Three Things I've Learned - Finals Week 1 Edition

[Bulldog4life]

I've heard this from a number of Dogs fans and I disagree. Our groups best chance of winning this week was on our home deck, not the MCG. Yes the exposure is good but so is winning a final. We could of been playing at the G this week had we got through week one. Give me two (possibly more) finals then going out the first week. We earnt the right to play this game at our home ground and it's BS by the AFL to suggest anything else.

I agree. The AFL covering their backsides in case there were not any finals played at the G on Preliminary final week. Which turned out to be the case

[Sedat]

So you prefer a loss at the G versus a win at Etihad.

I will take a win anytime.

If we need to rely on playing at Etihad to win matches, seriously we may as well shut up shop. Thank Christ that Bevo knows we need to develop a game style that stands up wherever the hell we play, and was delighted to play at the 'G last night.

[Mantis]

3. We still lack a quality key forward and with the return of Stevens and Liberatore to the midfield next year, Bontempelli to CHF may well be an option.

I would be absolutely horrified if we tried to turn the Bont into a full-time CHF.. He was the best clearance player on the ground last night, not bad for a 19yo.

[boydogs]

Bonts is most dangerous as a clearance mid going forward to expose a midfielder opponent

[Remi Moses]

We might as well just give a team a walkover if games are outside of Etihad .
I'm sure we are endeavouring to win everywhere and not just limit ourselves to playing at Etihad, and we need as many games at the G and in front of big crowds . We all want that elusive second flag and the only way we'll get there is winning consistently at the G .

[lemmon]

I would be absolutely horrified if we tried to turn the Bont into a full-time CHF.. He was the best clearance player on the ground last night, not bad for a 19yo.

Not to mention his forward craft is probably the weakest facet to his game. He doesn't mark well above his head for a guy his size and struggles to impact the contest when forward - Mitchy Wallis has been far better at it.

[jazzadogs]

1) I refuse to believe that we failed to stand up, or anything like that. Our set-shot goal kicking has been an issue for most of the season, and I have read on more one occasion a WOOFer say "it will cost us in a final". And it did. It wasn't that they didn't stand up in the big moment...our good shots (Redpath, Dicko) nailed their goals, and our bad shots missed. Bont's two misses will stick with me, and him, for at least 12 months, but his work around the ground showed that he is more than capable of standing up in the big moments.

2) Stringer's two goals, while we would have liked more, showed that is also unnerved by the big moment. That goal from 50 off one step is vintage String. He didn't have his usual impact, but he took his chances and WANTED the chances. Can't wait to see him with another pre-season. Jong has shown two years in a row that he is also a big-game player...I hope this will help him regain the confidence he had early this season.

3) Hasn't been much discussion about it, but Caleb Daniel should not have been the sub. He has performed too well over the past few weeks for that to be his role, and should have been in the starting 21. Or at least subbed in earlier!

[jazzadogs]

Not to mention his forward craft is probably the weakest facet to his game. He doesn't mark well above his head for a guy his size and struggles to impact the contest when forward - Mitchy Wallis has been far better at it.

I'm quite surprised by this and will be interested to read what others think...I certainly don't want Bont as a full time forward as he is too valuable in the middle, but I have felt that on multiple occasions he has either marked uncontested inside 50 through clever positioning, or impacted on a contest in quite a clever way (tap to Dickson last night, against Port where he roved his own contest and snapped the goal).

I don't think forward craft is a concern...with continued strength training to develop power through his shoulders, he'll be fine.

[soupman]

I'm quite surprised by this and will be interested to read what others think...I certainly don't want Bont as a full time forward as he is too valuable in the middle, but I have felt that on multiple occasions he has either marked uncontested inside 50 through clever positioning, or impacted on a contest in quite a clever way (tap to Dickson last night, against Port where he roved his own contest and snapped the goal).

I don't think forward craft is a concern...with continued strength training to develop power through his shoulders, he'll be fine.

I too think he is quite a clever and dangerous forward, but is more valuable in the middle.

He and Stringer are almost perfect to swap, each is very capable in either midfield or attack, but each has one of those areas they are just that bit more effective and damaging in.

[Mantis]

1) I refuse to believe that we failed to stand up, or anything like that. Our set-shot goal kicking has been an issue for most of the season, and I have read on more one occasion a WOOFer say "it will cost us in a final". And it did. It wasn't that they didn't stand up in the big moment...our good shots (Redpath, Dicko) nailed their goals, and our bad shots missed. Bont's two misses will stick with me, and him, for at least 12 months, but his work around the ground showed that he is more than capable of standing up in the big moments.

Whilst I don't want to sound like a prick, having your best player feeling some guilt isn't the world's worst thing. Those set shots will burn for quite a while and I dare say when he turns up for day 1 of the pre-season he might think that he has a fair bit to prove and will be fairly motivated to make sure he does all he can to get better.. I feel sorry for what he will do to opposing teams next year.

2) Stringer's two goals, while we would have liked more, showed that is also unnerved by the big moment. That goal from 50 off one step is vintage String. He didn't have his usual impact, but he took his chances and WANTED the chances. Can't wait to see him with another pre-season. Jong has shown two years in a row that he is also a big-game player...I hope this will help him regain the confidence he had early this season.

Agree on both points.. D.Talia is probably the best 1 on 1 defender in the comp (why did his brother miss out?) and he made it extremely difficult for Jake, but he still probably should have kicked 4.. Another pre-season will do him the world of good.

Lin had the explosive power back in his game on Saturday night, he has good some excellent traits and not the least his ability to mark over his head.

3) Hasn't been much discussion about it, but Caleb Daniel should not have been the sub. He has performed too well over the past few weeks for that to be his role, and should have been in the starting 21. Or at least subbed in earlier!

Yep, we should have pulled the trigger early in the 3rd as it was obvious that HC was battling.

[Ozza]

Yep, we should have pulled the trigger early in the 3rd as it was obvious that HC was battling.

Probably a good thing that the sub is going for next year.

Agree with the above, that the sub should have happened earlier. I get the feeling that the coaches are often worried that if they go off early, and there's an injury - they'll be left one short for too long. And I know Bevo has said that this group hasn't been able to cope in games where we've become one or two short - so that was probably behind the late sub call.

[Rocket Science]

3) Hasn't been much discussion about it, but Caleb Daniel should not have been the sub. He has performed too well over the past few weeks for that to be his role, and should have been in the starting 21. Or at least subbed in earlier!

Agreed. Certainly could have used an additional quarter of his clean, intelligent use.

Wouldn't surprise me one iota if by this time next year he's cemented his spot in our best 22.

[Sedat]

Probably a good thing that the sub is going for next year.

Agree with the above, that the sub should have happened earlier. I get the feeling that the coaches are often worried that if they go off early, and there's an injury - they'll be left one short for too long. And I know Bevo has said that this group hasn't been able to cope in games where we've become one or two short - so that was probably behind the late sub call.

Well he did pull the trigger at half-time in Daniel's first game - that seemed to go alright

Anyway good riddance to the subs vests

[Sedat]

Whilst I don't want to sound like a prick, having your best player feeling some guilt isn't the world's worst thing. Those set shots will burn for quite a while and I dare say when he turns up for day 1 of the pre-season he might think that he has a fair bit to prove and will be fairly motivated to make sure he does all he can to get better.. I feel sorry for what he will do to opposing teams next year.

The lack of a give-off by hand in the last qtr when he kicked out of bounds will stick in his memory bank for a while too I'd suspect. Likewise the non-dish off by Jakey to Wally in the 3rd qtr when he tried to take on the entire Adelaide backline and got caught.

It's a fine line between being "the go-to man" and doing the instinctive team-oriented thing. Bont and Jake clearly have the ability to be the former but it needs to complement the latter, and it didn't in a couple of crucial passages of play on Saturday night. Those sort of mistakes would no doubt burn for the coaches more so than missing set shots.

[LostDoggy]

So you prefer a loss at the G versus a win at Etihad.

I will take a win anytime.

I think what people are saying is that long-term, our lack of game time at the G is what hurts us come finals time, when there just isn't any latitude to learn on the trot. I'd rather lose at the G this year, get a few more games there next year and then win a lot easier at the G in Finals 2016/17, when we're a far more legitimate chance to go all the way.

1) I refuse to believe that we failed to stand up, or anything like that. Our set-shot goal kicking has been an issue for most of the season, and I have read on more one occasion a WOOFer say "it will cost us in a final". And it did. It wasn't that they didn't stand up in the big moment...our good shots (Redpath, Dicko) nailed their goals, and our bad shots missed. Bont's two misses will stick with me, and him, for at least 12 months, but his work around the ground showed that he is more than capable of standing up in the big moments.

I agree. Quite the opposite: We started fast, were over-run and then we DID stand up. It was a marvellous performance that for a few kicks an inch this way or that way would've won the game. If a team is to learn from a finals loss, the lesson we learnt on Saturday night is perhaps the perfect format.

3) Hasn't been much discussion about it, but Caleb Daniel should not have been the sub. He has performed too well over the past few weeks for that to be his role, and should have been in the starting 21. Or at least subbed in earlier!

Daniel was spectacular. Bloke next to me thought that bringing him in at his size was going to hurt us, but in fact his size is his biggest asset. Adelaide had absolutely no idea how to counter the little pest.

My learnings:

1. The Hammer Of The Dogs played an absolutely brilliant game, for mine. I'll admit I love the bloke, but even without bias, his resilience and composure in critical moments in the fourth were absolutely special. He had me shouting out HAMMER TIME far too many times, fans all around me started cringing at the repetitiveness of it all.

2. Tex Walker has the heart of Phar Lap beneath that shitty guernsey he wears. Stuff Betts, he got easies out the back. It was Tex, Sloane and Dangerfield that killed us. Second-most inspiring captain in the game.

3. Top 4 next year is not only a must, but it's incredibly achievable for this team with the inclusions of Libba, the Great White Shark, JJ and a fit Roughead. Even allowing that we might lose a player here and there, we've got so much to be excited about that we'd be silly not to let the disappointment burn for just a little while and then look towards a very, very sunny future.