597]

It was interesting that the period where we moved the ball the worst was when the players regressed to the old kick-based style of moving the ball in the second quarter when they lost confidence. We moved the ball best when we ran with the ball later in the game.

Your basing your argument on a quarter of football when the game was shot, and the pressure from the opposition had relented. We have yet to win a quarter of football when the game was in the balance.

[Axis of Bob 11,285]

But we moved the ball the worst when the players regressed to the kick based plan of years gone by.

Maybe the sting had gone out of the game late, but we could see what we're trying to do and it got us space inside 50.

[mo64 5,597]

But we moved the ball the worst when the players regressed to the kick based plan of years gone by.

Maybe the sting had gone out of the game late, but we could see what we're trying to do and it got us space inside 50.

When we play 'run and carry' in the heat of the battle, the opposition zone off at the contest, knowing full well that handball is our 1st option. They pressure the player going for the ball and sit on our receivers, which results in turnovers. They also know that a quick kick into our forward line isn't an option because we don't structure up that way.

The players regress into kicking options out of frustration. And when they do, they're made to look silly because we don't structure ourselves for a kicking option.

[heartbeatstrue 57]

When we play 'run and carry' in the heat of the battle, the opposition zone off at the contest, knowing full well that handball is our 1st option. They pressure the player going for the ball and sit on our receivers, which results in turnovers. They also know that a quick kick into our forward line isn't an option because we don't structure up that way.

The players regress into kicking options out of frustration. And when they do, they're made to look silly because we don't structure ourselves for a kicking option.

If this is Bailey's 'secret' game plan (that we've been watching for 6 weeks) then it's never going to work with the players we've got nor with any we're likely to get in the next couple of years. There's got to be something more, or Bailey's gonna prove a dead loss (and the club will be destroyed). Gotta be more than this... (but don't ask me what).

[red&blue&true 0]

mo is on track - thats exactly what oppositions are doing to us right now. Coaching isnt just about developing players and a game plan that can win a flag, its also being on match day able to see that the opposition coaches are setting up based purely on his Plan A, which is always what we go with in the 1st quarter.

By Quarter time our confidence is shot, the oppositions is up and its a waste.

By all means continue to develop his plan if he beleives in it, but mix it up a bit so they arent just sitting off us.

Instead of playing precision posession football in the first quarter next week, instruct the players to get the football and kick or handball to space.. with every player once its their time to go hard and contest. Go back to plan A in quarter 2, when the opposition has mixed it up a bit because you did first and it might be more more effective.

We are so predictable, and with our dodgy skills dead set sitting ducks to a zone off and hurt them when they turn it over game plan, which is what every team has done to us so far.