So what would you do...

[Charlie]

Long kicks. Contested marks. Run with it when you can, kick when an option closer to goal presents itself, handball when you have to. Don't look backwards. Looking backwards tempts players into kicking backwards. Or worse - handballing backwards.

If we lose.... there are worse things. It's not rocket science. There's no secret formulas or clever tricks. Do what the rest of the league is doing; it might not result in victory, but it will if we're good enough. There's nothing to be lost; we're losing anyway.

[liz]

Pretty much all of the above.

In the short term, while confidence is so low, I'd also focus on getting the team to concentrate on things they can do - ie make sure they run, tackle, smother, shepherd etc - rather than get them concentrating on "having better skills". The skills will improve naturally if they stop worrying about them, and "having better skills" isn't an action they can "do", it's an outcome.

[Rod_]

1. Take the players on a mid week trip to a local pub and have a good time. (Lock them in for say 4 + hours) Say tomorrow night! Hire a comedian / clown / ??

2. Whilst at the pub play pool and darts and complete "team bonding" and laugh and have fun.

3. Make Roosy shave his head for charity - Nah my misses would kill me! (Or do something else that makes him touchable / human to the players) Roast him for all the things that he has done to the team so far this year (Maxi can lead the roasting - say each player gets one go) Blame Warwick Capper or something?

4. Then the next morning have a time trial run (but don't tell them till after the lock down period is over) Thursday AM Early say 5:00 AM - then rest to afternoon session.

5. Another session of skills training PM. Light session only consisting of kick to kick - taking speckies, and rabbitiing about as about 80% flat out say 1 hour excluding warm ups and downs.

6. Select the team (including new blood - Say Vogles and Moore - Vogles to replace Doyle)

7. Select / confirm Team plays and alternative match ups on Friday behind closed doors and then practiced on the paddock.

Game day - have confidence in the players and tell them to have fun it is just a game.

Win loose or draw we need confidence to be reinstalled in the players.

The player look scared to do things that got Roosy the job. The game plan A is predictable need Plan B, C, D etc Nothing wrong with some creative player plans for part of the game. Say 5 minutes of every Quarter is player fun time. Roosy just tells them which 5 minutes.

1/4 Game plan for the first 15 minutes then go for it. No changes to the players on the ground for that silly 5 minutes. Everyone is accountable for their direct player. But if Schaubes can slip away from full back and collect a mark and kick a goal - team sucess. or if Barry Hall drags his 2 backmen out to the wing to free up the forward line for a loose ball to be kicked around that wing into the forward line, running players gather and goal ??..... get the idea


Plan C.1 have fun

Rod_

[BonBon]

I would give the reserves a turn.

[Sanecow]

Originally posted by BonBon
I would give the reserved a turn.

I might get a run.

[BonBon]

Lol, oops.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by BonBon
Lol, oops.

I bet your mum said that, very early in your life.

[footyhead]

Originally posted by Bron
I would stop saying that the player group were no good. I think that this is a major reason behind our lack of confidence.

I am disappointed to hear that Roos thinks we don't have any stars, yet we had a strong contingent in the International series. OK, not everyone got there on first pick, but our guys had to have been in the top 30 picks to get a gig. That means they are recognised as better than average players.

If you tell people that they are no good, then they will start to be no good. (Simple test, try this in any environment.)

So so true !

Just another example of how Roos has fallen into so many of the negative patterns of his predecessor.

You can't tell a bunch of players that they are not the best, when their whole like till now has been about trying to become the best.

It short circuts their will to win and comes back to bit the coach on the arse as self sabotage within the psyche of the team.

[ScottH]

I can't beleive that Roos is so negative to the players, if he is it would be sheer stupidity. His job is to instill confidence and self belief, as well as skills and game plan.

IMO he is down playing his players to the media. But what would I know?

[Wardy]

It seems that Roos has changed his tune.

When he became coach (or stand in after Eades departure) didnt he instill in the players that they were to go out and enjoy themselves, and not worry about mistakes, learn from them etc etc? I'm sure that was why the lads did so well when he took over because Eade used to read the riot act.
They were enjoying their footy - so what has caused all of this?

I'm at a loss!

[timthefish]

1. stop writing off the players skill in public and starting taking more responsibility for the form of the team
1a. forget about the flag this year. develop more.

2. play nick davis leading out of the square. he's the finest sharp-shooter in the game and needs to be a focal point. micky to pocket.

3. barry hall at CHF with small player at his feet

4. play goodes as our fourth (now third) ruckman to fill in while jolly/ball/(doyle) are unavailable. with the 10 m circle he can't get the leap together to beat 2 m + giants. try him out as ruck-rover, wing and hbf.

5. tadgh to the wing

6. persist with LRT and Saddington (soon) as developing CHB and spare-parts ruckman and forward flank.

7. schneider and moore as major projects in the midfield. give schneider the major tagging role for the next 6 weeks until he gets fitter and finding the ball himself a bit. start moore in off as small-forward and then bring him into the midfield for the remainder of the year and set him up for the mother of all pre-season. he'll be our general in five years.

8. start hunting for another tall defender/kpp player. doesn't have to be a champ now or a high draft pick in the past. i think our window of opportunity is 2006/2008 so we don't have much time for development of remaining bigmen.

[dread and might]

Originally posted by Rod_
1. Take the players on a mid week trip to a local pub and have a good time. (Lock them in for say 4 + hours) Say tomorrow night! Hire a comedian / clown / ??

2. Whilst at the pub play pool and darts and complete "team bonding" and laugh and have fun.

3. Make Roosy shave his head for charity - Nah my misses would kill me! (Or do something else that makes him touchable / human to the players) Roast him for all the things that he has done to the team so far this year (Maxi can lead the roasting - say each player gets one go) Blame Warwick Capper or something?

4. Then the next morning have a time trial run (but don't tell them till after the lock down period is over) Thursday AM Early say 5:00 AM - then rest to afternoon session.

5. Another session of skills training PM. Light session only consisting of kick to kick - taking speckies, and rabbitiing about as about 80% flat out say 1 hour excluding warm ups and downs.

6. Select the team (including new blood - Say Vogles and Moore - Vogles to replace Doyle)

7. Select / confirm Team plays and alternative match ups on Friday behind closed doors and then practiced on the paddock.

Game day - have confidence in the players and tell them to have fun it is just a game.

Win loose or draw we need confidence to be reinstalled in the players.

The player look scared to do things that got Roosy the job. The game plan A is predictable need Plan B, C, D etc Nothing wrong with some creative player plans for part of the game. Say 5 minutes of every Quarter is player fun time. Roosy just tells them which 5 minutes.

1/4 Game plan for the first 15 minutes then go for it. No changes to the players on the ground for that silly 5 minutes. Everyone is accountable for their direct player. But if Schaubes can slip away from full back and collect a mark and kick a goal - team sucess. or if Barry Hall drags his 2 backmen out to the wing to free up the forward line for a loose ball to be kicked around that wing into the forward line, running players gather and goal ??..... get the idea


Plan C.1 have fun

Rod_

OMG. Rod is Grant Thomas

[Thunder Shaker]

What I would do:

Develop a game plan that looks good on match day. When the premiership finally arrives we will have a Grand Final that is worth adding to our Highlights cupboard.

Something like the 1972 Grand Final would be wonderful.

[Snowy]

Just on the interchanging of players, 7 Swans are in the top 20 most interchanged players to date and some of them are good players. Surely they have the fitness (Bolton excluded, needs a break occasionally), to have more game time! In fact do the constant rotations de-stabilize the unit?

[Rob-bloods]

Deliver the ball through half forward line or forward of wing, not to Barry, not allowing the defenders to zone off and give Bazza a chance one on one........and bring back the crumbers!