Rocket - On The Couch

[Mantis]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

The next 6 weeks will tell us where we are at. We would need to win 5 out of 6, which will have us at 7 wins and 5 losses at the half way mark.

We are currently 2-3.

Winning 5 of our next 6 has us at 7-4.

[Desipura]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

We are currently 2-3.

Winning 5 of our next 6 has us at 7-4.

my bad, the bye got me.
So we would have to win 4 of the next 6 at the very least, not impossible.
But again, would want to get a run on with wins so we do not have to rely on winning the majority of our games in the second part of the season.

[Bulldog Joe]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

Syd (away), Rich, WCE (away), Haw, Gee & Stk.

The next 6 weeks will tell us where we are at. We would need to win 5 out of 6, which will have us at 7 wins and 5 losses at the half way mark.

I would hate to rely on winning the majority of our games in the last 12 rounds with games against other contenders like Carlton, Syd (SCG), WCE (home), Essendon, Hawthorn and Freo (home)

Well if we get to round 12 at 6 and 5 or 7 and 4 we will be in good shape.

In the last half of our season we play 6 mid ranking contenders (on current form)

If we assume that Geelong and Collingwood are now the top 2, we will be vying for 3rd and 4th against Carlton, Hawthorn, Essendon and Freo.

Realistically the draw is a good one for us from half way.

3 interstate trips including 2 against Wooden Spoon contenders Port Adelaide and Gold Coast and 7 of 11 at Docklands. It would be possible for us to win EVERY game after the June clash with Geelong at Kardinia Park and should mean we can look after any players with injury concerns.

I could see us now finishing 3rd and entering finals with momentum of about 12 successive wins. Any injury issues for Collingwood or Geelong and we will be ready to pounce.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

Rocket's trusty cliches abide: No game can be taken for granted. 4 points at a time now. No gimmees etc etc.

[Missing Dog]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

Syd (away), Rich, WCE (away), Haw, Gee & Stk.

The next 6 weeks will tell us where we are at. We would need to win 5 out of 6, which will have us at 7 wins and 5 losses at the half way mark.

I would hate to rely on winning the majority of our games in the last 12 rounds with games against other contenders like Carlton, Syd (SCG), WCE (home), Essendon, Hawthorn and Freo (home)

I get where you are comming from but we need to be beating teams like that at that time of the year if you want to have a real crack at the major prize. if we can't beat the contenders then it means that we are not contenders so you make my point stronger.In saying that we do need to win 5 of the next six if for nothing else but get our confidence in our game plan.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

I thought i was sitting at AAMI watching the rebels quite often yesterday.
There is a lot of kicking into touch at the moment and for me it's not particular attractive to watch live, same with the forward press and the forwards starting high on 50 and leading towards goal before doubling back if the kick doesn't go overhead.

It doesn't have to be unattractive -- I watched the ANZAC Day Essendon-Collingwood game, and they both base their work around rugby like principles, such as creating congestion a la a ruck/maul and having their structures based around that to allow an effective (and low-risk) breakaway when they win possession but also with the same structure providing cover if they don't win possession.

Thus the self-same structure does a dual job, which I don't think ours does at the moment -- some of our structures seem designed around an imperative that we win the ball, otherwise we're stuffed defensively, while at other times our structures seem defensively keyed so that we're able to slow teams down when they win possession but not do be able to do anything constructive when we win possession ourselves.

I said this earlier in the year after watching the Round 1 Dogs-Essendon game, but I thought our half-back line was too deep in that game so there was a LOT of space between our mids/contests in the middle of the ground and our defence, so if we didn't win the ball with our 'swarm' the ball would come out the back and opposition players running onto the ball would have a field day.

In the Anzac Day game, Dustin Fletcher, Essendon's nominal CHB/FB, during stoppages on the wing, made his starting point almost 5-10 metres outside his defensive 50, no more than a kick away from the contest, so he was able to affect the marking contest from any hurried Collingwood forward kick from the contest. By the same token, the rest of the half-back line, playing half a kick back from the contest, was able to be part of the backwards/sideways chain of handballs out of the contest if Essendon won the ball. This is of course exactly how the backline sets up in rugby, where the forwards win the ball then spread the ball backwards and sideways through their backs.

Collingwood are exactly the same, which is why they had a swarm of half-backs and mids riding shotgun behind and beside the ball carrier whenever they won the ball. Rugby is only boring when it gets bogged down -- when the play gets spread across the backline a la the All Blacks it can be exhilirating.

Watching the last game, I think we set up a bit better, with Lake pushing the backline generally higher up the park and able to affect the first kick out of the contest. Our half-back line was also able to take marks high up the ground (some on or past the middle of the ground) from hurried kicks out of Collingwood's backline. It's just that Lake is horribly out of form at the moment, and we don't really have anyone else able to affect a marking contest like Fletcher/O'Brien/Maxwell at the moment other than Lakey so bad decisions are being made. The obvious reaction when we screw up a few contests, and precisely the wrong one, is to start dropping deeper and deeper (which is what happened as the 4th quarter wore on), so more and more space was opening up in the middle as our forwards pressed but defenders backed off -- Lake especially cannot back off as the rest of the backline tend to get their starting positions from him, I think I read in another thread that Rocket mentioned that he wasn't following instructions in an interview? We have to just back ourselves in and stay high. A press is not a press if only half the team is pressing.

[The Pie Man]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

Paul Roos coming on that show has improved it - I thought his chat with Rocket on tactical ebbs & flows in the game was pretty insightful (numbers forward early, realeasing forwards to create more numbers at the stoppages to counteract Collingwood's response, throwing Murphy forward in the last to 'try and win the game')

Usually the questions are fairly boring, but that was a good chat. Rocket seemed upbeat - that's one thing I think you can always say about Rocket, he never seems to lack for energy.

EDIT - oh and Brian did cop a whack from Rocket, which was very interesting

[GVGjr]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

EDIT - oh and Brian did cop a whack from Rocket, which was very interesting

I thought he started off very nervously before settling into the normal relaxed Rocket mode we all know.

I wasn't overly impressed with the comments about Lake unless he is actually prepared to bite the bullet and drop him.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

How wins would secure top four this year?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

How wins would secure top four this year?

Normally 14 or 15 based on the last 5 seasons, Saints got there in 08 with 13 but I think that was an abberation.

[Topdog]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

I thought he started off very nervously before settling into the normal relaxed Rocket mode we all know.

I wasn't overly impressed with the comments about Lake unless he is actually prepared to bite the bullet and drop him.

Seeing as he has never dropped a big name player I am astounded by the comment and disappointed that the interviewers didn't press him on it.

[Sedat]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

I thought he started off very nervously before settling into the normal relaxed Rocket mode we all know.

I wasn't overly impressed with the comments about Lake unless he is actually prepared to bite the bullet and drop him.

Rocket has noted in the past that Lake can handle public criticism better than most and would take such criticism the right way. He'd know he is underdone and unable to preform what has been routine for him in recent seasons.

[Kelso @ Mt Eliza]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

Cn you explain what Brad Scott has brought to his club?

Sorry meant Chris - I refer to the Scott that coaches the Cats..

[Topdog]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

Seems like he made good on his word.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/bulldogs-send-brian-lake-to-the-vfl/story-e6frf9jf-1226049758648

''It's not speculation, Brian will go back to the VFL. We've sat down with Brian and devised a plan that's best for him and the club to get him into that form and also to get some confidence up,'' Bulldog's assistant coach Brett Montgomery said after training today.

[Mantis]

Re: Rocket - On The Couch

I wasn't overly impressed with the comments about Lake unless he is actually prepared to bite the bullet and drop him.

Having just re-watched the interview I am surprised by this comment.

I thought Rocket was pretty honest in answering a question that was posed to him and by the sounds of things he will be demoted to get his body right/ find some form.