The difference between contenders and pretenders in the AFL

For all those that watch Bounce on Foxtel, you will have become quite fond of a popular segment called ‘Coach Killers’.

Former AFL coach Danny Frawley has made it a must watch and, whether you like it or not, it is quite entertaining.

Yet there is a serious side to it, and right now it is separating the top teams from those that are inconsistent.

As I watched Gold Coast and North Melbourne on Sunday, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for Brad Scott. There were two examples of “coach killers” during the last quarter involving Gary Ablett.

The first was Scott Thompson. After receiving a free kick for tripping, Ablett was then tackled by Thompson following the umpire’s whistle. However, instead of getting up before Ablett could get to his feet, Thompson laid there on the ground remonstrating with the umpire. As so often happens, Ablett looked around, played on and kicked a goal while Thompson got to his feet.

The next was when Levi Greenwood, who was responsible for tagging Ablett, decided to simply shepherd him off the ball in a marking contest, resulting in a free kick.

Ablett decided to play on and snap, however the umpire had blown time off meaning he had to retake his kick. Having already shown the North players what he would do, he was allowed to simply run around with no pressure and slot an easy goal.

These incidents may not have changed the result of the game, but were a clear sign that if North wants to be top four team, they must be switched on for 120 minutes.

When watching Geelong you can very rarely claim they perform acts that are coach killers (bar the occasional Steve Johnson brain fade or attempt at the ridiculous).

On Sunday’s game between Geelong and Richmond, Geelong player Joel Selwood was bleeding from the head. It was not seen by the umpires, yet no Richmond player made the umpire aware of it. All it takes is a simple, “Umpire, Selwood is bleeding, should he not be sent off?”

As a result, Selwood kicked a goal from the resulting stoppage in a game that was decided by five points. For all that Richmond did right in the last three quarters, something so basic was overlooked and possibly cost them the game.

For all that goes into recruiting, we have somewhat forgotten about footy smarts and the ability of players to make the right decision or do the basics.

On Friday night, two Carlton players simply looked at each other and the umpire after a mark, allowing Jamie Elliott to kick an easy goal. This simple art has nothing to do with skill, but the basic art of game awareness and mental application.

Coach killers are not a statistic that is recorded, but if it was, would it reflect that standings on the ladder?

These can include: not manning the mark properly; unnecessary free kicks; losing contests in a two-on-one situation; missing one-on-one tackles; failing to rush or punch a ball for a behind when able to and conceding a resulting goal; letting a ball get out the back in a pack contest; dropping uncontested marks; and kicking backwards to a player that is then put under unnecessary pressure.

Over the course of a game, they can add up and be worth two to three goals.

All these are simple skills, but too often these mistakes happen in games. When looking at Geelong, the question must be asked, how often do they happen?

It is what has made Geelong possibly the greatest team in the modern game. They have players with immense skill and will go down as champions of the game, yet it is their attention to detail and ability to do the very basics that has enabled them to be so good.

If you asked Danny Frawley what annoyed him the most as a coach, he would no doubt cite a player’s lack of basic skills and attentions to detail.

In a tight season, the ability to eliminate coach killers can be the difference between winning losing.

In the big picture, it can be the difference between a dynasty and a long period without success.