Armchair Coaching Clinic

[muzby]

If you really want an opinion then let people pick their own sides from within our roster and then tell people why they selected them and how they would expect them to play ie the game plan.

That’s pretty much every other thread..

And let’s be honest, some of the sides suggested on here make Mary look like Bellamy & Bennett rolled into one..

A Bellett or Bennamy, so to speak..

 

[SBD82]

Are you being deliberately precocious? Is there something underlying that you’d like to discuss? Perhaps in the swamp?

You fail to acknowledge that I believe our roster and our coaching to be very f**king ordinary

I acknowledged this directly.

To then compound that by giving me your team and no room to move re selection what do you expect me to contribute?
I wouldn’t pick that side as I consider it ordinary and no amount of coaching good or bad will make it a contender other than for the spoon.
If you really want an opinion then let people pick their own sides from within our roster and then tell people why they selected them and how they would expect them to play ie the game plan.

That is what literally every other thread descends into.

Once we start talking recruitment and the make up of the side there is the inevitable discussion about Millward and Mary, subjects that have already been pretty thoroughly covered.

I was trying to avoid the weird tangents because I’m particularly interested in tactics; a subject that is almost never explored in here.

Forgive me for thinking that you’d have something to contribute.

 

[Old Timer]

Are you being deliberately precocious? Is there something underlying that you’d like to discuss? Perhaps in the swamp?

I acknowledged this directly.

That is what literally every other thread descends into.

Once we start talking recruitment and the make up of the side there is the inevitable discussion about Millward and Mary, subjects that have already been pretty thoroughly covered.

I was trying to avoid the weird tangents because I’m particularly interested in tactics; a subject that is almost never explored in here.

Forgive me for thinking that you’d have something to contribute.

Tactics you say well best you pick the players that you can employ them with and hopefully they will follow them
The team you selected reeks of Mary and is exactly the reason we finished bottom 2
If you give freedom to people to select a side and talk of its merits and strengths you will get s far better outcome.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

I like the idea of Aitken to second row, he is big enough and strong enough and could develop there. Not sure about Norman to center, could work but prefer Lomax there.

Aitken plays like an edge back rower, so he may as well go there rather than stand 1 in from the side. Would certainly improve our defensive frailties given his inability under the high ball.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Gotta say I agree with Old Timer on this one. Our roster and our coaching are very f**king ordinary. SBD82 asked for tactics but frankly the line-up is a big part of the problem and I don't see many tries with the line-up proposed.

Last year we had three main avenues in attack
- Ravalawa/Aitken on the right
- Vaughn/Friz/TSims running an edge
- Dufty in broken play.

SBD82 hasn't listed Dufty or Ravalawa, so that's two of our major weapons (such as we have) gone. Pereira is there but I don't see him doing any better than Ravalawa and in any case the Ravalawa/Aitken combo pretty much leaked as many tries as they scored. So with the team selected as listed, it looks like the bash and barge game again. Maybe the odd high ball to Saab will bring results but that's about it. There is absolutely nothing in that back-line to get excited about.

I really only see improvement if significant changes are made, either in player positions or personell. Tactics alone won't do it. Would love to be proven wrong.

 

[SBD82]

Tactics you say well best you pick the players that you can employ them with and hopefully they will follow them
The team you selected reeks of Mary and is exactly the reason we finished bottom 2
If you give freedom to people to select a side and talk of its merits and strengths you will get s far better outcome.

The team I picked is going to be pretty close to what runs out game 1. Regardless of what you or I say, it’s happening. I want to talk about the tactics that should be used with that team.

Do whatever you want. Make up your own team. List the tactics. Make up a dumb abusive name for Mary that you think is super clever. Talk about Millward’s mess. Talk about the good old days. Make dumb jokes about starjumps.

I couldn’t give less of a shit. I didn’t make this thread to begin arguments with a contrarian like you.

 

[giboz71]

It’s difficult to win without a good roster but some good old fashioned coaching can work wonders too. Have a close look at the Cowboys side that made the GF in 2017 (without Thurston and Scott). That backline had the like of Linnett, Winterstein, Coote, O’Neill, and Te Marie Martin. Almost makes our backline look ok.

Manly were tipped to be bottom 2 with a very ordinary roster as well and Hasler got them to the cusp of the top 4.

Our roster may look ordinary but we still have 5 Origin players (6 if JBD gets off) from last year, as well as some handy youngsters like Ford, Lawrie, Saab and Lomax.

A good coach will always get the best out of what he has which hasn’t happened in our club for going on 5 years.

 

[Dragonslayer]

It’s difficult to win without a good roster but some good old fashioned coaching can work wonders too. Have a close look at the Cowboys side that made the GF in 2017 (without Thurston and Scott). That backline had the like of Linnett, Winterstein, Coote, O’Neill, and Te Marie Martin. Almost makes our backline look ok.

Manly were tipped to be bottom 2 with a very ordinary roster as well and Hasler got them to the cusp of the top 4.

Our roster may look ordinary but we still have 5 Origin players (6 if JBD gets off) from last year, as well as some handy youngsters like Ford, Lawrie, Saab and Lomax.

A good coach will always get the best out of what he has which hasn’t happened in our club for going on 5 years.

Have to wholeheartedly agree with this. There's the old adage that "a star team, will always beat a team of stars".

Take Canberra last year, hardly a team of stars, with a couple of ex-dragons, a cast off from the Warriors, a couple of Pommies, some very young outsife backs and a halves combo, that on paper, made our 2 halves look like superstars. Yet they made the GF.

Sport is littered with stories of the ordinary rising to the top to achieve greatness and in the middle of it was the ability of certain individuals that brought out the best in each player and combined it with teamwork and belief.

Do we have a team of stars, or are we/could be a star team? Under the current tutorledge, it's neither.

 

[muzby]

Do we have a team of stars, or are we/could be a star team? Under the current tutorledge, it's neither.

Well this is the thread to work that out!

After I’ve rolled into town, hogtied Mary & put him on a slow train to Kalgoorlie, my expert tutorage would see them turn around...

Firstly, I’d have our 2nd rowers running better lines at gaps, rather than just straight back into the ruck..

I’d have a mandate that the hooker can’t pass one out.. spread the ball to help tire out the opposition in defence..

Keep Mick Ennis on the field when Luke comes on, but shift him to lock.

Change the last tackle plays. No automatic bomb on the 5th.. If within opposition 20 aim to get ball into the in goal to force a repeat set.

Have Hunt be the organiser whilst Norman plays what’s in front of him.

Cut out pass in front of Aitken if attacking to the right (I know we can’t change players in this squad but I’d like to see Silverman in there instead of Aitken)

And contest every scrum. Bring back the pushover.

 

[Old Timer]

The team I picked is going to be pretty close to what runs out game 1. Regardless of what you or I say, it’s happening. I want to talk about the tactics that should be used with that team.

Do whatever you want. Make up your own team. List the tactics. Make up a dumb abusive name for Mary that you think is super clever. Talk about Millward’s mess. Talk about the good old days. Make dumb jokes about starjumps.

I couldn’t give less of a shit. I didn’t make this thread to begin arguments with a contrarian like you.

Nothing like enshrining mediocrity and then trying to find a way to make it viable.

 

[SBD82]

Nothing like enshrining mediocrity and then trying to find a way to make it viable.

Let me be very clear.

I am not endorsing this team.

It is the one that will likely run out round 1.

I’m not happy about that.

I’m curious what tactics you would use to improve them as a team.

 

[Old Timer]

Let me be very clear.

I am not endorsing this team.

It is the one that will likely run out round 1.

I’m not happy about that.

I’m curious what tactics you would use to improve them as a team.

OK let’s give this a go
Attack
Vaughan:- Watch endless videos of Albert & Ryles offloading in traffic and copy them
Graham:- Keep the f**k out 2nd receiver and only handle the ball from our GL to the opposition 40 and even then not twice every set
Mc Innes:- Play what’s in front of you and use your pace out of dummy half and get the FB to go with you
Sims:- Not much more he can do than get someone on his hip
Frizz:- Stop turning inside and learn to pass before the line while running at speed. Not a natural hole runner so needs to draw and pass/dummy.
Merrin:- Forget you are lock and play like FR and bring back your offload especially when falling in a tackle. Little men need to be close by
Hunt:- Play only what us in front of you and do so without thinking about it
Norman:- Show some flare and take on the line and also give early ball when gaps appear.
Lafai:- Learn to run and bring back the offload
Aitken:- Learn to catch and pass in 1 movement, understand that if you draw a player you pass early, learn how to count so you know what 3 on 2 or 2 on 1 means
Saab:- Learn to call to your halves for the cut out ball and the chip in behind.
Pereira:- Honest toiler who just needs early ball when near the opposition line. Use him off halves from scrums in the opposition 40
Lomax:- Play your natural game and chance your hand.
K Sims:- Run at their halves and have someone on your hip
Ford:- Back up all ball players and call early
Lawrie:- Play tight and commit 2 of them to tackle you through leg drive and get a quick play the ball.
Luke:- Short dummy half bursts especially when near the opposition goal posts. Cut out pass to 2nd rowers.
These are the skill sets needed and are our strengths to be played to
Trying to work out rotations difficult as it needs more fluidity & depends on the situation of the game so don’t set it in stone.

 

[muzby]

That wasn’t so hard now, was it?

 

[The calm one]

OK let’s give this a go
Attack
Vaughan:- Watch endless videos of Albert & Ryles offloading in traffic and copy them
Graham:- Keep the f**k out 2nd receiver and only handle the ball from our GL to the opposition 40 and even then not twice every set
Mc Innes:- Play what’s in front of you and use your pace out of dummy half and get the FB to go with you
Sims:- Not much more he can do than get someone on his hip
Frizz:- Stop turning inside and learn to pass before the line while running at speed. Not a natural hole runner so needs to draw and pass/dummy.
Merrin:- Forget you are lock and play like FR and bring back your offload especially when falling in a tackle. Little men need to be close by
Hunt:- Play only what us in front of you and do so without thinking about it
Norman:- Show some flare and take on the line and also give early ball when gaps appear.
Lafai:- Learn to run and bring back the offload
Aitken:- Learn to catch and pass in 1 movement, understand that if you draw a player you pass early, learn how to count so you know what 3 on 2 or 2 on 1 means
Saab:- Learn to call to your halves for the cut out ball and the chip in behind.
Pereira:- Honest toiler who just needs early ball when near the opposition line. Use him off halves from scrums in the opposition 40
Lomax:- Play your natural game and chance your hand.
K Sims:- Run at their halves and have someone on your hip
Ford:- Back up all ball players and call early
Lawrie:- Play tight and commit 2 of them to tackle you through leg drive and get a quick play the ball.
Luke:- Short dummy half bursts especially when near the opposition goal posts. Cut out pass to 2nd rowers.
These are the skill sets needed and are our strengths to be played to
Trying to work out rotations difficult as it needs more fluidity & depends on the situation of the game so don’t set it in stone.

Have you received notification re your interview yet?????
Stay Calm

 

[kit66]

You've picked the line-up, fair enough, I'll pick the coaches. Mary - attack / Flanagan - Defence. and Tactical / D.Young - Fiji based talent scout.

Defence -
It's back to basics for this team, it's not just a cliche, they really need to start again and start with defence.
We were woeful last year, we didn't protect / support Hunt anywhere near enough, Aitken's a dumb merkin, the whole team no communication, no confidence in those around you. I'm hoping Flanagan can help sort our defensive woes, getting players to trust each other, to communicate better, to keep their line speed up for more than 15 minutes a half and to protect Hunt - if he's being targeted by attacking forwards then those forwards need to know they're going to get smashed every time. We also need to hold down longer in the tackle, slow it down, we're not good at this, haven't been for years. Watch the Storm, watch Smith, it's possible to do it and get away with it and still keep a semblance of discipline. Another leaf out of the Storm playbook, give away penalties if it stops an attacking raid in it's tracks. I'm not convinced Lomax has the vision or positional awareness he's going to need at fullback, we need to get him up to speed, I'd find him a personal coach - Gary Jack, Tim Brasher someone to guide and inspire him.
Work together, hit hard, do it for 80 minutes, do it for 25 Rounds.

Attack
Mary had the boys firing in the early rounds of 2017, 2018 and needs to replicate that power game. It relied heavily on our forwards dominating and making big metres to give our halves plenty of room to finish the sets with thoughtful kicks ( not panicked , under pressure hope for the best kicks ) or set plays and those sweeping plays that work well for a well drilled backline. People on here mock that power game now because it failed us last year, well everything failed us last year, doesn't mean it's a bad tactic, just needs to be executed properly.
Early ball to our centres. Their only strength is that they're both quite dangerous in space, Lafai has a great step and fend and Aitken has evasiveness and strength. Both can off-load well if they're in control and have time.
Lots of off-loads and backing each other up. I love off loads and broken field play, it can put even the best defences at sixes and sevens not to mention sap their energy having to turn and chase in a panic. Minimum one out hit ups, always follow the ball runner and be ready.
Communicate in attack - if you see a gap or a weakness tell your hooker and halves or call for the ball.
I'd do a lot of video work on this so players know what to keep an eye out for and even develop some on field signals to pass on the message. The best players do it automatically but the whole team should have this awareness drilled into them.
I'd like to see more of the short passing game from our forwards close to the line using our halves as decoys. Oppositions expect the ball to go to a half or fullback when attacking the line and cluey forwards like Merrin and Vaughan can take advantage of that.
Our 2nd rowers run some good lines in attack and I'd do more work on that at training. T.sims should be back to his rampaging best after successful surgery so I'd use him a lot close to the opposition line - he has a hat trick to beat.

Kicking game.
High ball to the corner for Saab, grubbers for the 2nd rowers close to the line. Hunt and Lomax long kicks and Norman short , accurate attacking kicks near the opposition tryline. More bombs when kicking from about the opposition 40mtr line - we don't do it enough.
Hard to coach this area as it depends on so many things on the day. Keep it simple to control the game, take your opportunities when they arise. Again it has a lot to do with the forwards giving the halves the time and space they need to take the best kicking option.

Tactical
Quick play the balls. Against teams notorious for slowing things down, fight like crazy, milk the sh*t out of it and get the refs attention visually and also get in their ear, scream for faster play the balls, at worst you'll win a penalty or two, at best a faster game.
Conversely - Slow down your opposition, wrestle like Bellyaches' scoring your performance.
Constant pressure on the opposition halves / hookers, not just when they're kicking but any time they get the ball - as much as is reasonably possible anyway. How many times is Cam Smith allowed to skip out of dummy half and take 5 minutes to decide what to do next, drifting across field casual as you please. Shouldn't happen ever.
Line Speed - McInnes speed, all day.
Captaincy - I love Cam McInnes but I'd be making Merrin or Graham captain and maybe Hunt co-captain ( when the other is off the field ). Talking to and challenging the refs is so important these days and Cam's too quiet for that job.

These are as I said basics, obviously I'm no real coach but this is all achievable and necessary if we're to improve our lot this year.