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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
For all woofers going to Ballarat rug up. At the Whitten Oval a few weeks back watching the VFL it was very cold, Ballarat more colder the windchill factor.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
I think it's more the elevation that makes Ballarat really cold Easty. Its 450 metres they said on C7 tonight.
Just been over to mum's place to raid it for all the thermals and big, big coats we could carry out of the place. Old person clothes.:D
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Arrived tonight to motel and who should be standing in reception, Roughy. Players may be staying at same place. The receptionist had a bulldogs/Mars scarf on.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Arrived tonight to motel and who should be standing in reception, Roughy. Players may be staying at same place. The receptionist had a bulldogs/Mars scarf on.
How's the weather? It is pouring in west Footscray ATM. Twopups and I are driving up tomorrow morning.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Twodogs
How's the weather? It is pouring in west Footscray ATM. Twopups and I are driving up tomorrow morning.
Rained the whole way to here, when we arrived no rain. Temperature about 4
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
4? Far out. That 20 dollar multi pack of foot and hand warmers at the chemist is looking like better value all the time.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Gotta say, really disappointed by today..
11k is just not enough. The capacity meant that our crowd were too heavily corporate. Just too many golf clappers. Simply not enough die hards to really make the place a cauldron in the Subiaco mould.
Huge opportunity lost. Every time I screamed at Razor Ray today,I had people giving me confused looks. Even had one Dogs fan (who was entertaining a number of Port fans) tell me "it was there, mate!" When I protested a free kick against Bont (who was poor, btw. However he was played out of position..)
Can't help but be disappointed that the crowd were far less help than a typical Etihad ensemble.. Couldn't help but notice that, of the 11k, there were a LOT of Ballarat councillors, corporates, hangers on etc. certainly not enough to make the required racket to return serve on a trip to Subiaco or Adelaide Oval...
Really, really disappointed...
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Webby
Gotta say, really disappointed by today..
11k is just not enough. The capacity meant that our crowd were too heavily corporate. Just too many golf clappers. Simply not enough die hards to really make the place a cauldron in the Subiaco mould.
Huge opportunity lost. Every time I screamed at Razor Ray today,I had people giving me confused looks. Even had one Dogs fan (who was entertaining a number of Port fans) tell me "it was there, mate!" When I protested a free kick against Bont (who was poor, btw. However he was played out of position..)
Can't help but be disappointed that the crowd were far less help than a typical Etihad ensemble.. Couldn't help but notice that, of the 11k, there were a LOT of Ballarat councillors, corporates, hangers on etc. certainly not enough to make the required racket to return serve on a trip to Subiaco or Adelaide Oval...
Really, really disappointed...
It's the first time factor. The corporate mix will change as the novelty wears off, allowing for more die hard fans to attend.
The ground was in superb nick, the weather held up, the crowd was chock full (yeah, there were plenty there just for the experience but cest le vie) and the Western Bulldogs brand was plastered all over town, including red, white and blue currently being projected on the Town Hall facade tonight.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
It's the first time factor. The corporate mix will change as the novelty wears off, allowing for more die hard fans to attend.
The ground was in superb nick, the weather held up, the crowd was chock full (yeah, there were plenty there just for the experience but cest le vie) and the Western Bulldogs brand was plastered all over town, including red, white and blue currently being projected on the Town Hall facade tonight.
Mitch Wallis's image was plastered all over town..
.. You'd trade it all for four points... Season over. Debacle..
We'd have pulled 35k and won it at Etihad... I've been very bullish about Ballarat, however feeling very, very poorly on this train home...
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Webby
Mitch Wallis's image was plastered all over town..
.. You'd trade it all for four points... Season over. Debacle..
We'd have pulled 35k and won it at Etihad... I've been very bullish about Ballarat, however feeling very, very poorly on this train home...
Interesting point. I guess sometimes money is more important than winning.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Webby
Mitch Wallis's image was plastered all over town..
.. You'd trade it all for four points... Season over. Debacle..
We'd have pulled 35k and won it at Etihad... I've been very bullish about Ballarat, however feeling very, very poorly on this train home...
We'd have won at Etihad? Please.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
We'd have won at Etihad? Please.
Certainly a better chance. The whole 'understand how to play in windy conditions' seemed to confuse them way too much. For blokes who train at the WO it was staggering to watch.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
We'd have won at Etihad? Please.
Well, Razor was at his belligerent best and the crowd simply didn't rise to it. Far too many corporates and fence sitters. Home ground advantage not completely neutralised, but significantly diminished.
Q'n) How often to WCE lose the free kick count at Subiaco??!! Or Adelaide at Ao?!
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
It's the first time factor. The corporate mix will change as the novelty wears off, allowing for more die hard fans to attend.
The ground was in superb nick, the weather held up, the crowd was chock full (yeah, there were plenty there just for the experience but cest le vie) and the Western Bulldogs brand was plastered all over town, including red, white and blue currently being projected on the Town Hall facade tonight.
Other than the result, I thought Ballarat did a great job today and to see a sea of RWB all over the ground, with their free flags waving was great.
Well done to all that organised the game.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Other than the result, I thought Ballarat did a great job today and to see a sea of RWB all over the ground, with their free flags waving was great.
Well done to all that organised the game.
I just wish someone would tell the club to give a free flag with every junior membership. It looked great.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bulldogtragic
I just wish someone would tell the club to give a free flag with every junior membership. It looked great.
You may recall I have said that plenty of times on this forum :)
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
You may recall I have said that plenty of times on this forum :)
Really? I thought you were the 'awesome' guy and EasternWest was the kids flag guy. :D
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
There were a lot of Port supporters there today. A lot more opposition supporters than you'd find at Subi. Where I was there was heaps of spite for Razor Ray and all the flags looked great. But you're right there were plenty of corporates and hangers on but like Comrade said they will move onto the next shiny thing and before long the ground will be full of feral fans. Rome wasn't built in a day.
The town looked great with the tricolours everywhere. It's only day one. And don't forget that rich breeding ground now becomes part of our zone. Hopefully like Bogey said to Claude Raines Louis I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship
And I talked to Billy Picken outside at qurter time having a ciggy.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
We'd have won at Etihad? Please.
We've been shithouse at Etihad most games this season - even West Coke beat us there. Conversely we're unbeaten at the MCG for the last 2 years, so playing in the elements really seems to suit us.
Imagine how damaging Dixon and Ryder would have been in pristine conditions under the roof today.
I love our push into Ballarat. The ground surface is in magnificent nick, the city itself is a great place to visit with a thriving arts scene, and it is the end point of the western region of suburban Melbourne making it a fantastic breeding ground for new supporters in the fastest growing corridor in Australia. We are working the relationship very strongly, and the local community has gotten behind us. If Geelong can weasel $90m of marginal seat Govt funding for their pissant toy ground, I look forward to further funding and investment in Ballarat and Mars Stadium. This will be a game changer for the club for generations to come.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sedat
We've been shithouse at Etihad most games this season - even West Coke beat us there. Conversely we're unbeaten at the MCG for the last 2 years, so playing in the elements really seems to suit us.
Imagine how damaging Dixon and Ryder would have been in pristine conditions under the roof today.
I love our push into Ballarat. The ground surface is in magnificent nick, the city itself is a great place to visit with a thriving arts scene, and it is the end point of the western region of suburban Melbourne making it a fantastic breeding ground for new supporters in the fastest growing corridor in Australia. We are working the relationship very strongly, and the local community has gotten behind us. If Geelong can weasel $90m of marginal seat Govt funding for their pissant toy ground, I look forward to further funding and investment in Ballarat and Mars Stadium. This will be a game changer for the club for generations to come.
Good point. Ballarat will effectively be the the outer western region of Melbourne eventually with the fast rail and the improvements to the highway. That gives us a huge catchment area for support if we play our cards right.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Twodogs
Good point. Ballarat will effectively be the the outer western region of Melbourne eventually with the fast rail and the improvements to the highway. That gives us a huge catchment area for support if we play our cards right.
Fingers crossed (for my sake) house prices sky rocket in Ballarat during this time ;)
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sedat
We've been shithouse at Etihad most games this season - even West Coke beat us there. Conversely we're unbeaten at the MCG for the last 2 years, so playing in the elements really seems to suit us.
Imagine how damaging Dixon and Ryder would have been in pristine conditions under the roof today.
Good point. We would have been torched on a faster track, and their talls would have had an even bigger field day under the roof (if that's even possible).
Playing the game at Ballarat didn't cost us 4 points, the crowd didn't cost us 4 points. Playing crap cost us 4 points.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Back to the venue I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The seating is small and cramped compared to other grounds with little leg room. It certainly doesn't help when so many fans want to take their seat 2 or 3 minutes into the quarter and then get a jump on the queues 2 or 3 minutes before the quarter ends. The section I was in was constantly performing a lame Mexican wave type effort letting people through.
Parking wasn't adequate and I'm told the shuttle buses weren't that quick. People coming off the train waited a while for the buses to move
The positives were the view is great you feel right up close, the surface looked perfect however, many of our players were falling over particularly in the first quarter so it must have been dewy or we had the wrong boots on.
The city seems to have embraced it which is a massive positive and I can't fault the staff and effort that went into organising the day.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
Parking wasn't adequate and I'm told the shuttle buses weren't that quick. People coming off the train waited a while for the buses to move
The positives were the view is great you feel right up close, the surface looked perfect however, many of our players were falling over particularly in the first quarter so it must have been dewy or we had the wrong boots on.
The city seems to have embraced it which is a massive positive and I can't fault the staff and effort that went into organising the day.
You'd almost think it was the first time the venue held an official AFL game, with plenty of positives and some areas to improve.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
It was an enjoyable day apart from the result. The ground looked a picture. The sound system worked better than Etihad where in our section it is impossible to hear interviews or even the song. It was magnificent seeing the red white and blue everywhere and hardy souls in the outer with their picnic rugs and blankets.
I don't believe we would have won at Etihad. This is where we are at right now - it's now too apparent over the entire season wherever we've played that for a whole host of reasons - some obvious, some less so - we don't have the same fanatical hunger, our match tactics and selections don't seem to have hit the mark, key players have been inconsistent or injured, and our skill level has dropped alarmingly. The players that missed the flag but could have given us that 10% improvement to cover for the slow form decline of our veterans - Jong, Crameri, Redpath, Wallis - haven't been able to do so. 2017 has been a bust. Roll on 2018.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The bulldog tragician
It was an enjoyable day apart from the result. The ground looked a picture. The sound system worked better than Etihad where in our section it is impossible to hear interviews or even the song. It was magnificent seeing the red white and blue everywhere and hardy souls in the outer with their picnic rugs and blankets.
I don't believe we would have won at Etihad. This is where we are at right now - it's now too apparent over the entire season wherever we've played that for a whole host of reasons - some obvious, some less so - we don't have the same fanatical hunger, our match tactics and selections don't seem to have hit the mark, key players have been inconsistent or injured, and our skill level has dropped alarmingly. The players that missed the flag but could have given us that 10% improvement to cover for the slow form decline of our veterans - Jong, Crameri, Redpath, Wallis - haven't been able to do so. 2017 has been a bust. Roll on 2018.
The reason we lost yesterday was when the game was there to be won (remember scores level with 5 minutes to go), there was no one to take hold of the game and be a hero. The Bont was way down yesterday and he is usually the one to take hold and do it for us. We also made some crucial errors that gifted Ryder and Dixon the ball. These were from the kick out. Why would you kick the ball straight to Ryder.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
Back to the venue I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The seating is small and cramped compared to other grounds with little leg room. It certainly doesn't help when so many fans want to take their seat 2 or 3 minutes into the quarter and then get a jump on the queues 2 or 3 minutes before the quarter ends. The section I was in was constantly performing a lame Mexican wave type effort letting people through.
Parking wasn't adequate and I'm told the shuttle buses weren't that quick. People coming off the train waited a while for the buses to move
Yes parking was inadequate, but the city did a great job to have the parkn ride facilities. I drove out to the BWEZ area on the ring rd, and there was massive parking available. The buses were there ready when I arrived, and took off pretty much straight away, and after the game the buses were there at the ground to pick us up. I will say, the architects, like at Etihad, and MCG southern stand, don't know how to design a big enough toilet.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Was speaking to my mate today who went up to Ballarat yesterday. Said he enjoyed the game day experience although like all of us the result in the game not so good in the end. The beers he said were in cans not plastic cups and that it was very much like just going to local footy ground except with a bigger crowd. The crowd number he said was good with many Doggies fans making the trips and locals going as well.
One thing he said is that we need to get used to playing on the ground a bit more and playing in those type of conditions different to Etihad. We train in them a lot at Whitten Oval but don't actually play much in wet and windy conditions which I think is important.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
We have played 3 games there now and haven't won one.
Admittedly two practice matches but it might be a ground that doesn't suit us . Are the dimensions similar to Etihad ? We know the conditions aren't but training at Whitten oval would be the closest you would get in that respect.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
We have played 3 games there now and haven't won one.
Admittedly two practice matches but it might be a ground that doesn't suit us . Are the dimensions similar to Etihad ? We know the conditions aren't but training at Whitten oval would be the closest you would get in that respect.
Yes they said on the TV coverage on Saturday that the ground dimensions are pretty much the same as Etihad. Whitten Oval training and any games we play at the MCG when it rains is the closest we get to that.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
We have played 3 games there now and haven't won one.
Admittedly two practice matches but it might be a ground that doesn't suit us . Are the dimensions similar to Etihad ? We know the conditions aren't but training at Whitten oval would be the closest you would get in that respect.
During the redevelopment, they changed the configuration to be the same as Etihad.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
The best thing about going to Ballarat (as it turned out), was having a meal at Catfish. Great restaurant and highly recommended.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
The best thing about going to Ballarat (as it turned out), was having a meal at Catfish. Great restaurant and highly recommended.
Yep, probably the best restaurant in the region. The town overall has definitely upped it's food game over the past few years.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Really enjoyed the day out with a fellow Bulldog die hard. We were in the outer and it reminded me of the outer at Cazaly Stadium a few weeks back in respect of to having a picnic atmosphere - with the obvious exception of warmer weather. Like someone mentioned above, the atmosphere in the outer was like a local game and was something I really enjoyed.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
That's an honest appraisal, the Council are studying everything from the Live Site which was under patronised to aerial footage to look at how roads were used and where people parked. We would expect the next game to be a little slicker in terms of logistics and they will build on the strengths and improve on the weaknesses.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
You nailed that. We brought our Etihad game to the first quarter. We were handballing when we had a decisive wind advantage that we should have been kicking with. We lost about four goals that quarter. Yes we should have been training in Ballarat from the Monday not at Whitten Oval on the Friday night before the game.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Woofer
That's an honest appraisal, the Council are studying everything from the Live Site which was under patronised to aerial footage to look at how roads were used and where people parked. We would expect the next game to be a little slicker in terms of logistics and they will build on the strengths and improve on the weaknesses.
Many thanks, my concern was also around the seating which appeared to be cramped and uncomfortable and I wouldn't think thats something that will be fixed
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
Yep, probably the best restaurant in the region. The town overall has definitely upped it's food game over the past few years.
On the Friday night we went to The Mallow Hotel for a counter dinner and that was also very good.
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
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Re: Western Bulldogs hope Ballarat clash persuades state government to boost Eureka Stadium’s capacity
Great photos, thanks Woofer