Is it that last week there was less pressure on the midfielders so they had the time and space to hit targets, but this week when pressure was applied through the middle we turned it over? Hopefully with exposure to that sort of pressure the players know that their disposal under pressure needs to improve.

Good points from all sides in this thread, been a good read.

I'll just say that the pressure from Adelaide and basketball tactic pretty much force us to make mistakes, that is something beyond Rattens control. We will improve when we mature.

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The problem will be made. for the solution to be sold, to your face before your eyes, tolerance is now the new danger

Holy shit don't tell me Neil Craig the Einstein of the coaching fraternity out coached a bloke in his first year . How on earth can this happen its is so hard to comprehend

After Cain kicking 7 with the Bullants and being "unstoppable".....we've now got two Full Forwards!.......who knew?...........

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

Yeah, whatever makes you feel better.
Only one little problem with your theory, facts don't back it up.
We are the sixth highest team for shots on goal, so therefor we don't seem to have too much trouble getting past the so called basket ball tactic that you use to rubbish our coach, so best to find a new one to can Ratts with.

BTW had we kicked 6 goals 3 instead of the other way around against the crow, would you still be stating that Ratts can't coach???

Exactly. It doesn't matter what the game plan is: until we can hit our targets consistently, we're gonna keep losing winnable games.

This thread is unreal.

We absolutely butchered the pill all day long and got smashed in the clearances for good measure. Yes, this loss had Ratts' paws all over it.

The lads know how to get around the Fev flood - see the 2nd Richmond game. The difference between this loss and that win was the pressure, application and know-how of the opposition, and the fact that our senior players were largely well down.

But anyway...

I would of thought that is the time when a Center Half Forward contesting and causing a spill is crucial. Wouldn't have been good to see Waite, Cloke or Kruezer or Hartlett in the 3rd Qtr. I just want to see a little bit more dynamic coaching. It just appears too predictable

That was the problem, we couldn't get our hands on it in the 3rd and when we did we turned it over in the middle of the ground.

A lot of people seem to be overstating the role of coaches on game day. Our players struggled against the Crows strategies because their decision making skills are poor. That is the result of years of neglect well before Ratten took the reins.

Our players are learning offensive kick out structures, defensive kickout strategies, centre bounce strategies (offensive and defensive), throw in strategies (offensive and defensive). There may well be 6 or 8 different structures for each.
That stuff takes years to learn, not half a season! You are dealing with an enormous cross section of the community in a football team. Some players will be responsive and knowledgeable. Others will be dumb as dogshit and have zero memory retention skills. Players need to learn where everyone positions them self in each structure for it to be effective. You may be playing midfield in the first quarter and half back in the next. Each player must instinctively know everyone role in every set up or it gets picked apart.
It takes years to become proficient and well drilled.

I also agree with Mickstars thoughts. For years team have been throwing up different strategies to defeat Carlton. Our players were always good when our opponents went head to head with us. As soon as they starting flooding us, setting up presses or giving us something different, we turned to shit. Our players didn't have the capacity to think their way through situations in games and they didn't have the ability to make decisions for themselves. On Saturday they were presented with a 15 man zone and they had little idea how to counter it.
It is a skill that must be developed and it was ignored for 5 years. We had a philosophy of "do what you're told" instead of "do what you think".

Ratts is on the right track and most of his drills are "game sense" based but he's coming from a long way behind.
It will take years to get back to ground zero.
Those expecting an overnight miracle are kidding themselves.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Nevertheless.....we only got done by 8 points by a good well drilled team playing on their own patch.....and....but for bad kicking for goal in the last quarter; we should've won.

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

I would have thought Scotland standing on the mark at the 50 metre line and letting his man play on twice to kick goals would take about a minute to fix.
On Saturday irrespective of what has happened in the past we should have beaten Adelaide. Whether you like it or not the buck stops with the coach.

Very true Warby.
Our players have enormous potential. Its just going to take a bit of time before we become world beaters.
I dont understand how people can be disappointed with our improvement this year.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Nah, the people who make the decisions and have a realistic grasp of the situation would understand better.
Ratts has plenty of credits in the bank.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

If only we had, we wouldn't have to listen to Mondays experts.

Having left school at 14 i aint real educated i will agree H.Been fending for myself eversince..............funny thing though H,even an uneducated oaf like myself doesnt have trouble responding to an easybeat like yourself.A heavyweight you aint pal.

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All my dangerous friends

He has 4 games and 1 more year of credit. No finals next year and I don't need to tell you what the people with the realistic grasp of the situation will do.

Hey, I'm a BIG Ratten fan - more than happy to have him at the helm BUT ... I agree with the original poster - I thought we were outcoached on Saturday. Craig is a meticulous planner with a well-drilled team who, more often than not, will win those 50-50 games. No disgrace for Ratts there. Michael's point is a good one - "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Not rubbishing the coach Steve.Read my past posts and you will see that i rarely rubbish the coach and that goes for Dennis as well.Ratts is a promising young coach no doubt.But he has had a few boo boos along the way.And the tactic i refer to is used against us regularly.Sometimes it works,and sometimes it doesnt.We will always struggle against the Crows,Swans,and now the Hawks because these three sides use the tactics more so than others.Its not about plan A,but plan B,C etc......ya gotta be prepared,and so far i see no evidence of this,hence my frustration.
PS................stating i that i get a kick out of slagging the coach is nothing more than a snide,sarcastic cheap shot which is completelly off the mark.

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All my dangerous friends

Sounds a bit drastic mate.....we've already doubled our last Season win count.....we all would've been happy with 8 wins plus preseason.

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.