The Pile-On

[Ozza]

Tom Boyd has also spoken out.
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Unfortunately, although Tom has good intentions - this just makes it a bigger issue. Would have otherwise been unnoticed, but might even get more coverage now and potential embarrassment for Billy.

[bornadog]

Unfortunately, although Tom has good intentions - this just makes it a bigger issue. Would have otherwise been unnoticed, but might even get more coverage now and potential embarrassment for Billy.

Disgraceful and disrespectful, I have never seen any players stats broken down like that in an article.

[G-Mo77]

Disgraceful and disrespectful, I have never seen any players stats broken down like that in an article.

I don't know. It's breaking down the SC scores and lists all the others who take the - walk of shame. Is it really that awful?

[bornadog]

I don't know. It's breaking down the SC scores and lists all the others who take the - walk of shame. Is it really that awful?

I think it is unnecesary pile on

[G-Mo77]

I think it is unnecesary pile on

Most of what these clowns write is uneccesary. Don't think he's piling it on. I'm sure if it was another player at another club it would be highlighted. 84% Game time and a -2 score is certainly dreadful and well worth mentioning. If a cricketer had multiple ducks in a row, been hit for 50 of 3 overs or dropped multiple catches the media wouldn't hold back. I think we're getting a bit hysterical over a blurb in an article to be honest

[The bulldog tragician]

Unfortunately, although Tom has good intentions - this just makes it a bigger issue. Would have otherwise been unnoticed, but might even get more coverage now and potential embarrassment for Billy.

Bizarrely the journo concerned has now been pilloried as well with comments about his appearance (red hair & freckles) that he wouldn’t have got a kick in under 12s etc...

The social media universe is so often ugly. A lot of the not-so-good players that I recall became sort of cult anti-heroes. There seemed to be more humour. For some reason I vividly a series of thrashings where big forwards had feasted on Matthew Croft in his early years. We were heading home in a carriage of Bulldogs fans all dejected and glum. Someone said, “God who’s going to play on Kernahan next week?” After an awful silence someone said: “it’s ok, Crofty’ll hold him.”...to hoots of laughter throughout our crowd.

Fans seemed a lot...kinder, I guess, more patient and accepting of foibles. Crofty was as much a favourite of mine as Chris Grant despite unpromising beginnings.

Gowers isn’t going to be a superstar, or a Matthew Croft who got his body right and became a terrific defender...he probably won’t make it even to 50 games. It’s fair enough to have doubts that he’s up to scratch, I just hope he doesn’t read some of the worst viciousness which goes beyond that.

[Grantysghost]

Most of what these clowns write is uneccesary. Don't think he's piling it on. I'm sure if it was another player at another club it would be highlighted. 84% Game time and a -2 score is certainly dreadful and well worth mentioning. If a cricketer had multiple ducks in a row, been hit for 50 of 3 overs or dropped multiple catches the media wouldn't hold back. I think we're getting a bit hysterical over a blurb in an article to be honest

I don't think you can compare the two. Supercoach is a "fantasy" scoring system that is deeply flawed and normalised. If he had say, missed a record number of set shots in a row then yes that's based in reality and you could maybe analyse this seriously, but to leverage his trending anti popularity for click bait is pretty average journalism and extends the pile on. If Billy comes out tomorrow with mental health issues I'm sure, as you rightly point out, these clowns, would be doing the #jesuisbilly. It's the death by 1000 cuts many players talk about regarding social media and news outlets. This alone agree isn't worth getting hysterical about but its a torrent of abuse now. Even on the bulldogs sub reddit which is usually considered its up votes for Billy memes. We get it. He didn't play well. Wasn't from lack of trying.

[Remi Moses]

Just becomes a pile on of just classless crass nonsense
Yeah ok billy isn’t up to it , yet people post on how they hate him and it’s really a sewer to be honest
The young bloke who wrote the article gets piled on about his appearance
It just goes on and on and on .

[G-Mo77]

I don't think you can compare the two. Supercoach is a "fantasy" scoring system that is deeply flawed and normalised. If he had say, missed a record number of set shots in a row then yes that's based in reality and you could maybe analyse this seriously, but to leverage his trending anti popularity for click bait is pretty average journalism and extends the pile on. If Billy comes out tomorrow with mental health issues I'm sure, as you rightly point out, these clowns, would be doing the #jesuisbilly. It's the death by 1000 cuts many players talk about regarding social media and news outlets. This alone agree isn't worth getting hysterical about but its a torrent of abuse now. Even on the bulldogs sub reddit which is usually considered its up votes for Billy memes. We get it. He didn't play well. Wasn't from lack of trying.

I honestly think it was more aimed at SC'ers rather than trying to cash in on Billy's unpopularity. If he didn't have 3 FA or a couple less clangers he probably would have walked away with a low score and the article wouldn't have been written.

[Mofra]

I honestly think it was more aimed at SC'ers rather than trying to cash in on Billy's unpopularity. If he didn't have 3 FA or a couple less clangers he probably would have walked away with a low score and the article wouldn't have been written.

He got a couple of very harsh FA too which made that score negative.

The guy's training his guts out by all accounts. I'm really uncomfortable with the amount of criticism he's getting just for playing sport, especially considering the current social climate of Victoria being in lockdown while we have daily death tolls.

[Grantysghost]

I honestly think it was more aimed at SC'ers rather than trying to cash in on Billy's unpopularity. If he didn't have 3 FA or a couple less clangers he probably would have walked away with a low score and the article wouldn't have been written.

That's a fair comment. He did get 10? in the AFL fantasy game. Maybe their article should be about their ridiculous scoring system but that's another debate

[FrediKanoute]

They have to reward training form right now - because that is ALL THERE IS.

If Gowers - and Gardiner who, as another posted once said is supposed to be an EXCELLENT track worker! - are training well whilst others aren't, then they should be selected. Otherwise selection truly becomes a boys club/coaches favourites club call it what you will.

The players need to see positive performance being rewarded. They need to see poor EFFORT being excluded. Beyond that - skill level, decision making etc - all that stuff is a work in progress for every player!!!

But its clear both struggle with the step up to senior football. Why do they struggle. With Billy yeah I think it is all between his ears , because as a physical specimen he has everything you want in an elite footballer. Maybe you can carry him and hope that it clicks like it did in 2018, but the MC have to recognise that he has limitations and that if he doesn't work then it goes pearshaped in a major way.

[jeemak]

I don't think you can compare the two. Supercoach is a "fantasy" scoring system that is deeply flawed and normalised. If he had say, missed a record number of set shots in a row then yes that's based in reality and you could maybe analyse this seriously, but to leverage his trending anti popularity for click bait is pretty average journalism and extends the pile on. If Billy comes out tomorrow with mental health issues I'm sure, as you rightly point out, these clowns, would be doing the #jesuisbilly. It's the death by 1000 cuts many players talk about regarding social media and news outlets. This alone agree isn't worth getting hysterical about but its a torrent of abuse now. Even on the bulldogs sub reddit which is usually considered its up votes for Billy memes. We get it. He didn't play well. Wasn't from lack of trying.

If he does come out and say he is struggling mentally then we pile on him again and say he should just harden up. Then the people who think telling him that he needs to harden up is off, can then get told by people to just harden up. So on and so forth.

I love dishing out a spray, but I learned a long time ago the only time you should do it is if someone has done something wrong and they were fully aware and in control of the situation when they did it. Social media is a complete pit of feral behaviour, and the hard part is that sprays become cheap and more and more get dished out. Hence, becoming ineffectual.

If everyone dished out sprays on the principles above, there'd be less of them and the world would be a nicer place.