The Soaring

We lose a game by a point, and suddenly the sky is falling. The game plan is shot, they say. Change it or perish. Add some pot shots from opponents and media alike and you have a recipe for hysteria.

Time for a bit of perspective on this small matter I think.

So what’s the real issue? Well the Eagles game plan is to man up each player thus denying their opponents the chance to create loose man in defence. On Saturday night this resulted in an open two man Swans forward line (Hall and O’Loughlin) who had exceptional games kicking 9 between them.

Why does this happen? If you listen to the coach it’s because opponents know they can’t beat us man on man, therefore they need an extra man. Makes sense to me.

Or as Carny at Corkintheocean asks is it easier to score 15 on 15 or 3 on 15?

Adopting the like for like strategy - ie letting them drop a man back, and having a free man ourselves - is not simply a matter of swallowing some pride as some would have you think. There’s much more to it than that.

1) It’s a bit late in the season for wholesale changes to the game plan don’t you think?
2) Particularly when that game plan won you 17 out of 22 games you’ve played
and
3) When making that wholesale change is by no means guaranteeing you a win in any case. How can it?

Do we need to make changes for this week? No doubt. The Bulldogs are not the Swans for one and the match-ups and particular emphases this week will need to be thought through. And they will be. But chucking away the approach that gets you to the top of the ladder is not the answer, surely.

The Swans and for that matter the Dogs play a similar type of game to Adelaide, a team we beat a matter of weeks ago by 14 goals.

Surely there are some clues to be gleaned from that performance.

1) Our pressure and our run on that occassion were outstanding. Our use of the linking handball was relentless. On Saturday we reverted to spot up kick type of play.
2) Our runners was in superb form. E.g. Braun had 41 possessions v. Crows and only 14 v. Swans. Some of our mids need to lift this week.
3) Kerr was dominant with 34 possessions in that game. Absent vs. Swans. Injury permitting bring him back.
4) Ditto Hansen, who kicked 3 goals. Absent vs. Swans. Bring him back.
5) We took some marks that day (92), we failed to vs. Swans (74). Again this indicates a willingness to find space to receive the ball. We need to do more it Saturday.
6) We took our chances in front of goal (26.9 vs. 12.12). Again, we’ve got to make it count on the scoreboard Saturday.

Yes, yes, it’s a simplistic look at the way the game is played but it isn’t completely unfounded. If we play with intensity, run hard (both ways), apply defensive pressure, and take our chances in front of goal we will get the result. The much maligned game plan has served us well thus far - it’s just a matter of execution in my book. Let’s not give up hope just yet.

If nothing else, this week has certainly provided some great motivational material for the boys this weekend*

*Not that we can play any harder than any other weekend.