binman

I'm not one to write of players as a rule, but geez i'm getting close with Laurie. Watching, i thought he had to go forward for that mark and show strength in his attack on the ball. And speaking of attacking the ball, just a few minutes earlier he didn't straight line a ball inside our 50, they won it and transitioned it up the ground. Poor effort.

Sick burn bro.

Which is a point goody made when answering a question about our midfield and game plan in today's presser. Spoiler alert - we ain't going back.

I'm confused. I am at home, just had dinner (delicious too I might add - perfectly cooked porterhouse with vegetable medley) and did regale them - as is my wont.

Master is doing an awful lot of work in that sentence.

Yep, good call. The method obviously requires players to hit a high percentage of those short 15-20 metre kicks - kicks AFL players under little pressure should hit 85% of the time (does my head in how many of our players miss those kicks). But just as important, perhaps more so, is multiple teammates have to bust a gut to offer a lead up target (multiple is important because it stretches defences and breaks zone). That requires fitness and a willingness to do lots of unrewarding running, which is a mental thing. Brisbane are brilliant at it, as are the Cats. We were terrible at it against the Sun, which is real worry.

By the by i answered that I'm just interested in their tactics and asked a follow up question: What are the tactical overlaps between EPL and AFL (Australian rules football)? While the English Premier League (EPL) and Australian Football League (AFL) are distinct sports, they share some tactical overlaps: Pressing and Counter-Pressing: Both EPL and AFL teams use pressing tactics to disrupt opponents' play. In the EPL, high pressing and counter-pressing (gegenpressing) are common to regain possession quickly1. Similarly, AFL teams apply pressure to force turnovers and regain control2. Formation Flexibility: EPL teams often adjust formations to exploit opponents' weaknesses, such as shifting between 4-3-3 and 3-5-23. AFL teams also adapt their formations during play to create space and maintain defensive solidity2. Use of Space: Both sports emphasize creating and exploiting space. EPL teams use wingers and overlapping fullbacks to stretch the field3, while AFL teams use strategic positioning to open up the field for attacking plays2. Data-Driven Strategies: Both leagues increasingly rely on data analysis to refine tactics. EPL teams use GPS tracking and video analysis to optimize player positioning and strategy3. AFL teams also integrate physical, technical, and tactical data to enhance performance2. These overlaps highlight the strategic depth and adaptability required in both sports. If you have more specific aspects you're curious about, feel free to ask!

It's funny you should note that as there quite a lot of overlap between soccer and AFL in terms of tactics and method (i think AFL coaches are influenced by methods and tactics employed in soccer) As an example, i asked Copilot this question: In 100 words or less describe Arsenal's current tactical method. Copilots' answer was: Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, employs a fluid tactical approach. They often use a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, focusing on high pressing and quick transitions. The team emphasizes building from the back, with fullbacks like Zinchenko inverting to bolster midfield control. Arteta's side adapts formations to exploit opponents' weaknesses, maintaining a high defensive line to support counter-pressing. This dynamic strategy aims to dominate possession and create numerical advantages in key areas. Are you an Arsenal fan, or just interested in their tactics?

How many weeks until you are back in full training?

Agree on both, particularly Bowser (I knew I had forgotten someone- salo was rte other, but to be honest his kicking has become completely threat free( Two of our first 3 goals were a direct result of Langford's vision and ability to see and hit creative kicks.

Wait 'till I work out how to use the new chatgpt image generator. [Insert image of Clark Kent and Superman debating loading in Studio Ghibli style here]

Exactly right - well that's part of our plan. We simply can't afford to have our best kicks not playing atm. And in my opinion our best kicks are: Melk, Koz, McVee, Lindsay, Spargs, Windsor and Kolt - only one of whom played on the weekend (i'm not counting Lindsay given he was out of the game 2 mins into the game)

Pretty damming data. Agree it shows the effort isn't there. Of course, effort is in large part a mental thing - pushing through the pain barrier, working hard for your team and all that. And i don't want to give players an out, but to be honest my main concern is whether the drop off in effort is related to a relative lack of conditioning - that's to say we're not fit enough. And if that's the case we are in a world of hurt - players can get their focus right pretty quick but not much can be done if they are not fit enough. A disclaimer - I fully acknowledge this next comment is pure wish casting and could reasonably be construed as giving players an out. But its more a thought bubble than anything else. If in fact we are not in optimal shape is there any likelihood that is by design? By that i mean the orthodoxy has been teams are in their optimal shape come round one, and their condition diminishes until the mid-season bye when they fill up the tank again, so to speak. But i wonder if the increasing aerobic demands mean high performance programs are being adjusted, and some teams are trialing different approaches. The hawks and lions both started very slow last year (lions 0-3 and hawks 0-5) and in the lion's case there was commentary about their aging stars and being too slow. But they were arguably the clubs in the best condition come finals. Long bow i know - and for the sake of argument if true i reckon a stupid move given early season wins are super important for us given all that has gone on.

@WheeloRatings what's curious is your tables from the first two rounds look ok Perhaps copy those tables and cut and paste in data for new matches with plain text?

I totally get this perspective. However, it really captures the horns of a dilemma we find ourselves in as a club and a fan group. The method you describe (one based on the tigers uber successful method) won us a flag in 2021 and made us extremely hard to beat in 2022 and 2023. The cats basically copied our approach to win the 2022 flag. The success of that method resulted in McRae developing a game plan that would beat the zone defence our game plan was built on. Mitchell, correctly reading where the game was going implemented similar method from the get-go at the hawks (and copped heaps when it translated into lots of big losses) I think it fair to say it's universally accepted now the transition game is now the template for success. Which is where the horns of dilemma comes in: We can't win a flag with our old model To win a flag we need to adapt History shows that implementing a new method is rarely an easy thing and usually involves lots of losses, not to mention frustration for fans (the pies are an interesting outlier). We only need to look at our 2019 and 2021 seasons, particularly the former, for evidence of how hard it is to implement a new method (ironically, we went from a fast ball movement from the back half goody used in his first two seasons, to his D first zone defence system that won us a flag).

G'day @Neil Crompton I saw this post. When i get some time I'll respond

Without checking, i assume you mean we've lost the raw clearance count 9 times in the last 11 games. If yes, that would actually be pretty consistent with our numbers even when playing winning footy. Which is unsurprising given we bring one less to around stoppages (or did - have we been doing this season?). Whilst important in terms of winning terrority, the key clearance related stat (j6stbahead of post clearance contested possession), particularly for us, is scores from clearances. We rarely lose that stat. Unfortunately, in what is a real worry atm - the roos and suns both smashed us in scores from clearances.

Thank God for that

Yep. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/1742795/rd-3-post-match-interview-max-gawn?videoId=1742795&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1743230614001

It's funny you should comment on maxy's post match interview. I literally just watched it and had a similar reaction- strange vibe. I appreciateit's no doubt tough to do an interview after a loss like that, but I agree that there was a funky vibe.

Very hard to read on a mobile

One of the worst, most infuriating losses i have seen live for a very long time. 10x worse than last week. Made even more infuriating by what was the worst display of umpiring I have ever seen (though ro be clear it had no bearing on the result).