Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

[SonofScray]

A horrible night.

One of my best mates had a fit just as the players ran out, had to administer first aid and frantically plead for MCG staff to assist while they looked on dumbfounded. The site of his face turning blue and shaking is going to keep me awake for days. I can't recall any details of the game to be perfectly frank, other than at 4.4 I felt we'd fluffed it.

This felt like a less controversial version of the 09 Prelim. We were good enough and are good to have got the result and I believe to have won the lot this year. Not "in the future" now. Today. I'm a mess at moment. So disappointed.

The March was a great scene. So glad the idea came to life.

[LostDoggy]

Walker played an inspired game tonight, but he was defended as well as could be hoped. He only took 3 marks inside 50 and ran long and hard for his possessions. Key defenders just can not stop that. He only took 2 contested marks all night, everything else was long, hard, sustained leading.

All of Walkers goals were kicked from 50 or further and Jenkins had 0 shots on goal. If Walker doesn't freakishly nail 3 from 50+, the tall defender stats look a lot better

Adelaide's leading marktaker inside 50 was Eddie Betts.

The way the game played out, I am firmly in the camp that thought Hamling and Roberts did a very sound job, as they did last week when Brisbane's key forwards did very little despite heavy supply.

Mind you, I'd still really love a genuine power kpd next year.

[Rocco Jones]

I find the Talia calls hilarious. As Sedat mentioned, Kyle Hardingham smashed him today.

[Sedat]

This. Should not be missing from 35 metres in front. Grant was even closer. I just knew it would bite us us - shades of 09 against the Cats.

For me, it's not even about the missed shots in the 1st and 3rd qtr - as annoying and ultimately damaging as they were. It is about lacking composure in critical moments late in finals - the Bont out of bounds and the Crameri fumble/missed handpass from Hunter. Nail these 2 moments, as the players involved should have, and we have a famous finals win. By contrast Walker nailed his key moments - one a set shot and one a beautiful spot-up to Charlie Cameron. We have never nailed the key moments in finals, not in my lifetime anyway. I cling to the hope that one day we'll be on the right side of a Billy Brainless after the siren moment, a Darren Jarman putting us away, a Riewoldt stepping up, a Leigh Matthews bobbing up in crucial moments, and not always on the receiving end of such heartbreaking moments. We've had our chances over the years (as we did tonight) - the Bont/Crameri moments tonight can just be added to the Gilbee miss in 09, the Mark West miss and Grant/Hudson fumbles in 97, the inability to ice 30 seconds off the clock against Geelong in 94, etc...

[Sedat]

If Walker doesn't freakishly nail 3 from 50+, the tall defender stats look a lot better

Were they freakish, or simply clinical?

[Ghost Dog]

For me, it's not even about the missed shots in the 1st and 3rd qtr - as annoying and ultimately damaging as they were. It is about lacking composure in critical moments late in finals - the Bont out of bounds and the Crameri fumble/missed handpass from Hunter. Nail these 2 moments, as the players involved should have, and we have a famous finals win. By contrast Walker nailed his key moments - one a set shot and one a beautiful spot-up to Charlie Cameron. We have never nailed the key moments in finals, not in my lifetime anyway. I cling to the hope that one day we'll be on the right side of a Billy Brainless after the siren moment, a Darren Jarman putting us away, a Riewoldt stepping up, a Leigh Matthews bobbing up in crucial moments, and not always on the receiving end of such heartbreaking moments. We've had our chances over the years (as we did tonight) - the Bont/Crameri moments tonight can just be added to the Gilbee miss in 09, the Mark West miss and Grant/Hudson fumbles in 97, the inability to ice 30 seconds off the clock against Geelong in 94, etc...

Lin Jong nailed his moment. We just didn't nail enough.

[Ghost Dog]

A horrible night.

One of my best mates had a fit just as the players ran out, had to administer first aid and frantically plead for MCG staff to assist while they looked on dumbfounded. The site of his face turning blue and shaking is going to keep me awake for days. I can't recall any details of the game to be perfectly frank, other than at 4.4 I felt we'd fluffed it.

This felt like a less controversial version of the 09 Prelim. We were good enough and are good to have got the result and I believe to have won the lot this year. Not "in the future" now. Today. I'm a mess at moment. So disappointed.

The March was a great scene. So glad the idea came to life.

Is your mate alright?

[LostDoggy]

Were they freakish, or simply clinical?

Certainly clinical and brilliant by Walker. But from a backman's point of view, if you restrict the oppositions gun key forward to shots from outside 50, you're probably feeling like you're playing the percentages fairly well. When he nails 3 from 3 from 50+ when it matters, it's freakishly good and IMO a tough reflection on the defender.

[Sedat]

Certainly clinical and brilliant by Walker. But from a backman's point of view, if you restrict the oppositions gun key forward to shots from outside 50, you're probably feeling like you're playing the percentages fairly well. When he nails 3 from 3 from 50+ when it matters, it's freakishly good and IMO a tough reflection on the defender.

Agree with that - I have no complaints at all about our key defenders tonight. Walker was simply too good.

Dickson and Redpath were clinical for us to be fair - shame that Redpath has so many limitations as a player (not the least his iron gloves) because he really is a beautiful set shot for goal.

[comrade]

That's how I feel about it too. I was pretty certain this team was very different to that of 97-98 and 08-10, so much so that I hadn't even thought about what happened in those games today. Walking to the G tonight, I was sure if we played well then we'd win.

To lose in exactly the same way has left me feeling as flat as I can remember. A sobering reminder that we are, after all, Dogs supporters.

There's more to it (ie. our team defense was atrocious in the first half especially) but I'm finding it difficult to be overly positive right now. We have some major issues with the list (ageing players in key positions, bare cupboard for key backs, unproven rucks and a gun mid short) and our depth isn't as good as we thought it was when we were toweling up mediocre sides like Essendon and Port. Our top 15-18 or so looks good, but there's still a lot to fix.

And had we nailed a few simple shots and got the win, you'd be feeling cockahoop right now at the state of our list.

Chin up, nothing is as good or bad as it seems.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

And had we nailed a few simple shots and got the win, you'd be feeling cockahoop right now at the state of our list.

Chin up, nothing is as good or bad as it seems.

To be fair I have raised all of those concerns a few times during this season.

Fully fit Libba and Koby probably complete our midfield, we need Dale (and future draftees) to provide that run on the outside. It's usually the easiest part of the ground to fix though. However, I am worried we may take a few steps backwards if Murph/Morris/Boyd decline. We are pretty bare for defenders of all sorts, with the exception of rebounders.

Anyway, we'll see how the off-season shapes up.

[SonofScray]

Is your mate alright?

Yes. Will be Ok and saw out the game after getting some attention.

[LostDoggy]

All due respect to our 2 All Australian candidates, but Morris may be the biggest hole of all. A truly versatile gun one on one defender is really hard to find. He has been so great for us.

Boyd was an inside mid for years and Murph has been a winger and half forward at various stages of his career. Given we have a deepish pool of players struggling to break into midfield rotations, I wonder if 1 or 2 of these may be groomed to ultimately replace our aging defenders?

[Remi Moses]

To say the list is in trouble is just hysteria of the highest order.
Yes there is some issues, but in trouble?
I think Murphy will be by far the hardest to replace, but Morris and Boyd are replaceable .
Someone takes the mantle and improves with added responsibility, added with a recruit or two .

[Remi Moses]

All due respect to our 2 All Australian candidates, but Morris may be the biggest hole of all. A truly versatile gun one on one defender is really hard to find. He has been so great for us.

Boyd was an inside mid for years and Murph has been a winger and half forward at various stages of his career. Given we have a deepish pool of players struggling to break into midfield rotations, I wonder if 1 or 2 of these may be groomed to ultimately replace our aging defenders?

It's impossible to make judgements on guys who have played little senior footy as well.
I thought we'd find it nigh on impossible to replace Grant, Darcy, And West a year later, but they were replaced