JLT Practise Match 2 v Collingwood

[MrMahatma]

Wood forward is crazy. We gotta stop that for the real deal.

I'm finding the "versatility" mantra increasingly frustrating. I wish we'd play key forwards as key forwards, defenders as defenders, half backs as half backs....

I just feel like our coaching team are always out to out smart everyone, rather than just having a good list that plays to the positions they're best at.

[SquirrelGrip]

Thanks for an enjoyable read.

I thought Mclean did well in the midfield racking up lots of possessions.

True, forgot McLean. He’s doing OK. My peeve with him yesterday was that he’d get the ball then run backwards to go forwards.

[ratsmac]

Thanks for an enjoyable read.

I thought Mclean did well in the midfield racking up lots of possessions. Jong needs to find more of the ball.

Every year people get heated up about the practise matches, it will be different come round one.

Fingers and toes crossed. I still would have liked to see them put in a better performance against a team I don't rate very highly.

Wood forward is crazy. We gotta stop that for the real deal.

I'm finding the "versatility" mantra increasingly frustrating. I wish we'd play key forwards as key forwards, defenders as defenders, half backs as half backs....

I just feel like our coaching team are always out to out smart everyone, rather than just having a good list that plays to the positions they're best at.

I'm leaning this way as well. The playing in more than 1 position mantra that Bevo likes is all well and good but what's the point of being a Jack of all trades but master of none when it comes to football. It makes coaching easier I suppose by having many options to throw the magnets around, but the players (not all) aren't playing any of their multi faceted positions well enough anymore from the outside looking in.
I hope this practice match was just that, practice. Trying new things to see what works and what doesn't. Come round 1 I just hope we are well prepared.

[Twodogs]

Wood forward is crazy. We gotta stop that for the real deal.

I'm finding the "versatility" mantra increasingly frustrating. I wish we'd play key forwards as key forwards, defenders as defenders, half backs as half backs....

I just feel like our coaching team are always out to out smart everyone, rather than just having a good list that plays to the positions they're best at.

Yep, versatility is supposed to make us a better team and that should mean we are winning more matches. The versatility mantra is costing us losses.

[ledge]

Yep, versatility is supposed to make us a better team and that should mean we are winning more matches. The versatility mantra is costing us losses.

Which games have we lost using the versatility mantra when we have played two games lost one that the cost us nothing as
it was a practice game ?

I can also tell you of players who's career was saved due to the versatility mantra being used in practice matches eg Jones.
We tend to judge teams on practice match wins / losses when coaches are putting players in different position, it is known that young forwards will be put in the backline to learn how backman will beat them and visa versa. I would say Wood has been put forward so we could look at Naughton. , we also have Young as well.
Wood is known for his leap and mark , it didn't work but maybe because we didn't have a big forward playing alongside him.
Maybe we weren't worried about Wood at all and wanted to concentrate more on how Naughtin goes.
Let's keep Jlt in perspective it's about exactly that practice and throwing players around .
Sydney rarely win a practice match and it's certainly not "Costly" losing a JLT game means nothing.
I also don't know where we ever lost a real game through the versatility mantra . Maybe we lost a game because our players were in their normal positions and we were losing and Bevo moved players into different positions to try and win but I don't believe we have ever lost a game because of it.
Injuries also play a part of we lose a position player that's not abundant on our list we need to see who would be best to replace him.
Jlt is practice for team mantra and looking at players in other positions , if we wanted to win yesterday we would have but would have learnt nothing new about our players.

[SonofScray]

Wood forward has some merit, but surely it is a net loss for us when compared with Wood in the backline. We need experience down there given the loss of Murph, Boyd and Morris and clearly Wood's strengths are suited to the role he has played so well across 15, 16 & a little less so in 17.

He can compete as a forward and hold a structure, but any meat & potatoes player should be OK with that at this level. That consistent, defensive, high instensity, repeat effort stuff should be for Dunkley, Cordy, Dahlhaus, Smith, Redpath and Dickson (with varying expectations, or emphasis for each). You get really strong output in some of those scenarios, if the bigger guys manage to nail it, like Cordy in the finals, it's a massive net positive result. Dunkley I think is the key here, less touches I50 from him could be stronger, more influential, than more possessions in the middle.

Mostly though, I just want to bank on 15-20 times the ball goes in to the opposition forward line that Wood gets his hands on it.

[Twodogs]

Which games have we lost using the versatility mantra when we have played two games lost one that the cost us nothing as
it was a practice game ?

I can also tell you of players who's career was saved due to the versatility mantra being used in practice matches eg Jones.
We tend to judge teams on practice match wins / losses when coaches are putting players in different position, it is known that young forwards will be put in the backline to learn how backman will beat them and visa versa. I would say Wood has been put forward so we could look at Naughton. , we also have Young as well.
Wood is known for his leap and mark , it didn't work but maybe because we didn't have a big forward playing alongside him.
Maybe we weren't worried about Wood at all and wanted to concentrate more on how Naughtin goes.
Let's keep Jlt in perspective it's about exactly that practice and throwing players around .
Sydney rarely win a practice match and it's certainly not "Costly" losing a JLT game means nothing.
I also don't know where we ever lost a real game through the versatility mantra . Maybe we lost a game because our players were in their normal positions and we were losing and Bevo moved players into different positions to try and win but I don't believe we have ever lost a game because of it.
Injuries also play a part of we lose a position player that's not abundant on our list we need to see who would be best to replace him.
Jlt is practice for team mantra and looking at players in other positions , if we wanted to win yesterday we would have but would have learnt nothing new about our players.

We've been experimenting with this versatility thing longer than this preseason. Playing players out of position (the actual meaning of versatility) cost us wins last year.


Jones was moved from the forward line mid season and took two weeks off playing to learn defensive zones. He spent exactly no time in defence at Carlton last preseason.

I understand what you're saying about practice matches but I hate losing to anyone at anything at any time. And we should be putting shitruck teams like Collingwood away comfortably and they made us look second rate at times yesterday.

[ledge]

We've been experimenting with this versatility thing longer than this preseason. Playing players out of position (the actual meaning of versatility) cost us wins last year.


Jones was moved from the forward line mid season and took two weeks off playing to learn defensive zones. He spent exactly no time in defence at Carlton last preseason.

I understand what you're saying about practice matches but I hate losing to anyone at anything at any time. And we should be putting shitruck teams like Collingwood away comfortably and they made us look second rate at times yesterday.

Losing in a practice match can also give Collingwood a false sense of improvement, they sign up Buckley another 3 years and we keep smashing them in the real season. Rather that than omg we lost to Collingwood in a practice match "end of the world" scenario I'm reading everywhere.

[LostDoggy]

With our rotations significantly lower than Collingwood and a player short I think our focus was clearly on endurance training rather than worrying about the win which means nothing. After Collingwood's effort against gws their focus was to show their fans that they aren't a basket case that they showed previously. We are at least 6 rounds away from knowing if we have addressed our issues from last year. That would be the sample size I would focus on rather than the last 2 weeks.

[ledge]

Can I add huge bonus . No major injuries ! Oh yeah baby !
Roughead the usual, looks like someone shot him with a cannon ball but back on the ground 20 min later. That's a given for him every third game.

[always right]

Up until the injury I don’t think I’ve seen Roughy ruck better.....was jumping high and confidently. Also loved Dahlhaus’ forward work......that’s where he should play. Searching for positives.

[ledge]

Up until the injury I don’t think I’ve seen Roughy ruck better.....was jumping high and confidently. Also loved Dahlhaus’ forward work......that’s where he should play. Searching for positives.

Don't think we have to search much .. Naughton, Crozier, Trengove, Libba and also the Bont who was definitley moved out of the middle when he wouldn't be in a real game.

[Eastdog]

Great read SquirrelGrip.

[Eastdog]

Can I add huge bonus . No major injuries ! Oh yeah baby !
Roughead the usual, looks like someone shot him with a cannon ball but back on the ground 20 min later. That's a given for him every third game.

That's the main thing.

[LostDoggy]

Im not as concerned as some by this weekends match. Having 40 odd rotations less in 32 degree heat is a pretty massive advantage to concede. We were ahead early in the last but they were always going to finish all over us.

Importantly, Trengove, Crozier and Naughton look like they are ready to add to the team from R1, whilst Libba, Roughy, Jong, Dunkley and Adams are all looking to be much bigger contributors this year compared to last. That's 8 players who can offer subsantial imprvement coupled with a number of 2nd, 3rd and 4th year players, some of which wil surely develop and improve.

I still look forward to the 2018 season with a lot of optimism.