AFTER the Western Bulldogs' 64-point win over Melbourne last Friday night, coach Rodney Eade revealed his side was now moving the ball from its backline in a more cautious, predictable way.
Eade explained the frantic run and ball movement that took his side to a preliminary final from 2008-10 had broken down, so he had tinkered with his game plan in the past six or seven weeks.
"I think (now) we are bit more predictable to our teammates," Eade said. "In the past we've always played with freedom and now we're trying to curtail that to a degree."
Eade said earlier this season the Bulldogs had not had the skill on their backline to set up play like they had used to. The extended absences of Ryan Hargrave and Brian Lake with injury had been a factor in this, he said. But the Bulldogs also lost creative defender Jarrod Harbrow to the Gold Coast at the end of last season.
In Thursday's Age, Eade expanded on these post-match comments, telling Rohan Connolly the recent game plan changes were probably the biggest he had made at the Bulldogs in three years.
"We've probably just got a bit more structure to how we're bringing it out, rather than relying a lot on the creativity of some individuals," Eade told Connolly.
"It's probably just about eliminating turnovers. Our run and set-up has been generated by the quality of our defence, and we've taken a while to adjust with key players being out and others down on form.
"We've just modified our game style a bit to cope with the players we've got there now."
Connolly unveiled some statistics that showed Eade's new game plan had drastically reduced the number of scoring opportunities the Bulldogs were giving opponents, while increasing their own.
In the first 12 rounds, the Bulldogs turned the ball over in their defensive 50 an average 23 times a game (15th in the competition), but in the past three rounds they have cut their average turnovers to 16 (1st).
The Bulldogs were ranked 15th for inside 50s in the first 12 rounds, but over the past three rounds have risen to seventh. Likewise, the Bulldogs' forward half possession rate has climbed from 46 per cent (12th) to 52 per cent (fifth), and their scores from turnovers have risen from 33 per cent (15th) to 55 per cent (1st).
These numbers make good reading for Bulldogs fans. However, it is worth noting the Bulldogs' victories over the past three rounds have been against Adelaide, Gold Coast and Melbourne.
If they can maintain these improved numbers against Carlton this Sunday, then Bulldogs fans are entitled to get really excited.
Melbourne youngsters boxing on
The Western Bulldogs' victims last Friday night, Melbourne, have endured a 2011 season that's had so many ups and downs that the adjective roller-coaster doesn't do it justice.
Only twice this year have the Demons managed to string two wins in a row together (rounds three-four and rounds 13-14).
And the gulf between their good and poor performances is reflected by the fact that when they win they often win 'big', but equally when they lose they often lose big.
Three of the Demon's six wins in 2011 have been by 89 points or more. But in five of their seven losses, they have lost by more than 40 points. As inconsistency goes, they've been incredibly consistent.
However, inconsistency has long been accepted as one of the occupational hazards of a developing young side like the current Melbourne line-up.
Obviously, a major focus of clubs with a core group of youngsters is to fast-track their development into consistent AFL performers as quickly as possible.
A club's senior players obviously have an important part to play in this process.
In Thursday's Age, we got an insight into Brent Moloney's off-field leadership. The Demons vice-captain is currently hosting Melbourne's eight first-year players in his hometown of Warrnambool for a boxing camp with teammate Nathan Jones.
The camp has been timed to break up Melbourne's two-week break over its round 16 bye, and has been an annual event for the past four years.
This week, the young Demons have been staying at a local caravan park, rising at 5.30am each day for a run, which is followed by a sparring session in "Rude" Rodney Ryan's gym, where Moloney trained as a teenager, and then a dip in icy ocean waters.
Moloney said the camp was designed to take the players out of their comfort zones and was more about bonding than boxing.
"You get to know the players and probably talk more openly and ask questions you wouldn't ask sitting around the club in Melbourne," Moloney said.
Moloney's initiative in establishing the camp highlights why he is valued so highly for his leadership at Melbourne. And why, after his off-field discretion earlier this year, he soon regained the trust of playing group and the vice-captaincy.
Homesickness a reality for interstate recruits
If a club is facing a line-ball decision between two players at the NAB AFL Draft, one a local boy and one from interstate, often the hometown boy will get the nod.
Although clubs will nearly always pick the best player available, if they're wavering between two players, the fact one is local - and will not have to deal with the homesickness that almost inevitably comes with moving interstate - can sway their decisions.
Clubs would be mindful that in recent seasons homesickness has, among others, cost Melbourne Scott Thompson (now at Adelaide), West Coast Chris Judd (Carlton) and Fremantle Chris Tarrant (back at Collingwood), while previously the Sydney Swans lost Anthony Rocca (Collingwood) and Shannon Grant (North Melbourne) when they decided to return to their home state.
Port Adelaide youngster Jackson Trengove is the latest interstate recruit to be feeling the pull of home. Trengove's mananger Tom Petroro told the Herald Sun's online program Front & Square Trengove was torn between returning to family and friends in Melbourne at the end of this season and committing to the Power long-term.
"He's got a massive heart and he loves his family, but there is a fair element of his heart in Port Adelaide too," Petroro said.
In the meantime, all Port can do is wait and hope its culture is strong enough to convince Trengove, 20, to stay.
In short
The emerging talent pool of players eligible for the 2012 NAB AFL Draft is being compared by recruiters to the 2001 Draft class that included Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Chris Judd, the Herald Sun reports. An unnamed recruiter told the tabloid the 2012 Draft was likely to unearth 10 "five-star" players whereas this year's Draft was only likely to contain three "four-star" players. "Is it as good as 2001? It is looming as an absolute cracker, so if it's not it won't be far off," he said.
Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan says Chad Cornes is a Port Adelaide great and hopes he gets to enjoy a "John Farnham-like farewell tour" rather than a one-off farewell game. Cornes will almost certainly retire at the end of this season and Sheahan says the perfect farewell would be for him to replace injured forward Justin Westhoff this weekend and play out the remainder of the season. "The romantics among us would dearly like to see him finish his career on a high," Sheahan said.
Two hip operations in a month have given Richmond defender Kelvin Moore hope he will return to AFL football next season, The Age reports. The broadsheet said Moore, who has been sidelined all of this season because of degenerative hips, would not be able to run again until October at the earliest. Moore, 27, said his latest surgery should ensure he can play for another two or thee years, but he will ultimately need hip replacements.
Former Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd has told The Advertiser Port Adelaide should target Bombers tall Patrick Ryder in this year's trade period. Lloyd suggested Port may be able to broker a deal with Essendon by offering them a quality midfielder, something the Bombers were "crying out for". "Paddy's preference, I suppose, would be to stay at Essendon, but I think he is the type of player ... Port should be targeting," Lloyd said.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
