Game Day Round 18 2016 - Western Bulldogs V St. Kilda

[Ghost Dog]

Correct. High 20s during the day and maybe low teens Friday and Saturday nights. Perfect weather.

Jealous. I'm in South West Vic and roads are closed there is that much water on them.

[The bulldog tragician]

No problem. For the record I value the contributions you make to this board and am in no way attacking you. It's clear we have a philosophical difference on this and that's fine.

As for the squib comment, well that was me and I stand by it. It's a rough and tough game, and our players are generally very tough, so it stands out doubly when one of our players is shirking his responsibilities and letting our side down. Indeed, if Suckling was even halfway towards putting in a "Wally like effort", then it wouldn't be mentioned. But he wasn't, and I think it's entirely fair to call him on it - especially when we have a generally very courageous team across the board.

We're a hurting band of followers, but we're hurting in our own way. The discussion has to continue because we've got a game to play next week and hopefully win. Have no doubts that the 22 that run out will have my full support, but I'll also not spare any in my commentary that are shirking their responsibility and commitment to us and to their team-mates. Thankfully, it's not something we usually need to comment on.

Yours in Bulldog brotherhood Bulldog tragician.

We're actually not as far apart as you think. I was really disappointed in our efforts last night too and I certainly don't think a robust criticism of individual performance can be shirked at times - though I think my posting history normally shows that I try to avoid that.

In this case, though, just a question of the timing - I was shattered by listening to the Soundcloud and while that distressing audio was still ringing in my mind, was not of a mindset to think who could have played better. (Suckling had a dreadful night for sure - not only was he far from the elite kick he's touted as, his disposal was more like what we fondly remember from Daniel Cross).

[Eastdog]

Jealous. I'm in South West Vic and roads are closed there is that much water on them.

Are you back in Australia GD?

[kruder]

Very flat this morning.

We may never see Wallis or Redpath again and our 2016 is done. A year where, if fully fit, we really could have won the flag. It's hard not to feel like we're doomed sometimes.

Moving forward, some hard decisions need to be made on the following:

Stevens - If we can net something of quality for him, I'd do it. He's a solid player, and perhaps with Wallis going down, we'll simply need to keep him but he can never play out a full season and is an awful decision maker who gets caught with the ball trying to do too much. In pressure games when it's close, he's unreliable. I like him as a player but given our list, he's one I'd move on if we could get something we need in return.

Jong - He's OK back up and we've needed him this year, but there is no way he should be playing in a top 4 side's midfield. His decision making is poor, his execution is average and he's pretty bad below his knees. He's hard at it, tackles well and can take a mark but let's put time into our younger brigade (Webb, Dunkley, Dale, Honeychurch etc).

Boyd as a Ruck - This has gone on far too long. Why are we the only club in the land crying out for a key forward who, when we get one, turn him into a ruck? It is borderline insane. Yes, Boyd having stints in the ruck if he's cold up forward isn't a bad thing but playing him 50/50 is stupidity. He was poor last night, but it's a massive workload on a big young kid. Play him at full forward FFS.

Lack of skill -We have some awful decision makers and awful executioners. We need to draft kids who can kick and who make good decisions with ball in hand. As soon as some of our better players have off nights (ie. Caleb, Suckling - both were bloody terrible) we can't hit the side of a barn and it's a real concern. We need to pump games into Webb and Dale, draft more ball users and perhaps trade another in too. We won't win anything with our current set-up - we win the ball as much as we give it up.

Gameplan - Clearly we have improved defensively, which was the main area of concern last year. They've worked hard to rectify this but it's gone too far the other way. We are obsessed with over handling the ball, kicking sideways and backwards, which ultimately contributes to the inability to score. Our forward line is one of the worst in the league! There's no cohesion whatsoever and much of it is due to the way we bring the ball forward. It's a nightmare being a forward for the Dogs, on the odd occasion in does come in quicker we miss our player by 20m.

Medicos - Should they keep their job? We've had a lot of injuries, some of them contact, many of them soft tissue (ie. Morris). We seem to be overly conservative in giving players time off and take double the amount of time as other clubs to get ours right to play and right now, you have to question their integrity of sending out Clay to the field again last year after he did his knee and now Redpath again. The "it's already gone, might as well go out there" philosophy is disgraceful. You can do more damage and it's a shameful look.

Going forward, I want to see us get the balance right. There is zero point in winning the ball umpteen times and handing it straight back to the opposition. We need skill and though they mightn't be ready, I want to see us giving games to Webb and Dale for starters.

Yeah its been glaring for weeks now and obviously we have had personal issues and our effort cant be questioned but our obsession with playing midfielders as forwards due to the need insert buzz word 'Flexibility' has gone too far. I know Dunkley didn't deserved to be dropped but Dale is far more likely to score/connect and as I said previously him having a breakout game has much more upside for the group than another inside mid having 20 possessions.

I'm stunned last night JJ wasn't played higher up the park i.e. Hill for Hawks. JJ is serious weapon, a point of difference, he can push into the elite category that kid in this role. Breaking a line or two will draw the forwards at the ball and when he is delivering the ball inside 50 everyone will be on their bike. Part of the reason why delivery forward is poor is first up like under Eade in every final we played our forwards are far too high up the park. The mids look up and sideways seem a better option with the spare standing out like a beacon. Secondly is that we have the ball in the wrong players hands because we are asking inside mids to play outside and on the wing....

That gets us to Boyd. He is currently the highest paid ruckman in AFL history. As you said we have been craving a forward but for some reason we seem to want to play him in the ruck? I'm confused. Give him a month forward bring Minson in if we have too but I don't want to see him past 70m mark.

Being 12-5 is a bloody great effort but I'd prefer to give up some ground if need be and work on the method.

[boydogs]

Credit where credit's due, he has had an impact in the second half of the term and looked a lot safer.

Disappointed for Boyd not to be paid that clear mark. It's pathetic umpiring to not see a ball clearly stopped, and after that intervention from an opponent causing it to spill. However, Boyd needs to be stronger.

No-one can resist a man's bodyweight pulling down on one of your arms

[GVGjr]

Lack of skill -We have some awful decision makers and awful executioners. We need to draft kids who can kick and who make good decisions with ball in hand. As soon as some of our better players have off nights (ie. Caleb, Suckling - both were bloody terrible) we can't hit the side of a barn and it's a real concern. We need to pump games into Webb and Dale, draft more ball users and perhaps trade another in too. We won't win anything with our current set-up - we win the ball as much as we give it up.

Gameplan - Clearly we have improved defensively, which was the main area of concern last year. They've worked hard to rectify this but it's gone too far the other way. We are obsessed with over handling the ball, kicking sideways and backwards, which ultimately contributes to the inability to score. Our forward line is one of the worst in the league! There's no cohesion whatsoever and much of it is due to the way we bring the ball forward. It's a nightmare being a forward for the Dogs, on the odd occasion in does come in quicker we miss our player by 20m.

Remember when Bevo started and there was going to be an emphasis in improving our kicking skills especially on the non preferred foot, well I wonder what has happened with that and if Bevo is happy with the progress?

Regarding the game plan, the no tag policy has hurt us, surely we need to be a bit more flexible. The other issue is while we are very adept at intercept marking in the back half it's more often only effective when teams carry the ball along the flanks. It's isn't that effective when teams go up the middle. The zone works well but we also need to be better one on one defenders.

[Ghost Dog]

Are you back in Australia GD?

Yep ED, back for a month. New contract starting in August in Hangzhou. Will try to get to a game.

[S Coast Simon]

I watched the teams run through the banners. St kilda ran through and took off sprinting across the ground together and looked very serious. The Bulldogs jogged through the banner and casually ran up the ground and looked pretty lethargic really. I said to my wife they are not looking very enthusiastic tonight this could be ugly

[bornadog]

our obsession with playing midfielders as forwards due to the need insert buzz word 'Flexibility' has gone too far.

You have been banging on about mids playing forward the whole season, but who do you suggest should be playing forward. Where are these players banging down the door to get into the team?

I don't believe we have any true small forwards other than Dickson and probably Mclean at this stage? Dale has been very inconsistent at VFL level, and we just don't have any more pure forwards?

[1eyedog]

Perhaps Dahl forward when he returns.

[LostDoggy]

Perhaps Dahl forward when he returns.

Agree with this. With Dahl and Maclean due for return soon, we should see our mids playing more time in the midfield.

Although Dahl has been great as a mid, he is also a much smarter natural forward than most who have spent a lot of time there recently and I'd reckon is of greatest team value there under the present circumstances. Would probably be slightly easier on his body too.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Remember when Bevo started and there was going to be an emphasis in improving our kicking skills especially on the non preferred foot, well I wonder what has happened with that and if Bevo is happy with the progress?

Much like our goal kicking, there has been little progress.

I watched Hawthorn live v Richmond and although they didn't play well for much of the game, their sound decision making and skill was too much in the end. I left thinking we were miles off that. We grind sides out of contests, we don't blow them away with skill and in big games that's a hard way to win.

Regarding the game plan, the no tag policy has hurt us, surely we need to be a bit more flexible. The other issue is while we are very adept at intercept marking in the back half it's more often only effective when teams carry the ball along the flanks. It's isn't that effective when teams go up the middle. The zone works well but we also need to be better one on one defenders.

Agree entirely on both accounts. I understand the philosophy of not going into the game with a negating player because it can upset team balance to some degree, but when a player is clearly dominating you (Stevens, Dangerfield etc) it is ignorant to sit back and let it continue.

Although our team defence has improved, we still look very poor one on one. Besides Morris and Wood (and probably Boyd), the rest of our defenders struggle to win let alone halve contests. Biggs has been awful lately, we know what Suckling brings (and doesn't bring), JJ is our attacking weapon, Roberts is a long way off it.

As good as our list is, we have some pretty big issues to address and we need to fix them as soon as possible. Typically you can't plug all holes so it'll be interesting to see what we do. For mine, it has to be getting a player like Hurley and finding better ball users in the middle (Webb? Dale? Other clubs?). We could do with a ruck and a key forward but Crameri returning perhaps mitigates one of those for 2017 and beyond.

[Mantis]

Very hard to win when you only have a handful of contributors.. Our worst effort around the ball all year with Libba & Wallis (before injury) both playing well below the standard expected... Libba looked extremely rusty and Wally bar a good game against a depleted GC had been really struggling.

Our ball use by hand and foot was pathetic and didn't allow for any flow in our game... But St.Kilda structured up well and got numbers back and our long bomb to no-one was as ineffective as it always is... It doesn't help that our forwards can't beat their opponents, but when they are out-numbered it's impossible.

We have some key-ins to return, but unless we get an even performance every week we are going to struggle to beat competitive teams.

[LostDoggy]

Might have gone a bit early here!!!!

Well this year has just gone to F#$%&ING SHIT!!!!

What a loose cannon this bloke is!!!

[bornadog]

Might have gone a bit early here!!!!



What a loose cannon this bloke is!!!

and he also bookmarks his own posts.