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  1. #16
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Don't forget he came back from an ACL last year, and still had knee problems. He will be fine as his clearance work is first class.
    It will be interesting to see how he's used as you can't see him pushing ahead of Bont, Macrae & Dunkley to be a 1st choice mid which is where he has previously completed his best work.

  2. #17
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Quote Originally Posted by Mantis View Post
    It will be interesting to see how he's used as you can't see him pushing ahead of Bont, Macrae & Dunkley to be a 1st choice mid which is where he has previously completed his best work.

    He will need to adapt to the changing requirements as he is behind in the pecking order now. I remain hopeful that he can adjust but it's by no means a sure thing
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

  3. #18
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Quote Originally Posted by Go_Dogs View Post
    How productive do we want him to be? We've got enough blokes who get in 25+ times and most of them are as or more effective/efficient than Libba is these days. As a depth midfielder and spare parts player, he's probably a 15-20 possession player.

    Agree we want him getting more clean ball, but does that mean he has to play behind the ball or high half forward? Maybe it does but is he going to be the most effective/efficient option there? I can see him playing 22 games body permitting but in a range of roles week to week, and within each game. Defensive work, a good rotation in the clearance and being combative/serviceable should be enough in the 16-22 range where I think he sits now.
    Good post, good questions.

    I guess my question is does he use it better than Dunkley? My view is yes he does, and I'd much rather have the ball in his hands and I want to find a way for that to happen. He has solid burst pace and he can kick, so if he's doing the blocking or defending at the coal face, why can't we try and use him as the third touch off the contest a bit more afterwards?

    Agree he's going to need to adapt to more positions, and when he goes forward he needs to convert as much as possible which he is capable of doing. I don't want him to play behind the ball, but Matthew Boyd was able to adapt to the role later in his career albeit being better overhead than Libba is.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

  4. #19
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Quote Originally Posted by jeemak View Post
    Good post, good questions.

    I guess my question is does he use it better than Dunkley? My view is yes he does, and I'd much rather have the ball in his hands and I want to find a way for that to happen. He has solid burst pace and he can kick, so if he's doing the blocking or defending at the coal face, why can't we try and use him as the third touch off the contest a bit more afterwards?

    Agree he's going to need to adapt to more positions, and when he goes forward he needs to convert as much as possible which he is capable of doing. I don't want him to play behind the ball, but Matthew Boyd was able to adapt to the role later in his career albeit being better overhead than Libba is.
    I think Dunkley is ahead now just due to his size and ability in tight, regardless of Libba being a better kick with his neat left foot. The numbers Dunks has put up and his dominance around the ball was at a level Libba won't be able to match.

    Maybe Bont spends more time forward and that allows Libba in? If not, I can't see him taking a spot in front of Dunks or Macrae who don't really have the versatility and who are now too important to the midfield mix. Maybe as a third or fourth touch player out on a wing with an ability to still hunt and win ball could be his go? There's a few options who are better suited with natural attributes on paper but Mitch Robinson is one of the best wings in the game at the moment so Libba is viable.

    A fit and ready to dominate Libba may be the biggest headache our coaching staff face in 2020.

  5. #20
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    There will always be room for Libba in the middle. He will be part of the midfield mix for sure. What an amazing problem to have, for us to struggle to fit him in the team is the best situation I have ever known as a doggies supporter. To think a man of his stature in the game ( let’s face it, one of the best in tight we have ever had) is going to find it tough to make the 22. Surely he is in the bench to come on into the middle when someone needs a rest. A handy little goal sneak as well

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  7. #21
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Actually think Libba has a lot to prove and a fair task in front of him. He can only play mid and he's miles behind Bont, Dunkley and Macrae. Lipinski is making big strides and Smith will improve his inside game. Moreover, our kids are typically versatile and Libba isn't.

    Love him and at his best he's an animal but we haven't seen it since 2016 for various reasons but either way we dress it, that's 4 years ago now - quite a while in footy terms.

    His lack of spread from a contest has been really telling lately. Hopefully it's the injury, but I have my concerns.

  8. #22
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Quote Originally Posted by The Bulldogs Bite View Post
    Actually think Libba has a lot to prove and a fair task in front of him. He can only play mid and he's miles behind Bont, Dunkley and Macrae. Lipinski is making big strides and Smith will improve his inside game. Moreover, our kids are typically versatile and Libba isn't.

    Love him and at his best he's an animal but we haven't seen it since 2016 for various reasons but either way we dress it, that's 4 years ago now - quite a while in footy terms.

    His lack of spread from a contest has been really telling lately. Hopefully it's the injury, but I have my concerns.
    I'm reminded of that scene in the bulldog doco when Terry Wallace drops Libba off the main list.


    Libba played another six years after that.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


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  10. #23
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Here is Five reasons to get excited for 2020


    1. The belief is there
    Many scribes wrote the Bulldogs off at the bye.
    How many teams could go from 15th to seventh in the space of nine weeks?
    Not many, if any.
    Bevo’s Bulldogs were the form side of the heading into the finals, and there’s no doubt the ingredients for a successful team are at VU Whitten Oval.
    After Saturday’s elimination final loss, the Bulldogs will have an even bigger point to prove next season.


    2. Forward line development
    The question at the start of the year, was where will the goals come from.
    It was answered definitively by the end of the season.
    Averaging 128 points per game in their last three home-and-away games to beat Essendon, GWS Giants and Adelaide, the Bulldogs’ forward structure clicked into gear.
    Aaron Naughton and Josh Schache proved themselves as long-term key position players.
    Sam Lloyd was one of the recruits of the year, leading the Dogs’ goal-kicking with 38 majors, while young gun Bailey Dale established himself as a forward threat in the last six weeks of the year.


    3. Draftees
    In a year where the Bulldogs featured in September, five players also started their AFL careers.
    Bailey Smith, Rhylee West, Will Hayes, Lachie Young and Ryan Gardner all pulled on the red, white and blue at the highest level for the first time.
    Smith, the Bulldogs’ first-round draft pick last year, remarkably played all 23 games in 2019.
    He was one of nine players to do so for the Bulldogs, averaging 17.7 disposals per game to earn a fourth-placed finish in the NAB AFL Rising Star Award.
    Hayes (nine games) and West (three) also played a final, with Young (six) and Gardner (two) also showing positive signs.


    4. The midfield
    The Bulldogs’ midfield is among the best the competition.
    They had their colours lowered against the Giants on Saturday, but it’s clear this is a group that will continue to improve.
    You would argue that All Australian stars Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Macrae have yet to hit their best, at 23 and 25 years of age respectively.
    One of the competition’s most improved players, Josh Dunkley, is just 22 years old, while reigning Sutton Medallist Lachie Hunter is only 24.
    Then there’s the likes of Smith (18), Pat Lipinski (21) and rising ruckman Tim English (22).
    Plus the impending returns of experienced heads Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis.


    5. Locked in
    A quick look at the Bulldogs’ elimination final team says there is plenty to like.
    And thanks to Sam Power and his list management team, Bulldogs fans can breathe a sigh of relief this off-season – because all 22 are locked in at VU Whitten Oval for 2020 or beyond.
    There will be list changes in the off-season, as always.
    But fifteen players have re-signed with the Bulldogs in 2019, plus coach Luke Beveridge.
    The Bulldogs fielded the youngest team in the competition in the first week of finals, and round 23 compared to all 18 teams.
    In terms of games played, they were the least experienced team in the first week of finals.
    There’s reason to be excited about what the future holds.
    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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  12. #24
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    An article that shows some close reading of us:
    https://themongrelpunt.com/afl-seaso...GdyeGIo7xhtwyA

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  14. #25
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    Re: Eight reasons for Bulldogs fans to get excited about 2020

    Quote Originally Posted by BornInDroopSt'54 View Post
    An article that shows some close reading of us:
    https://themongrelpunt.com/afl-seaso...GdyeGIo7xhtwyA
    Did you miss this post: https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showth...n-preview-2020
    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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