In this week's Game Plan, Swans stoppage coach Mark Stone talks about how the team plan to restrict the influence of Gary Ablett and the other Suns midfielders...
This Saturday night we make our first trip to Metricon Stadium to take on the Gold Coast.
Clearly we were disappointed with our performance against the Adelaide Crow last week and it was frustrating not to capitalise on our opportunities around goal. There are a couple of reasons for that. Part of it is simply our direct kicking at goal which clearly hasn’t been good enough. The other part is our entries into the attacking 50 to give the forwards the best chance. To improve that, we need to get a better synergy between the midfielders and the forward group. We need to put that into work on the training track with some drills tailored around building a better understanding and improving our efficiency going forward.
There is no doubt that against the Crows we overused the handball in the wet conditions. That hurt us, as we turned the ball over and it also created less predictability for our forwards, which makes it hard for them to know when to lead.
The Gold Coast are a really interesting opponent. They are a new, young team, but we’ve seen enough of them to know what they are capable of, what positions they are likely to play, how they move the ball, and just generally how they go about their footy.
They’re a tough opponent based on their talent and what they have shown in their first season. They’ve won two games, but they have been really competitive in many games for two or three quarters. We desperately need to win so we’ve got to go up there expecting a really tough, competitive game on their home deck.
With Gary Ablett leading the way, the Suns midfield has got the calibre of players that can cause you a lot of headaches. On our measure of differentials, they are ranked second overall for stoppages.
Gary’s influence will have a big bearing on the outcome of the game. He is a bit of a barometer for the Suns - when he plays well, everyone around him can lift and really give them the opportunity to win. You can’t really stop a guy like Gary, the challenge is to limit his impact on the game.
It has been another tough week at the selection table with a number of players in the reserves putting their hand up to play senior footy. This week, Matt Spangher will play his first game in red and white which is a good reward for some really consistent form in the reserves.
Overall, I think our stoppage work has been consistent throughout the year. We are ranked fourth overall in that differential stat (difference between us and our direct opponent). I would like to see us generate more scores from our stoppages and the key to that is getting better on the spread. The other thing to take into account is that Kieren Jack and Shane Mumford - first and second in our best and fairest last year - have both missed a lot of footy this season and that does affect our stoppage work. To get them back in the side together this week makes a huge difference. There is always room for improvement and there are a few areas like the spread and setting up opportunities to score that we can get better at.
It has been a disappointing three weeks and it’s time for us to get that winning feeling back. We need to go to the Gold Coast, get the job done, get the points and come home.
