Game Plans

All coaches and teachers have different activities with a variety of playing size areas that are critical to the function of the activity. But have you, as a coach, considered modifying the space to prioritise skills of different playing types? 

By space, we mean the area you use to complete your activity, but you can adjust your space by changing its size, shape, dimensions, or by adding different markings or zones. 

In this article, our analysts show the benefits by exploring the ways coaches can use different ways to manipulate space, playing area sizes, markings and shapes.

Why is this relevant?

Well, the area that you provide your players will give different returns. If you haven’t yet considered changing space and sizes, you seriously should as different size playing areas create more opportunities for specific skills to be developed.

As part of Sigrid Olthof’s research within soccer, coaches tend to go with smaller areas. These smaller areas allow coaches to increase ‘intensity’ and help coaches to have more control of the session. However, these smaller areas don’t necessarily allow for players to gain experience on the field size they would be exposed to on match day. Coaches who explore the differences in small, medium, and large pitches will have a better understanding of what returns they get from different areas.

The obvious examples are that smaller spaces encourage handballs and larger spaces encourage kicking. But you can be more specific by modifying the space and shape of the activity to increase the speed of development. 

Here are some points for you to consider when your training next:

Activity changes

When you change something, it always affects something. We need to understand what different changes make to know if we are progressing or regressing a challenge within a scenario-based activity.

Sizes

Small spaces 

England Football Learning states “these areas give your players less room to move around. This creates a high-intensity game with lots of ball contact and physical contact. Less space also encourages moments of transition (where possession moves from one team to the other)”.

Small spaces are a great choice if you want players to work on the following skills:

• High amounts of transition games
• Using their body to protect or win the ball or a contested possession
• Quick decision-making
• Evasive and tackling skills
• Defensive skills

Smaller spaces often suit defences because there are less options for the team in possession to kick the ball into space and to a teammates advantage. It is also easier for the defence to close down and handover between opponents due to the space being smaller giving them less ground to cover. 

Small spaces are a great choice if you want players to work on the following strategies:

• Contest strategies
• Fast ball movement and overlap
• Defending fast ball movement
• Handover and pressing

However, it’s important to know that small spaces can be a challenge for new players. A tight area also means the ball will go out of bounds a lot, higher amounts of turnover, favouring defences or contest teams, and your team might get tired quickly. 

Large spaces 

These areas give players more room to move around, evade opponents, generate overlap ball movement and extra time to make decisions.

Larger spaces often favour offences because they can pass to their teammates advantage, along with shifting defences around the ground, create pockets of space where they can generate overlap and exploit teams with forward handball into space. 

Larger spaces are a great choice if you want players to work on the following skills.

• Running with the ball
• Long-distance passing and movements
• Spoiling and intercepting
• Marking
• Uncontested possession

Larger spaces are a great choice if you want players to work on the following strategies.

• Switching
• Lengthening
• Handball receives

According to England Football Learning, “compared to small spaces, teams experience lower levels of physical contact and fewer moments of transition. They may also feel less involved in the game.”

To read further information about sizes, density, shapes, margins and applying the changes into practice contact us to sign up to one of our memberships to gain access to our coaching resources filled with the remainder of this content and many alike it.

If you are seeking new ideas for any phase, strategy, or skill of the game we have over 200+ drills with video animations and infographics to equip the modern coach with resources to cater for any playing group. Find out more at https://afhpcoaching.com.au/ or contact Austin Stubbs via [email protected] or 0499 883 158.

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With the AFL Grand Final being played this Saturday to conclude the 2022 season, we have written our annual analysis to breakdown how each side could look to strategically play. This will help you formulate your Grand Final prediction by using some of the information these AFL teams would be using. We will identify trends and then discuss how each side can nullify their opponents strengths and then exploit their vulnerabilities to understand who is most likely to win the game. 

Turnover

The most critical phase of the game in football is forcing the opposition to lose possession and then how you turn that into a score for you. It’s called scoring from turnover, the modern name for scoring from counter attack in the AFL. History says that 60 per cent of scores come from turnover, making it the highest scoring source in the AFL. Luckily for passionate football followers both Sydney and Geelong are ranked #1 and #2 for score from turnover this season, which means we could all be in for a high scoring spectacle between the two sides. 

Strike rate is a stat we use for per every 100 times something happens what do you get in return for it, per 100 turnovers the AFL average return score is 70 points. But Geelong and Sydney are so good at defending turnover, they have forced teams to only score 45 (Cats) and 49 (Swans) when you win the back the ball since round 18.

According to each grand finalist since 2014 the points against the premiership side have been within 311 points but the points for have been within 666 points.  The difference between the premiership sides from 2017-2019 has been 27 points against overall for the season, but the points for have varied from 120 points overall.  As defence has evolved every season since 2017, the competition is becoming more even, but the differences between the best sides isn’t who has the best defence, it’s the sides that can force turnover and exploit the best defences.

For context, if you have a top six ranking it is a premiership profile, but since these two teams are top six in most aspects of the game, top two is then critical to seperate their differences.

Sydney’s Strengths & Vulnerabilities

From the coaches box, this is what each team could be considering. At the start of this season, Sydney were ranked top two for defending opposition ball movement and attacking ball movement, to round 18 they were ranked top four again this season which has been very impressive. But if you’re basing your information from then it could be misleading. Since round 17 Sydney have dropped from 4th to 10th in the competition for attacking ball movement, which is because they are taking the second fewest intercept marks in D50 – so they aren’t getting the control ball movement they want to rebound the ball, which is why their ball movement has suffered off the back of less interceptions. But they have tightened up in the contest and stoppages since this has happened as a plus. It’s not that they aren’t capable of producing this again, but they are now facing the #1 ranked team at defending opposition score upon turnover and #1 at defending opposition ball movement in Geelong, and if your not in form in all areas come finals, often your vulnerabilities find you. 

Sydney are the ranked the best post-clearance contested possession team in the competition. Often you lose these contests because the defence has extra numbers in the back half so it’s harder to win the ball yet the Swans average a +29 winning margin. Only four teams have an average of winning contest in this half of the field and it’s Sydneys edge. Geelong have always struggled in the past at winning ground ball in D50 and the personnel changes to the back line has been to support this. They have filled voids in the past by playing the likes of Atkins down back to support this but Geelong are more covered to counter this now, but are they capable of it if the Swans shut down Stewart with Reid going to him and making the forward entries more chaotic?

Geelong’s Strengths & Vulnerabilities

Geelong has had the best turnover season the competition has seen since 2015 with a differential of +24.1 from turnover per game, they always out score the opposition on turnover. The last team that had this record was Hawthorn who won the grand final by 10 goals in 2015. Geelong is the best at forcing a turnover into a score and #1 at restricting their own turnovers and denying opposition scores. Geelong are are ranked first for denying the opposition from rebounding the ball from D50 into inside 50 since round 18. Sydney will need to find other ways than turnover to score to beat Geelong and nullify their strengths. Centre bounce and stoppages will be crucial. But if Sydney wins the centre bounce battle with 6 vs 6 ahead of the ball, there are no guarantees for the Swans. In they’re last 73 one vs one contests the Cats have only been out marked three times – De Kooning 19 times hasn’t been out marked once, the Swans must bring the ball to ground.

Pressure is where the ball is living and Geelong are ranked 14th since round 18, in the preliminary final last year Geelong’s midfield struggled with the Demons fast transition out of the contest and if the pressure isn’t high could the Swans do the same to them in this final? Since Geelong has added more speed to the the flanks and wings but not so much to the midfield this season Sydney’s pressure will be an indication to look for. Sydney’s pressure is averaging 196 per game over their last nine games, the AFL average is 180, it’s rare to see that over a nine game period. But does Sydney have been dealt with a one day less break and travel, so does this contribute to fatigue and soreness to apply this amount of pressure? When Geelong have received a pressure rating above 180 there record is 5-4 but when they face pressure under 180 Geelong are 15-0.

Key Match Up’s

Tom McCartin’s record on Tom Hawkins in the last three occasions is very impressive, McCartin has only conceded 1, 1 and 2 goals in their last three encounters. With Dane Rampe also having an edge over Jeremy Cameron, his record on Cameron in their last five encounters is 0, 1, 3, 1 and 0. 

We are likely to see Reid to go to Tom Stewart to deny him from intercepting the ball, Stewart has generated 135 points off the back of his interceptions this year making him the #1 interception to score involvement player in the AFL and he missed five games. Swans need to tag him. Ryan Clarke will likely tag one of either Duncan, Isaac Smith or Max Holmes since they are the first players to help outnumber Geelong in defence. It is important they are followed so the numbers always stay equalised, then Geelong can never generate a spare in defence, or rebound through a spare. Very similar to teams tagging Ed Langdon. 

Trends Are Your Friends

In football stats are used to most often to reinforce what we see, we use them to identify trends. Since trends are your friends then Geelong should be leading at quarter time because they have been the highest scoring first quarter team this season along with winning the most first terms this year also, history says if you win the first quarter you will go on to win 70 per cent of games. But expect a tight tussle finish, Sydney and Geelong have won the most quarters this season to, both sides will continually take risks to score. 

The last three premiers have been the ranked #1 team at winning contested possession in their front half, but yet 14 of the last 15 premiers have been the highest scoring team from turnover that season including finals, so in this game since both teams share the number one rank in different premiership indicators who is your friend? 

Picking The Pattern

If you can pick the pattern, it often gives you a better chance at predicting the outcome. 

If Sydney are applying manic pressure; that is troubling Geelong to take marks or rebound the ball quickly they are in control of the game, it is likely we will see a blend of slick corridor bias ball movement. But their focus will be to win stoppages and the next contest post winning clearances by outnumbering further down the ground closer to their goal to equalise the Geelong spares in defence. If we see chaotic forward entries that deny Geelong’s chances of taking intercept marks and a significant loss in contest in their back half or at clearance then Geelong are losing control of the game.

Geelong will rely on their wingers to come back and support their defence quickly to ensure Stewart can get free from an opponent to intercept the ball, which is why it is important for Holmes to be healthy. If Stewart or Duncan are intercepting and rebounding the ball Geelong are in control of the game, Geelong are the better ball movement team and they can defend it to, if Geelong can breakeven around clearance and stay within 15 contested possessions of Sydney through out the game, Geelong will be likely to consider themselves in control of the game. 

Now you decide. 

With a range of top 8 AFL Sides playing against each other coming into Round 14 of the 2022 season, we thought it was a great opportunity to discuss making tactical adjustments to solve different problems and help create or maintain an advantage within a game. But before making any changes its important to understand what tactics really are, what their purpose is and then having a philosophy aligned to the changes you want to create.

What Are Tactics & Their Purpose?

A tactic is a plan within a game or sport to gain an advantage. It is something you don’t use every game, but you may need to Implement tactics against specific types of opponents to exploit or nullify the oppositions strengths or weaknesses.

e.g. “Normally our team does not play a tagger, but in this game we will do so because there is a player for the opposition that is really important for them, if we can nullify their influence then it increases our chances to win the game.” Different types of games within sports have different tactics, they can be used for an individual or team, we can transfer the tactics from one sport into another.

In the early 2000’s David Wheadon brought the tactic of “Killing the clock”,to the AFL, where teams maintain control of the ball and take low risk passes to use up time in order to assure a win. In 2012 Alistar Clarkson travelled to the US to learn from the San Antonio Spurs to study this further and how to win close games, as they were an Achilles heel for the Hawks in 2011 and 2012 with a 5-7 record in games decided by two goals or less. After a successful study tour, The following season Hawthorn went 4-2 from close games thanks to practicing these scenario sessions at Waverley. Clarkson would set a timer and give the playing group a limited time to either win the game or save the game. He taught and implemented tactical guidelines for the players to use within these situations to assist his players with their decision making. These situations are an example of where tactics were required, these scenarios weren’t happening every game, but we’re required at different times throughout the season.

Philosophy Of Tactics

Tactics can change regularly depending on the situation of the game. You won’t constantly beat good opposition with tactics but you will with strategy. Strategies are reliable, you will use strategies every quarter, tactics you may not use every match.

“If you are losing, inject speed into the game” Craig Jennings

I believe that tactics need to somewhat resemble the way you play naturally but with slight modification or at slightly higher risk. When a tactic is implemented, try to avoid making the players do something they are completely unfamiliar doing, instead making the players do something that is in relation to what they are already doing with minor differences, this keeps predictability amongst one another and avoids drastic changes.

Types Of Tactics

There are many types of different tactics that you can use as alternatives to gain different outcomes depending on what you have at your disposal and the situation you are in. Here are some to list a few.

• Tagging
• Physicality & Targeting
• Rotations
• Weather Conditional Tactics
• Miss Leading Information
• Save & Win The Game Tactical Scenarios.
• Attacking & Defensive Tactics.
• Stoppage & Set Plays.
• Outnumber Tactics.

Examples Of Tactics

In recent seasons I have admired how the best sides have been able to make adjustments within games to change the way the game is being played, through a range of different modifications that have all been effective for different teams at different stages.

Rotational Tactics

Richmond often make player positional changes in various games throughout the past two seasons, the tigers have swapped experienced players into their front half to lift the pressure and create more forward half turnovers. Another example we have seen recently is swapping Noah Balta or Josh Gibcus forward at different stages of the game.

Outnumber Tactics

Outnumber tactics are used to create an outnumber in a specific area of the ground, common outnumber tactical adjustments include a spare behind the ball in defence or a spare at the stoppage. But these tactics dont guarantee an advantage, because if you outnumber somewhere, then you are outnumbered somewhere else.

Tagging & Cooling

A common tagging tactic that teams use in the modern game is also known as a “Cooler”. This is where you send a player to nullify an opposition player in a specific situation, such as paying close attention to them at the stoppage and then releasing them post stoppage.

Physicality & Targeting

But some teams prefer to physically target opposition players without tagging them, previously Hawthorn used bumping, pushing and shoving specific opposition players around the ground to take their mind off the game. They would keep records on how many times the player was targeted physically within the rules throughout the match. They would set goals on going into the game about how many times they wanted to target them in order to disrupt the performance of the oppositions most important player.

Stoppage Tactics

Other stoppage tactics can include how the midfielders position on their direct opponents. Essendon in 2019 had injuries and smaller sized midfielders to some of the other AFL sides, so they asked their players to own the outside of their opponents. This meaning if the opposition won the ball in close they would be tackled with little room to move and evade, but if the ball spilt out, Essendon would be first to the ball since they were closer to it.

Windy Condition Tactics

Windy Weather conditional tactics can include changing where your forward structure positions down the ground. If the breeze is blowing heavily across one side of the ground and the ball is to be kicked long down the line, it could easily blow over the boundary line to being out of bounds on the full. But if the forward structure is set closer to the corridor instead of being wide, then when the kick comes long and blows across, it can stay in play with space for the forwards to lead into.

Miss Leading information

Providing miss leading information going into a game can be very powerful, telling the media you are planning to attack a specific way this week and then you don’t, you may make the opposition prepare for something that won’t happen, allowing you to surprise them come game day. Naming players that aren’t going to play and extended interchanges can also cause opposition head aches.

Some Questions To Ask Yourself

Have I prepared my playing group for save & win the game scenarios? If so what have we asked them to do?

Do we have tactical adjustments for rainy or windy conditions?

How can we nullify an opposition player through tagging or cooling?

What is my philosophy of how we want the game to be played? What are my tactics that align to that?

Which of our players are most versatile that we can rely on to make impact in a different position?

Lastly a philosophy of mine to take away momentum from the opposition is do the following.

• Congest Stoppage 
• Play A Spare Behind The Ball Or Equalise 
• Tag or Cool
• Slower Ball Movement 
• Move The Ball In A Different Direction. 
• Score From Centre Bounce 
• Come Forward To Defend

Champion Data will tell you most games are won or lost by four goals, so a couple of good tactics are crucial, if you stop them scoring a couple of times and you score a couple of extra times, then you go from a loss to a win pretty quickly.

If anyone would like to learn further about tactics, strategies and game plans please get in contact with us, or book a coaching education session today (Link below). We also provide courses on creating and coaching AFL game plans partnering AFL SportsReady & The AFL Coaches Association.

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