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  1. #1
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    Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Hi Woofers,
    After the recent thread re 'What WOOF means to you' I have decided to make a concerted effort to contribute more to the site.

    My head is often swimming with bulldog and footy related theories, conspiracies, musings, reminiscings, rants etc.
    In fact, I realised, I even sometimes actually write things that I never post, sometimes because there's a shift in the wind and my piece no longer seems relevant. Here is something I found that I wrote in July last year, our season started to right itself not long after I wrote it so I never posted it.

    But, anyway, I've decided to post it now, unedited, to get peoples thoughts. Maybe I wasn't the only one starting to feel this way.
    I should add I feel quite optimistic now for the season(s) ahead and I think our list is really improving with the ins and outs we've made.

    But here it is from July 2018

    Losing the faith.

    I’ve had this little worm squirming in my brain and it’s slowly getting bigger.
    I’ve tried to ignore it, argue against it, and give myself little pep talks to rationalise it away……………… of course the 2016 flag is like a colossal PRO in the ‘pros’ vs cons.
    But I believe I may be losing faith in Bevo.

    I can accept losing, and I understand we have a shocking injury list, but I can’t accept the shambolic, disorganised, dispirited way we’re playing.

    I can’t accept the same fundamental mistakes being made over and over and over again.

    There is a big black hole in our forward line, right between centre half forward and full forward.

    We ALWAYS kick it there, usually a long high bomb, yet we never ever EVER have a tall player there.
    We sometimes have Luke Dalhaus flying against 3 or 4 opposition talls. That’s about the best we can muster.
    And the opposition defenders all line up like Grizzly bears in a salmon stream, just waiting for the salmon to arrive. They just grab the ball, bang it straight up the guts and it’s a goal to the opposition.

    Then we, and they, do it again, and again, and again.

    We’re literally better off kicking it out on the full in the pocket. Actually, yes, we are.

    It’s like a pinball machine. We just hit that sweet spot on the the machine. And BANG the score starts rolling. But it’s them that’s scoring not us.

    I see players running around and just popping up at random doing the best they can for their little moment then it’s the next player popping up doing their best in their little cameo, then the next, but none of it seems to be connected, or planned for. It’s all down to a random collection of individual efforts, haphazardly nailed to the next one, then the next one. If we manage enough, we can score. But there’s no fluidity, no pattern or streamlined teamwork.

    As far as disorganisation goes, can you get more disorganised than Caleb Daniel being one out with the Eagles RUCKMAN in the opposition goal square? This is just woeful. Who takes the blame for that?

    And I can’t believe Tom Boyd’s marking technique continues to be as hopeless as it is.

    He puts his hands near the ball. That’s about the best way I can describe it. He PUTS his HANDS NEAR THE BALL.
    It should be improving. He should be being coached by someone like Gary Dempsey. If Tom gets his marking technique happening, all of a sudden we have a serious weapon on our hands, but until then……………….. (owls and crickets)

    (I’ll give him this though, at least he marked ‘em when it counted).

    I can’t believe some of the players we’ve retained on the list, and given bewildering contract extensions to, only to never ever play them. And I believe ‘Stringergate’ was just so badly handled.

    And the fact that there’s even rumours about a fall out with Mitch Wallis. I mean, he is solid red white and blue citizen number 1. NUMBER 1.

    My patience is being tested.

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  3. #2
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Thanks for your thoughts DD. Do you feel you have more faith going into 2019?
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  4. #3
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Thanks for your thoughts DD. Do you feel you have more faith going into 2019?
    Yes I do Bornadog, because I saw some major changes in the second half of the year.
    The performance against Richmond was really invigorating and gave me hope. Our fringe 22 players are really impressive. Bailey Williams, Brad Lynch and Lipinski in particular are all good size, great movers, good thinkers and nice strong kicks, as these guys transition into regular senior players I think our team is going to become very very strong. It's really hard working out who to leave out when trying to name best 22. Which is a great position to be in.

    Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad to see the back of Dalhaus, he was woeful last year, and was a pretty blunt tool in the midfield.

    To have Dalhaus out and Richards and Bailey Smith on the list is a major righting of the ship, a major renovation in the midfield where we lacked pace and class. Naughton just looks fantastic and we did well to clear out our lumbering defender stocks as well. Even though short term we might be a little under manned for tall defenders we still have Young and Roberts who can at least clock on and do a days work down there.

    I think we could be a real surprise packet this year but a lot revolves around Schache and English (and Boyd who may be out indefinitely)

    But 2020 and beyond I can see us really being a powerhouse. Now is the time to draft or trade for quality talls.

    But I'll scream this from every rooftop until something changes. BOYD NEEDS A MARKING COACH!!!

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  6. #4
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    When you win a premiership and don't play finals the following two years you do lose faith.

    I am looking forward to 2019 as I do every year, and playing finals to me is an absolute must. I believe we still have the core to do that, but we are relying on the first year players from 2018 improving in 2019.

    I am excited to watch The Bont again and having Libba back and watching Macrae go to another level, but equally excited to see what those 2nd year players can do.
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  7. #5
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Unfortunately, if Boyd can’t comfortably mark the ball at this point in his career it’s not going to happen. How someone can get to AFL level, let alone be the #1 pick with such a dysfunctional technique is pretty incredible.

    Most weeks (if he ever gets fit again) he’ll be the ruck/bail out forward option who can make a contest for the small & mid sizes guys to clean up. Nothing more than that.
    Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.

  8. #6
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Cool post.

    To be truthful though, I'm not exactly sure what Bevo was supposed to do. There were guys in the playing group - and Dalhaus is a good example - with 'STATUS' because of their performances in 2015/16. Despite the drop off, they would have been saying the right things behind closed doors, and whilst I disagree that they had been 'terrible', their performances had certainly dropped of by 10-15% in terms of match day impact...

    It is pretty hard not to play those type of players.

    What he did seem to lose is the magic trick of everything that ever happened at selection coming up roses...I think a few of us were completed baffled by some of the selections/positional choices in 2015/16 but the players would go out and make it work - so what exactly do you say? There is no doubt as a coach he 'flirts with form' - some of the tanking on interstate trips has been appalling - but at the same time when you make 5 (or was it 6) changes going into a final (like we did in 2016) which is completely contrary to all conventional wisdom AND it works, well, you probably feel that you should just 'go with your gut' forever and a day.

    Bevo is a good coach. Setting the Richmond game aside (I don't think they were ever 100% invested) the last 6-8 games or so (everything after the Ballarat debacle) was pretty good and we should all be looking forward to a successful 2019. As for recruiting KPP's, well, we have just spent high draft picks on a ruckman (English), Defender (Naughton) and Forward (Schache) in the last 3- years...what else do you want?
    What should I tell her? She's going to ask.

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  10. #7
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Don't think you were on your Pat there DD - I was pretty worried about where we were heading under Bevo until the last month of the year. Found it very interesting that he's mentioned the leadership group challenging him on playing guys to their strengths and our form picking up from there. It's positive that a) the guys feel they can do that & b) the coaching group took it constructively and responded accordingly.

    It's a small sample, but they're good signs for a group going forward....and it looks like we might even have some (emerging) depth too.

    I just didn't care enough last year to let our plight bother me that much...I'd leave games thinking 'at least we had 2016' + having a little kid with me these days at games is freaking distracting!

    Oh and the Boyd hands thing - yeah it's baffling....how is it he gobbled everything up in the GF (except a chest mark in the opening seconds) and has struggled to catch anything in a contested situation ever since...something in the pomade October 2016? My Dad has asked me this word for word at least 10 times since he was recruited 'Why can't they get someone to show him how to mark the ball?'
    Float Along - Fill Your Lungs

  11. #8
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    When we were struggling to kick a goal in a half a footy, and sometimes not doing it, I think it's fairly natural to question absolutely everything. I think we had a good list management period, although I would've liked another KPF. But post draft to now is the best time to be a member/supporter. Hope is at its strongest, the mind races with thoughts of what the Naughton's, Williams, Richards, Dunkley's, Englishs and Schache's might do. Then what draftees might bolt into the best 22 like Smith, West, Cavarra and Young sounds great too. Can Lloyd & Duryea make an immediate impact with a point to prove that they are best 22 type players. Plus what a fit and firing Libba does to the engine room with Bonts, Dunk's, Macrae and others.

    I still have immense faith in Boyd as a decent young man, and a talented player. But this back issue of his screams all sorts of warnings.

    Scoring is still the question mark to me that seems the obvious question mark. But if Bevo can do something with the gameplan to address it, then we might be looking ok this year. If not, then there's still development and experience to be had with a young group. But right now, I start optimistic and see where we go from here.
    Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023

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  13. #9
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Pie Man View Post
    My Dad has asked me this word for word at least 10 times since he was recruited 'Why can't they get someone to show him how to mark the ball?'
    That's the coaches lament right there...this comic strip sums it up!
    https://alexbellars.wordpress.com/20...ic-mcgladdery/
    What should I tell her? She's going to ask.

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  15. #10
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    That's the coaches lament right there...this comic strip sums it up!
    https://alexbellars.wordpress.com/20...ic-mcgladdery/
    Haha yes it does!
    Float Along - Fill Your Lungs

  16. #11
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dancin' Douggy View Post

    I can’t accept the same fundamental mistakes being made over and over and over again.

    There is a big black hole in our forward line, right between centre half forward and full forward.

    We ALWAYS kick it there, usually a long high bomb, yet we never ever EVER have a tall player there.
    Wish I could remember the specific game last season, but in the post match presser Bevo mentioned they went deliberately small in the forward line in the 2nd half to almost 'force' the mids to lower their eyes entering F50.

    But it kept happening in plenty of games.

    High ball into the 50, marked by a defender. And we kept doing it. It was insane.
    Float Along - Fill Your Lungs

  17. #12
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Pie Man View Post
    Oh and the Boyd hands thing
    He can do it, but is it a matter of confidence in himself?

    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  18. #13
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Of course Tom's brilliant Grandfinal - what a star

    (Includes Pickens incredible highlights as well)

    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

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  20. #14
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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    DD, thanks for the thread. Great thought starter

    I'm certainly not in the losing the faith group and very much see the next 2 years as a chance to relive at least the spirit of 2015/16

    My concerns for 2019 are well known, a lack of key position depth and question marks around if we can keep players fit enough
    My optimism is around a great draw, a young and inspiring list, strong leadership and I think a massively improved attitude and focus.

    I don't want to turn this into another thread about Tom Boyd but I think we have misused him by not playing him more in the position we recruited him for. Other teams like the Cats didn't give up on Hawkins like we did. Collingwood had a gem in Josh Fraser but used him in the ruck and when he was better suited in other positions and ultimately they never utilised his talents.

    So yeah, I'm expecting a lot of improvement in 2019 but deep down knowing it won't be all smooth sailing. We need to keep on playing some of the younger guys and get back that hunger for a contest.

    Bevo will sort out the playing style and he's already flagged the skills being a focus and hopefully we can take advantage of the new rules especially the kick ins.

    I'm genuinely excited about this season.
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

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    Re: Losing the faith/ a look in the rearview mirror.

    Quote Originally Posted by The Pie Man View Post
    Wish I could remember the specific game last season, but in the post match presser Bevo mentioned they went deliberately small in the forward line in the 2nd half to almost 'force' the mids to lower their eyes entering F50.

    But it kept happening in plenty of games.

    High ball into the 50, marked by a defender. And we kept doing it. It was insane.
    I'm racking my brains to remember which game that was and it must have frustrated him no end

    Perhaps with Lloyd, Gowers and Dickson up forward the midfielders might be forced into lowering their eyes more.
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

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