Why do some teams match up better on some teams than others?

[Dry Rot]

Came across this article about recent Dogs v Saints games and IIRC both Saints and the Blues have given us grief recently despite their lowly ladder positions.

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/703433?camefrom=EMCL_3303427_156992731

On the other hand, we have done well against the Tigers, the best team of recent years.

So why do some teams match up better on some teams than others?

And in particular, who do we match up with well and badly, and why?

[jeemak]

Last year I played golf (National Old Course - Wowsers) with an ex-client/ friend and he is a Pies supporter, and he was lucky enough to be invited to a coterie function where Nathan Buckley took attendees through a bit of a whiteboard session in 2018. One of the topics was how clubs match up.

Without giving too much away around why, Buckley put clubs on the board in a column of known good, bad and indifferent match ups, and apparently he was pretty spot on for the year. What he did give away suggested that when you put together possible match ups and player positions you find yourself in a stalemate of sorts sometimes, other times you know you're either cooked or you're going to go well and be competitive at a minimum.

It just comes down to how well they know their personnel, and how well they know their opponents. Coaching and strategy comes into it too, but largely it's personnel (quality, age, experience, etc.). Coaching is becoming more nuanced as teams and styles become more generic following the AFL formula or uniformity and blandness, but it's never going to outmatch personnel.

[Dry Rot]

Good post Jeemak, that would have been an interesting night with Buckley. I like him.

But what the unexpected wins under Plough's coaching?

Personnel wise, we no match for Carlton in the 2000 game against them (we had many injuries out) yet still won, and arguably the same vs the Bombers that year (Bombers had better personnel and would become premiers).

[bornadog]

Good post Jeemak, that would have been an interesting night with Buckley. I like him.

But what the unexpected wins under Plough's coaching?

Personnel wise, we no match for Carlton in the 2000 game against them (we had many injuries out) yet still won, and arguably the same vs the Bombers that year (Bombers had better personnel and would become premiers).

Those games were pure strategy and coaching and the players stuck to the plan and it came off.