Lessons from the GF

[Greening gold]

[schuey07]

[MagpieBat]

[CarringbushCigar]

[58pie]

Doesn't matter who won the Norm Smith medal but Liam was the match winner and we passed on him. Loved he won it for the Dogs and to all my friends who have not waived as dog supporters. Enjoy. Go pies in 2017.

[Culprit]

A champion team will always beat a team of champions and you need the whole team contributing and have no passengers.

[Pies4shaw]

The lesson? When you get there, just win.

Imagine having almost an entire supporter base that doesn't know what it feels like to watch your team die pathetically in a ditch on Grand Final day.

[think positive]

[Rush Stand Wing]

I learned...

Contested ball is still king - Hawthorn's demise and the Dogs/Swans GF is concrete proof. This is already our mantra and we must maintain it consistently

Mobile Forwards are preferred - the game is much faster and relies heavily on players finding 'space' more so than big key position marking players who are more likely to cause congestion, if a mark is not taken. However, this will turn back again at some stage because big men will always get bigger the longer the game goes on.

Keep ball moving at forward all costs - Basically, back in your mates and go 'hell for leather' but yet be prepared to block it from going the other way. Every second and inch counts. The 'transition' game style is already entrenched at the Pies but we need the group to really click.

Never give a sucker and even break - the Dogs were to be admired the way they took most goal scoring chances when they presented. Its definitely a confidence thing and they peaked at the perfect time. A build up of self belief would go down very well at the Pies.

The Club's media need to go into lockdown - Instead of fuelling the media machine we need to close ranks and give the group more space to let their true personalities come out. We need some mystique back at the club.

We are on the right trek and its not as far away as I thought.

[thebaldfacts]

As Bucks said at the members meeting, the side we are most like is the Bulldogs. He also tipped the Bulldogs by 10 points.

We probably were unlucky not to beat them at least once this year.

Just gives me confidence that maybe we are on the right track after all.

[Rush Stand Wing]

I also heard Beveridge say" Melbourne and Collingwood are coming" when commenting on the evenness of the competition this year. A bit more class and health and who knows what can happen.

[WarrenerraW]

[RudeBoy]

The main lesson I got from the Dogs win was that there is no set template, game-plan or style for winning a flag. Those who try to emulate others are doomed to be second rate. Each team has its own strengths, its own personnel, it's own skill-sets and character. The key is to harness the best of what you've got and play to your strengths. However, the only other thing I'd add is that in doing that I do believe its essential to have a fully united and committed team, full of team spirit and passion. The Dogs have that in spades. This is the one area of Bucks coaching style which worries me, when I hear him saying he expects the players to be self motivated. To a point he's right. However, the team culture and spirit - as opposed to individual motivation - is the responsibility of the coach to nurture. FWIW, I think Bucks is smart enough to realise that, and getting rid of Leading Teams is a good step towards rebuilding the team spirit we need to march on to victory in 2017.

[stui magpie]

[RudeBoy]

The other lesson from the Grand Final is that we can win the flag in 2017.