Leadership

[Twodogs]

The first final last year more than anything else exposed our lack of leadership. We really needed someone to stand up and say "No this is not going to happen, I'm going to take this game and shape it the way I want it to go" which is exactly what Luke Hodge did for Hawthorn in our final, in the prelim and in the Grand Final.


I'm really concerned that we dont have a player on our list who can do what Hodge did, and I cant see us having the ultimate sucess without one. Help placate me and explain which player on our list can do this job?

[Desipura]

Hahn presently can do this to a certain extent with his bullocking work. I think Griffen will come on this year and his leadership skills will come to the fore.
Look for Ward in the next few yrs to become this type of player.

[LostDoggy]

No Doubt that a fit and healthy Adam Cooney is the man. Not only is he one of the most naturally gifted players we have, he also has the mental attributes required to think his way through a tough period in a game and apply himself further and put himself where he needs to be.

Griffin is another one who can be deadly in a very short space of time. However, Griffin is more of an instinctual player who gets and goes rather than thinks and applies, so I would still have Coons at the top of the list. He is going to be an amazing on field leader in a few years.....

[The Underdog]

I think Griff is the obvious one. His leadership abilities in juniors have been lauded and he has the presence and the ability to potentially be this type of player. Not too many others really jump out from the current list though. They either lack the physical presence or the capability to rip a game apart.

[DOG GOD]

Absolutely agree that GRIFFEN is the player, with Cooney a close second. We need a general. Someone to lead by example in all the 1%'s. Tackling, head over footy, bollocking, bruising, no back step, fighting for ur mates, no losing mentality, strong.

Hodge has all these attributes and probably more. He takes control of any situation and applies himself to the work at hand, and generals the troops around him. How he is not capt is beyond me.

[Rocket Science]

We need a general. Someone to lead by example in all the 1%'s. Tackling, head over footy, bollocking, bruising, no back step, fighting for ur mates, no losing mentality, strong.

Perhaps a less obvious candidate - Having recently watched a replay of the prelim loss to Geelong, it sounds like you're describing Jarrod Harbrow in the 3rd quarter while many of his more seasoned mates were staring into headlights.

The kids still needs some polish, but can be a a real example-setter for us...he's got character up the wazoo both onfield and off, obvious ability, plays with boldness and grit, and always applies himself.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

It's a hard call to make at this stage, but you'd have to look towards Griffen and Cooney. They're both the most talented footballers on our list and should be near unstoppable in the coming years. Both have traits that make them the complete footballer. I would think they'd both be able to lead from the front in a final.

It all depends on the scenario, though. It could be a Grand Final where a player like Callan/Addison really step up with their toughness and defensive game, to really soldier the rest of the boys on. It doesn't always have to be the most talented, and generally in Finals, it's defensive efforts or midfield efforts that win the game rather than forward efforts.

[ledge]

Personally i think we have heaps of players to do the job, just last seasons finals campaign was a first for most and a learning curve.
They now have the experience from 3 finals games which includes the emotion of winning and losing finals games, if we can take some positives out of those finals thats a big one.
Players now know what is required.
Cooney, Griffin, Johnson, Lake, Aker, even Minson showed he can grab a game in one quarter last year, the list goes on, in fact i believe we have heaps who can take a game apart.

[The Doctor]

I was disappointed with our leadership during the finals. I thought some of our experienced guys just didn't know what to do or didn't rise to the occasion or cracked at key moments.

Things like

- Murphy having his worst game ever in the preliminary making mistake after mistake. By the last 1/4 I was praying he wouldn't get it.
- Eagleton missing from 40m directly in front
- Hahn blazing away with an open goal at his mercy

The big one and perhaps the defining one for me was our captain Johnno getting unfairly crashed into by Rooke who scores the goal that ends our campaign. Johnno should have got the free but the point was he could have also stood and taken the hit but instead he went to ground and the ball spilt free 20m out. Sounds tough and it is but this was a big final and a defining moment. Hodge would have taken that hit. In other words stood up to it. Brereton famously did in 89 and there have been many other examples of it.

It is easy to be critical and I acknowledge that all these guys gave everything. But in the big games you have to reach in a bit deeper for that little bit of extra composure or taking one for the team. That is where our leaders should be showing the way.

[aker39]

Sounds tough and it is

Very tough.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I was disappointed with our leadership during the finals. I thought some of our experienced guys just didn't know what to do or didn't rise to the occasion or cracked at key moments.

You're dead right about this one, Doc.

Even though the Johnson incident was tough, I agree with you too - I thought the same at the time. It should have been paid a free, but Johnson has taken tougher marks before and he really needed to just hold still that moment.

Basically all of the senior players failed, bar Lake/Gilbee/Hargrave and a couple of others, so it was very disappointing. Perhaps on the 'up' side, Griffen for one showed he absolutely loves the big stage. He played very well in the Finals series, and was also one of our best v Collingwood in 06. Cooney would be the same, had it not been for carrying a bad injury. This is where we should look to for Leadership.

[Bumper Bulldogs]

No doubt we need more than one and as per the power sides eg: Hawks in the 80's we need a forward (Minson or Johnson) a midfield (Boyd, Coons or Griff) a back (Lake, Addison or Callan)

Then we have Aker (Thats what he brings to the table)
Hudson (needs to get down and dirty)
Mitch (He is not in the side for his skill)

I think what we can take from this is that it's upto more than one or two, it is a team game but sometimes we need a big crunching shirtfront and that will generally do it.

[strebla]

Our future in this regard is looking solid I believe we have a young leader on every line
back Lake Morris
halfback Shaggy
mid Cooney Griff Cross
halfforward Bobby Gia
forward Hahn
Going forward young Higgins is a leader if ever there was one so all in all I am happy

[Sedat]

I was disappointed with our leadership during the finals. I thought some of our experienced guys just didn't know what to do or didn't rise to the occasion or cracked at key moments.

Things like

- Murphy having his worst game ever in the preliminary making mistake after mistake. By the last 1/4 I was praying he wouldn't get it.
- Eagleton missing from 40m directly in front
- Hahn blazing away with an open goal at his mercy

The big one and perhaps the defining one for me was our captain Johnno getting unfairly crashed into by Rooke who scores the goal that ends our campaign. Johnno should have got the free but the point was he could have also stood and taken the hit but instead he went to ground and the ball spilt free 20m out. Sounds tough and it is but this was a big final and a defining moment. Hodge would have taken that hit. In other words stood up to it. Brereton famously did in 89 and there have been many other examples of it.

It is easy to be critical and I acknowledge that all these guys gave everything. But in the big games you have to reach in a bit deeper for that little bit of extra composure or taking one for the team. That is where our leaders should be showing the way.
Agree with all of this. Eagle is a noted whipping boy, but you could smell the fear well before his set shot for goal, from dead in front and at 40m, failed to even trouble the scorers (at a critical moment in the game from a momentum perspective), whereas the week prior he smoked 2 goals on the run against the Swans in junk time from 60m.

Very tough call on Johnno but I can see your rationale 100%. Irrespective of the illegal nature of Rooke's contact (and make no mistake, it was illegal and the umpire stuffed it up), Johnno was in the prime position to take that mark and wear the hit - it wasn't the time nor the place to exaggerate the contact to seek the umpire's attention: we all know (the players included) that the umpires put the whistle away in September and Johnno left the door ajar by relying on the umpire to make an adjudication on the contest instead of killing it stone dead by taking the mark (and maybe even winning a 50m penalty for his troubles).

Is the above almost a blessing in disguise, seeing as the players who stood tall for us in September were the under 25 set? Ryan Griffen showed Hodge-like leadership in both the Hawks abomination and the excellent win against the Swans - he put himself in the firing line for heavy contact in both games, and also involved himself in pivotal moments without fear of failure. Likewise our entire back 6 were wonderful against both Sydney and Geelong, and did not shirk a single contest. Harbrow's efforts against Geelong have already been noted.

I thought the team made enormous strides in sharing the leadership responsibility in 2008 compared to the previous 6-8 seasons, where it was a West/Grant/Johnno or bust mentality. But the generation coming through looks as though they are going to thrive on meeting this challenge head-on. I think of guys like Addison and Callan and they look as though they will crawl over broken glass to gain a millimetre for the team.

[LostDoggy]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Daniel Cross and Dale Morris. Both consistent performers and both lead by example.

[Murph]

I think besides a little natural ability, Cross has every attribute required to do the job and do it with the upmost respect. Griffin a close second, may well overtake Cross if he becomes more consistent.

[hujsh]

I think besides a little natural ability, Cross has every attribute required to do the job and do it with the upmost respect. Griffin a close second, may well overtake Cross if he becomes more consistent.

That we can see as supporters. Personally i think there's a reason the club talks up Gia as a leader

[The Underdog]

The big one and perhaps the defining one for me was our captain Johnno getting unfairly crashed into by Rooke who scores the goal that ends our campaign. Johnno should have got the free but the point was he could have also stood and taken the hit but instead he went to ground and the ball spilt free 20m out. Sounds tough and it is but this was a big final and a defining moment. Hodge would have taken that hit. In other words stood up to it. Brereton famously did in 89 and there have been many other examples of it.

It is easy to be critical and I acknowledge that all these guys gave everything. But in the big games you have to reach in a bit deeper for that little bit of extra composure or taking one for the team. That is where our leaders should be showing the way.

I've been fairly critical of Johnson's leadership and sometimes playing for himself rather than the team but you've got to remember a week before the prelim against Sydney he put himself under a high ball, got crunched, looked gone for all money and came back on and really set an example for the team. So the thing he's being criticised for not doing one week is something he did the week before. He is also capable of turning a game in a way not many on our team are as per the Adelaide game in Round 1.


That we can see as supporters. Personally i think there's a reason the club talks up Gia as a leader


Gia might be a good leader around the club but he isn't capable of physically imposing himself upon a game like Hodge or tearing a game apart. He'll contribute but he won't turn a contest which is what this thread started out as.

[Scorlibo]

I think Griffen demonstrated in the Hawthorn Qualifier his ability to fight back when things aren't going the team's way. As for the next captain after Johnno, I think it's a four-man race between Cross, Griffen, Higgins and Gia. A lot will depend on how Griff and Higgo go in the next few years.

Griffen and Cooney are the two most capable of turning a game, after them Hahn and Harbrow come to mind.

[strebla]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Daniel Cross and Dale Morris. Both consistent performers and both lead by example.

I believe I did Dex

[LostDoggy]

Apologies, was skimming the thread : )