St. KFC gameday thread

[Swansinger]

Not perfect , although it would be churlish to be overly-critical after a ten-goal win.
We worked hard and won well.

If we can win by a good margin , with ROK , Hanners and KJ a bit down , that has to be a good sign.
Sure , they will need to lift for the next two - but I have no doubt they will.

Nice to see Kennedy back to fine form - I've never been his greatest fan , but IMO he was BOG today.

Brilliant substitution - not only good for Ranga , but also to see if we had another game plan .
Don't tell Scotty or Clarko , but after the 27th time , I detected that Plan A was "bomb it long to KT".
Takes really deep football knowledge to notice these subtle things , y'know

[stellation]

Great to see Davo get his own game thread!

How many times this year are we going to sit back and think "is that th best game Jesse has played? "?

[annew]

Says Tippett had hamstring tightness

[DK_]

Popularity of both subs is at polar opposites.

Tippett to bag 5. Swans to win by 51 pts.

Nice. Very nice.

[Auntie.Gerald]

hhhmmm

agree Dre is not quite were we want him and today he did ok but Rampe, Grundy and Ted still have the TALL defender roles - Dre does not even appear to share the 3rd tall defender role which is interesting because I honestly thought Dre is still in the team because we are easing Shaw back into the backs?? and then Dre will exit maybe next round or is Dre in the team because we need a swingman who is reasonably tall and mobile??

I have been mulling over our best 22 players a lot......especially with our injured guys coming back in potentially or maybe not........ and I have been considering with Dre and White both in our 22 do we loose too much vs what we gain ? Even though White played well again today do we loose to much mobility in a rugged finals type game ie the next 2 games we are going to play when we have so many tall players ??


Rampe, Ted, Smithy
Shaw, Grundy, Mal

plus Macca of course you would guess will be our main 7 defenders rotating

Mal appears to generally play half the game at least on the wing and when needed against 3 talls and a semi tall then Mal matches up and can be the second man in when needed.......(not as good as Mattner but he can do it)

Shaw was looking a lot faster today and much fitter (maybe 85%)........just a little off on execution but he has never been perfect on delivery anyway.

Tom Mitchell if fit is a must and I am 100% he was rested to ensure he is ready for a long finals series.......and Lambie looks to be pushing for a 22 and probably push Dre out especially now White is still looking an important part of our puzzle.......Lambie is great value and I think he is still miles ahead of Rohan right now and Brandon cant rotate thru the midfield as yet

[mcs]

McGlynn kicked 2 goals. Most of the rest of his disposals were rubbish.
Shaw definitely showed his value.
Everitt was as good as lairising. Tried to be fancy and got caught out.
Rampe was outstanding. No stuffing around with the footy by him.

Rampe has been awesome this season and he was absolutely superb today.

We got the job done today, but really should have won by more. It will be interesting to see how we approach the next two weeks. For even if we win both games, unless either the Hawks or Freo get done next week, I just cant see how we will finish Top 2.

[Auntie.Gerald]

RE The Gameplan today and the concern re kick to Kurt

I actually think the kick to Tippett is not about just kick it to KURT........it is not about a pathetic one out strategy for our attack. Our coaching staff simply want us to dominate field position in the part of the oval that is easiest to manage and easiest to score goals from.

My guess is that our coaching staff want several outcomes but above all is :

1. control the field position - without doubt we have been sharpening our ability to control the game in the oppositions backline ie our forward line. Freeo have been playing exactly the same game plan.......just keep knocking it into your forward 50m then reset and control the game if you dont get a mark..........Yes we have used Kurt as a massive target and yes he has had up to 3 men defending him and yes the HBF etc from the other teams know to run to the front of the contest for the slingshot but most of the last 10 games we have been able to contain this opposition awareness with fierce contested footy in this hot zone....... To master field position effectively the quickest and most efficient strategy is to bomb it to a very well contested mark inside our forward 50m. We can rush and pressure this target this area of the field with greater certainty. When your runners and forwards know where to move to ahead of a kick we can break free of our tag and be in the space where the ball will next be. Against teams like Geelong, Hawks and Freeo this will be critical.

We dont have the fastest midfield. We are 100% contested football, finals football through and through and we have strong bodied slower midfielders then some other teams. We have to play to our boys strengths.

Kennedy
Parker
ROK
Bolton
Bird
Tom Mitchell

These guys are not quick and when a Richmond or a Geelong or a Hawks play it fast and one on one wider or direct we get caught out for speed.......So we must set the tempo, we must play it more direct and to hot zones to control the field position.......and what better field position then inside our forward 50m?

The alternative is not good for us.........yes we have learnt to play very very exciting sling shot football to counter when stuck in our 50m but this was done better last year with Shaw and Jetta etc in our team.........we have only just got back Shaw and we dont have Jetts back as yet.........KJ has pushed very hard forward when needed this season and done well but in finals footy, with a great matchup that may happen a couple times a game for Kizza if he is lucky.

[707]

Very impressed with White again. He has developed into a seriously good KPF, clunking marks, kicking goaks, setting up others and has real pace to boot. Doing lots of the small things too, tackling, crashing into packs, applying lots of pressure and physicality. A difficult match up for opposition teams.

It's been a long frustrating wait for all of us but Jesse aint going back to his old ways and the bus to the ACT, he's in the big time for good now.

He is definitely a keeper, will get a new contract for sure. If he does want to try his hand elsewhere, he is now worth real currency but he'll stay I reckon.

[mcs]

hhhmmm

agree Dre is not quite were we want him and today he did ok but Rampe, Grundy and Ted still have the TALL defender roles - Dre does not even appear to share the 3rd tall defender role which is interesting because I honestly thought Dre is still in the team because we are easing Shaw back into the backs?? and then Dre will exit maybe next round or is Dre in the team because we need a swingman who is reasonably tall and mobile??

I have been mulling over our best 22 players a lot......especially with our injured guys coming back in potentially or maybe not........ and I have been considering with Dre and White both in our 22 do we loose too much vs what we gain ? Even though White played well again today do we loose to much mobility in a rugged finals type game ie the next 2 games we are going to play when we have so many tall players ??


Rampe, Ted, Smithy
Shaw, Grundy, Mal

plus Macca of course you would guess will be our main 7 defenders rotating

Mal appears to generally play half the game at least on the wing and when needed against 3 talls and a semi tall then Mal matches up and can be the second man in when needed.......(not as good as Mattner but he can do it)

Shaw was looking a lot faster today and much fitter (maybe 85%)........just a little off on execution but he has never been perfect on delivery anyway.

Tom Mitchell if fit is a must and I am 100% he was rested to ensure he is ready for a long finals series.......and Lambie looks to be pushing for a 22 and probably push Dre out especially now White is still looking an important part of our puzzle.......Lambie is great value and I think he is still miles ahead of Rohan right now and Brandon cant rotate thru the midfield as yet

Shaw was much, much better today. It will be interesting to see how we fit everyone in. I agree Mitchell is in our best 22, and I was very happy with Lamb's input today - I really think he is in the top 22.

[liz]

I don't think was a coincidence that the skills picked up in the second half exactly when the intensity picked up. They just need to turn the switch on a little earlier.

Kudos to White. I thought he was one of the better (harder working) players in the first half when the rest of the team was fumbling and missing targets, and then he got his rewards later in the game. His contested marking has improved markedly over the last couple of years, and he's become a pretty reliable set shot for goal too.

[crackedactor]

what now?

Rampe has been awesome this season and he was absolutely superb today.

We got the job done today, but really should have won by more. It will be interesting to see how we approach the next two weeks. For even if we win both games, unless either the Hawks or Freo get done next week, I just cant see how we will finish Top 2.

Good to see Kennedy and Jack back in form and Rampe keeps surprising. Everitt was ordinary and they reckin Goodes will play next week. So I imagine Everitt will be dropped. Jessie White is a mystery. Played well today and out ran Dempster, whom I know has got some serious pace! Not sure what to make of him, maybe just needs to get his mind right (hoping for too much there). Good to see Rohan back but did not see any evidence of his blistering pace, maybe I will in the next few weeks. Winning our last 2 games seems not worth the hassle. Fremantle will overtake us in percentage any way, even if we win. So it is a dilemma as to what we do for the last 2 games. Looks like a first final against Hawthorn at the MCG. daunting TASK!

[mcs]

RE The Gameplan today and the concern re kick to Kurt

I actually think the kick to Tippett is not about just kick it to KURT........it is not about a pathetic one out strategy for our attack. Our coaching staff simply want us to dominate field position in the part of the oval that is easiest to manage and easiest to score goals from.

My guess is that our coaching staff want several outcomes but above all is :

1. control the field position - without doubt we have been sharpening our ability to control the game in the oppositions backline ie our forward line. Freeo have been playing exactly the same game plan.......just keep knocking it into your forward 50m then reset and control the game if you dont get a mark..........Yes we have used Kurt as a massive target and yes he has had up to 3 men defending him and yes the HBF etc from the other teams know to run to the front of the contest for the slingshot but most of the last 10 games we have been able to contain this opposition awareness with fierce contested footy in this hot zone....... To master field position effectively the quickest and most efficient strategy is to bomb it to a very well contested mark inside our forward 50m. We can rush and pressure this target this area of the field with greater certainty. When your runners and forwards know where to move to ahead of a kick we can break free of our tag and be in the space where the ball will next be. Against teams like Geelong, Hawks and Freeo this will be critical.

We dont have the fastest midfield. We are 100% contested football, finals football through and through and we have strong bodied slower midfielders then some other teams. We have to play to our boys strengths.

Kennedy
Parker
ROK
Bolton
Bird
Tom Mitchell

These guys are not quick and when a Richmond or a Geelong or a Hawks play it fast and one on one wider or direct we get caught out for speed.......So we must set the tempo, we must play it more direct and to hot zones to control the field position.......and what better field position then inside our forward 50m?

The alternative is not good for us.........yes we have learnt to play very very exciting sling shot football to counter when stuck in our 50m but this was done better last year with Shaw and Jetta etc in our team.........we have only just got back Shaw and we dont have Jetts back as yet.........KJ has pushed very hard forward when needed this season and done well but in finals footy, with a great matchup that may happen a couple times a game for Kizza if he is lucky.

If we play like we did today, just bombing it into Tippett, then we will get hammered on the counter attack in the finals, like Collingwood did last year. There is no point just bombing it forward time and time again. We'd be better off kicking it short and keeping possession that way then just bombing and hope. You have to work so hard to keep the ball in the forward 50, and with our current forward line, we really are struggling to keep it in there when it happens. It needs 100% commitment and 100% pressure all game long. St Kilda got plenty of rebound footy today, but they just are not good enough to make us pay. The better sides will make us pay big time.

The next 2 weeks, whilst likely not to change a whole lot in terms of finals (I see it very unlikely that we won't finish either 3rd or 4th) will tell us a hell of a lot about how we will go in the finals. We need to show we've solved some of the big issues that have been identified in the games earlier in the year.

- - - Updated - - -

Good to see Kennedy and Jack back in form and Rampe keeps surprising. Everitt was ordinary and they reckin Goodes will play next week. So I imagine Everitt will be dropped. Jessie White is a mystery. Played well today and out ran Dempster, whom I know has got some serious pace! Not sure what to make of him, maybe just needs to get his mind right (hoping for too much there). Good to see Rohan back but did not see any evidence of his blistering pace, maybe I will in the next few weeks. Winning our last 2 games seems not worth the hassle. Fremantle will overtake us in percentage any way, even if we win. So it is a dilemma as to what we do for the last 2 games. Looks like a first final against Hawthorn at the MCG. daunting TASK!

Today was as much for Rohan about getting over the 'mental' hurdle than actually having a big contribution. He will improve, but I really think if he is going to stay in the team, then it'll be as the sub - much in the way Parker did in last year's final series.

[Auntie.Gerald]

just to clarify I dont mean just bomb it all game......that doesnt happen now anyway.......but we certainly havent gone down the path of a Hawks 2010/11/12 style of chipping it around......mind you Hawks changed this alot end of 2012 season

i tend to break up our game plan as follows:

i) when in our back 50 or out near the corners or our defensive arc we generally play it down the line to a contest........this is probably 50% of the game against the good teams and a much lower % against the weaker teams........our slingshot maybe features 10 to 15 % as an option to advance forward.

ii) when in the middle of the field or in our forward 50m we are continually looking for the short pass to set up a mark or goal and my hunch is this is approx 50% of the time against the best teams.........and a much higher % against weaker teams ie 2nd and 3rd qtrs today against the Saints we had almost 80% possession in their half of the field


In Soccer I know that 80% of goals come via 3 or less passes !

It would be fascinating to work this out for footy as well ?

I am guessing that via our intention for high pressure football in the oppositions backline that we must score a high percentage of goals via only a few handpasses or kicks......and a lot thru turnovers !!

ie we dont score a high % from 10 or more passes linking from one end of the field to the other with uncontested marks

PS - 63 Sydney to 41 Saints inside 50m today

[Captain]

Fantastic game by White. Finally seeing the benefit of him as a genuine forward.

Really enjoying Jude's contribution in the forward line, love his hunger and pressure.

[Ludwig]

So much talk from game commentators and in the media about Jesse auditioning for another team. But why would we want to trade him considering the way he's been playing? We would probably go into the next draft looking for a key defender, but if you have White at CHF, then Reid becomes that young tall defender. So what's the point of trading White for a draft pick to get some unknown.

I noticed plenty of posters' comments about Mitchell, Lamb, etc. all being in our best 22. But if Goodes comes in, then probably Lamb will exit, unless Dre goes out. Then what about Mitchell? Does Rohan stay in the side? I think Horse will want at least one of Rohan or Jetta for the speed, and now Rohan is in the side, so it's his spot to lose.

Selection may become a big dilemma. Today's side seems good enough to go into the finals with, but we still have 4 that could easily come in (Goodes, Reid, Jetta and Mitchell).