08-01-2017, 04:22 AM
(08-01-2017, 03:58 AM)PaulP link Wrote:So, teaching players to flood back, chip and kick, play a zone etc. constitutes learning and development, yet encouraging players to kick a winning score by being more offensive constitutes what exactly ? No learning and no development ?This is the biggest problem and risk with the 'defensive' approach we have taken - it now appears like it has become 'all or nothing' for the players. They are playing a very negative style, with no one creating run or space. Everyone is concerned about covering their man or the space - especially in the back line. Last week we had less than 100 handballs, and no overlap run or creativity out of the backline at all. This makes it incredibly simple for the opposition to play against.
I will continue to bang on about the need for a more 'balanced' approach. To win football games you need to score, and you need to generate at least 25 scoring shots per game to have a better than even money chance. You can't 'flick the switch' as some people advocate - just look at Fremantle as a perfect example of what happens when you priortise defence over attack. It takes years to remedy.
Our guys have to learn that to win games at this level you need to create scoring opportunities with just as much priority as defending. It is all about balance and teaching guys about when to attack and when to defend within the game and the context of the situation they face.
All the stats tell you our first instinct is almost always to go short or sideways with a kick, no overlap runners, and if in doubt kick long down the line to a contest. From a stoppage a hack kick is preferred to a creative handpass to someone spreading into space [usually because no one is]. If we can't find a better a balance between defensive play and attack I really fear we will continue to get smashed like last week because we aren't physically strong enough, and our medium / long term prospects will be damaged.