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I read an interesting piece on one the many AFL websites out there. It is primarily about Richmond and the collapse of their game plan. As I was reading it, I thought that it could easily apply to the Swans as well. I have cut and pasted some relevant sections below. If you substitute Richmond with Sydney, Riewoldt with Buddy and Hardwick with Longmire, I think it describes where we are at as well.
?At their best, which had been seen ever more consistently over seasons 2012 and 2013, Richmond was one of, if not the, finest exponents of ?fast footy? in the league.
Their trademark was instinctively switching the ball in the back half, before sweeping it forward with a wave of runners alongside each other, whipping the ball between them with quick handball and finishing it off on the scoreboard.
The Tigers would run hard, both to create space for a teammate, and also to find it for themselves, which helped when using short kicking to provide death by a thousand cuts. Being in space, and hitting free players, means not having to be as precise with foot skills as you do when under pressure.
This freedom actually sees you hit more laser passes because there in your mind there is no punishment for error. Hawthorn has turned it into a fine art, but also deliver the same precision when the heat is on.
The ability to cut a swathe through the middle of the ground with that sort of run and movement can only come from a team consisting of individuals playing with confidence and enjoying their footy. Right now, the opposite applies to every person wearing a yellow and black jumper.
Playing stagnant football kills you in today?s game. Teams are defensively set up to stifle their opponents, and slow movement of the ball plays right into their hands.
A player lacking confidence in a team under siege doesn?t want to make a mistake lest he earn the wrath of teammates, coaches and fans. Mainly, he doesn?t want to be the one to let the team down. So he holds onto the ball and does one of two things ? chips it short, often sideways or backwards to a teammate ? or goes long down the line.
Neither scenario helps his team.
The sideways chip, when not part of an attacking switch, simply allows the opposition more time to get numbers back and set up their defensive zone perfectly. They can then sweat on the inevitable mistake, when the pressured man with the ball goes short to a fifty-fifty contest, and have an open forward-line to rush the ball back into.
The long kick down the line isn?t much better. It is almost always to an out-numbered situation that involves the opposition ruckman, at least one key defender and the specialist third-man up.
Having the entire opposition in between the ball carrier and your forward-line also makes it difficult for leading forwards to find space to work into, and forces them into one-on-three situations (hello, Jack Riewoldt). They become discouraged at their futile leads, and eventually stop working as hard, meaning there are even less options and the vicious circle strangles itself.
When a team is down on form and confidence, the instinct is to focus on the players, savaging their faults and deficiencies. But the Richmond of 2014 has largely the same players as Richmond of 2013.
There is a problem when too many limited footballers are in the one side though. Any confidence and form issues are only going to be compounded when the worst of each player is on display.
Damien Hardwick has built a list of mainly hard-nosed footballers and solid citizens. On their bad days, they?re a bunch of one-paced triers. What his squad is lacking is speed and class. Players who can turn a match when the chips are down.
Damien Hardwick has built this list, and now it?s up to him to turn it around. He?s been soundly out-coached on more than a few occasions in the last twelve months too. His lengthy honeymoon period is over. It?s grind-it-out time.?
The full article can be found at After four rounds, Richmond are a rabble | The Roar
Do you agree that we are in the same boat or do you have other thoughts on our problems?
?At their best, which had been seen ever more consistently over seasons 2012 and 2013, Richmond was one of, if not the, finest exponents of ?fast footy? in the league.
Their trademark was instinctively switching the ball in the back half, before sweeping it forward with a wave of runners alongside each other, whipping the ball between them with quick handball and finishing it off on the scoreboard.
The Tigers would run hard, both to create space for a teammate, and also to find it for themselves, which helped when using short kicking to provide death by a thousand cuts. Being in space, and hitting free players, means not having to be as precise with foot skills as you do when under pressure.
This freedom actually sees you hit more laser passes because there in your mind there is no punishment for error. Hawthorn has turned it into a fine art, but also deliver the same precision when the heat is on.
The ability to cut a swathe through the middle of the ground with that sort of run and movement can only come from a team consisting of individuals playing with confidence and enjoying their footy. Right now, the opposite applies to every person wearing a yellow and black jumper.
Playing stagnant football kills you in today?s game. Teams are defensively set up to stifle their opponents, and slow movement of the ball plays right into their hands.
A player lacking confidence in a team under siege doesn?t want to make a mistake lest he earn the wrath of teammates, coaches and fans. Mainly, he doesn?t want to be the one to let the team down. So he holds onto the ball and does one of two things ? chips it short, often sideways or backwards to a teammate ? or goes long down the line.
Neither scenario helps his team.
The sideways chip, when not part of an attacking switch, simply allows the opposition more time to get numbers back and set up their defensive zone perfectly. They can then sweat on the inevitable mistake, when the pressured man with the ball goes short to a fifty-fifty contest, and have an open forward-line to rush the ball back into.
The long kick down the line isn?t much better. It is almost always to an out-numbered situation that involves the opposition ruckman, at least one key defender and the specialist third-man up.
Having the entire opposition in between the ball carrier and your forward-line also makes it difficult for leading forwards to find space to work into, and forces them into one-on-three situations (hello, Jack Riewoldt). They become discouraged at their futile leads, and eventually stop working as hard, meaning there are even less options and the vicious circle strangles itself.
When a team is down on form and confidence, the instinct is to focus on the players, savaging their faults and deficiencies. But the Richmond of 2014 has largely the same players as Richmond of 2013.
There is a problem when too many limited footballers are in the one side though. Any confidence and form issues are only going to be compounded when the worst of each player is on display.
Damien Hardwick has built a list of mainly hard-nosed footballers and solid citizens. On their bad days, they?re a bunch of one-paced triers. What his squad is lacking is speed and class. Players who can turn a match when the chips are down.
Damien Hardwick has built this list, and now it?s up to him to turn it around. He?s been soundly out-coached on more than a few occasions in the last twelve months too. His lengthy honeymoon period is over. It?s grind-it-out time.?
The full article can be found at After four rounds, Richmond are a rabble | The Roar
Do you agree that we are in the same boat or do you have other thoughts on our problems?
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