Change from 1st Half of the Year to the 2nd Half?

[Johnny Member]

Early last year, it seemed obvious we were trying new things. To me we'd lost that clinical approach and for the first time in 2 years we looked a but lost.
I assumed and still do, that this was due to Lyon and his assistants (possibly from the Board aswell) trying to move with the times and score more freely.
It came as a sacrifice though, because we weren't keeping the opposition to low scores, and for the 1st time in a while, we were getting blown out of the water.

We were 1.5-8 at this point, and looking very shaky. And we now know, that Lyon was trying to get himself a 4 year 'unconditional' contract on the table. Fairly ambitious I would have thought!
But the club showed faith and even when things looked grim for the coach and the team, the club offered him an extension.

But then something happened!

Blake started getting a game again, Bakes was back in, the fans were scratching their heads as to why the kids weren't in the team any more, and why we'd suddenly reverted back to what we knew best!

We suddenly began to hold the opposition to low scores and as had been the way over the past couple of seasons under Lyon - it resulted in wins. The coach was back in his comfort zone of 'defend first, then worry about scoring yourself later!'.

The issue was of course, that the good teams now can not only score against us, but they can easily score themselve too!

So although we improved from the 1st half of the year, we'd fallen further behind Collingwood who were getting even better at their game plan, fallen well behing Geelong who had improved their game plan, and now Carlton, Hawthorn and West Coast had also all gone in front of us aswell.


So, I wonder, how much of the 'resurrection' in the 2nd half of the year, was done by Lyon purely to increase his own currency?

It got us in to the finals, but we were rolled by an average team easily - and we ended up finishing 7th.

But.....the world has forgotten the 1st half of the season, and only remembers that 'he' was able to lead us to the finals after such a horrible start.
What is also forgotten, is that the reason we were able to resurrect the season, is because we reverted to an outdated defensive game plan that is still capable of locking down the average teams and notching up enough wins to be competitive.
It's also been forgotten that even though we resurrected the season, we still never beat anyone above us ecept for West Coast at the Docklands on a Saturday night, and then Carlton with their cue already in the rack.



So, did Lyon resurrect the club's season after the half way mark? Or did he merely resurrect his own career at the club's expense?

[Jacks Back]

If I remember correctly, the first game of the year against Geelong we were playing at our lock down best which, unfortunately, the commentators and media blasted us for.

Over the next few rounds we changed game plans to try and play more attacking footy however, as previously mentioned, this resulted in losses.

The meeting we had after the poor start would have gone along the lines of we better go back to what we were good at so we can win some games and hopefully make the finals.

I don't think this was RL's faulty totally as the players would also have liked to play in the finals.

However, this year, it looked like we just tried to MAKE the finals (any final) rather than trying to win the grand final and that was all it looked like we set out to do (make a final).

Don't get me wrong though, RL is a prick for leaving us in the lurch.

[Johnny Member]

The meeting we had after the poor start would have gone along the lines of we better go back to what we were good at so we can win some games and hopefully make the finals.

But knowing what we know now, could there have been an alterior motive from the coach?

[plugger66]

The meeting we had after the poor start would have gone along the lines of we better go back to what we were good at so we can win some games and hopefully make the finals.

But knowing what we know now, could there have been an alterior motive from the coach?

No.

[St Loxton]

Ive been thinking that some of our players just wernt mentally switched on early this season, another short break off season, double grand final took alot out of them.
And possibly off field sagas adding to it aswell.
Lenny going down, surley would have been a punch in the guts for the team.

After the bad start, the players showed more pride in themselves and the team, and played footy again with more intensity and passion.

Not sold on whether Ross was the main reason for the poor form of the start of the season

As much as i wanted the team to go deep into the finals this year im kinda glad the players get a decent break this off season, have that extra time to switch right off, and come back fresher and willing to apply themselves immediatly they get training again.

[SainterK]

Someone (?) on another thread asked why if Ross was constantly saying we were in transition, why weren't Johnson, Winmar, Walsh, Simpkin etc getting a game?

[plugger66]

Someone (?) on another thread asked why if Ross was constantly saying we were in transition, why weren't Johnson, Winmar, Walsh, Simpkin etc getting a game?

Probably no spot for Simpkin. Winmar wasnt playing well in lower grade and Johnson's form had dropped off. Walsh I have no idea. Probably thought he wasnt ready.

[SainterK]

Someone (?) on another thread asked why if Ross was constantly saying we were in transition, why weren't Johnson, Winmar, Walsh, Simpkin etc getting a game?

Probably no spot for Simpkin. Winmar wasnt playing well in lower grade and Johnson's form had dropped off. Walsh I have no idea. Probably thought he wasnt ready.

Why no spot?

You kept telling everyone we had no chance to win the grand final.

Transition is exactly that isn't it, getting games into kids to see what they've got?

[plugger66]

Someone (?) on another thread asked why if Ross was constantly saying we were in transition, why weren't Johnson, Winmar, Walsh, Simpkin etc getting a game?

Probably no spot for Simpkin. Winmar wasnt playing well in lower grade and Johnson's form had dropped off. Walsh I have no idea. Probably thought he wasnt ready.

Why no spot?

You kept telling everyone we had no chance to win the grand final.

Transition is exactly that isn't it, getting games into kids to see what they've got?

Of course we were no chance for the GF but I also said it was very important for the club to win as many games as possible so that mentally next year they still they were a chance and also for money which after the debacle of this year is very important. I like Tom Simpkin a lot as a player but the backline was hardly the issue.

[desertsaint]

a mix of mentally not there and a mix of the draw.
for all the good it did us the only top eight teams we beat were the eagles in melbourne and a disinterested carlton. we would have been beaten by any other top eight team in the finals.
our time under ross was over, to me that's pretty clear.
he coached us with the same mentality this year as any other - to win.
we just weren't up for it any more and neither was he.

[Con Gorozidis]

Someone (?) on another thread asked why if Ross was constantly saying we were in transition, why weren't Johnson, Winmar, Walsh, Simpkin etc getting a game?

Probably no spot for Simpkin. Winmar wasnt playing well in lower grade and Johnson's form had dropped off. Walsh I have no idea. Probably thought he wasnt ready.

According to sources, Lyon had a bee in his bonnet about "Walsh's ability to read the bouncing oval ball".

Not sure he needs to read it when he friggin just catches it on the full instead.

[linmarnic]

The meeting we had after the poor start would have gone along the lines of we better go back to what we were good at so we can win some games and hopefully make the finals.

But knowing what we know now, could there have been an alterior motive from the coach?

Yes, his first goal is the advancement himself, he clearly said that. So maintaining the high win loss ratio at second place behind Pies would have been his first priority.

[mr six o'clock]

going back to that first game , things could have been so different.
yes we played lock down footy however in tough conditions however we should have been 6 goals up with 5 mins to go in the 3rd , thanks to poor kicking we weren't and in that last 5 mins. the cats kicked 3 goals to level it up .
The next week we lost lenny and the year was shot .