The GAME Plan - Is change imminent?

[ThePieMind]

I am a great admirer of Bucks and have always felt that his commentary on Channel 7 was always insightful, revealing a knowledge and understanding of the game beyond any commentator before him.

It has therefore been very surprising that we have not grown as club in terms of either innovation to the game plan, or game day tactical flexibility. Allowing Carlton to beat us with the same game plan and not reacting to Hawthorns setups last week are examples.

Some here have mentioned that his attempts to change the game plan were thwarted by the senior group early in the season, and hence our return to “boundary hugging”.

If this is the case, then I suspect that something has got to give leading into the finals.

Is BUCKS shrewd enough to have let the senior players have their heads to prove ( by defeats to both Hawthorn and Carlton), that he was right to advocate change, and that now, these leaders must accept a new approach is needed to succeed?

If this is not the case, then I fear that BUCKS may not be the innovator or leader that I was hoping he was, and he and the Coaching staff are deeply lacking in their abilities to innovate and develop a game plan to compete will the Hawks in September..

If as I am hoping, he wanted to prove his theory was correct and has allowed the senior players enough rope to hang themselves in the belief “boundary hugging” still has legs, then that would be a relief because change will come.

[Nick - Pie Man]

12 wins, 4 losses - not convinced that the game plan needs changing?

[Mossi]

ThePieMind. I am a great believer that finals footy is different to what is generally played during the home and away games just for the plain reason that it is so intense that teams cannot play it week after week.
Remember the last round match with Geelong last year where we played a soft zone and got completely blown out of the park and in the GF during the second quarter we put the work rate up and it was heaps of running from zones, switching to man on man and we had them on the ropes! The Cats counteracted with man on man in the center during the third quarter. I also have faith in Bucks, and I am sure if we meet the Hawks in September It's going to be a different story.

[twaters]

The Game plan is always being tweeked, depending on the opposition. See: Hawthorn last week - Clarson said they worked on that forward flow for 5 or 6 weeks beforehand to unleash it against us. Even dour old Mick didn't unleash the full Greek Phallanx forward press till opportune times in 2010.

Until we have Plan B through the corridor like the Dorks, Gee, Ess, we will struggle to be premier. It is now predictable - boundary, boundary, long to Travis, someone crumbs if he doesn't mark, and we keep it in forward 50 through pressure. Parts 3 and 4 and 5 are now all under strain.

Not sure the 'long to Travis' is working; fewer marks; less forward pressure and our crumbers have been reduced through injury. If Travis does leave, then next year we will need to play smarter, keep ball in hand and deliver pinpoint to lead up forwards rather than giants. No-one better than Bucks to drill a keep-the-ball-in-our hands Plan B - except perhaps Barry Price from a previous generation.

[Monco Matt]

If we want to win a flag we most likely will have to beat the Hawks to do it. Our current game plan does not seem good enough based on last weeks result. So, as good as it is giving us 12 wins and 4 losses it only needs to fail against 1 team in September and it is all over.

We are not even closing the gap on them. The last 3 games has been Win by 3, lose by 20 something, lose by 40 something.

Let's not be a Geelong in 2010, in complete denial that our game plan is still good enough, I fear it no longer is. It is good enough to beat 16 other teams, it needs to beat 17.

[woftam]

The game plan leaks too many easy goals & has done all year.

[Pie 65]

Especially against Good teams like Hawthorn.

Our defenders need to defend first and rebound second. Not the opposite way around.

[3rd degree]

The press makes us too unnacountable we might mind space, but that becomes meaningless if give our opponents a head start on us into their forward line. This happened heaps against the sqawks!

[woftam]

[ThePieMind]

[neil]

Having lots of injuries has not helped
A lack of continuity has not helped

I am still not sure any team actually has a plan B more adjustments to plan A and tweaks depending on injuries and form

[perthmagpie]

[Magpie Camo]

I bet if you looked at our 2010 best 22 you will find they missed a similar amount of games, maybe 40 - 50.

[ClokingDevice]

Operation stop Hawthorn, everything else is secondary

[MJ23]

hawkes have been working on their game plan since the press came in. Nearly 2 years and they just have it nailed now. how do we change what we have been doing and do it well enough to beat them ?
We can only execute our game plan better to beat them.
Easy to say