SYDNEY v HAWTHORN GAME ANALYSIS

In what has turned out to be the last Saturday without any sort of footy for 9 months and a very slow day at that, here's my game analysis clips from last night's game while I have ample time to put it together and post it.

Impressive from the Hawks to win in a different way then they were last season and after Sydney came right back at them and getting close enough to pinch it regardless of those horrendous 2-brown jumpers!

We're all bored from not having footy to watch so I'll make this one free to provide somewhat of a footy fix.

In this 11 min video we look at:

• Sydney's multiple layers of pressing forward defense
• Sydney breaking the Hawks forward half defense
• Leading patterns and cohesiveness of the Sydney forwards
• Sydney not pressing forward on defense like they normally do resulting in a goal for the Hawks
• Elite small forward craft from Papley
• Sydney loosing Sicily during Hawks transition transition offense slow play 
• How to press forward into the ball carrier when they have space to run through
• Wicks' double tackling effort

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0sVhxGoRno

 

10 NEW STREAMLINE TRAINING ACTIVITIES

                                          

I haven't posted one of these for ages so just remember that these training activities simply have a brief description and that's it - no images, diagrams and pictures to accompany them. Let's get to activities 122 - 131.

#122 -PASSING CIRCLE

#123 - PUSH UP TO SCORE

#124 - NO CORRIDOR

#125 -  8 ROTATE

#126 - PIVOT PLAYER

#127 - END ZONE

#128 - NUMBERS

#129 - HANDBALL TO KICK

#130 - 1-0 GAME

#131- 3-2-1 GAME

For full access to these training activities register for a level 3 membership from https://aussierulestraining.com/membership-account/membership-levels/.

RELATIONSIM v POSITIONISM

                                                           

These 2 terms are never really mentioned in AFL conversations, not with this specific wording anyway, but in Soccer there are constant Twitter threads on 1 or the other or the comparison of both approaches.

That's not to say they aren't used in AFL, they most definitely are, we just don't use the same jargon.

These notes come from a Twitter account called @ogpinions, which is a soccer analysis-based account so let's have a look at the 2 approaches.

RELATIONISM

• Refers to the relationships and interactions between players in an attempt to develop self-regulating players who can solve their own problems without coach intervention and who can adjust to variable game conditions
• Player position’s should not be predetermined but should depend on game variables such as opposition and teammates with the player being in control of their position
• Top-down guidance is associated with relationism where coaches provide game situations for players to solve and observe their natural tendencies through guidance
• It is not against positional play but is against methods that inhibit self-regulating players
• Once players develop positional understanding then self-regulation should be prioritised

POSITIONISM

• Is defined by positions on the field and from a belief that a fixed, static concept is the source from which everything else can be derived
• May not develop self-regulating players as some, most or all solutions are already provided to them and they don't develop the ability to think for themselves
• Top down control is associated here where the coach provides the solution and the players execute it and they follow a specific game model
• Can lead to a lack of adaptability where players struggle when teams behave differently then they thought they would
• The main difference is the role of the coach

Now that we have a bit more information on what these both are then what teams do you think bias one or the other?

AFL PRE-SEASON WEEK 2 GAME ANALYSIS

                         

In week 2 of the pre-season games we look at:

• Gold Coast stoppage formation on secondary center ball ups
• Sydney with multiple layers of pressing forward defense 
• Brisbane wing run
• Collingwood up to their old tricks at center bounce clearance
• Lukosius kick = Perfection
• Port Adelaide using handball to draw defenders in then breaking them

For full access to this game analysis register for a level 1 membership from https://aussierulestraining.com/membership-account/membership-levels/. 

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL TRAINING ACTIVITIES PART 5

We're 15 training sessions for deep for pre-season 2025 so here's a 5th edition of what I've ran with my senior women's team so far.

After working a lot on individual action capabilities we're now starting to get a little more structure-focused and developing more off and away from the ball actions in the game.

Here's another 4 training activities.

2 TEAM/BALL/HALF HANDBALL...

For full access to these training activities, register for a level 3 membership from https://aussierulestraining.com/membership-account/membership-levels/.

HOW ARE AFL TEAMS DOING IT IN 2025?

In case you missed it, I Twittered this out during the week:

Where TV/Radio footy experts discuss contracts and ridiculous what ifs, they could be deeply analyzing teams and how it all connects to winning games like @onepercentas, @rickm18 and @JamesIves17 are currently doing - if you're even 1% footy nuff material, then have a look

— AFL Training (@AFLTraining) February 23, 2025

The reviews that One Percenters is putting up at the moment are nothing short of first class and when I'm reading them he's putting into words what I've watched and even analysed in my own video content, what some AFL teams are doing, except he's has a stat for everything providing the why's to some of my what's.

Today I'll piggy back off some the points he's made so far from a few teams, with my own video's of what it looks like and then you can go to work of training your own team up these different game phases and plays.

Today covers Brisbane, Collingwood and Hawthorn.

For full access to this coaching/training article, register for a level 1 membership at https://aussierulestraining.com/membership-account/membership-levels/.

SYDNEY v GWS PRE-SEASON GAME ANALYSIS (FREE)

Looks like I'm back for another year of doing this and to be honest, I can't watch a game anymore without looking out for this type of stuff.

This is from today's pre-season game between the Swans and Giants in a 2 part video, with a sprinkle of Brisbane on the end of the 2nd video.

In video 1 we look at:

• How the player who just kicks the ball is the most free player on the ground
• Heeney contesting the center bounce clearance and then leading out from the square for a mark and goal
• Gulden the overlap specialist
• Sydney 666/Connection + Front Press Defense
• Sydney 666/Connection again
• Jesse Hogan constantly on the move

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4zExLujYAI&feature=youtu.be

In video 2 we look at:

• Gulden defensive wing run
• Sydney 666/Connection yet again
• Sydney front press defense x 2
• Brisbane running chain from defensive 50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTmbPGyD9E