Game Day Round 18, 2017 - Western Bulldogs V Gold Coast Suns

[jeemak]

What was everyone actually expecting? Perfect performance that ended in a 100 point win?

After losing Morris we smashed them in pretty much every area of the ground. We did them by almost ten goals with a man down ffs, and we clearly dominated them.

[bornadog]

What was everyone actually expecting? Perfect performance that ended in a 100 point win?

After losing Morris we smashed them in pretty much every area of the ground. We did them by almost ten goals with a man down ffs, and we clearly dominated them.

I am happy.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

What was everyone actually expecting? Perfect performance that ended in a 100 point win?

After losing Morris we smashed them in pretty much every area of the ground. We did them by almost ten goals with a man down ffs, and we clearly dominated them.

A 4 qtr performance. They outsmarted us in the 2nd and for periods in the 3rd.
We still committed multiple unforced skill errors, bombed it in when they had a spare back and only really put the foot down when as a young inexperienced team does runs out of run.
Don't get me wrong much better we kicked on than had a 20 piint loss. But thats where i reckon we would've been if Gaz had've played.

[jeemak]

Ablett is a 74 point turnaround?

Get real. If that was the case he'd be offered $4m a year to return home.

[bornadog]

A 4 qtr performance. They outsmarted us in the 2nd and for periods in the 3rd.
We still committed multiple unforced skill errors, bombed it in when they had a spare back and only really put the foot down when as a young inexperienced team does runs out of run.
Don't get me wrong much better we kicked on than had a 20 piint loss. But thats where i reckon we would've been if Gaz had've played.

We won by 54 points, we held them to one point in the last, what do you expect.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Ablett is a 74 point turnaround?

Get real. If that was the case he'd be offered $4m a year to return home.

Sorry had brain explosion. Meant 20 point win.
I do think Gaz would've had a big impact. Wouldve changed the complexion of the midfield.
You know what a very good 50 odd point win looks like? The Hawks tonight against Freo. Or Sydneys win tonight against the Saints.

[jeemak]

You managed to watch both at the same time?

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

We won by 54 points, we held them to one point in the last, what do you expect.

They were completely cooked in the last.
I don't know why some are hailing this a great victory? It was a solid win, in the end against a very poor opposition who are down on confidence, had late withdrawals over past couple of days and are very green.
We looked very ordinary, in patches, as we have done all season in every single game. Hardly the sort of performance that would indicate our patchiness is behind us.

Bevo's demeanour throughout the night and in the post game prrsser was not that of a coach brimming with 4 qtrs of data that would tell him we are through the other side of our slump.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

You managed to watch both at the same time?

I flicked across both games throughout the evening.

[Twodogs]

Great minds think alike.

And small ones in unison...

[bornadog]

They were completely cooked in the last.
I don't know why some are hailing this a great victory? It was a solid win, in the end against a very poor opposition who are down on confidence, had late withdrawals over past couple of days and are very green.
We looked very ordinary, in patches, as we have done all season in every single game. Hardly the sort of performance that would indicate our patchiness is behind us.

Bevo's demeanour throughout the night and in the post game prrsser was not that of a coach brimming with 4 qtrs of data that would tell him we are through the other side of our slump.

I didn't see anyone saying it was a great victory. 54 Points is a good win and I will take it anytime. Yes lots of mistakes, but that is no different to any game, including the H&A last year.

[jeemak]

And what, in each instance you were surprised by how well Freo and Saints were playing, but doubly or triply surprised by how well Hawthorn and Sydney were respectively?

Nobody is claiming tonight's win as the ultimate for us. Yes we had a couple of down patches through the game but we flogged them convincingly in all relevant areas of the game!

Why do you think they were so cooked in the last by the way?

[macca]

Morris is so tough . Cannot imagine the pain he must be feeling TV showed him getting off the ground quickly and looked so calm . Eade praised him for his mental toughness. Get well soon Morris.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I didn't see anyone saying it was a great victory. 54 Points is a good win and I will take it anytime. Yes lots of mistakes, but that is no different to any game, including the H&A last year.

And i think i said as much when writing it was good to get a percentage boosting win. But trying to add a little more analysis outlined my opinion as to why it didn't necessarily fill me with confidence that we've yet addressed the question mark over where we are at.
I don't quite get the level of agitation, over my opinion to be honest. I made an error in incorrectly typing that had Gaz played we would've lost by 20 points, when I meant to type a 20 point win.

The eventual margin was wonderful. But as we all know scoreline is but one measure. And there are some mitigating factors as to why we skipped away at the end.
We won by less than a kick against Sydney last year for example. That was a great performance, better than what we showed tonight. So its not the case that i was expecting a 100 point margin tonight, just a 4Qtr effort that would serve as evidence we'd turned the corner.
What we got was a solid win, against poor opposition whilst we still exhibited some of the things that have ailed us all season.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

And what, in each instance you were surprised by how well Freo and Saints were playing, but doubly or triply surprised by how well Hawthorn and Sydney were respectively?

Nobody is claiming tonight's win as the ultimate for us. Yes we had a couple of down patches through the game but we flogged them convincingly in all relevant areas of the game!

Why do you think they were so cooked in the last by the way?

And I'm not asserting that tonight's performance was torpid nor the final margin not good enough. What i did say was that it wasn't a top shelf performance and that many of the things we've struggled with this season were still on display tonight, against a team that is on its haunches, bereft of confidence and about to see its coach moved on at season end.

As for the other games tonight i expected the Saints, whilst up against it against an in form Sydney, would put up resistance commensurate with their , ladder position, aspirations and their desire to get back to the form that saw them best GWS and Richmond. Sydney worked hard all game and didn't give them a sniff.

I also expected Freo on their deck to be more resilient against a Hawks outfit that has been spasmodic and unpredictable execution wise all year. Hawks were outstanding and grew in stature as the game wore on.

Why could we not do similar in the 2nd and first half of the third against an ordinary GC side who are lost right now? Is it too much to expect as reigning premiers with a fight on our hands to make the 8 to pull out a 4 Qtr effort against poor opposition at this stage of the season?

As for why Gold Coast stopped in the last term, they looked out on their feet and are mentally fragile right now given the things that are going to occur at that club come seasons end. They gave their best in the 2nd and 3rd.. and when we pushed back, they folded.

Clearly we are a superior side fitness and talent wise. We should have been for 4 Qtrs. And had Gaz been there, maybe when they got within 1 point of us on the back of 3 quick goals in a row in the 3rd, when we had otherwise looked in ascendancy, they might've grown in stature, and pushed us harder for longer. As it was, they did not have a great deal of onfield leadership to drawn on when we snapped back into gear.