WB FightBack30 V Melbourne R17 2019

[soupman]

Did you hear the Bulldog song at the end of the game?
It was Sons of the Scray. Sounded bloody good too.

A few of the lyrics were a bit questionable but the music backing track was phenomenal. Much better than the current backing track.

[Twodogs]

Not quite the wooden spoon, but close

You are right too. I had us down for more spoons than we have "earned."

[Twodogs]

From Demonland forum "Our forward entries are like a 15 year old boy trying to pick up at a blue light disc"

I used to go alright when I was 15, certainly better than I go as a 55 year old!

[Hotdog60]

I used to go alright when I was 15, certainly better than I go as a 55 year old!

There is something very wrong with this statement.

[Mantis]

Ditto, couldn't disagree more. He was barely on Petty at all, Cordy took Pettey whenever Petracca played high forward.
We have nobody else who can take the big forwards. Given he spent all pre-season in the ruck before we desperately threw him back he's doing all we can ask of him.

He was on Petty long enough to give away another silly free in a marking contest when we were well on top.. gifted them a goal from nothing.

[Mofra]

From Demonland forum "Our forward entries are like a 15 year old boy trying to pick up at a blue light disc"

They did have their two best KPFs out.

[Bulldog4life]

Melbourne's dual All Australian ruckman Max Gawn dined out on the Western Bulldogs for the umpteenth time on Sunday, but it was the Dogs who won the day. It's a familiar problem for Luke Beveridge and his team, with promising big man Tim English still some way from being a force in the centre. English consistently loses the hitouts by a big margin – just ask Brodie Grundy – but the Bulldogs have found a way to defy that disadvantage. Beveridge calls it being "reactively proactive", with his midfielders conditioned to having to shark the opposition's taps. The Demons won the clearances, but certainly didn't fully capitalise on the armchair ride Gawn gave them. In fact, only 12 of the 208cm ruckman's 34 hitouts were to advantage, whereas he famously had seven to advantage in one quarter against the Dogs last year. That's where hitout numbers can be deceiving, and everyone would be better off including only those to advantage. - Marc McGowan

https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-...-from-round-17

[AndrewP6]

A few of the lyrics were a bit questionable but the music backing track was phenomenal. Much better than the current backing track.

The lyrics were befitting of a time when footy wasn't big business, and people played for the love of the game. I thought it was terrific.

[Eastdog]

I’m used to the current WB song but I enjoyed singing the old one yesterday. Having the lyrics up there helped me

[Eastdog]

The worst part of the song

Doesn’t make sense if we lose that you would come out smiling.

[Danjul]

Melbourne's dual All Australian ruckman Max Gawn dined out on the Western Bulldogs for the umpteenth time on Sunday, but it was the Dogs who won the day. It's a familiar problem for Luke Beveridge and his team, with promising big man Tim English still some way from being a force in the centre. English consistently loses the hitouts by a big margin – just ask Brodie Grundy – but the Bulldogs have found a way to defy that disadvantage. Beveridge calls it being "reactively proactive", with his midfielders conditioned to having to shark the opposition's taps. The Demons won the clearances, but certainly didn't fully capitalise on the armchair ride Gawn gave them. In fact, only 12 of the 208cm ruckman's 34 hitouts were to advantage, whereas he famously had seven to advantage in one quarter against the Dogs last year. That's where hitout numbers can be deceiving, and everyone would be better off including only those to advantage. - Marc McGowan

https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-...-from-round-17

according to the stats in The Age , Melbourne had 20 hitouts to advantage and the Dogs had 3 (none by English).

The difference of 17 kept Melbourne in the game. Some of them happened in front of me and I got a clear view of the Melbourne player running away from the pack with the ball landing in his hands at speed. Most of these seem to result in a kick heading directly towards goal. Worth 3 or 4 of the sideways or backwards kicks and handballs which try to get out of trouble.

Despite what Beveridge says, the Dogs midfielders have not sharked one of the opponents hitouts to advantage this year. It has always been other players responsibility to rectify the damage, and damage it has been. That is the aspect which has prevented the team from sitting comfortably in the top eight.

[hujsh]

according to the stats in The Age , Melbourne had 20 hitouts to advantage and the Dogs had 3 (none by English).

The difference of 17 kept Melbourne in the game. Some of them happened in front of me and I got a clear view of the Melbourne player running away from the pack with the ball landing in his hands at speed. Most of these seem to result in a kick heading directly towards goal. Worth 3 or 4 of the sideways or backwards kicks and handballs which try to get out of trouble.

Despite what Beveridge says, the Dogs midfielders have not sharked one of the opponents hitouts to advantage this year. It has always been other players responsibility to rectify the damage, and damage it has been. That is the aspect which has prevented the team from sitting comfortably in the top eight.

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that impossible? The act of sharking the tap surely means it is not a tap to advantage anymore.

[bornadog]

according to the stats in The Age , Melbourne had 20 hitouts to advantage and the Dogs had 3 (none by English).

The difference of 17 kept Melbourne in the game. Some of them happened in front of me and I got a clear view of the Melbourne player running away from the pack with the ball landing in his hands at speed. Most of these seem to result in a kick heading directly towards goal. Worth 3 or 4 of the sideways or backwards kicks and handballs which try to get out of trouble.

Despite what Beveridge says, the Dogs midfielders have not sharked one of the opponents hitouts to advantage this year. It has always been other players responsibility to rectify the damage, and damage it has been. That is the aspect which has prevented the team from sitting comfortably in the top eight.

We lost the hitouts, hitout to advantage, Clearances, Stoppages, Cont. poss. centre clearances - yet we won. Go figure, despite Gawn doing everything he could as a ruckman. Ruckman are not the only cog in the wheel.

The thing is right now, we don't have anyone else as a ruckman and we have to make do. I think, English probably only rucked half the game yesterday, yet I think he was just as if not more more valuable around the ground than Gawn.

[Ozza]

We lost the hitouts, hitout to advantage, Clearances, Stoppages, Cont. poss. centre clearances - yet we won. Go figure, despite Gawn doing everything he could as a ruckman. Ruckman are not the only cog in the wheel.

The thing is right now, we don't have anyone else as a ruckman and we have to make do. I think, English probably only rucked half the game yesterday, yet I think he was just as if not more more valuable around the ground than Gawn.

He was quite brilliant around the ground again.
Interesting match up for Tim v Marshall for St.Kilda this week who is only 2 years older and 4 games more experienced than Tim. Marshall gives them a fair bit around the ground, and has hit the scoreboard in recent weeks.

[Danjul]

We lost the hitouts, hitout to advantage, Clearances, Stoppages, Cont. poss. centre clearances - yet we won. Go figure, despite Gawn doing everything he could as a ruckman. Ruckman are not the only cog in the wheel.

The thing is right now, we don't have anyone else as a ruckman and we have to make do. I think, English probably only rucked half the game yesterday, yet I think he was just as if not more more valuable around the ground than Gawn.

Sorry, I didn’t see it this way.

1. Melbourne’s rucks kept them in the game. They would have lost by 5 goals otherwise.

2. Ruck is very important and there are disadvantages in not treating it seriously.

we risk Naughton by playing him in the ruck. High injury rate for part time ruckmen.
And we waste Schache by playing him in the ruck. Has contributed nothing this year and it depletes the forward line where he is important.
And we rob the backline by playing Trengove in the ruck.
And we will not be so lucky again when playing Dunkley in the ruck.

3. Gawn’s 14 kicks were more valuable than English’s 6. I would love to see English kick 50 metres as a first option instead of handball. Then he might have been as valuable.

Despite this ruck fiasco the Dogs did win as expected. That is because Dunkley’s 2 goals were better than his brother’s 1. And the rest of the team played well.