Coaching tactics - will Macca change our game plan?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Coaching tactics - will Macca change our game plan?

I wonder if any AFL coaches other than Malthouse, study older military tactics, like outflanking the enemy, exploiting prevailing weather, force concentation (concentrating a military force to bear overwhelming force against a portion of an enemy force), counter ambush drill or whatever. It makes sense, you know it does.

Intelligence is what wins any battle. To employ the right tactics, you need to know your enemy. You analyse his strength, and his weakness, and exploit both. In turn, you deny him intelligence, making sure he cannot guess at what your plan is until he has lost the battle.

So turning that to football: you ensure your team can counter another's offensive strategy, with strength and tenacity to repel their attack. I think we've made large strides in this area, and I think most would agree. How we then turn the tide of battle towards our attack is something I don't want to see until the time is right, because the more you show now, the more intelligence you give away.

I'm ex-Navy. Our tactics were always to deny the enemy your position, course and speed, whilst moving heaven and earth to ascertain his. Deny him as much knowledge of your tactics and your capabilities as you can, until the finger is on the trigger. Then boom! Five-inch time!!

Based on what?

Time will tell but I am interested to know why you don't see him as somebody who can evolve and prosper with change. It's obviously a key ingredient to success and it's largely why Eade failed - he kept the same game plan throughout 05-2011 and it was well and truly expired after 09.

If you want to debate Eade and his game plans that is a whole different thread, but I don't agree we stayed with the same for all those years. Eade is a master tactician and changed the face of football with the Flood in his early days then the running style with us. He adapted game plans to suit the opposition, but in the end we never had the cattle, or luck to go to the next step.

I agree with both of you, in a way. From 2005-09, you were right bornadog, then from 2010 onwards TBB has it correct. Eade, to be fair, was chasing a flag, and was less inclined to want to try and teach a different style in fear of upsetting the ship. He was too conservative, that's all, and given the club and circumstances, I can understand that approach.

I think it will be interesting this season to watch how the evolution of Sydney's game style/plan evolves. This because theirs has been one of, if not the most evidently evolving games in the competition.
After the Locket and Hall and Rocket's flooding eras, they moved into that Kirk/Kelly dour stoppage dominated style. To this they then added some real pace to their makeup [ think K Jack and co]. Now over the last 2 off seasons they have brought in two tall, quick and highly mobile goal kickers in Tippet and Buddy.
So how will that alter how they play now?

What I am getting at is that they are getting to the finals, and staying there not by imitating other's game plans or styles, but developing their own. And it clearly continues to evolve. In part by varying it to suit the cattle they have, but also targeting players capable helping to both continue and push that evolution in the specific directions their coaches wish to take it.
I am quite happy that B Mac has been developing us along the Geelong model so far, but would love to see us take some of the Sydney system to add to it, while all the while creating a specifically Bulldogs game plan.
We now have a lot of good young talent on our list. Good teaching and games of experience are what they need now. That and the one common necessity of success in this comp. A bit of luck with injuries.

I said many times last year that I believe his ‘copy Geelong’ philosophy was just a front: I see us emulating Sydney far more than Geelong. Develop that Bloods culture, then let it loose. Every player trained to trust his team mate, and to engender that same trust in himself. Hard. Accountable. The flexible will come with experience.

[Ozza]

Re: Coaching tactics - will Macca change our game plan?

I don't really agree with notion of the gamestyle being the 'Geelong model'/'Geelong copy' to date.
The players may be being developed based on the principals and culture developed at Geelong, but I don't think our gamestyle has been that similar to Geelong. You only had to see us play them last season - the gamestyle couldn't have been more different.

Obviously we evolved as the season went on - but I would still say we are developing our own style. To a large extent - the personel that end up as our best 22/core group over the next couple of years will dictate how we play. For instance - if all of Dahlhaus, Honeychurch and Hunter are all forwards - or alternatively if Jones, Stringer, Crameri, Campbell, Cordy & Williams are all around the mark - the game style has to vary.