Expectations?

[Remi Moses]

Bit tough on Griffen ( played injured all year)
Libba will cop a tag weekly now ( good for his development) young players can take years to learn to shake a tag.
It's the experience regardless of their consistent output that hurts, in particular as the season goes on.
I hope I'm wrong though

[Webby]

I think Melbourne, Brisbane and GWS will go past us next year. We're a strong possibility for second last. 5 to 7 wins is my expectation, but with a smile on my face as the future is getting brighter. Only 2 years to go on the rebuild and 2016 will see ~10 wins. 2017 is the beginning of 6-7 years of finals footy.

[LostDoggy]

I think Melbourne, Brisbane and GWS will go past us next year. We're a strong possibility for second last. 5 to 7 wins is my expectation, but with a smile on my face as the future is getting brighter. Only 2 years to go on the rebuild and 2016 will see ~10 wins. 2017 is the beginning of 6-7 years of finals footy.

Webby, why do you think Melbourne will go past us?

[mighty_west]

I'd be staggered if we won 9 to 11 games( pleasantly so)
That much experience out the door in most cases ( regardless of their form and future prospects) usually means a drop or a plateau
Having said that, the changes fill me with more optimism than was previously the case.

Aim high....that said whether the team is in Finals mode or down developing always disappointed after every loss.

I do think with a new coach and decent structure the team may surprise a few.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I think Melbourne, Brisbane and GWS will go past us next year. We're a strong possibility for second last. 5 to 7 wins is my expectation, but with a smile on my face as the future is getting brighter. Only 2 years to go on the rebuild and 2016 will see ~10 wins. 2017 is the beginning of 6-7 years of finals footy.

While you may be right in the end, many posters have been saying this since about 2011 and they still are absolutely terrible.

[Remi Moses]

Aim high....that said whether the team is in Finals mode or down developing always disappointed after every loss.

I do think with a new coach and decent structure the team may surprise a few.

More realism than anything

[Twodogs]

Pleasently staggered would be good. Pleasently stunned would be better.

[Bulldog Revolution]

My expectations are that we will see big improvement

I don't know whether that will translate into wins and losses

Ive been watching the tapes and its impossible not to see enormous upside in Stringer, Hrovat, Hunter, Bontompelli, Macrae etc who provided so much promise in 2014, but also an injury free Roughie, blue chop recruit Boyd and a hopefully maturing group of Campbell, Wallis, Stevens, and Wood.

Bring on the draft and the appointment of a coach

[LostDoggy]

I think we'll claim a few scalps, lose a few we should've won and generally finish the same. If we come out firing at the start of the year, as I think we will with our young talent, a new coach and gameplan, and the factor of young men with a point to prove, we then have to manage the mental side: making sure the young guys don't get ahead of themselves, play it steady and if we start to rise, well and good. I'm not really fussed. I hate losing but if we're improving I'm happy. I actually enjoyed much of 2014, the fans were howling but I saw so much improvement in guys like Stringer, Bonti, etc, that I have 2014 pegged down as a successful year.

[1eyedog]

5-6 wins. You don't just bring in a new coach and game plan and win 10 games of footy. Our constraint next season is less about how many games our kids have played and more about how our new coach wants us to play and this will take time.

[bulldogtragic]

I get where you're coming from ED, but that's too simple for what is more complex. It's a matter of needing to have realistic expectations and with our list, expectation for improved onfield performance must be non negotiable. If you work off the basis an outcome is good because people meet low expectations, then it might be good to review why that outcome would be good.

Every preseason is the same. It's fresh hope. You might want to study 1996 and 1997 with our club ED. An appreciation for those years might offer some historical clarity in how we need to look at things.

Nothing quite like hope.

[ledge]

Just reading back, isn't it amazing how us football followers for years and so called arm chair experts have got this wrong more than right.
I expected around 8 or 9 spot so I'm not too far off the mark, it feels so good at the moment, lets see how the rest pans out, last two weeks we have won but looks like we are either being found out or tired.
If its just a lull and we are winning having bad days we will make finals.

[Eastdog]

Very important for 2016 that will keep our expectations in house.

[LostDoggy]

I'm expecting that we'll finish 4th-8th, top 4 would be great but as a minimum, equal or greater amount of win's as 2015 but with a much improved percentage. At least 1 final's win and hopefully 3

I personally find it hard to, but we need to remove the negativity from our mind's and take a Jean Claude Van Damme approach to future seasons, No Retreat, No Surrender.

[1eyedog]

I'm expecting that we'll finish 4th-8th, top 4 would be great but as a minimum, equal or greater amount of win's as 2015 but with a much improved percentage. At least 1 final's win and hopefully 3

I personally find it hard to, but we need to remove the negativity from our mind's and take a Jean Claude Van Damme approach to future seasons, No Retreat, No Surrender.

Drove through Hamilton today on my way to Heywood. Know many other Bulldogs in Hamilton Typhon?