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  1. #1
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    Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Like many after a glorious and unprecedented Premiership win in 2016 I was looking forward, realistically bearing in mind our age profile, to a period of sustained campaigns that would result in even more success. How quickly those hopes were dashed in the following two seasons.
    The last two years have seen a largely re-vamped team make the 8 only to be unceremoniously eliminated after Week 1. In both seasons it took a considerable late season surge to make the eight and some excellent football was played along the way. For example our win over West Coast in a crunch game near season's end this year. And don't forget we obliterated GWS late in 2019 and they went on to play in the Grand Final.
    Yes, they did smash us in the Elimination Final and I really blame a lack of foresight played a large part in our abysmal performance in that match. We must NEVER let that happen again.

    So why the optimism? We are down to 10 of our 2016 heroes - 9 of whom I consider to be best 22. That leaves spots up for grabs which can only be healthy. Of course of those 13 spots some players have a got a mortgage on one - English, Keath, Williams, Wallis, Crozier, Vandermeer, Treloar, Naughton, Smith and Martin. So that leaves 3 spots up for grabs. Healthy competition is good. It makes for hungry footballers who cannot afford to coast.

    So, the optimism again? Well, for a start, we have taken steps to address our glaring ruck problem. Martin to share the duties with English. English to become a forward threat when having a spell. Our decision to trade Roughead was a big mistake in hindsight. English would be far more advanced if had been playing alongside Roughhead these last two seasons.

    Other factors? JUH. This kid could be anything but let's not put too much pressure on him. He could play midfield or forward, or as a permanent wingman with a licence to run up and down the ground.

    Josh Bruce? He has a LOT to prove so I am expecting him to put in a big pre season and come out firing.

    Schache? A real talent who has yet to deliver consistently. I would love to see him succeed. He knows thay this year is a crunch year for him.

    Naughton. He needs a full pre-season and hopefully will get it. Will be a big presence wherever he plays.

    Lin Jong. Will be desperate to get into the 22 and cement his place in the team. He was playing very well in 2016. Tough and pacy he can play midfield and he can go forward and take a mark as well

    Rhylee West. Can play the role Clay Smith played and boy do we need that. Hard edge, uncompromising and can kick a goal.

    Vandermeer. Blistering pace and skillful. Not afraid to take the game on

    Lewis Young. This young guy has to realise his potential in 2021. His great debut turned into a bad dream. He is a talent and I expect him to be busting his gut to prove it.

    Bailey Dale. Is a very talented player but he needs to develop the defensive side of his game. He is on notice.

    Bailey Smith. A gun who will take another step next year to establish himself as a top shelf midfielder.

    Mitch Hannon. A handy acquisition now that Dicko has retired. A definite chance to grab a spot from Lloyd.

    Add to the above we will see players benefit from the extra year of experience, extra size and strenght and heightened desire - it's no fun being dumped out of the Finals after Week 1 two years in a row.

    So, I am expecting to field a taller, quicker, more balanced and hungrier Bulldog team in 2021.
    http://journals.worldnomads.com/merantau
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  3. #2
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Nice post merantau.

    Totally Agree.

    The ruck support is crucial.

    Also watching Treloar in RWB running with ball in hand and seeing Bont do more Bontlike things also has me excited.

    If Cavarra or Weightman or West become a reliable good small crumbing forward to Naughty and Bruce’s aerial work, with JUH taking marks on the lead, wowee as BT says.

    I so hope Schache and Cavarra and Lewis Young make the grade. And that West is given more opportunities too. So much to keep our interest levels high. Real competition for spots too, assuming minimal injuries. Let’s hope it all translates to a successful year.

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  5. #3
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    For the prosecution....


    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post

    So, the optimism again? Well, for a start, we have taken steps to address our glaring ruck problem. Martin to share the duties with English. English to become a forward threat when having a spell. Our decision to trade Roughead was a big mistake in hindsight. English would be far more advanced if had been playing alongside Roughhead these last two seasons.
    Well, Roughy has played as a key back for the Pies - so no guarantees that he would have helped. We DID have JT - but Bevo wouldn't play him (just like he wouldn't play Campbell)...and Martin looked completely cooked by seasons end, no surprise really since he is 34 years old and has been toiling away as the sole ruckman in Brisbane for years now...

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Other factors? JUH. This kid could be anything but let's not put too much pressure on him. He could play midfield or forward, or as a permanent wingman with a licence to run up and down the ground.
    Yeah - I have been reading about how he will play wing. Given he averaged 10 touches a game vs u18 competition, he would fit right in with our collection of low possession outside mids! :-)

    Actually, even the prosecution doesn't want to say a bad word about Marra BUT planning to play him as a winger might be a less than great plan.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Josh Bruce? He has a LOT to prove so I am expecting him to put in a big pre season and come out firing.
    Well, I expected that last year.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Schache? A real talent who has yet to deliver consistently. I would love to see him succeed. He knows thay this year is a crunch year for him.
    IS he a 'real talent'? There would be more "Nays" than "Yays" if a vote was taken I suspect.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Naughton. He needs a full pre-season and hopefully will get it. Will be a big presence wherever he plays.
    The most important ability is AVAILABILITY...he gets injured EVERY year.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Lin Jong. Will be desperate to get into the 22 and cement his place in the team. He was playing very well in 2016. Tough and pacy he can play midfield and he can go forward and take a mark as well
    He better play forward...'cos if he gets it in the midfield the other team will be getting it next.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Rhylee West. Can play the role Clay Smith played and boy do we need that. Hard edge, uncompromising and can kick a goal.
    He is a midfielder stuck in the forward line...will never reach his potential whilst trying to become what he isn't.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Vandermeer. Blistering pace and skillful. Not afraid to take the game on
    Positive season. Not exactly worthy of the hype he has received but positive...

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Lewis Young. This young guy has to realise his potential in 2021. His great debut turned into a bad dream. He is a talent and I expect him to be busting his gut to prove it.
    Again - IS he a talent. We have seen nothing but glimpses - the fact the coaching staff can't seem to work out if he is a back, forward or ruckman makes me wonder about consistency and application...you move guys around when they are struggling to succeed...

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Bailey Dale. Is a very talented player but he needs to develop the defensive side of his game. He is on notice.
    Flat track bully.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Bailey Smith. A gun who will take another step next year to establish himself as a top shelf midfielder.
    Hard to argue but worried about restricted midfield time given the Dunkley attempted exit and Treloar aquisition.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    Mitch Hannon. A handy acquisition now that Dicko has retired. A definite chance to grab a spot from Lloyd.
    From photos this pre-season would appear to have been grabbing the food off Lloyd's plate at the lunch-time buffet!
    What should I tell her? She's going to ask.

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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    The prosecution has gotten out of bed on the wrong side, seemingly after midday, your worship.

    Agree on the bit about Roughead, and also think that he was never going to be part of our plans during the rebuild we've undertaken rightly or wrongly so it has nothing to do with effectiveness of English in the end.

    JUH anywhere other than a forward pocket or flank doesn't seem real to me, however, he may have averaged just the ten given he didn't play in the midfield but I get it, you're grumpy and your hair's ruffled.

    I'm a bit surprised on your views on West. Agree his best position is as a forward, but haven't you said in the past that players just need to play where they get a game and make the most of it? Perhaps as a forward right now he can be something, perhaps he can't, however I think he might be capable of contributing there and if he wants to play games it's probably what he has to do. Wallis was a pure mid for most of his career, and there's not a lot of difference between them in height.

    Comments on VDM are pretty harsh, but perhaps you've seen a lot more fast and skilled players who are willing to run at a defence than I have who haven't been given his opportunities. I get you're not criticising him but at the same time I don't think the positivity has been over the top.

    To me Dale is the perfect player to keep on the list for when the sun is shining. If he hadn't have shown anything to date I'd be happy enough to have moved him on, but even though it's largely been in good times the guy has actually shown he can play to a borderline elite/ elite level. If we have a good team around him, his next three or four years could be very positive because his job will get less complicated.

    I literally have no idea about Bruce, Schache, Naughton or Young for the most part. The only thing I can say with confidence is that I think it is definitely for the betterment of the team that Naughton plays in defence until we have someone who can replace him. It's our glaring weakness and if we fix it up we are so much better. The guy's only young, Chris Grant managed a lazy 550 goals playing half a career in defence, if he wants to kick goals he'll eventually get his chance to.

    As for Bailey Smith and all the other mids, if they get a game and play for the team we'll win more than we lose. And if we do that they'll be OK with it.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

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  9. #5
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    We've got a blue chip list and a premiership coach. A no dickehads policy and a club with core values.
    We will play a lot of entertaining footy, and be very hard to stop.

    Core values are really important to me. Win or lose we put some quality people on the park. Go Dogs!

    Josh S. will win the the goal kicking.
    You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus

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  11. #6
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ghost Dog View Post
    We've got a blue chip list and a premiership coach. A no dickehads policy and a club with core values.
    We will play a lot of entertaining footy, and be very hard to stop.

    Core values are really important to me. Win or lose we put some quality people on the park. Go Dogs!

    Josh S. will win the the goal kicking.
    The 10th best defence suggests otherwise. We also seem to struggle to score up the other end. We have 5 blue chip players and that's it. Bont, Macrae, Daniel, Treloar maybe Naughton maybe.
    But then again, I'm an Internet poster and Bevo is a premiership coach so draw your own conclusions.

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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1eyedog View Post
    The 10th best defence suggests otherwise. We also seem to struggle to score up the other end. We have 5 blue chip players and that's it. Bont, Macrae, Daniel, Treloar maybe Naughton maybe.
    ... Libba (if/when fit).

    I hate to say it, but I can't see Libba playing the bulk of the season which is ok as Dunkley is a fair replacement.

    I don't see Martin playing the bulk of the season either, but I do see him being excellent for English's development. Prior to 2020 he was quite durable, will drive training standards and will play good games giving English a rest, noting English will have one more pre-season under his belt for next year.

    Schache/Dale - I honestly would have shopped them last trade period. I have zero faith in their ability to play in a high pressure game. Schache at least runs and has workrate. I doubt we'll see much of Lloyd either. Hannan in + English resting forward at times + 1-2 resting mids forward of the ball + VDM when fit.

    We have one enormous, glaring issue - a KPD pairing. Garnder is not yet convincing, Cordy more Dale Morris lite than a genuine KPD, and Lewie Young is a baby who needs a big pre-season.

    Our second glaring (and rarely discussed) issue - who is prepared to sacrifice their game for the good of the team?
    Dunkley clearly isn't anymore. Can Macrae spend more time 'outside' the contest and take wing rotations? Can JJ suck it up and play the occasional role as a pressure forward or take wing rotations? Can Treloar play outside at times? Smith? Bont can spend a bit more time forward (especially with 20 minute quarters) but when the game's on the line I actually want him near the action.

    Wallis did it and it worked for him - who else?
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1eyedog View Post
    The 10th best defence suggests otherwise. We also seem to struggle to score up the other end. We have 5 blue chip players and that's it. Bont, Macrae, Daniel, Treloar maybe Naughton maybe.
    Easton Wood? Libba? Dunkley? If Dunkley is not blue chip then why all the fuss. The guy is a ball magnet.
    JUH you must have left out by mistake.

    I don't know. I'm a glass half-full person but I think I don't have to be to rate these guys. Our def will improve considerably with Naughton down back.

    Anyway this is the year Lin Jong comes storming back in a sea of red white and blue streamers.
    Mitch Wallis is blue chip when wearing our colours. The guy absolutely kills it in the effort department and someone like that is invaluable as a club man. Think Matty Boyd.
    You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. ― Epicurus

  14. #9
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1eyedog View Post
    The 10th best defence suggests otherwise. We also seem to struggle to score up the other end. We have 5 blue chip players and that's it. Bont, Macrae, Daniel, Treloar maybe Naughton maybe.
    Hunter, one of our most important players
    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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  16. #10
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1eyedog View Post
    The 10th best defence suggests otherwise. We also seem to struggle to score up the other end. We have 5 blue chip players and that's it. Bont, Macrae, Daniel, Treloar maybe Naughton maybe.
    As BD said below, I think Hunter fits into this group. We really need English and Marra to sit comfortably here too if we're to genuinely contend over the next 5 years.

    The fact that no defensive player (besides Daniel but he's more offensive any way) looks even close to becoming an A grader is a real concern. Needs to be a priority for our list management team.
    Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.

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  18. #11
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    I think it's fair to be optimistic or pessimistic about our chances next season. We're one of those teams in the competition who could win it all if everything suddenly clicked. There are always those teams who suddenly turn things around. On paper (except down back) we have an excellent side so it's indeed possible it could be us.

    However, I tend to go off past trends and results to predict future outcomes rather than gut feel. And for me, whilst I don't predict a downward trend, I don't think we'll fair much better than the last few years. We simply haven't addressed our main areas of weakness.

    Getting Martin is great but he alone will not address our horrendous ruck problem. That still rests on English's shoulders and from what I saw last season, he's nowhere near ready to reliably compete in the ruck.

    Our backline remains incredibly thin and void of a 1 on 1 lockdown defender. Gardner was serviceable for a few games but we can't seriously expect to rely on him to take the monster forwards. I hate to say it but Young isn't going to become that lockdown defender for us. He's also and interceptor like Keath who we have unfortunately pigeon-holed into that lockdown role. He did a marvellous job but it's not his role and he's much better as an interceptor. And what on earth are we going to do if Keath goes down with an injury?? Seriously who can we bring in? I just don't think Young is going to make it.

    Up forward we have way too many tall and medium forwards whilst having basically zero small/crumbing forwards. We pretty much can't fit Bruce and Schache yet are crying out for 1 small who can actually rove a pack and snap a goal. Hannan is not going to do that reliably for us. Hopefully Garcia or Mcneil or even Weightman can come from nowhere and provide that role but I'm not holding my breath considering how awful our forward chemistry has looked.

    Finally, it would seem Bevo is too stubborn or simply incapable of changing our style to become a little more free flowing in the middle portion of the ground. The over handballing stifles our movement. We seem to rely on generating any sort of movement from defence which doesn't happen too often as usually once the ball hits our defence we are woefully out of position or it goes in there uncontested so our defenders have no hope.

    I expect us to finish around 7-12 yet again next season. Unless some sort of "switch" is flicked and some players find another level, or at the very least, some aggression and hardness.

  19. #12
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by bulldogsthru&thru View Post
    Up forward we have way too many tall and medium forwards whilst having basically zero small/crumbing forwards. We pretty much can't fit Bruce and Schache yet are crying out for 1 small who can actually rove a pack and snap a goal. Hannan is not going to do that reliably for us. Hopefully Garcia or Mcneil or even Weightman can come from nowhere and provide that role but I'm not holding my breath considering how awful our forward chemistry has looked.
    I agree, which is why I am staggered that our last draft picks in 2019 were Louis Butler (a rebounding HBF we have said, but not implemented in any way, we'll try and put him on a wing) and Dominic Bedendo (who seems like an Easton Wood clone, super athlete that needs to build footy IQ).

    Good luck tot he kids and I hope they make it, but that was the time to look at a small quick pressure forward and we blew it. We even passed over Winder last week when he was available!
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ghost Dog View Post
    Easton Wood? Libba? Dunkley? If Dunkley is not blue chip then why all the fuss. The guy is a ball magnet.
    JUH you must have left out by mistake.

    I don't know. I'm a glass half-full person but I think I don't have to be to rate these guys. Our def will improve considerably with Naughton down back.

    Anyway this is the year Lin Jong comes storming back in a sea of red white and blue streamers.
    Mitch Wallis is blue chip when wearing our colours. The guy absolutely kills it in the effort department and someone like that is invaluable as a club man. Think Matty Boyd.
    JUH is completely unproven at this stage and hasn't even played a game. Easton Wood is past his prime and really had had a good season and a half, Libba is critical for us but I fear he's played his best footy and Dunkley is all about potential that needs to be sustained. Same could be said for Naughton actually so I'll stand by the number of blue chip players we have by removing Naughton and including Hunter, who I mistakenly overlooked.

    I'm ok with that core group if we get continued improvement from our younger players and if the Wally's, Keath's and Wood's can play their role we should see an improvement on our first final exodus in 2021.
    But then again, I'm an Internet poster and Bevo is a premiership coach so draw your own conclusions.

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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    For the prosecution....




    Well, Roughy has played as a key back for the Pies - so no guarantees that he would have helped. We DID have JT - but Bevo wouldn't play him (just like he wouldn't play Campbell)...and Martin looked completely cooked by seasons end, no surprise really since he is 34 years old and has been toiling away as the sole ruckman in Brisbane for years now...



    Yeah - I have been reading about how he will play wing. Given he averaged 10 touches a game vs u18 competition, he would fit right in with our collection of low possession outside mids! :-)

    Actually, even the prosecution doesn't want to say a bad word about Marra BUT planning to play him as a winger might be a less than great plan.


    Well, I expected that last year.


    IS he a 'real talent'? There would be more "Nays" than "Yays" if a vote was taken I suspect.



    The most important ability is AVAILABILITY...he gets injured EVERY year.



    He better play forward...'cos if he gets it in the midfield the other team will be getting it next.



    He is a midfielder stuck in the forward line...will never reach his potential whilst trying to become what he isn't.



    Positive season. Not exactly worthy of the hype he has received but positive...



    Again - IS he a talent. We have seen nothing but glimpses - the fact the coaching staff can't seem to work out if he is a back, forward or ruckman makes me wonder about consistency and application...you move guys around when they are struggling to succeed...



    Flat track bully.



    Hard to argue but worried about restricted midfield time given the Dunkley attempted exit and Treloar aquisition.



    From photos this pre-season would appear to have been grabbing the food off Lloyd's plate at the lunch-time buffet!
    Well, in my case, (Dogs supporter since 1956, member since 1976) you don't get to rack up those numbers UNLESS you are a glass half full type!

    A few observations. If Wally can become a goal kicking, crumbing, small forward then Rhylee West can do it too.
    Roughead was excellent in the ruck in 2016. Just because the Pies played him down back doesn't negate my point that, if we still had him, pairing him with English would have helped the latter considerably.

    Agreed, Martin has shouldered a heavy load at the Lions. A change of Club will be good for him and he has English to help him share the load.

    Naughton. Yes, he has had injury concerns but the last one was a freak, facial, fracture. The one before that was a knee. He doesn't have soft tissue injuries which are more of a concern in relation to AVAILABILITY. It's not unreasonable to expect that the injury demons will get off his case for a while.

    Re JUH. Possessions are possibly the most overated statistic of all. Think Dale Morris, think Tory Dickson. And for a trip down memory lane think Geoff Tonbridge and John Northey. They might have only got their hands on it half a dozen times but they'd kick a couple and have a hand in another.

    And then there's the obverse. Think David Thorpe, Ian Dunston and Peter Featherby. All of them absolute ball magnets who knocked up getting possessions. The first two won B&Fs with us. We traded them all and ineffective use of the ball was a factor. I remember Jack Dyer saying of Featherby when he went to Geelong: "He doesn't do much with the ball but when he's got it, the opposition hasn't." (Jack was the King of the Backhanded Compliment)

    Mitch Hannan. Putting on 4kg is irrelevant. He is the type w h o could lose that in a week. I am not expecting him to play every game but he does have something to prove to the Club and he does have ability.

    Josh Bruce. Yes, I was very disappointed with him but he is a quality player. The Corona Year was not a good year to change clubs. 2021 will be different for him

    Schache and Young must know that they are expected to produce this year. I am baking them to respond.
    http://journals.worldnomads.com/merantau
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  23. #15
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    Re: Why I'm optimistic about 2021.

    Quote Originally Posted by merantau View Post
    UNLESS you are a glass half full type!
    I am a half glass full bloke as well. Must stay positive otherwise may as well not watch the footy at all.

    You put up a good counter argument. We can all poke holes in every player, every team, but I am confident we are building to be a very competitive team and expecting a top four finish.
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