Other wise known as rope-a-dope, and yes I agree with you, that has been our game plan for at least the last month or so.
I'm not sure that it would hold up for a full season, I will be interested to see if we try to take it into next season.
Exactly.
Stay cool, calm and collected and let them punch themselves out. Then fight back.
I know Mick has changed the plan since the pre-season and this seems to be our last incarnation. We actually saw it in R1 against the tigers. First half, defensive, don't get blown out of the water. Second half, open the floodgates and run all over them.
Obviously, we saw that against the Tigers, twice since then, and Port recently.
I actually think this is a bit of a hybrid between what Mick implemented at Collingwood and what Ratten had here previously. It suits Micks style, our list, and finals football.
In Mick we trust.
What about the 40 points down bit?
Not sure that's part of the plan .
Nothing goes to script 100%.
Its not ideal, but the end result is what was required.
Other wise known as rope-a-dope, and yes I agree with you, that has been our game plan for at least the last month or so.
I'm not sure that it would hold up for a full season, I will be interested to see if we try to take it into next season.
Exactly.
Stay cool, calm and collected and let them punch themselves out. Then fight back.
I know Mick has changed the plan since the pre-season and this seems to be our last incarnation. We actually saw it in R1 against the tigers. First half, defensive, don't get blown out of the water. Second half, open the floodgates and run all over them.
Obviously, we saw that against the Tigers, twice since then, and Port recently.
I actually think this is a bit of a hybrid between what Mick implemented at Collingwood and what Ratten had here previously. It suits Micks style, our list, and finals football.
Fantastic effort from of the most underrated players in the AFL.
Well done mate !
Note how Jamo referred to him as a spiritual leader - Captain anyone ?
No, you don't need the title to play the role, IMO he is a very good support to Murph who will be around a lot longer than what Simmo has left.
BTW Congrats to Simmo !! For a pick 65 (I think it was!) he has done very well, as the saying goes, it not how you start that matters, it's how you finish, and Simmo is finishing beautifully !!!
Vossy nominated him as this weeks Finals Unsung Hero. Makes some points that have already been said here.
From AFL.com.au
Carlton v Richmond Tom Bell An in-and-out player at Carlton this year, Bell was a consistent contributor all day in just his 15th senior game and first final.
Originally from my junior club at Morningside in Brisbane, he was just about the Blues' best player at half-time, when they were 26 points down and should have been dead and buried.
A mountain of a young man making full use of his huge motor to get up and down the ground, he was running when most of his Carlton teammates weren't running in the first half. For a player who didn't know he was even playing until final selection on Saturday his was a really telling effort, helping to lay a platform on which a lot of more senior teammates cashed in after half-time.
Sure, he let himself down when he had a couple of chances to finish off his work, and a big turnover just before half-time which set up a Trent Cotchin goal could have been critical. But without him across the half-forward line and in the middle Carlton would have been in trouble.And when he starts to use the footy a little better he's going to be a player. A similar role awaits this week, when at least he should be confident of getting a game.
I've re-highlighted what i think are the important parts.
Vossy is sticking up for a 'mate'
He let himself down a couple of times and cost us a goal which could have been critical. When he starts to use the footy better he will be a player.
I've said the same things. I've even said that because we won, we glossed over those points in which we could be critical of him.
Vossy just backed up what i said, but turned it into a positive simply because we won, and it didn't cost us the game.
Bell is far from guaranteed a spot in the best 22 AT PRESENT with what is is offering us. He is not useless, nor beyond becoming a star. However, currently, his benefit to the side is questionable.
I guess the question remains. Is it of greater benefit for MM to back him in and risk more F/ups to help fast track his development in the pressure cooker of finals? Or does he just drop him and say keep working at it son, you aint there yet?
That is something that mick needs to work out. If it was me, and Brock was fit, Bell wouldn't be playing this week.
I doubt Bell will play all 22 games next year though. I think there will be a bit of "go back and work on these things for a few weeks" in there somewhere.
Please I'm a Tom Bell Fan, but his awareness and Pace is a huge worry. He needs to watch someone like Brock McLean who is slow by speed but quick in the mind.
Can't waltz through players in a final, he'll get no second chances against the swans.
We won the game so people look at the good he did.
He we had've lost, people would remember the fact that he got chased down due to a lack of awareness. He we had've lost, people would remember the fact that he had a set shot on goal from a tightish angle and despite his lack of kicking skills, decided to have a ping rather than center it, and sprayed it out on the full.
How many of these moments can we put up with?
Sometimes just one of these moments is enough to turn a game, and cost you a game.
Ask Riewoldt what his lack of awareness in the GF did for the belief of the 2 sides. Ask Shaw the same question.
Earlier in the year i doubted the effectiveness of having Robinson in the side. Never questioned his dedication and role within the side, just the overall (dis)advantage of having him in it when he makes some silly errors.
I received the same kind of response there as i got here. "How could we do without his hardness..." blah blah. Mick eventually agreed and dropped him.
Same thing goes for Bell.
Bell is far from guaranteed a spot in the best 22 AT PRESENT with what is is offering us. He is not useless, nor beyond becoming a star. However, currently, his benefit to the side is questionable.
Yes, his presence is good and i acknowledge as much, but if he is only a 50-50 chance of finding a teammate when he has the ball, what is the point?
If we remove him from the game today....every time he actually got the ball, we say it was a 50-50 contest instead...what have we lost? What we have lost is another player who is more capable of finding a teammate when they get it.
re Menzel...didn't get much of a chance to get into the game re Walker...6 R50's, 3 1%ers, 14 touches @ 78.6%. Not a great game, but better than bell. re McInness...at least he found a teammate 4 / 5 times he got the ball. =2nd in 1%ers (with 6) showed he was putting in in the backline too. re Tuohy...13 touches @ 69%. Did what was required without dominating.
Sorry, but next week swap Bell and McLean and lets go to Sydney.
He Realised it was a final didn't he? So many times, gave up on first option, to take on the player and got caught. 2 shots in the last, barely scored...
Think he is a long way off..potential..but a long way off.
Was my worst in navy blue today. Daylight second.
The kid has the size and attitude right. Needs to wrap his head around the subtleties of the game and learn how to kick though.
Never really adopted a team. Pittsburgh Steelers have been good to watch with Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu and SF 49ers will be interesting with Kaepernick. But the selective broadcasts mean that you don't really get to watch any particular team each week, and the bizarre conference and divisional system makes it a bit harder to equate to an AFL ladder. The NFL offers a subscription service which gives you internet access to every game, every week (and you can even put them on multi-screen). I guess if I bothered subscribing to it, that would make following a team more practical. If you lived in, say, Pittsburgh, your local channel would broadcast every Steelers game and it would be much easier to become partisan.
Well said, Mav, I love the NFL (and the NHL, on another note), but the coverage out here outside of online sites is deplorable, even with Foxtel. You only get to watch a couple of games each week and it's always different teams. I found it easier to follow players than it is to follow teams so I get right into the fantasy leagues for American sports.
There is the internet boys... I can usually download and watch my vikings within 24 hours of the game being played. Haven't missed a game in over 2 years....including pre-season.
The season opener pits the Broncos against the Superbowl winner, Baltimore Ravens. Peyton Manning's boys are red-hot favourites.
For me, this season will be much more enjoyable. Last year, although some games were broadcast on OneHD (as they will be this year too), problems with reception meant I had to try various ways of putting tension on the antenna cable to get things working, and often I'd have to give up altogether when the scores were tight at the end of the game. This year, I have Fox and I can IQ ESPN.
One tip I picked up from a US sports journo is that you have to temper your enthusiasm for sides with 2nd-year QBs such as Colin Kapernick, Andrew Luck and RG3. He pointed out that Cam Newton had a great first year, but he didn't follow it up well. The reasons behind this US version of 2nd-year blues are:
Coaches tend to keep things very simple for 1st-year QBs, but then they tend to throw the whole playbook at them in the offseason and they find it difficult to cope.
Opponents have seen much more of these rookies and know what they want to do on big plays, meaning they're much better at negating them.
He did, however, suggest that Andrew Luck is a football genius and isn't likely to be overawed.
This guy also suggested that there's a strong trend to do away with huddles after each play and the hurry-up offence is more common, meaning more plays throughout the game.
Further to the above, there is new rule changes that will likely restrict RG3 and Capernick...and Wilson for that matter. Mainly QBs who use the 'read-option' playbook.
The new rule is that once a QB hands of the ball he is no longer protected as a QB, he is a regular player. As such, he can be hit by the defense...unless he makes it clear he is no longer in the play - takes backwards steps to avoid contact.
So what is happening already (i've watched 4 pre-season games) is that defenses are continuing to hunt the QB after he gives off the ball using the read option and ensuring they hit him. It is specifically targetting the read option rather than your traditional handoffs because they are judging the play on what the defense gives them once the play starts and its not entirely clear if the QB is still in the play or not compared to a clear handoff from snap.
Short version is, QBs running the read-option may be forced to abandon it at the request of their coach/team as they will be taking a lot more hits and risk injury in doing so.
Raven, you and me are gong to have some fun. Im a Bears man.
It will be cracking division this season, the NFC North. Even the Lions may bear some teeth.
I am frothing.
Now how's this would be a great road trip. A CSC Super Bowl Tour.
Who can hook up a leave pass?
Just to add a bit more excitement, i'm a diehard vikings fan!
I was over in the US (on my honeymoon) last year and was lucky enough to convince the wife to take in 2 NFL matches while there.
Saw Vikings @ Seattle (loss) and Vikings vs Detroit (win)
Watching the vikings on their home turf (albeit their second last season there before they start their move) and witness my main man Adrian Peterson run riot and get the win was awesome. Loved every second of it. Having the almighty megatron displaying his skills on the opposition was also a joy to watch.
In 1 match i saw both the rushing yards (and MVP) and receiving yards winners. Spoiled.
There was an article about Kane (and someone else from NB which i forget) about this time last year about how they are being looked at by a few clubs for the draft. Neither got drafted.
Quality players, both of them, but looked like they didn't fill a big need for any teams in the end.
Thats how i feel about Kane now....what could he do for us? Some people liken him to Ellard which is funny as i've always questioned his place on our list and in our side. He is not better than our small forwards. Not effective enough as a mid.
I hope Kane gets picked up. I'd prefer it to be by someone else.
