AFL Tactics & Strategy

Football has been undergoing rapid change. The laws of the game are continually updated, players have become more versatile, and fitness and skill levels are at an all-time high. Advances in the coaching area have seen an increased emphasis on tactics as coaches strive to gain an incisive edge over their opposition.

The Game-Plan

A game-plan is a recognisable, predictable standard of play adopted by a coach that suits their football philosophy. It is simply a plan for a match consisting of a few major parts — a framework built around player movement, control of the ball in both offence and defence, and the strengths of the players available.

A good game-plan that best suits the players at the coach’s disposal maximises the team’s strengths. Game-plans can include one or more of the following approaches:

• Long kicking to key forwards — A team with tall, high-marking mobile forwards will maximise scoring by moving the ball quickly out of the centre, kicking long into the forward line.
• Running, possession game — A small-to-medium-sized team will adopt a running game with short passing and handball to maintain possession and tire bigger opponents.
• Defensive game — A team with a strongly disciplined unit can work together to move the ball forward into attack through tight, contested defensive structures.

Generally, a coach will start with a game-plan that best suits the players available and maximises the team’s strengths. Before the start of a new season, the coach should analyse the previous season, identify the team’s strengths and areas for improvement, approach potential recruits to fill shortcomings, and develop the game-plan accordingly.

The Team-Plan

A team-plan is a game-plan for a specific match. It consists of two parts:

A coach should clearly outline a collection of basic rules to be followed by the team. Not only should these basics be clearly explained, they should be reinforced both at training and on match-day. Basics form the foundation of the team-plan and are particularly important for coaches of junior and youth teams.

Team Set-Ups & Formations

Traditionally, football has been played with five lines of three players plus three players running on the ball — three full-forwards, three half-forwards, three centres, three half-backs, and three full-backs, with a ruckman, ruck-rover, and rover through the middle.

The increased versatility of modern footballers and the importance of the midfield area has led to a move away from these established line-ups. One common variation is the five-man forward line, which allows extra space for a key forward while relocating an extra player to the midfield area or defence to provide support.

Coaches must decide how to structure their team based on the available playing list. The best formations are those that exploit the team’s strengths while covering its weaknesses — and that can be adjusted in-game as the contest evolves.

Set-Plays & Stoppages

Set-plays are rehearsed team movements used in specific situations. In Australian football they revolve around “dead ball” or “stoppage” situations: centre bounces, ball-ups and boundary throw-ins, out-of-bounds on the full, centre-square restarts after a behind has been scored, and kick-outs from full-back after a behind.

Centre Bounces

Few can argue the importance of winning the ball at the centre bounce and moving it quickly out of the centre square. The ruckman’s role is to direct the ball to a pre-arranged area where teammates are positioned. Three common centre-bounce formations are:

• “Best players in” — the most aggressive ball players should be involved in the contest. This may mean leaving a skilful midfielder out of the square to receive the clearance rather than risk them in the physical contest.
• “Man up” — players stand between the opposition and the ball. Used as a defensive measure when the opposition has scored two or three quick goals, to slow the game and prevent easy clearances.
• “Set up” — a standard set-up covering the defensive area behind your ruck and the offensive area behind the opposition ruck, with a designated midfielder moving to the ruckman’s preferred hit zone.

Kick-Outs

Kicking out from full-back after a behind is scored is one of the most important tactical situations in the modern game. Traditionally, the full-back would kick long out of the danger zone towards a high-marking ruckman, with teammates flooding to the area in support.

Today, with the emphasis on possession football, kick-out strategies are employed in an effort to maintain possession and restrict the opposition when they have the ball. Key principles include:

• All players must have a role to play and be fully aware of their responsibility.
• Ground and weather conditions, and the age and standard of the competition, will determine the tactics adopted.
• The player kicking off must read the situation and select the best option.
• The strategy will ultimately depend on the tactics of the opposition and whether they adopt a zone defence or play man-on-man.
• A simple kick-out strategy to combat a zone defence involves “flooding a zone” — directing players to one area to outnumber the opposition, improving the chance of maintaining possession.
• All kick-out strategies may include a “play on” option to gain more ground before kicking.
• Kick-out drills require a great deal of practice and rehearsal and should be developed during pre-season.

Defensive Structures

With the opposition kicking out, two main forms of defence are available.

Man-on-Man Defence

In its simplest form, each player picks up an opponent and follows them closely to prevent a lead or an easy mark. It is the most direct defensive approach — every opponent is accounted for, and communication between defenders is critical to manage switches and screen movements.

Zone Defence

The zone defence, borrowed from basketball, involves zoning an area to restrict opposition movement into open space. Rather than following a specific opponent, each player is responsible for a region of the ground. A 12-man defence, for example, distributes players evenly in “open spaces” to restrict opposition leading lanes.

Zone defence is particularly effective against teams that rely on long kicking to stationary targets. It forces the opposition to work the ball through traffic rather than finding easy options by foot. However, it can be beaten by quick ball movement and handball chains that overload one side of the ground before the zone can reset.

The Modern Tactical Landscape

Modern AFL coaching has evolved far beyond the three simple game-plan styles. Today’s top coaches blend multiple approaches within a single match. Common modern tactical concepts include:

• Forward press — pushing the entire team high up the ground to apply pressure on opposition kick-outs and defensive transitions. The aim is to force turnovers inside the forward 50 and create scoring opportunities from defensive pressure.
• Defensive transition — how quickly a team converts from attack to defence when possession is lost. Elite teams flood numbers behind the ball within seconds of a turnover.
• Corridor control — keeping the ball in the central corridor of the ground rather than kicking to the boundary. This creates more scoring opportunities but carries higher risk of turnover.
• Overlap run — defenders and midfielders running past the ball-carrier to provide an extra attacking option. This stretches the defence and creates numerical advantages.
• Controlled possession — using short, precise handballs and kicks to maintain possession and work the ball methodically up the ground. Patience is prioritised over speed.
• Accountable football — every player, regardless of position, is expected to contribute defensively. The days of a full-forward standing in the goal square waiting for the ball are over.

The Well-Prepared Coach

A good coach leaves nothing to chance and takes time and effort to develop a team-plan and tactics to help players become a strong unit on the ground. The well-prepared coach:

1. Ensures that all players understand and believe in what is required — every play is carefully explained and all possible variations fully discussed.
2. Understands that all plays must be practised and rehearsed carefully at training.
3. Avoids major tactical switches during a match that will only add confusion to the team.
4. Realises that junior players should be taught skills first, with tactics becoming more important as age and standard of competition increases.
5. Provides feedback based on statistical evidence, to the team and to individuals, relating to adherence to the team-plan and the style of play.

The coach communicates the plan to the players so they can implement it with confidence. This enables the coach to move towards the main objective — to coach the best team in the competition.