Bad form, a collective problem?

[alwaysadog]

Imagine this, a team appears to have all that is needed to perform regularly at the highest level and has shown a capacity to play that way. It triumphs at the short course event and looks in superb form, then suddenly for no apparent reason starts to play quite poorly and many of the consistently good players with sure hands are fumbling or not even finding the ball.

Were it a patient a medical diagnosis would be called for. Blood tests, urine samples and a battery of other tests would be carried out to examine the functioning of every organ and the presence of possible pathogens.

What is there for teams? No doubt our sports science people will be monitoring the individuals and their health, fitness and recovery. They are we know by all available measures fitter, stronger and faster than ever before, but does this tell us anything about the collective health?

We have had everything from leadership to individual bad form held responsible by the media. Maybe they’re right and maybe they’re wrong, but so far apart from a good light read nothing has hit the nailhead for me. Yes we are flat and right now no one seems to be immune from this condition except maybe Harbrow. For the first few weeks individual lapses were seen as responsible, but as time has gone by the problem seems more deep seated.

Let’s go back and revisit the initial premise. We don’t seem to lack a great deal when compared to other top sides, even many former critics have concluded we are the best equipped side, and we are as fit if not fitter than them, but we are not playing like anything other than strugglers well off the pace.

Many who watched last night’s game found our lack of initiative puzzling and saw the post game celebrations as jubilation others saw the most relieved bunch of players for many a year.

Is it possible that somehow the hype and pressure of expectations has temporarily got us by the throat? Have we lost sight of the hunt and allowed ourselves to be the hunted? Are we being overwhelmed by the situation, which is certainly new to this playing group, and as a result have we gone into our shell and forgotten how we got to where we are in the first place?

Trying too hard can be worse than not trying at all, and it’s often indistinguishable from not really trying or not being good enough. Any time I see people making hard work of the basics I wonder if in some way there is not a morale problem of some sort. Not the blatantly bad morale of underappreciated but that associated with not knowing how to escape the self doubts, and the pressures associated with being consistently excellent and the best.

Grant Thomas famously cancelled training and took the saints to the pictures when he concluded that fitness was not the problem. As was common with Grant his analysis was often better than the solutions he adopted.

We are mostly armchair coaches, except for the odd one who actually follows that craft. So what do you think? Is it worthwhile to think in terms of an underperforming team and seek to analyse it in that way? Or is that a cop out? What solution would you want us to pursue to get us back up and firing?

[Sockeye Salmon]

How about a hyperthetical.

An inexperienced marathon runner goes hard early and runs out of steam before the finish.

In his next race, he doesn't go too hard early, then puts in a spurt to make sure he's thereabouts, before he backs it off later in the race so he'll be fresh for a big finish. He can't quite get it all back together and falls a bit short.

This time he's going to start off slow and build it up gradually through the race until he's flying home at the end!




That would be good, wouldn't it?

[Desipura]

What if we go too slow? We then run the risk of being behind the eight ball trying to play catch up just to make the finals, let alone top 4.
I do agree in part and therefore think Collingwood and Freo are already peaking. It does however allow them to have a couple of losses without it having a major impact on their ladder postion.
This weeks game is an eight point game IMHO. What a better game to find some form.

[Go_Dogs]

That would be good, wouldn't it?

In theory, it sounds great.

Just have to hope the marathon runner doesn't get stuck going at 70% and can't find the extra legs at the end.



FWIW, I'm all for allowing players to slowly build up over the season and be ready for a full on assault in September. Only issue being, to really have a big impact you need to finish top 4 in the H & A, otherwise you're a long way behind the 8-ball.

I'm still fairly confident we can make the top 4, but it's not going to be easy as there are a lot of solid sides who are around the mark. St Kilda, Geelong, Collingwood, Fremantle, Sydney, perhaps Brisbane and even Port Adelaide are sides that would all be eyeing those spots right now. (I actually think the top 8 is just about set, with Melbourne being the only other possibility at this stage).

[alwaysadog]

How about a hyperthetical.

An inexperienced marathon runner goes hard early and runs out of steam before the finish.

In his next race, he doesn't go too hard early, then puts in a spurt to make sure he's thereabouts, before he backs it off later in the race so he'll be fresh for a big finish. He can't quite get it all back together and falls a bit short.

This time he's going to start off slow and build it up gradually through the race until he's flying home at the end!




That would be good, wouldn't it?

It would but it doesn't compute with the facts, sounds like after the event rationalisation not an argument based on facts.

We were flying preseason and in front of the rest. No sign we hadn't gone out hard early.

[GVGjr]

Is it possible that somehow the hype and pressure of expectations has temporarily got us by the throat? Have we lost sight of the hunt and allowed ourselves to be the hunted? Are we being overwhelmed by the situation, which is certainly new to this playing group, and as a result have we gone into our shell and forgotten how we got to where we are in the first place?



I think our results in the NAB Cup pushed us into the spotlight and other teams have been working on ways to curb our strengths.

Nothing tangible really explains the form we are displaying at the moment. I think it's a combination of some injuries, an older list and the focus other teams are placing on us.

[chef]

I think our results in the NAB Cup pushed us into the spotlight and other teams have been working on ways to curb our strengths.

Nothing tangible really explains the form we are displaying at the moment. I think it's a combination of some injuries, an older list and the focus other teams are placing on us.

Our intensity and pressure doesn't seem as intense as last year either.

[Ghost Dog]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/season2010/news/newsarticle/tabid/4112/newsid/92410/default.aspx

Interesting article. Football is like all other sports. The better the coaching the better the player. It's up to the coaching staff to find ways to get the best out of all of the players. Look at the solidarity that teams like Geelong and St Kilda have. That's what we need too.

[alwaysadog]

I think our results in the NAB Cup pushed us into the spotlight and other teams have been working on ways to curb our strengths.

Nothing tangible really explains the form we are displaying at the moment. I think it's a combination of some injuries, an older list and the focus other teams are placing on us.

I grant you teams are up for us ie rising to the challenge, but it's not so much what other teams are doing that concerns me GVG it's what we are not doing in the face of this challenge. I also accept the points you make about age and injury, but again it's what the quality players in their prime aren't doing or are doing at a much reduced level that is so hard to explain.

[GVGjr]

I grant you teams are up for us ie rising to the challenge, but it's not so much what other teams are doing that concerns me GVG it's what we are not doing in the face of this challenge. I also accept the points you make about age and injury, but again it's what the quality players in their prime aren't doing or are doing at a much reduced level that is so hard to explain.


I'm certainly at a loss to explain why Murphy has been so patchy. Hargrave, Hahn and even Gilbee aren't at their best either although all season it looks like Gilbee is carrying an injury. Perhaps the class of 99 except for Giansiracusa is showing some early signs of decline.

[Mantis]

It would but it doesn't compute with the facts, sounds like after the event rationalisation not an argument based on facts.

We were flying preseason and in front of the rest. No sign we hadn't gone out hard early.

We were?

Our pre-season contained just 4 games:

Game 1 - We beat Brisbane on a ground covered in water. We couldn't take anything from that.

Game 2 - Exposed Hawthorn's ruck & key defensive deficiencies with a good performance. (Hawthorn have been exposed in a similiar fashion in the regular season and are sitting 1-6)

Game 3 - Played in fits & spurts and struggled to get past Port Power in Melbourne. (Probably a true reflection of where we are/ were at)

Game 4 - With Hayes missing & after losing Fisher in the first 10 minutes we were able to overun St.Kilda with a strong last quarter in which Hall kicked 5 of his 7 goals. (Some 6 weeks later Fisher reduces Hall's impact (with the help of his team-mates) and Hayes runs amok.)

Was our pre-season form really that great?

[LostDoggy]

We were?

Our pre-season contained just 4 games:

Game 1 - We beat Brisbane on a ground covered in water. We couldn't take anything from that.

Game 2 - Exposed Hawthorn's ruck & key defensive deficiencies with a good performance. (Hawthorn have been exposed in a similiar fashion in the regular season and are sitting 1-6)

Game 3 - Played in fits & spurts and struggled to get past Port Power in Melbourne. (Probably a true reflection of where we are/ were at)

Game 4 - With Hayes missing & after losing Fisher in the first 10 minutes we were able to overun St.Kilda with a strong last quarter in which Hall kicked 5 of his 7 goals. (Some 6 weeks later Fisher reduces Hall's impact (with the help of his team-mates) and Hayes runs amok.)

Was our pre-season form really that great?

^^^

Exactly, and you've even neglected to include the most important factor: THEY WERE PRACTICE GAMES.

Anyone who takes NAB cup games -- where coaches tinker with structures, assistant coaches take the lead on gameday, young players you will never see again start in the first 18, mickey mouse rules are trialled and half the teams aren't even really even fair dinkum -- as indicators of actual form, especially after several winners in the last decade have gone on to win the wooden spoon in the season proper, has to have their heads checked.

[LostDoggy]

How about a hyperthetical.

An inexperienced marathon runner goes hard early and runs out of steam before the finish.

In his next race, he doesn't go too hard early, then puts in a spurt to make sure he's thereabouts, before he backs it off later in the race so he'll be fresh for a big finish. He can't quite get it all back together and falls a bit short.

This time he's going to start off slow and build it up gradually through the race until he's flying home at the end!




That would be good, wouldn't it?

Hey SS, is this a new coinage for an outrageously far-fetched scenario?! Or just a typergraphical error!

I once turned up at a long distance race with flimsy rubber footwear. I thought it was a marathong.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Hey SS, is this a new coinage for an outrageously far-fetched scenario?! Or just a typergraphical error!

I once turned up at a long distance race with flimsy rubber footwear. I thought it was a marathong.

Whoops.

It was a highly strung or excitable manathon runner.

[Ozza]

I heard a very good comment on SEN on Saturday evening - although I'm not sure which commenator it was - It rang true to me at the time.

The commentator said that he felt the Bulldogs were looking impatient, saying that the Bulldogs looked like a team that was itching to get to the business end right now and get started with finals - without doing the hard work first.

He felt the Bulldogs were looking to finish sides off with a 15 minute burst of good footy and then taper off and conserve energy. Finally, he stated that he thought that everything you go through in a season comes back to you in spades during the finals, all of the good and bad come out when you get there - and he thought the bulldogs needed to invest themselves more in right now - in these early fixtures if we were going to be able to draw on it later in the year.

It really made me think - and I can certainly see his point with us being an impatient team at the moment.

[Mofra]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/season2010/news/newsarticle/tabid/4112/newsid/92410/default.aspx

Interesting article. Football is like all other sports. The better the coaching the better the player. It's up to the coaching staff to find ways to get the best out of all of the players. Look at the solidarity that teams like Geelong and St Kilda have. That's what we need too.
Interesting article when it comes to Wallace handling Ellis. Reads like Darcy is having a dig at the way Ellis was coached.

[Mantis]

I heard a very good comment on SEN on Saturday evening - although I'm not sure which commenator it was - It rang true to me at the time.

The commentator said that he felt the Bulldogs were looking impatient, saying that the Bulldogs looked like a team that was itching to get to the business end right now and get started with finals - without doing the hard work first.

He felt the Bulldogs were looking to finish sides off with a 15 minute burst of good footy and then taper off and conserve energy. Finally, he stated that he thought that everything you go through in a season comes back to you in spades during the finals, all of the good and bad come out when you get there - and he thought the bulldogs needed to invest themselves more in right now - in these early fixtures if we were going to be able to draw on it later in the year.

It really made me think - and I can certainly see his point with us being an impatient team at the moment.

It was Wayne Brittian.

There was certainly some merit in his comments, but I don't think it explains the lack of skill our players have been showing.

[LostDoggy]

It was Wayne Brittian.

There was certainly some merit in his comments, but I don't think it explains the lack of skill our players have been showing.

And it's all rubbish anyway. Brisbane certainly didn't look the goods all the way through their three-peat years, and would often do EXACTLY what he's suggested (ie. do just enough to get wins and sneak into the top 4) and play for the finals, where they would come alive (and even then, get smacked by over 70 points on the odd occasion).

[alwaysadog]

Was our pre-season form really that great?

The question that really needs an answer is not how much better it could have been but why when we had St Kilda a few weeks later we played so differently?

We can argue all day about the peripheral issues and the rewriting of history but the central one is why we are struggling against middle ranking teams and very lucky to get over them.