The Facts:
1. We are 5 wins 1 loss - ON TOP OF THE LADDER
2. Our game plan is effective - point 1 highlights that fact
Take a few minutes to digest those facts and then ask yoursef the following question:
"Would you play a purely attacking gameplan if you lost your gun forward for 3-4 months"?
If your answer is yes, you are a liar
If your answer is no you are a hypocrite
Success is only measured in premiership points and ultimately premierships.
Just ask Paul Roos about Sydney in 2005......
To all those critics of our game plan...........
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One Eyed Saint
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When people talk "game plan", what they really mean is "team rules".
A "game plan" is your game specific tactics. Most of that too is personel driven rather than modifications to your team rules. Any deviation from the team rules is best kept to a minimum.
People talk of "game plans" as though they are some sort of football ideology.
They aren't.
We have a great team now first and foremost because to a man, we are well drilled in the team rules. If there was any doubt about that then the last two weeks should dispell any doubts. Rarely do teams win - even good teams - with so many important players either out or playing well below their best. The effort hasn't dropped off but the form of most certainly has.
In seasons prior to 2009 these were the games that cost us most. Often falling away in an embarrassing fashion.
Now they are the games that setup our season.
I can understand people being critical or doubting individual tactics or matchups (there were a few last week)
I can't understand them questioning our "team rules" or as seems to be the rage, our "game plan".
A "game plan" is your game specific tactics. Most of that too is personel driven rather than modifications to your team rules. Any deviation from the team rules is best kept to a minimum.
People talk of "game plans" as though they are some sort of football ideology.
They aren't.
We have a great team now first and foremost because to a man, we are well drilled in the team rules. If there was any doubt about that then the last two weeks should dispell any doubts. Rarely do teams win - even good teams - with so many important players either out or playing well below their best. The effort hasn't dropped off but the form of most certainly has.
In seasons prior to 2009 these were the games that cost us most. Often falling away in an embarrassing fashion.
Now they are the games that setup our season.
I can understand people being critical or doubting individual tactics or matchups (there were a few last week)
I can't understand them questioning our "team rules" or as seems to be the rage, our "game plan".
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bigcarl
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saintsRrising
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You have to remember that last night too that by and large that our skills were dreadful.
This made a defensive gameplan look even more so and robbed us of offensive thrists that otherwise would have occurred.
ie Kosi on the lead in space in the forward zone..and ball blasted out on the full missing him by say 30m!!!
Off HB hanballing straight to doggies.....or Gilbert on the run several times spotting upa Doggie in psace by themselves.
Now some errors wil always occur...but last night we had more than normal.
Grams attacking run and long kicking is sorely missed.
This made a defensive gameplan look even more so and robbed us of offensive thrists that otherwise would have occurred.
ie Kosi on the lead in space in the forward zone..and ball blasted out on the full missing him by say 30m!!!
Off HB hanballing straight to doggies.....or Gilbert on the run several times spotting upa Doggie in psace by themselves.
Now some errors wil always occur...but last night we had more than normal.
Grams attacking run and long kicking is sorely missed.
Flying the World in comfort thanks to FF Points....
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markp
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Everyone talks about the absence of Roo, but I think covering for Roo and Gram has been the headache... we know Roo is a fair way off, but we really need Gram asap, then BJ/Fisher can spend more time forward.SainterK wrote:The game plan has changed...
I will reserve judgement if the style of play has changed in the last two weeks because of the absence of Roo, or in the absence of Gram.
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bigcarl
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Whilst it is pleasing that we had a win last night a main issue should not be ignored and will potentially be amplified in coming weeks again against decent opposition.
When we defend minus Riewoldt we do not have an outlet to kick to when we get possession back in our defensive 50. When playing he is almost the get out of jail free card as he is someone to kick to our defensive side of the center square but outside of our defensive 50.
We currently have nobody to kick to and when we have 16/17 players in he back 50 flooding the bejesus out of the opposition we ourselves have nobody to outlet and get the ball rolling in attack. Riewoldt was this man as one could kick it roughly in his direction and more often than not he would mark it.
Him not being around is not just felt on the scoreboard. We are currently over-possessing the football due to 'nothing on' up forward. We are happy to chip it around however the amounts of handballs to stationary players or rushed handballs from marks was concerning.
Take the win, however much has to change
When we defend minus Riewoldt we do not have an outlet to kick to when we get possession back in our defensive 50. When playing he is almost the get out of jail free card as he is someone to kick to our defensive side of the center square but outside of our defensive 50.
We currently have nobody to kick to and when we have 16/17 players in he back 50 flooding the bejesus out of the opposition we ourselves have nobody to outlet and get the ball rolling in attack. Riewoldt was this man as one could kick it roughly in his direction and more often than not he would mark it.
Him not being around is not just felt on the scoreboard. We are currently over-possessing the football due to 'nothing on' up forward. We are happy to chip it around however the amounts of handballs to stationary players or rushed handballs from marks was concerning.
Take the win, however much has to change
The Saintsfan Cometh
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bigcarl
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Statsman
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A central pillar to our current game plan is "team defence". This approach is built around getting numbers back to crowd the centre corridor and fill space within defensive 50. It forces our opponents to go wide and try to work their way inside 50 with patience and precision passing. We then rely on their impatience or skill errors to turn the ball over so we can rebound out of defence.
While this style makes us an extremely difficult team to score again, it clearly comes at the expense of our forward structure. Nobody is going to score heavily against us, but on the flip side we're going to struggle to kick more than 6-10 goals a game. More often than not, we have as many as 16 players flooding back into the defensive half of the ground. Consquently we simply don't have targets up forward to kick to once we do get the ball. This results in us turning the ball back over to the opposition and the whole chess match starts again. We saw that time and time again last night with the game being played almost exclusively within the their half of the ground. So much so that we went 15 minutes without an inside 50.
Again lowly opposition, such as what we face over the next 4-5 weeks, their poor skills, indecision and inexperience will see plenty of turnovers against our defensive zone. That should probably give us enough of opportunities to rebound, score in transition and get the 4 points.
The question is - can we continue to consistently win games playing this purely defensive style of football? It looks to be a very physically draining way to play football. Can we keep it up for the full season plus a grueling finals campaign? Will it stand up against quality opposition, such as Geelong, who have the skills, poise and experience to get through our zone? If the opposition does kicks some goals and get out to a lead, can we suddenly flick the switch to become more attacking and find a way to score with a Riewoldt-less forward line?
Time will tell.....
While this style makes us an extremely difficult team to score again, it clearly comes at the expense of our forward structure. Nobody is going to score heavily against us, but on the flip side we're going to struggle to kick more than 6-10 goals a game. More often than not, we have as many as 16 players flooding back into the defensive half of the ground. Consquently we simply don't have targets up forward to kick to once we do get the ball. This results in us turning the ball back over to the opposition and the whole chess match starts again. We saw that time and time again last night with the game being played almost exclusively within the their half of the ground. So much so that we went 15 minutes without an inside 50.
Again lowly opposition, such as what we face over the next 4-5 weeks, their poor skills, indecision and inexperience will see plenty of turnovers against our defensive zone. That should probably give us enough of opportunities to rebound, score in transition and get the 4 points.
The question is - can we continue to consistently win games playing this purely defensive style of football? It looks to be a very physically draining way to play football. Can we keep it up for the full season plus a grueling finals campaign? Will it stand up against quality opposition, such as Geelong, who have the skills, poise and experience to get through our zone? If the opposition does kicks some goals and get out to a lead, can we suddenly flick the switch to become more attacking and find a way to score with a Riewoldt-less forward line?
Time will tell.....
"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." - Earvin 'Magic' Johnson
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maverick
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The Swans did it, with the whole team playing the second half of the year.Statsman wrote:A central pillar to our current game plan is "team defence". This approach is built around getting numbers back to crowd the centre corridor and fill space within defensive 50. It forces our opponents to go wide and try to work their way inside 50 with patience and precision passing. We then rely on their impatience or skill errors to turn the ball over so we can rebound out of defence.
While this style makes us an extremely difficult team to score again, it clearly comes at the expense of our forward structure. Nobody is going to score heavily against us, but on the flip side we're going to struggle to kick more than 6-10 goals a game. More often than not, we have as many as 16 players flooding back into the defensive half of the ground. Consquently we simply don't have targets up forward to kick to once we do get the ball. This results in us turning the ball back over to the opposition and the whole chess match starts again. We saw that time and time again last night with the game being played almost exclusively within the their half of the ground. So much so that we went 15 minutes without an inside 50.
Again lowly opposition, such as what we face over the next 4-5 weeks, their poor skills, indecision and inexperience will see plenty of turnovers against our defensive zone. That should probably give us enough of opportunities to rebound, score in transition and get the 4 points.
The question is - can we continue to consistently win games playing this purely defensive style of football? It looks to be a very physically draining way to play football. Can we keep it up for the full season plus a grueling finals campaign? Will it stand up against quality opposition, such as Geelong, who have the skills, poise and experience to get through our zone? If the opposition does kicks some goals and get out to a lead, can we suddenly flick the switch to become more attacking and find a way to score with a Riewoldt-less forward line?
Time will tell.....
You can only go on what has happened so far, we have beaten quality opposition in every game so far, except maybe North.
Our Milne's very special way of holding up play, have you seen anyone more skilled at fluffing around with the ball (in a good way) until he knows everyone has streamed up forward?bigcarl wrote:thisSaintsfan wrote:We are currently over-possessing the football due to 'nothing on' up forward. We are happy to chip it around however the amounts of handballs to stationary players or rushed handballs from marks was concerning.
One time.SainterK wrote:Our Milne's very special way of holding up play, have you seen anyone more skilled at fluffing around with the ball (in a good way) until he knows everyone has streamed up forward?bigcarl wrote:thisSaintsfan wrote:We are currently over-possessing the football due to 'nothing on' up forward. We are happy to chip it around however the amounts of handballs to stationary players or rushed handballs from marks was concerning.
The Saintsfan Cometh