Is Bevo burning out?

[1eyedog]

This is not a slap at the coach but what is going on in Bevo's head? It's not the match selections I'm referring to it's a lack of a realistic game plan. Expecting a young list to attack the game in a highly physical and mental way with a high press thrown in against older, more experienced teams is a ridiculously over optimistic game plan. It's just not sustainable. It's was worked out well before the Port Adelaide game this pre-season teams were exploiting our press in 2017 and scoring against us heavily on the turnover and from stoppages. So what's changed since then? Nothing. Why?

I love Bevo I will be forever indebted to him but we need an influx of new ideas badly. He needs support. I've always said Bevo is not a career coach he cares too deeply and he'll burn out so he has to stop micro-managing every single facet and start leaning on others more for support. His recent article and watching him with his head in his hands after the Richmond game tells me Bevo is burning out, if he hasn't already.

Think we need an assistant coach clean out, like, most of them. What do you reckon?

Apologies if something like this has gone up I haven't logged on for a few days.

[jeemak]

On the weeks when we lose yes, on the weeks we don't, no.

Seriously though are we willing to admit that we are a developing side? If so, what style of game should a developing side be taught to play? Is teaching them a style that requires mental fortitude and intensity a bad thing? Not sure, it seemed to be a decent development path throughout the Bmac to Bevo transition and played a massive part in us winning a flag - albeit we had some more senior heads in the team at the time.

I think we're a team that struggles really badly when we don't show up mentally, I also think we're struggling because we're immature and have two new KPPs trying to fit into the side, an inconsistent and developing ruck, some key players out of the side and an unbalanced forward line.

Bevo could be burned out, but I think our issues stem from having too many similar types running through the middle and forward, no small to medium high quality forwards, and a team that is either too difficult to switch on week in week out or can't motivate itself to show up consistently like the good teams can.

[mjp]

Think we need an assistant coach clean out, like, most of them. What do you reckon?


I don't think we need a clean-out.

I suspect the current assistants would say there are things they would like to do if they were given the latitude to do so (within the confines of the overall plan of course). Whilst you would have thought the hub-life would have helped creating a bit more coaching innovation, it doesn't really seem to have...

As for 'expecting a young list....' - well, I would have said we had significantly more experience on the park than Richmond the other night and I'm not sure you could call whatever it was we were doing a 'high press'...maybe a 'big cushion' would be a better description?

[jeemak]

Sorry, didn't really answer the question. I saw a coach entirely frustrated and angry after the game last week. Not sure if that's with himself or with the players and the other coaches. It's too hard to tell.

The recurring themes are troubling, but to mine a lot of them involve what's going on between the players ears.

[1eyedog]

But why are we sticking to this game plan? Good teams have it sussed and good teams are adaptable. We simply aren't not at the macro i.e. the game plan or the micro i.e. game day tactics. Sure we've got a lot of players with similar skill sets but why haven't we developed something else to compliment those? It seems like we are sticking with this until we get it right but teams are all over us now. In a big way. We get smashed. We can't wait until our young team 'gets it'. It will be too late.

[jeemak]

But why are we sticking to this game plan? Good teams have it sussed and good teams are adaptable. We simply aren't not at the macro i.e. the game plan or the micro i.e. game day tactics. Sure we've got a lot of players with similar skill sets but why haven't we developed something else to compliment those? It seems like we are sticking with this until we get it right but teams are all over us now. In a big way. We get smashed. We can't wait until our young team 'gets it'. It will be too late.

I don't know what other type of style we should be playing though. If we're vanilla and lacking in some key areas should we just park the bus?

Does that teach the players anything?

[Danjul]

I don't know what other type of style we should be playing though. If we're vanilla and lacking in some key areas should we just park the bus?

Does that teach the players anything?
When the opposition is chipping the ball around we still defend grass 20 metres away. They take the ball to an unmanned runner who goes deep into their forward line. I have not seen a game where we have made a move to block the flow when the other team is establishing momentum.

When we set up for short handballs and the opposition corrals us into causing turnovers we handball more, not less. So the opposition sets receivers with a second player waiting to mark 35 metres away. Richmond did this repeatedly and we didn’t change our game in any way.

We are the most inflexible team in the competition. Smart opponents capitalise on this. At selection They know we have the same players doing the same thing in the same place.

Who will be our only overhead marking forward? So put 2 defenders on him. That’s why the Dogs have only kicked more than 8 goals twice this year.

Who will be our undersized key position backman? Put a strong tall on him. The response will be attempted spoils so have 2 small players at ground level. That’s why teams that beat us double our score.

So predictable.

[jeemak]

I know all this and I suspect the coaching staff do as well. That may be a bit of a signal as to why there seems to be a huge amount of frustration in the box right now.

[Remi Moses]

Gotta be honest every coach looks exasperated when playing badly
Don’t think he’s On his pat malone there
I think every team in this comp had their “one wood” game style and every other side knows each other’s weaknesses.
Lot of this is above the shoulders and the whole we have to be 100% intensity to win is applicable to every side in this competition

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

But why are we sticking to this game plan? Good teams have it sussed and good teams are adaptable. We simply aren't not at the macro i.e. the game plan or the micro i.e. game day tactics. Sure we've got a lot of players with similar skill sets but why haven't we developed something else to compliment those? It seems like we are sticking with this until we get it right but teams are all over us now. In a big way. We get smashed. We can't wait until our young team 'gets it'. It will be too late.

Every team's game style is sussed out.
Its just a matter of whether you can trust your team to wrest ascendancy from the other and be able to impose your strengths over theirs.

The question I think needs to be asked is: Is our inability to consistently control a game on our terms an execution issue or a willingness. And within that question are two more; is it a lack of willingess to execute, or a lack of capability to execute?

And from there further a question, is the lack of willingness/capability a permanent issue with our personnel or a learning process we've got to go through?

I know Mike said Richmond were more inexperienced than us, but they do have a key core of experienced heads still at top of their game.
We don't have very many of those. And its exacerbated by our 1 elite gamebreaker in Bont, for whatever reason, not being able to impose himself.

I think we've still not explicitly acknowledged we are in that awkward transition phase. Maybe that's why we've played so many debutants this year? To try and see who the next crew that are willing and capable of executing our game going forward.

[GVGjr]

I don't think Bevo is burning out but it going through a tough patch and not coming up with the answers
The balance of the season is a great test for him and the players

[Hotdog60]

Could it be the lack of runners so the message can't be reinforced as quickly as it could in the past.
With a lack of experienced leaders on the park could the players react slower or not at all when the shit starts to hit the fan and just end up chasing backsides all night.
They mike players up in games maybe we need halve a dozen of our most senior players miked up with direct contact with the coaching box.

[1eyedog]

Every team's game style is sussed out.
Its just a matter of whether you can trust your team to wrest ascendancy from the other and be able to impose your strengths over theirs.

The question I think needs to be asked is: Is our inability to consistently control a game on our terms an execution issue or a willingness. And within that question are two more; is it a lack of willingess to execute, or a lack of capability to execute?

And from there further a question, is the lack of willingness/capability a permanent issue with our personnel or a learning process we've got to go through?

I know Mike said Richmond were more inexperienced than us, but they do have a key core of experienced heads still at top of their game.
We don't have very many of those. And its exacerbated by our 1 elite gamebreaker in Bont, for whatever reason, not being able to impose himself.

I think we've still not explicitly acknowledged we are in that awkward transition phase. Maybe that's why we've played so many debutants this year? To try and see who the next crew that are willing and capable of executing our game going forward.

Yes but ours is such high risk. Are the benefits worth it? If we're off we're taken to the cleaners. Am I being glass half empty? I dunno.

[jeemak]

Every team's game style is sussed out.
Its just a matter of whether you can trust your team to wrest ascendancy from the other and be able to impose your strengths over theirs.

The question I think needs to be asked is: Is our inability to consistently control a game on our terms an execution issue or a willingness. And within that question are two more; is it a lack of willingess to execute, or a lack of capability to execute?

And from there further a question, is the lack of willingness/capability a permanent issue with our personnel or a learning process we've got to go through?

I know Mike said Richmond were more inexperienced than us, but they do have a key core of experienced heads still at top of their game.
We don't have very many of those. And its exacerbated by our 1 elite gamebreaker in Bont, for whatever reason, not being able to impose himself.

I think we've still not explicitly acknowledged we are in that awkward transition phase. Maybe that's why we've played so many debutants this year? To try and see who the next crew that are willing and capable of executing our game going forward.

Good post, well articulated.

[jeemak]

Yes but ours is such high risk. Are the benefits worth it? If we're off we're taken to the cleaners. Am I being glass half empty? I dunno.

Us being off usually involves two key aspects. A lack of intent, and disorganisation within or an overly aggressive press/ poorly spread defence. Put those two things together and it gets ugly quickly.

Are these two things really something that we can fix with the right players with the right mentality?

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Us being off usually involves two key aspects. A lack of intent, and disorganisation within or an overly aggressive press/ poorly spread defence. Put those two things together and it gets ugly quickly.

Are these two things really something that we can fix with the right players with the right mentality?

And that's where I think our frustration with guys like Richards areMclean are central. They should, especially Mclean be ready to be consistent performers, and to a lesser extent Lipinski.
If those 3 were able to be more influential and consistent in their play, we'd be much more likely for our game plan to prevail.
Mclean should be our Lachie Neale. Richards should be our gamebreaking winger. Lipinski should be another key distributor. More often than not Lipinski just offloads a hot potato handpass putting the next bloke under extreme pressure. And all 3 just dont exert enough movement off ball or apply enough pressure.
Can they do it? Will they get there. Time is definitely running out for Mclean thats for sure.

[bornadog]

And that's where I think our frustration with guys like Richards areMclean are central. They should, especially Mclean be ready to be consistent performers, and to a lesser extent Lipinski.
If those 3 were able to be more influential and consistent in their play, we'd be much more likely for our game plan to prevail.
Mclean should be our Lachie Neale. Richards should be our gamebreaking winger. Lipinski should be another key distributor. More often than not Lipinski just offloads a hot potato handpass putting the next bloke under extreme pressure. And all 3 just dont exert enough movement off ball or apply enough pressure.
Can they do it? Will they get there. Time is definitely running out for Mclean thats for sure.

Have we over rated these three and actually they aren't that good?

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Have we over rated these three and actually they aren't that good?

That may indeed be the question. Pains me to say it. Especially given Mclean in particular has shown he's capable. I don't understand Mclean's down turn. He really should be hitting his straps now..

Richards and Lipinski need to show more.

[SonofScray]

I reckon he's bounced back from that experience. 2017, 18 and 19 he looked every bit a spent force, IMO.

He's a real numbers man and has often spoken about risk mitigation as an influence on how he sets up the field. There's too much high risk, high reward flavour at the moment, much in the way there was in 2015. It's not working for this group.

3rd man up rule really took a weapon out of his coaching arsenal. Has also stripped Bontempelli and Jong of an area of influence.

6-6-6 rule no doubt has caused some havoc.

The runner limitations have been a killer for his coaching style too.

I would like him to be adding a stronger "horses for courses" process to our strategy. Try and challenge the opposition coaches by throwing something different into the mix.

Right now it feels like he has a matrix on a whiteboard that looks like this:

FFC ON, OPPONENT OFF = we win
FFC ON, OPPONENT ON = we win
FFC OFF, OPPONENT ON = we lose
FFC OFF, OPPONENT OFF = we lose

and that's it. His job at that point is about being ON more often than we are OFF.

[jeemak]

I reckon he's bounced back from that experience. 2017, 18 and 19 he looked every bit a spent force, IMO.

He's a real numbers man and has often spoken about risk mitigation as an influence on how he sets up the field. There's too much high risk, high reward flavour at the moment, much in the way there was in 2015. It's not working for this group.

3rd man up rule really took a weapon out of his coaching arsenal. Has also stripped Bontempelli and Jong of an area of influence.

6-6-6 rule no doubt has caused some havoc.

The runner limitations have been a killer for his coaching style too.

I would like him to be adding a stronger "horses for courses" process to our strategy. Try and challenge the opposition coaches by throwing something different into the mix.

Right now it feels like he has a matrix on a whiteboard that looks like this:

FFC ON, OPPONENT OFF = we win
FFC ON, OPPONENT ON = we win
FFC OFF, OPPONENT ON = we lose
FFC OFF, OPPONENT OFF = we lose

and that's it. His job at that point is about being ON more often than we are OFF.

I think you raise a pretty good analysis for how every coach coaches, and not many aren't cattle dependent. The reality being some coaches have the cattle to mask that approach and the majority don't which is why the good teams are good and the OK teams are OK and the bad teams are bad.

Is there a best 22 in the league that is as cobbled together as ours? There's literally nothing generic about it in a traditional football sense, and when it works we look great but when it doesn't we look completely terrible.

I maintain that there's no team in the competition that plays like we do when we play well. It's kind of the antitheses of what WCE produced last week against Collingwood, and it's just as damaging. I guess our issue is we have to do what we do because we're not as structurally sound as a WCE type side. I'm of a view with the cattle we have if we tried to play too differently we'd be cooked week in week out, rather than being competitive every second week and finishing on the ladder where our list suggests we should anyway.

[jeemak]

That may indeed be the question. Pains me to say it. Especially given Mclean in particular has shown he's capable. I don't understand Mclean's down turn. He really should be hitting his straps now..

Richards and Lipinski need to show more.

McLean is playing at the wrong club. He needs there to be no Libba so he can be the next rung of inside mid. But, he ain't Libba.

Richards and Lipinski, as frustrating as they are will be very very good players for us long term. They just need to tidy up on effort and skill execution at times.

[Mantis]

McLean is playing at the wrong club. He needs there to be no Libba so he can be the next rung of inside mid. But, he ain't Libba.



What happens to Libba when Dunkley returns?

We have lots of mids who really can’t play anywhere else, but we need to try and play them all.

[mjp]

What happens to Libba when Dunkley returns?

We have lots of mids who really can’t play anywhere else, but we need to try and play them all.

Liba needs to play inside with Smith, Macrae and Dunks as the 'main group'. Bont plays forward and takes up the (I'm reluctant to call it this but here goes) Hird role where he positions himself forward, back or mid depending on what is needed. Lipinski becomes the next Hunter and plays his footy outside the game or he doesn't make it.

[DOG GOD]

We just don’t have the midfield that runs hard both ways. Let’s be honest, in our blow out losses, our mids have been deplorable in their defensive game, giving the opposition a free ride into their forward line with a pagans paddock forward 50.

The best set up we have is our defensive 6.

Our Main mid group are too one dimensional

Our fwd line is half mids (not true forwards) and is slower than an aged home 10 metre race.

And don’t get me started on the ruck situation...I’m literally over that.

[Mantis]

Liba needs to play inside with Smith, Macrae and Dunks as the 'main group'. Bont plays forward and takes up the (I'm reluctant to call it this but here goes) Hird role where he positions himself forward, back or mid depending on what is needed. Lipinski becomes the next Hunter and plays his footy outside the game or he doesn't make it.

What’s the point of Bont playing forward if he has no confidence in kicking for goal?

He’s also one of the few mids in the team who can consistently hit a target going forward.

[Rocket Science]

While it rings true that our mids aren't terribly two-way inclined, we're clearly capable of games when our collective pressure's excellent and where everyone visibly 'buys in', usually fuelling our best footy where we maraud the contest in numbers, extract the pill, then we're away in numbers and it's irrepressible when it works. It's not enough to have a handful committed to pressure acts, *everyone* has to be doing it. That must be a challenge to both orchestrate and maintain from game to game.

With that in mind I'll say one thing about Jong; he seems like a minor piece of the puzzle but he's one of our few 'see ball, chase ball' types which isn't a bad thing given he's big, fast and frenetic at the contest, and helps creates some havoc and doubt in the minds of the opposition that our silkier movers can capitalise on, and it comes naturally to him. Dahlhaus used to give us a bit of the same energy before he forgot how to kick a football.

If there's something in that, do we consider moving on a Lipinski or McLean or (insert player name) for someone with the same sort of DNA to better complement our blue chippers and make us less one-dimensional through the middle.

A Mitch Robinson type springs to mind, ideally without needing seven years in the system before the penny the drops.

[Bulldog4life]

Liba needs to play inside with Smith, Macrae and Dunks as the 'main group'. Bont plays forward and takes up the (I'm reluctant to call it this but here goes) Hird role where he positions himself forward, back or mid depending on what is needed. Lipinski becomes the next Hunter and plays his footy outside the game or he doesn't make it.

Great post. I agree. Especially if Bont has that hip injury like it appears to be. Now if he could only get over the yips.

[GVGjr]

Great post. I agree. Especially if Bont has that hip injury like it appears to be. Now if he could only get over the yips.

He's never been a great set shot goal kicker, I don't mind the idea of playing him more as a forward because it makes sense given the compressed schedule but Mantis makes a good point about the fact his conversions should work against him being used as a forward

[bornadog]

This is not a slap at the coach but what is going on in Bevo's head? It's not the match selections I'm referring to it's a lack of a realistic game plan. Expecting a young list to attack the game in a highly physical and mental way with a high press thrown in against older, more experienced teams is a ridiculously over optimistic game plan.

I don't think this is our game plan at all. We are not a contested side like in 2015 and 2016. The game plan now is to move the ball quickly and play on at all costs, we are low in tackles compared to other teams. We were the number one scoring team for transition from the back half, up to a few games ago ( not sure if that is still true). However, the game plan falls apart when we can't get our hands on the ball, like last week when Richmond had 30 more disposals than we did in the first quarter.

In our losses this year disposals as follows:

Collingwood - 71 more - couldn't even get the ball inside 50.
Saints - 17 more, but kicks Saints had 62 more - we over handballed due to their pressure.
Blues we were 11 more
Tigers 31 - all in the first quarter.

If I had the stats for the Carlton game, it would most likely show we hardly touched the ball in the last quarter.

Bevo needs to come up with a way of stopping the leakage of goals as MJP has banged on about in the first half last year and the losses this year. Whether Bevo has the cattle to to come up with a plan is another matter.

I don't believe for one minute he is burnt out, but who knows.

[DragzLS1]

We all remember the first half of last year and we were asking the same questions. 2nd half of the year we were scary good with a young side. I feel Bevo is going for all in type of game style and knows we have the players that can stand up, but can we sustain it is the question. My biggest concern is when a team works us out early and makes us play the way we don't want to can Bevo change it up .. Port and Brisbane will be a true indicator of this.

[1eyedog]

We are likely to drop the next two with a line in the sand game against the Crows. Drop that and it's going to get ugly.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

We are likely to drop the next two with a line in the sand game against the Crows. Drop that and it's going to get ugly.

Oh god. Don't even go there. If that eventuates, yeah all hell will break loose.

[GVGjr]

We all remember the first half of last year and we were asking the same questions. 2nd half of the year we were scary good with a young side. I feel Bevo is going for all in type of game style and knows we have the players that can stand up, but can we sustain it is the question. My biggest concern is when a team works us out early and makes us play the way we don't want to can Bevo change it up .. Port and Brisbane will be a true indicator of this.

Very true points, we have eroded the buffer we had built and the next 2 games will play a large part in determining if we can be contenders this year or not

Hopefully our best football is still in front of us

[The bulldog tragician]

Very true points, we have eroded the buffer we had built and the next 2 games will play a large part in determining if we can be contenders this year or not

Hopefully our best football is still in front of us

I still think it could be. I was very encouraged that after a stinker against the Tiges, they came out with hunger and were fierce and desperate. I was even more encouraged that after blowing our lead and everything going wrong in the third quarter, we still played with belief in the last quarter. There were games over the past couple of years when we’d have allowed a 10 goal thrashing.

Not a lot has gone right. We’ve had little continuity and a key link man Hunter missing as well as our most exciting key position player and a hard nut Dunkley who was in good form. It’s a real shame we didn’t pull it off last night as it would have done a lot for self belief which is often a fragile thing in BulldogLand but isn’t it strange to think that even with a diabolical forward line we outplayed the flag favourites on their own turf and were 3 or 4 skill errors away from beating them .

[GVGjr]

I still think it could be. I was very encouraged that after a stinker against the Tiges, they came out with hunger and were fierce and desperate. I was even more encouraged that after blowing our lead and everything going wrong in the third quarter, we still played with belief in the last quarter. There were games over the past couple of years when we’d have allowed a 10 goal thrashing.

Not a lot has gone right. We’ve had little continuity and a key link man Hunter missing as well as our most exciting key position player and a hard nut Dunkley who was in good form. It’s a real shame we didn’t pull it off last night as it would have done a lot for self belief which is often a fragile thing in BulldogLand but isn’t it strange to think that even with a diabolical forward line we outplayed the flag favourites on their own turf and were 3 or 4 skill errors away from beating them .

We shouldn't be too disheartened with our performance last night. I thought Bevo did well from the coaches box last night and watch other teams copy that blueprint when they play Port over the next few weeks. We were beaten by a good team on their home ground and as you have pointed a few things didn't go our way especially our composure and skill execution cost us. I remain optimistic that we can still get something positive out of the season.

Bevo desperately needs to get the selections sorted out though. The changes aren't making a positive impact although Dunkley )Of course) was pretty good. Weightman and R.Smith though didn't perform

If we can build on our performance against Port and tweak a few things we might give Brisbane a run for their money