There's Nothing New Under The Sun

[carn_sainter]

Well done Geelong

Their win yesterday shows one thing: that there's nothing new going on and that footy can be incredibly simple.

Numbers:
They just always have numbers at the ball and at the opponent. This gives them a greater chance of winning contested balls, of pressuring and of moving the ball quickly and smoothly when they do win it.

Pressure:
Just pressure your opponent and it comes unstuck...no secrets there...see above.

Fundamentals:
Their handpass skills are incredible. So swift and so clean. Their footskills are equally deadly. Once they get the ball, they don't give it back (unlike us).

Speed:
Fast ball movement. The precision in their movement comes from their skills and willingness to present which therefore means they don't have to treacle the ball up the ground. They are lightning as soon as they get it...how else do you score so much?

Fitness:
It is their fitness which allows them to do all of this and do it relentlessly.

Teamwork:
Very unselfish and very well drilled.

The Corridor:
Why go around the boundary when you can hammer down the middle? Everytime, every single chance they get, they work through the corridor...is there any surprise they score so much?

and the main point: they all do it all...very very close to 100% effort from 100% of people 100% of the time...


Geelong 2007 are as impressive a club as the afl has seen for a long long time.

And the reasons they play so well are that they do what your local footy coach asks his players to do...

Nothing new, no surprises...preparation and selection play a minor role in it all...though impossible to quantify, probably 90% of their success owes to the above...very simple, basic footy...executed close to perfectly.

[Oh When the Saints]

Geelong play the most numbers behind the ball of any team in the AFL.

Find me a moment in the GF when Port kicked it into their forwardline and there weren't 3-4 Geelong players loose.

The flood back like crazy and help out their defenders.


This creates space through the corridor, as their opponents are forced wide, and it opens up the Cats forwardline.

Geelong win the footy in their back-half, and run it forward into space. They either kick it long to a big guy anchored in the square or find an option in one of their flankers who has run from half-back.


The key to this sort of gameplan (similar to how the Saints played against Melbourne in Rnd 1 of 2007) is having multiple half-forward flankers who are talented.

[plugger66]

Geelong play the most numbers behind the ball of any team in the AFL.

Find me a moment in the GF when Port kicked it into their forwardline and there weren't 3-4 Geelong players loose.

The flood back like crazy and help out their defenders.


This creates space through the corridor, as their opponents are forced wide, and it opens up the Cats forwardline.

Geelong win the footy in their back-half, and run it forward into space. They either kick it long to a big guy anchored in the square or find an option in one of their flankers who has run from half-back.


The key to this sort of gameplan (similar to how the Saints played against Melbourne in Rnd 1 of 2007) is having multiple half-forward flankers who are talented.

I was at the game and it didnt appear that the cats had more than the usual amount behind the ball, it was more due Port not holding their ground in the forward thus having no numbers to help out.

[meher baba]

Geelong were excellent, although - as OWTS said - they certainly flooded back an enormous amount until they had secured the match about half way through the second quarter.

Port being beaten by the flood was a deserved pay back for their 2004 Grand Final megaflood against the Lions.

I thought that Port played an amazingly stupid game which played right into the Cats' hands. I have to say that I feel I might have to revise my opinion about Williams's abilities as a coach: he really looked all at sea yesterday.

[meher baba]

P.S. The other important advantage the Cats had was stability. They have been playing this style of game for many years now, with the same core group of players and the same coach.

They have been patient and have steadily improved their areas of weakness: especially in terms of attack and converting shots at goal, which was the aspect that most let them down in 2004 and 2005.

This last point remains the thing that most worries me about where we are heading as a club ATM. If you look at the statistics of the past few years - even 2007 - we have typically been able to dominate in open play in most matches, and even at least hang on in those where we are failing to dominate, but we have been below average in converting our chances in front of goal: and those players who do not regularly play in the forward 50 have generally been woeful.

Yet we don't seem to have addressed that feature of our game under RL: instead, we seem to be focusing on other aspects that perhaps weren't broken. Geelong, on the other hand, seem to have concentrated on improving their attack, which was definitely their weakpoint.

[Oh When the Saints]

I thought that Port played an amazingly stupid game which played right into the Cats' hands. I have to say that I feel I might have to revise my opinion about Williams's abilities as a coach: he really looked all at sea yesterday.

Agree.

Williams excuse was that he didn't want to ruin a GF by putting numbers back himself. Absolute rubbish IMO. Was fundamentally outcoached, although it doesn't help when your players don't try.

Cats have played that way for a lot of the year, especially against the better sides. And people like Walls say they don't flood but just bomb it long as if they were playing 1970's footy

This last point remains the thing that most worries me about where we are heading as a club ATM. If you look at the statistics of the past few years - even 2007 - we have typically been able to dominate in open play in most matches, and even at least hang on in those where we are failing to dominate, but we have been below average in converting our chances in front of goal: and those players who do not regularly play in the forward 50 have generally been woeful.

Yep.

After Round 11, St Kilda were #3 in the AFL for disposals per scoring shot.

We were incredibly efficient, and won some matches were we had as little as 270 disposals as a team, and kicked 15 goals from this.

That's compared with previous years, when 350 disposals was around the mark.

The problem with this sort of gamestyle is that if you kick poorly, you cost yourself a chance of winning the match. When you aren't winning much of the footy (but scoring when you do) your shots on goal need to be goals. Not points.

That was our problem, and it was never more evident at times this year when we cost ourselves matches because of it.

The flipside to that sort of gamestyle is that if your midfielders do get on top and you win 350 possessions for the game, you will probably kick 20 goals and thrash your opponent.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

sigh does that mean we will now copy geelong ? this seems to be the trend down our way copy what the last premiers did

[Solar]

couple of additions (personally I believe that there are 8 - 10 teams that could currently on their day with confidence play that way. But they need to build it over the whole season.) anyway

1) Their decision making. They took the first option and only went cute when they were 10 goals in front. Back your skills and kick it to advantage. Kick it into space and back your forward to get to it first. Handpasses and kicks to moving targets is easier to complete when you don't think too much and just go the first option.

2) Gut running. Their midfielders get to more contests so they are always got the numbers. This comes with improved fitness.

What they did yesterday is perfect football. they attacked the ball, moved the ball quickly and simply in numbers and when they lost the ball they pressured them.

Do all three and you put yourself in the box seat to win the match. It means that even if the opposition does all three as well it's still a 50/50 at worst!

[carn_sainter]

sigh does that mean we will now copy geelong ? this seems to be the trend down our way copy what the last premiers did

not saying to copy geelong

i'm saying geelong play basic, efficient footy...it's like seeing somebody with a fundamentally sound house and looking at your pile of rubble and going, nah i dont wanna copy em...

the whole point is geelong aren't doing anything revolutionary...it's very basic...it's not copying them, it's what all teams pretty much try to do, fundamentally...its just that they do it

what shame it would be of us to copy the cats...my, my, my, disgraceful...trying to get numbers at the ball! shock, horror, trying to run hard and use clean skills...

pathetic idea

[stinger]

the whole point is geelong aren't doing anything revolutionary...it's very basic...it's not copying them, it's what all teams pretty much try to do, fundamentally...its just that they do it

not sure about that...i have watched a bit of rugby union.....the cats come down the ground in a wave just like the rugby players...there is always another player on the outside to take a handpass....and they play on on most occasions......not like the crap football we were paying this year.....