TOPIC:

mate...I coach an under 17s team and we have defined structures at stoppages, kick in's, centre bounces...we use quarterbacks and switches to create space and we also do a sort of forward press. the forward press is not as great as AFL because young fellas of that age don't have the aerobic capacity to roll up and down the ground but we do set up behind the ball when it goes inside our forward half. players are given specific roles and set positions to get into in just about every scenario during the course of a game...so the old days of kick, mark, kick, mark are long gone.

you might say that's crazy for a junior comp but 17s are the jumping off point for colts and if they don't have an insight into the discipline required then players will struggle at WAFL level.

I think Swan42 comments are on the right track and simple to implement without having to bring in drastic changes like zones and the like which we have had too much of in recent times.

Blow the whistle as soon as a pack forms and immediately throw the ball up. Have a look at some old footage and see what was happening then. I recently watched the 73 GF ... again and I think Capes was umpiring. He was quick to blow the whistle and even quicker to bounce the ball and get play underway before a dozen extra players converge on the contest. Todays umpires take an eternity to bounce a ball and generally butcher it so keep the bounce just for the centre bounce and quick throw-ups everywhere else including speeding up the boundary throw-ins. Also agree with reducing the number of interchanges but do it in a graduated manner over 2 or 3 seasons so the transition wont be as demanding or noticeable for players coaches and the punters.

Senior Seagull wrote: I think Swan42 comments are on the right track and simple to implement without having to bring in drastic changes like zones and the like which we have had too much of in recent times.

Blow the whistle as soon as a pack forms and immediately throw the ball up. Have a look at some old footage and see what was happening then. I recently watched the 73 GF ... again and I think Capes was umpiring. He was quick to blow the whistle and even quicker to bounce the ball and get play underway before a dozen extra players converge on the contest. Todays umpires take an eternity to bounce a ball and generally butcher it so keep the bounce just for the centre bounce and quick throw-ups everywhere else including speeding up the boundary throw-ins. Also agree with reducing the number of interchanges but do it in a graduated manner over 2 or 3 seasons so the transition wont be as demanding or noticeable for players coaches and the punters.

S/S is this the first time you have agreed with me?

After watching half of the Sydney vs Hawthorn match which was one of the poorest examples of Australian Rules football, something must be done. I tossed in watching it & put up with cricket. It doesn't resemble the old game. More fun watching the dog chase a ball.

BC -- so are you coaching basketball or American Football? Here, of course is the essence of the problem: they have brought in strategies of coaching meant for totally different sports, played on a totally different continent, under the pretence of it still being Aussie Rules.

Thanks for the insight into the U-17s.

AR...it's the latest coaching initiatives...i have no doubt someone will find a way around it and the game will evolve again but at present, the primary focus is transitioning the ball into your own forward half and making sure it stays there for as long as possible. all teams these days try to maximise numbers behind the ball so that when you have possession, moving the ball into the forward line is difficult without turning it over...hence the switches, short kicks and quarterback transfers to maintain possession. once in your forward half you need to roll up behind the ball to keep it locked in there. it's not pretty and I think teams like hawthorn have developed a hybrid style where they play attacking defence. that is they force turnovers through the middle and down back then spread forward very quickly with elite runners such as Isaac Smith, Cyril, Luke Breust, Matt Suckling et al as opposed to Freo which is very much based on defensive with kick and hope into the forward line.

in freo's case its the old cliche that defense wins games, offence takes care of itself...hawthorn has taken it to a new level by ramping up the attack part and now kick 100+ points a game whilst not diminishing the defensive side one little bit making them extremely hard to beat.

swan42 wrote:

Senior Seagull wrote: I think Swan42 comments are on the right track and simple to implement without having to bring in drastic changes like zones and the like which we have had too much of in recent times.

Blow the whistle as soon as a pack forms and immediately throw the ball up. Have a look at some old footage and see what was happening then. I recently watched the 73 GF ... again and I think Capes was umpiring. He was quick to blow the whistle and even quicker to bounce the ball and get play underway before a dozen extra players converge on the contest. Todays umpires take an eternity to bounce a ball and generally butcher it so keep the bounce just for the centre bounce and quick throw-ups everywhere else including speeding up the boundary throw-ins. Also agree with reducing the number of interchanges but do it in a graduated manner over 2 or 3 seasons so the transition wont be as demanding or noticeable for players coaches and the punters.

S/S is this the first time you have agreed with me?

Not sure Swan but we all have our moments of clarity and rational thought ... even us oldtimers!! As I said watching Capes control the flow of the game so easily with quick bouncedowns at stoppages and most interestingly just about every bounce he did was straight and high without the 5 minutes of Zen meditation the current umps have before they contemplate a bounce. Yes the game was very different and slower in 1973 but there was also only one umpire to do the whole field for the whole game.

and currently a lot more sanitized too SS...i wonder how big siera would go these days throwing himself around and whacking anyone he could get hold of...or leon o'dwyer taking out ocker with an elbow behind play. its probably a good thing we've got 3 umpires these days imo.

Introduce a bonus point win lose or draw for teams that kick 20 goals per game and watch the "floodgates" open

yes.

one in the 50 meter ark

and

one behind the square