Dry Rot
02-03-2007, 12:55 AM
Good move by Rocket?
Eade moves to mute Dog yapping
Martin Blake
March 2, 2007
RODNEY Eade has taken the proverbial firehose to the growing expectations about Western Bulldogs on the eve of the 2007 AFL season.
Just as he did before last year's finals, Eade insists his team is merely "a work in progress" as it prepares for tonight's NAB Cup second-round match against Brisbane Lions.
"We're going to have some ups and downs, too," he said. "We've only played one finals series in the last six years. We're still a young side from that aspect, and for us to have a crack at a premiership, and for people to talk about top-fours … you need to be in the finals for a few years in a row.
"I mean, Port (Adelaide) proved that, Brisbane (Lions) proved that, Sydney (has been) in eight of the last 10, West Coast have been there now for three to four years in a row. I think you need to do that to learn how to play in finals.
"We have made the finals once and that's what we're aiming to do again, is to back up and make the final eight."
For Eade, it is about constant improvement. "There's no doubt there's always a work in progress. I've no doubt the West Coast Eagles are going to have areas they want to work on and improve. That's just a constant.
"Last year's finals series was a bit of good and bad, and it showed we've still got a lot of work to do. We've still got a pretty young group. We've got five at the top end, but we've got some youngsters."
The Bulldogs surprised a few people by rising to eighth last year and winning a final before a reality dose against West Coast in Perth. But with youth on their side and a paucity of decent Victorian teams, fans in Melbourne are talking them up. To Eade, however, it is all irrelevant.
"I don't think you can control what people are thinking. If you're a bottom team and everyone thinks you can't play and they bag you and you're the underdog every week, that shouldn't affect the way you play.
"It shouldn't act as a extra spur. Really, as a team, you shouldn't need that. If you've got that expectation, that shouldn't change the mindset of how you go about it. I think the guys are OK with all that. We've got to control the way we prepare and the way we play."
With Jason Akermanis, Ryan Griffen and Brad Johnson all being rested for tonight's game, the Bulldogs plainly are not treating the pre-season series too seriously, and Eade admitted as much.
"To be honest, it's not the main priority, but once you cross the white line, you want to do well and you want to win games," he said. "There's no doubt about that. We just won't take a risk with any player. We've tried some players in different positions.
"Hopefully, some of the younger guys will stake a claim for further down the track."
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2007/03/01/1172338794215.html
Eade moves to mute Dog yapping
Martin Blake
March 2, 2007
RODNEY Eade has taken the proverbial firehose to the growing expectations about Western Bulldogs on the eve of the 2007 AFL season.
Just as he did before last year's finals, Eade insists his team is merely "a work in progress" as it prepares for tonight's NAB Cup second-round match against Brisbane Lions.
"We're going to have some ups and downs, too," he said. "We've only played one finals series in the last six years. We're still a young side from that aspect, and for us to have a crack at a premiership, and for people to talk about top-fours … you need to be in the finals for a few years in a row.
"I mean, Port (Adelaide) proved that, Brisbane (Lions) proved that, Sydney (has been) in eight of the last 10, West Coast have been there now for three to four years in a row. I think you need to do that to learn how to play in finals.
"We have made the finals once and that's what we're aiming to do again, is to back up and make the final eight."
For Eade, it is about constant improvement. "There's no doubt there's always a work in progress. I've no doubt the West Coast Eagles are going to have areas they want to work on and improve. That's just a constant.
"Last year's finals series was a bit of good and bad, and it showed we've still got a lot of work to do. We've still got a pretty young group. We've got five at the top end, but we've got some youngsters."
The Bulldogs surprised a few people by rising to eighth last year and winning a final before a reality dose against West Coast in Perth. But with youth on their side and a paucity of decent Victorian teams, fans in Melbourne are talking them up. To Eade, however, it is all irrelevant.
"I don't think you can control what people are thinking. If you're a bottom team and everyone thinks you can't play and they bag you and you're the underdog every week, that shouldn't affect the way you play.
"It shouldn't act as a extra spur. Really, as a team, you shouldn't need that. If you've got that expectation, that shouldn't change the mindset of how you go about it. I think the guys are OK with all that. We've got to control the way we prepare and the way we play."
With Jason Akermanis, Ryan Griffen and Brad Johnson all being rested for tonight's game, the Bulldogs plainly are not treating the pre-season series too seriously, and Eade admitted as much.
"To be honest, it's not the main priority, but once you cross the white line, you want to do well and you want to win games," he said. "There's no doubt about that. We just won't take a risk with any player. We've tried some players in different positions.
"Hopefully, some of the younger guys will stake a claim for further down the track."
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2007/03/01/1172338794215.html