Would there be a more "BULLDOGS" thing to do than losing to Adelaide in Ballarat???

[1eyedog]

Granted he wasn't setting the world on fire but Gowers was going backwards in the 1s. Plus Schache is / was the only forward who could kick the ball which was frustrating given our wretched inaccuracies in front of goal. I didn't think he did a lot wrong to get demoted in the first place.

I'm not sure we can use form lines of players playing in the 1s and 2s in the first half of the year when players like Gowers and Gardner et al. were playing with either little to no form throughout that period. Gardner coming in ahead of him was particularly mystifying.

[bornadog]

Granted he wasn't setting the world on fire but Gowers was going backwards in the 1s. Plus Schache is / was the only forward who could kick the ball which was frustrating given our wretched inaccuracies in front of goal. I didn't think he did a lot wrong to get demoted in the first place.

I'm not sure we can use form lines of players playing in the 1s and 2s in the first half of the year when players like Gowers and Gardner et al. were playing with either little to no form throughout that period. Gardner coming in ahead of him was particularly mystifying.

Schache was dropped because against Collingwood he was very bad. 4 disposals, and no effort, Along with Young, the MC asked them to go back to the VFL and work on your game, and to their credit they did.

[1eyedog]

Schache was dropped because against Collingwood he was very bad. 4 disposals, and no effort, Along with Young, the MC asked them to go back to the VFL and work on your game, and to their credit they did.

That very same game Gowers has 5 disposals and fails to score. He plays the next week stinks it up and is dropped for one match. Comes in the following week and injures himself. Gardner comes in for two matches. I like aspects of Gowers but if he didn't injure himself I'm sure the MC would have kept playing him at the expense of Schache and Lord knows what type of predicament we might be in.

[jeemak]

But Schache or anyone else we played in place of Gowers or Gardiner could have stunk it up just as much or even worse (although the latter would have been tough to do). Trengove could have come into the side earlier and played poorly and found himself out of the team much earlier than he, unfortunately (and possibly unfairly) for him, has now.

We'll never know how the scenarios that didn't play out would have if they'd have come to fruition. Though what we do know is that we have stabilised even in the face of some injury and form concerns since we were playing both putrid football and good football week to week and sometimes within matches. The selections for mine, and where we played the likes of Dunkley early on only tell a small part of the story anyway.

Most importantly we seem to have limited the frequency of conditional effort rearing its ugly head. The last time it did was in round 18 against the Saints (some might argue Q1 against GWS), and all facets of our game have been better since the effort has been there. With it we work harder to run for each other, we get back in defence quicker, and we harass and pressure the opposition more thoroughly. You listen to the coach talk about stability and the players finally coming around to the way the coaches have been asking for them to play and that's well and good, but it's the effort that needs to be there primarily for anything to actually work.

As others have said this week will be a very good test of our maturity. We know that if we bring the effort we can compete with anyone, if we have matured it will be plain for everyone to see.

[1eyedog]

Sure it had more to do with up the ground than the forward position I'm just highlighting the very strange rationale of the MC at the time if we're basing it on form.

[Happy Days]

That very same game Gowers has 5 disposals and fails to score. He plays the next week stinks it up and is dropped for one match. Comes in the following week and injures himself. Gardner comes in for two matches. I like aspects of Gowers but if he didn't injure himself I'm sure the MC would have kept playing him at the expense of Schache and Lord knows what type of predicament we might be in.

I was under the impression that Schache was dropped as a very clear message to improve aspects of his game. I don't think the club cares enough about the development of Gowers to do the same.

[westdog54]

Never in doubt. Wasn't nervous for a second.





Ahh who am I kidding? *!*!*!*! me dead that's a relief.

[ledge]

Both Schache and Gowers played good games this weekend and they are different types of forwards , I think it all depends on the opposition we are playing against, in saying that if just picking a side I would take Schache by a a fair way.

[josie]

Both Schache and Gowers played good games this weekend and they are different types of forwards , I think it all depends on the opposition we are playing against, in saying that if just picking a side I would take Schache by a a fair way.

I would have my heart in my mouth if Gowers comes into the side-his goal kicking is just aaargh!!

[Go_Dogs]

Welcome to 2019 mjp! Smashing sides to storm into September is what we do now

[comrade]

Put this superstitious malarkey to bed.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Would there be a more bulldog thing to do than win the flag from 7th????????????

[Mofra]

Would there be a more bulldog thing to do than win the flag from 7th????????????

I'm not sure anything that happens after a victory against GWS in the final could upset me in anyway.

We were 4-7 at one point. This season is our new 2015 for mine, build the belief. We are a 1-2 pieces of the puzzle off being proper contenders and I think we'll find those at the trade table (and in ruck terms, in another pre-season to Timmy).

[Twodogs]

Both Schache and Gowers played good games this weekend and they are different types of forwards , I think it all depends on the opposition we are playing against, in saying that if just picking a side I would take Schache by a a fair way.

Is there a spot for both of them in the AFL team ledge? I reckon there could be with Gowers playing off a forward flank and Josh out of the goal square.

[strebla]

Bailey Dale has Gowers spot in my mind and he won't be giving it up.