that’s not really correct, the players / coach has said the team can play what they see....and aren’t restricted.
And it’s pretty much supported by our offloading....Paulo is no. 1 for offloads while Matterson is 4th. Additionally we also have Nrown/Evans/Lane in the top 12 (That’s 5 players, the most of any side).
Thats not really a sign the coach is restricted the players creativity........it’s probably an indication of the freedom to play what they see....
Offloading isn't our problem, in fact it has probably become a negative influence for our coach. We are so good at it that if has allowed him to ignore almost all the other attacking options. When offloading is your main and almost only option in attack, you are in trouble.
If you take out our over reliance on the offload we offer very little in the offensive side of the game. Shouldn't that be of great concern to all our coaching staff? To think that all is well and it is an easy fix is delusional. As we saw the better teams can and will defend that over the course of a whole game. Then frustration will set in and riskier plays and offloads will start to be made.
Confidence will start to be eaten away. The bash and barge power game that gave us such an advantage and momentum in the first half of the season can not be maintained for the entire season. It is not humanly possible unless we had 4 bench players that were of almost equal quality as our top 6 in the pack, which we didn't by a long shot and even then you have to hope big time that injuries don't take them out or hamper their abilities.
So when the inevitable happened and we started to falter up front and those exceptional metres started to dry up, we had no plan B. Our attack just relied on offloads. which wasn't enough and as the season progressed we then also saw our defense start to be affected too. That is what happens when you are a one trick pony and don't use the talents in your roster as the footy Gods intended.
Power game and offloads, that's all we had. When we lost the power, all we had then were the offloads and that my friends was never going to beat the best teams in the comp, especially since we lost our confidence in defense.
The coach and no one but the coach is to blame for the way we played this year. The good and the bad. He need to see and understand that we need more then power and offloads and then find someone that can help him achieve the necessary steps needed to add the lethal variety to our attack that is so desperately needed. You need to build this from the ground up. It can't be manufactured during the season in a few training sessions. You need to work on this the whole offseason and then forever more.
I think I have the perfect candidate for that. But what do I know? The coach obviously knows better.
