Tonight I care about...

[mjp]

1/. How we play (gamestyle)
2/. My perception of the effort the players are putting in (easy goals, missed tackles etc).
3/. What positions the players play in.
4/. What the outcome is.

I'm making a pledge to be positive from here until the final siren. I'm not going to get dragged into the recesses of who is in the team or where they're playing or whether I think Bevo has (or hasn't) lost the players (or indeed, his faculties!!!).

The stress of watching the footy has really been getting to me to the point where I have been avoiding the coverage...no point, it's no fun that way.

Go Dogs!

[Happy Days]

Tim English not looking terrified. He was so awesome last year and it really feels like he’s undone so much good work. He’s got a quality opponent and I’d really like to see him style on Marshall to make me feel good about him again.

[azabob]

Honestly all I care about is a win. Nothing else matters.

I don't care how; I don't care who - just win.

We were putrid last week; it was worse than our effort against West Coast last year. The coach in particular has shouldered all the fallout from last Friday night rightly or wrongly.

Interestingly enough, according to champion data premiership metrics we are in the top 6 teams - so in theory we are not that far off it.

But hey, theories are just theories and reality is reality. Sorry mjp that was my attempt at being positive.

[Pleather Sole]

I want relentless effort, I really don't care about the score as long as there's 4 quarters of full hearted commitment. Other than that I'm numb, have been since Saturday I guess, the last few years have been such a disheartening seesaw saga I finally mostly checked out.

[Mantis]

Number 2 - effort.

I would like us to be hard to play (score) against... we aren't that team.

[Eastdog]

Just to get a win tonight. That will take the media pressure off for the time being. Very disappointed last week with how we finished that game. Bombers were right on top of us.

[The Adelaide Connection]

It has to be about 1) Gamestyle

We need to string together 4 quarters playing a system/s that stacks up.

I say systems because we need a Plan B, Plan C etc when things aren?t going our way- enough with teams walking out of the centre stoppages and enough with the 5+ goal run ons.

I feel like our potential best footy stacks up- we just don?t execute and/or we get too easily outcoached

[weltschmerz]

Not giving away crappy junk time goals. Sanders and Gallagher continuing to look at home at the level. Garcia getting a good run at it.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Physicality. I want to see us play a ruthless, aggressive front of foot brand of footy. We haven't seen it for a long time.

[Mofra]

Effort / tackles.

I could live with the Geelong loss because the effort was obvious. Last week's debacle was horrible and our tackle numbers were well down

[chef]

I want them just to play like they want it more than their opponent.

Winning or losing is a bit irrelevant, the intent is important atm.

Effort takes no natural skills, just a matter of wanting to do it.

[Bulldog Joe]

I just want the win.
Individual performance is not of importance but a while team buy in and contribution.

[Rocket Science]

See, this is the increasingly tricky bit lately, caring.

Just gimme something that bucks the sad, dispiriting inevitability of it all.

[jeemak]

Take care of the effort/ intensity and the pressure, then at least two of the other poll options are more likely to materialise.

[SonofScray]

Two goals and a fight.

[Dazza]

Im hoping to see Garcia/West given time in at centre bounces.

Other than that a win would be bloody nice.

[The Pie Man]

Outcome - I can’t see us winning if we don’t bring the effort & urgency at the contest that’s been missing lately, so outcome covers it.

Will take note the use of our bigs - wondering if Lobb will play a lot of ruck tonight…..

[lemmon]

Game-style for me.

With the amount of crap we've copped this week, I have no doubt the players will come out and scrap. Even if they aren't in for Bevo; Bont, Naughton, Jones and co. are far too proud as individuals to lay down and cop it.

I want to see our 'brand' on show. The Gold Coast game felt on our terms, nothing else has this year. I want to see that all the pre-season work and the time our coaches spend trying to embed strategy actually gets through to this group. Ross Lyon and St Kilda are probably the perfect side to test it out against in the regard.

If effort isn't there this week, you might as well close the doors, but if we're actually going to do something this year it needs to extend past that into a style of footy that looks like 'us'.

[1eyedog]

Effort has to be there. If we lose and there is effort then we are just shit and that's OK.

Legit if we bring the effort though we won't lose because we are a better side and I still believe that.

We can win and still be shit though but if we win well then maybe there is still a flicker.

[whythelongface]

Effort and outcome.

Outcome just to give the relentless media coverage off our back. Any other team doesn?t get this level of scrutiny. I see some other BS report that we may be in danger of losing Bont. Another crap article based on one person?s disillusioned opinion. But all this does have a psychological impact on all involved at the club (players, coaches, management, supporter) whether there is any base to it or not. The media obviously want to drive Bevo out and are doing their utmost to do so by perceiving there is disharmony within our 4 walls.

Whilst one win won?t stop this it does deflect it for another week. So hopefully we come out all guns blazing

[jeemak]

Effort and outcome.

Outcome just to give the relentless media coverage off our back. Any other team doesn?t get this level of scrutiny. I see some other BS report that we may be in danger of losing Bont. Another crap article based on one person?s disillusioned opinion. But all this does have a psychological impact on all involved at the club (players, coaches, management, supporter) whether there is any base to it or not. The media obviously want to drive Bevo out and are doing their utmost to do so by perceiving there is disharmony within our 4 walls.

Whilst one win won?t stop this it does deflect it for another week. So hopefully we come out all guns blazing

Where's the Bont report coming from?

[whythelongface]

Where's the Bont report coming from?

Will Faulkner from Fox sports. Never heard of him. Irrelevant

[azabob]

Will Faulkner from Fox sports. Never heard of him. Irrelevant

It's not Falukner. He is a jurno who transcribed a mid week fox TV show, of other herald sun jurno's.

As brought to light by Herald Sun journalist Scott Gullan on Fox Footy?s Midweek Tackle, the Bulldogs captain has been ?sitting back? on the idea of re-signing with the club beyond 2025.

?I feel like we tiptoed around the status of the captain, Marcus Bontempelli ? he hasn?t been a big talking point so far, where do you think he stands in the clubs melee?? asked Midweek Tackle host and fellow Herald Sun journalist Jay Clark.

video link below


https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/thats-trouble-dogs-elpehant-in-room-as-frustrated-superstars-future-in-doubt/news-story/569789df5489e6dd3e3fc34027507161

[jeemak]

Imagine we prioritised signing Bontempelli over Smith, JUH and English this year. The media would go completely apeshit.

[GVGjr]

I could have selected a couple of options there but effort is the main one and typically that takes care of a few other things.
Go Dogs

[angelopetraglia]

Get the result. Good teams just find a way to win.

Four points. That?s what we need above anything else.

[Jeanette54]

Honestly all I care about is a win. Nothing else matters.

I don't care how; I don't care who - just win.



I could not have said it better, definitely a line in the sand game.

[mjp]

I could have selected a couple of options there but effort is the main one and typically that takes care of a few other things.
Go Dogs

Well, lucky for you I configured the poll so you could choose multiple options!:)

[mjp]

I'm pretty fascinated by the comments so far.

Some people in the "I don't care how it looks, just win" camp. Others in the "just pass the eye test, results be damned" group.

I have to admit, I'm in the "just play better" group...playing "better" is something to work on and you can aspire to something...winning is an outcome of a number of things (one of which MIGHT be playing "better").

The club is certainly in the gun in the press right now. I suspect unless they win AND play well then that wont change in the coming weeks. They can smell blood and they're going to try and spill it.

[angelopetraglia]

Winning breeds confidence. You need to start spinning the fly wheel as slow as that is. Create some momentum.

[DOG GOD]

I want 4 quarters of aggression and the ability to tackle hard (make it stick) and be able to shrug tackles.
I want to see a TEAM first mentality.
And I want to see a win.

[Raels_d]

I?m not allowed to vote but I would vote for How we Play. I want physical presence, plenty of pressure and tackles sticking, lots of running (both ways), and when we win every player to get around Bevo and show their support!

[SonofScray]

I want 4 quarters of aggression and the ability to tackle hard (make it stick) and be able to shrug tackles.
I want to see a TEAM first mentality.
And I want to see a win.

It'd be a stark contrast to see the players really demonstrate that buy in and esprit de corps. Its been absent for so long.

[josie]

So far so good SoS.

[Go_Dogs]

Hey mjp, I care about winning!!