Welcome to the Bulldogs - Tim English

[Danjul]

Clearly Longmire didn?t give a fat rat?s clacker about who won the hit outs, because they really don?t matter that much, as evidenced by the match result. He was more interested in restricting Tim?s dominance around the ground. I can?t believe the discussion that goes on here about woe is us, we have the best ruckman in the league, if only we could trade him for a much more limited player who would win us more meaningless hit outs.

In late 2021 Essendon stripped us of the double chance because of dominance at the centre bounce. Even though the dogs won every other aspect of the game. A few weeks later Melbourne repeated the punishment in the GF. Our best season in 15 years re-defined by 30 minutes in the centre ruck contests.

And some have said on here that the club is still recovering from the blows.

[Before I Die]

In late 2021 Essendon stripped us of the double chance because of dominance at the centre bounce. Even though the dogs won every other aspect of the game. A few weeks later Melbourne repeated the punishment in the GF. Our best season in 15 years re-defined by 30 minutes in the centre ruck contests.

And some have said on here that the club is still recovering from the blows.

That is your opinion re the two games mentioned, and even then completely disregards the impact, or lack of impact, from our midfielders. It also completely ignores all the other games played that year that actually got us into the finals and then eventually into the GF. You have a love of quoting individual player stats from cherry picked games. I look forward to seeing you regularly quoting Tim’s 60 hit out AFL game, a club record, as comparison when you quote the hit out numbers for our second string ruckman in VFL games.

This is the Welcome to Tim English thread, how about quoting Jordan Sweets stats each week in the Welcome to Jordan Street thread, then those who want to can read them and join with you in bemoaning the greatest travesty in AFL history.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

It's less about hitouts and more about the physical presence in and around centre clearance and stoppage. English has been bullied in this regard too often and despite having a good year, it's still not an area I trust him in. He can, at times, be empathically beaten. The issue is that some hail him as the best ruck in the league while others trash him. Truth is in the middle - he's not the best, he's not the worst.

A far bigger issue is our midfield group.

[Before I Die]

It's less about hitouts and more about the physical presence in and around centre clearance and stoppage. English has been bullied in this regard too often and despite having a good year, it's still not an area I trust him in. He can, at times, be empathically beaten. The issue is that some hail him as the best ruck in the league while others trash him. Truth is in the middle - he's not the best, he's not the worst.

A far bigger issue is our midfield group.

It will be interesting to see what the All Australian Selectors think regarding who is, and who isn’t, the best.

[Grantysghost]

Clearly Longmire didn?t give a fat rat?s clacker about who won the hit outs, because they really don?t matter that much, as evidenced by the match result. He was more interested in restricting Tim?s dominance around the ground. I can?t believe the discussion that goes on here about woe is us, we have the best ruckman in the league, if only we could trade him for a much more limited player who would win us more meaningless hit outs.

Maybe we lose by more without Tim? Long bow I know

[Sedat]

It's less about hitouts and more about the physical presence in and around centre clearance and stoppage. English has been bullied in this regard too often and despite having a good year, it's still not an area I trust him in. He can, at times, be empathically beaten. The issue is that some hail him as the best ruck in the league while others trash him. Truth is in the middle - he's not the best, he's not the worst.

A far bigger issue is our midfield group.

With English, the gap between his best and worst is still vast. Bash and crash rucks of the Ben Hudson/Nank variety are predictable in their effort and in outcomes, and they also add an extra inside mid to the mix when the ball is in dispute at ground level. English has improved but is still prone to really poor intensity efforts where he gets ragdolled at stoppages and around the ground (eg: the Port game against Lycett).

[Danjul]

That is your opinion re the two games mentioned, and even then completely disregards the impact, or lack of impact, from our midfielders. It also completely ignores all the other games played that year that actually got us into the finals and then eventually into the GF. You have a love of quoting individual player stats from cherry picked games. I look forward to seeing you regularly quoting Tim?s 60 hit out AFL game, a club record, as comparison when you quote the hit out numbers for our second string ruckman in VFL games.

This is the Welcome to Tim English thread, how about quoting Jordan Sweets stats each week in the Welcome to Jordan Street thread, then those who want to can read them and join with you in bemoaning the greatest travesty in AFL history.

You are totally misrepresenting what I said. I was responding to hitouts generally from a previous comment. They are important.

We lost the double chance and easy route to the grand final. And that happened in the ruck in the centre in 2021. In the Essendon game and then in the Hawthorn game. All we needed was a lousy extra goal or preventing one of the last three opponents. The structure selected could not do it. Historical facts.

In the port Adelaide game I saw English walk away from a ruck contest so Hannan could take it when the ball was in our forward pocket. English had 1, yes 1, hitout that day. Young and anyone close at the time did the ruck work. We didn?t believe in ruck then, (or maybe Dunkley just refused to do it).

Nothing to do with Sweet.

Nothing to do with 2023 English. Who has finally arrived at where we all expected him to be in 2023. One of the best.

But 1 extra good hitout in those last 3 games of 2021 could have had a significant impact. Maybe would have prevented wasting the benefits of all the magnificent games that got us to first place with three games to go.

So to reiterate my response to the original comment, hitouts are important and can have significant impacts.

[kruder]

Worth noting that poster on BF who has had excellent information on the dogs over the last few years is saying that English is a big chance to go to WCE big money involved and that Pick 1 would be on the table.

It's going to be very interesting off season.

[bulldogtragic]

Worth noting that poster on BF who has had excellent information on the dogs over the last few years is saying that English is a big chance to go to WCE big money involved and that Pick 1 would be on the table.

It's going to be very interesting off season.

As I said in the other thread, add in Barass for whatever pick/s back. Get another mature KPD in free agency. Go get a mature first ruck on the cheap (even Grundy would be cheap) and still get Croft and possibly Lual.

Big boys: Liam Jones, Barass, McKay/Himmelberg, Gardner
Third talls (being younger): Buss, JOD & Cleary
Smalls: Dale, Ed, JJ, Gags, Lual, VDM
Mids: Stocked & Reid
Wings: Williams, Poulter, Baker, Scott, spare mid
Tall Forwards: Naughton, JUH, Darcy, Lobb (2 years), Croft
Mid: Weightman, Reid as he develops
Small: Arty, Clarke

Kids: Reid, Croft & Lual et al

Need a ruck and a Lohmann type small forward. A good winger would top it off.

Clear out salaries of Bruce, Keath, TOB, Crozier & Duryea.

Keep Smith and sell him and Reid leading the mids as soon as they can.


English needs to return overs. So we should be pretty greedy if the rumour has meat…

[Mantis]

English needs to return overs. So we should be pretty greedy if the rumour has meat…

English & our 1st pick for Pick 1 & Barass.

Where do I sign up?

[jeemak]

Find a way to get Grundy in as part of that and I'm listening.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Find a way to get Grundy in as part of that and I'm listening.

Now you're talking!

BT, to the list management thead!

[bulldogtragic]

Find a way to get Grundy in as part of that and I'm listening.

You mean a $600,000 a season (to them) now VFL player who has a lack of ‘forward craft’. Dees could salary cap dump him and he’d be a first ruck again. Everyone wins.

[G-Mo77]

Unlike last season with Dunkley, West Coast have the assets to make a good deal that will suit us. Last season we got stuck with a barrow load of horse manure. I think English is gone personally and West Coast willing to throw down huge coin is decent outcome for us, it's not ideal obviously but we could come out of this pretty well.

[Sedat]

English & our 1st pick for Pick 1 & Barass.

Where do I sign up?

We could then stop barracking against Brisbane every week and instead hope they go on a run and win the flag.