The only players with any creative licence under Des' structures are front rowers, "locks", and maybe fullback.
Every other position has to stay in their channel, and without deviation.
Halves in staying away form the middle third, second rowers only running in narrow channels, centres standing in the outside quarters waiting for crappy ball, hookers simply passing from the ground, never engaging markers or the line, with around two runs per game with no support.
In order for Des' strategy to work, we either need the opposition to make mistakes, or the Dogs need to make none, and out-enthuse the opposition for 80mins.
It probably also requires a good kicking game.
The bench rotation also asks too much of Graham and Tolman, who play long, low intensity minutes, when Kasiano is luck to get 25 minutes, and a bench second rower lucky to get 5.
Graham, Eastwood, Tolman, Browne etc. don't appear to have the energy to out enthuse a team for 80 minutes anymore.
The "super fit" forwards talk at the beginning of the year was a bit of a myth.
My last point might sound ridiculous, and it probably is, but I remember Des saying in 2014 that he wears glasses because he struggles to see what's 10 metres in front of him at times. Could it be that he can't see the field properly from the coach's box? Could all this money he spends on technology be useless because he is too stubborn to wear his glasses? lol
