Not necessarily positional changes but what would you like to see from the remaining games? I'd like to see us take more away from the opposition. Voss has often preached about playing "our way" and I like the principle. But playing our way can also incorporate reducing the oppositions strengths. If it's good enough for the top few sides, I can't see why it's not good enough for us. Geelong have transformed their game. Blicavs is playing on the opposition big mids (Cripps, Oliver), Atkins is also playing a defensive mid role. Reducing offensive mids with muscle has slightly improved their centre bounce takeaways but it has greatly improved their inside 50 presentation. (No.1 in the AFL) Melbourne are playing Melksham as a defensive forward, Collingwood had Mihocek put work into Steven May last night, Freo are using Logue as a defensive forward, Wish as a defensive mid and Sydney employ as many stoppers as anyone. We also saw the value last week when Adelaide put one of their better performed mids onto Adam Saad as a defensive forward.
Earlier in the season we employed some strategies that were working well. Forward handballs bringing us out the front of centre bounces that allowed precise or deep F50 entries. Similar at general stoppages around the ground. Then Sam Walsh retuned and played as a H/F that pushed up unmanned around the stoppages. Not to mention the midfield chemistry our mids had with Pittonet.
But as expected, the opposition will go to school on what works well for us. Are we going to school on them? As I said recently, why aren't we using Cottrell as a stopper? He definitely has the endurance. Perhaps there's a question mark on his concentration. I'd love to see him go to Neale. If that works, send him to Oliver and Nick Daicos after that. And lets get a big of aggression into our game. Nick Daicos is a star but has anyone worked him over physically? I remember Robbie Copeland smashing Marc Murphy in his first season. It doesn't matter if you're 18 or 19. If you take the field, you're fair game.
Our defensive game is far better with our mobile forwards pushing up to assist our defence but our scoring has fallen off a cliff. 6 wins kicking more than 100 points in the first 10 games, 1 since (West Coast). If we empty our front half against the Pies, they'll destroy us with defensive rebound.
So Walsh to rotating mid-wing-H/F with Cerra/Fisher. Minimum 5 man forward line, Cottrell to tag. Defenders to be accountable to their individual opponent. If Weiterings opponent takes the ruck in defence, Weitering rucks against him. We've become too conservative coming out of defence. It's lowered our scores against but it's dried up our scores. Saad and McGovern are good enough to take some riskier kicks coming out of defence. Not always but the occasional kick will make us less predictable to defend. At the moment the opposition don't need to defend the corridor because we're not using it. Especially Doc. He has become ultra conservative by foot which is actually hurting us.
I've been extremely happy with how the coaches have developed the team this year but let's continue evolving. If we don't we'll continue to regress as the season rolls on.
_________________ Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.
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