We` ve been going on about this for weeks. (years actually). The manner of todays loss has nothing to do with the bye, the personel or the umps. Sure they may have been factors in the scoreline but not the way we play.
Im not convinced Roly actually knows how to increase pressure on an opposition UNLESS you have Mayne and Ballas and Walters running around like maniacs tackling AND you have the whole opposition compressed into the forward 50 zone at the extra narrow Domaine Stadium. Then, because he has 36 players all within a 50m area his zoning works.
In any other scenario, I`m not convinced Ive ever seen a Dockers side under Roly play man on man and be able to compete as individuals all over the ground.
Roly relies on the fact that we need superior numbers and superior effort in order to win. Hence why he always starts with an extra man in defence. It works at times but has several adverse side effects. Firstly its exhausting and secondly its not fun, either to watch or I suspect, to play. It also results in loss of structure forward of the ball.
It also papers over certain players deficiencies as they rarely have to take absolute responsibility to beat their actual man. In fact they dont have a man, they swap over all the time so no one is ever responsible. "its a team defensive effort" allegedly. They zone and corall and swap over when their man outruns them.
To win a flag you actually have to win some one on one contests. The Roly mantra, even if it works and say Sutcliffe and Spurr do manage to outpoint an opposition player because they double team him, it always leaves an unattended player out wider.
Our players havent learned how to stick with a man so they cant get close enough to tackle. If they do get into a stoppage, they constantly ball watch and let the outside runner go unattended when its almost certain the opposition is going to get it or worse, the opposition already have it.
So much poor coaching going on. Why wasnt Zorko tagged. Why wasnt their whole midfield tagged, at least for the first quarter given our poor starts?
Id make them all - all 18 of them tag a player - midfielders, backs and forwards - all of them tag - to learn what it is like to play next to an opposition player. Lets see who can actually compete in a one on one.
