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11-03-2021, 01:46 PM
#346
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
The Pie Man
My favourite moment was Bailey Williams selling candy flawlessly three times in 5 seconds.
Melbourne players be like:
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11-03-2021, 05:21 PM
#347
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
bornadog
If we lose, I won't be logging in
Here or Twitter BAD? Or both maybe?
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11-03-2021, 05:23 PM
#348
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
Bulldog4life
Here or Twitter BAD? Or both maybe?
Here
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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11-03-2021, 07:34 PM
#349
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
Axe Man
We dominated that game, as we should have, but lacked that forward connection at times, as you and everybody else has pointed out.
How you can take such a negative view of a largely positive performance surprises me, although it really shouldn't by now. Yes there were some familiar flaws there, but there was plenty to like too.
Was it positive to be behind approaching half time. I think Melbourne was ahead with 2 minutes to go.
The Dogs had over 30% more possessions (I think it was 120 more) because they have a lot of impressive talent. How did a depleted Melbourne keep with them for 3 of the 4 quarters. Because the Dogs definitely didn’t play as an impressive team. They went in with structural weaknesses which, hopefully, they fix before meeting real opponents.
It has only taken 4 years to acknowledge and fix the ruck, and that part of the game worked very well. Will it take that long to notice that the backline had no key position player ? In the selected teams May and Gardner were equivalent. In the game only one showed any interest in actually getting the ball. May got it 27 times and kicked it 50 metres 20 times. Gardner kicked the ball 3 times, his role was obviously to run in behind the pack and try to spoil. That’s going to do nothing against the good teams. That alone will keep us out of the top four.
please specify exactly what you saw that suggests a better year is ahead.
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12-03-2021, 10:14 AM
#350
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
Danjul
Was it positive to be behind approaching half time. I think Melbourne was ahead with 2 minutes to go.
The Dogs had over 30% more possessions (I think it was 120 more) because they have a lot of impressive talent. How did a depleted Melbourne keep with them for 3 of the 4 quarters. Because the Dogs definitely didn’t play as an impressive team. They went in with structural weaknesses which, hopefully, they fix before meeting real opponents.
It has only taken 4 years to acknowledge and fix the ruck, and that part of the game worked very well. Will it take that long to notice that the backline had no key position player ? In the selected teams May and Gardner were equivalent. In the game only one showed any interest in actually getting the ball. May got it 27 times and kicked it 50 metres 20 times. Gardner kicked the ball 3 times, his role was obviously to run in behind the pack and try to spoil. That’s going to do nothing against the good teams. That alone will keep us out of the top four.
please specify exactly what you saw that suggests a better year is ahead.
My god, did you spend the evening of the 1st October 2016 discussing our shortcomings that day? There is nothing wrong with critique and discussing our deficiencies but every other poster on here finds some balance and doesn't post constantly negative, woe is us stuff. Football is meant to be fun and you suck the life out of it.
To address some of your points:
Keath and Gardner are key position players whether you like it or not.
Do you honestly think that teams can not be successful if their KPDs don't rack up 20 possession each? How on earth did we win a flag with Roberts, Hamling and Morris? Every team has lockdown defenders.
Our back 6 functions by getting the ball into the hands of those who are the best distributors if possible. Not everyone in the back 6 needs to do this. Daniel, Williams, JJ, when he plays, etc. Gardner is not there to do that. May on the other hand is just about the best key defender in the competition and is an excellent kick. He picked up quite a few of his possessions on Monday kicking out because he is so good at it. Your obsession with key defenders possession numbers is nonsensical.
I never claimed we had a better year ahead. I have no idea how we will perform this season. I have been as disappointed as anyone with some of our performances over the past few years, and obviously the end results. What I did say is that there were positives and negatives to take out of that PRE-SEASON game. The ruck worked well against the best in the competition. The backline performed well without any major blunders that I can recall. The midfield dominated, as they should have, but they can only beat what's in front of them. Some of their forward entries left a little to be desired though. The forward line has obvious concerns but we still managed to kick a decent score despite very good games from May and Lever.
I choose to find positives where I can so I can enjoy WOOF, enjoy footy and enjoy life.
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12-03-2021, 11:08 AM
#351
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
I’ve been a little surprised that people have criticised Gardner because all he does is spoil from behind. That is exactly what I’d like from a lockdown defender. The problem I currently have with Ryan is he gets outmuscled/out positioned too often but hopefully he can work on that. The intercepting can be left to others like Crozier/Wood/Keath etc. Not every defender needs to be an interceptor.
The problem with our defence is the overall workings. We seem lost a lot and most importantly are lacking the guy who can lockdown the big forward. I really hope Gardner can become that but I’m not confident. Keath needs to be freed up to play interceptor. It would only take one recruit to see a major difference.
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12-03-2021, 11:20 AM
#352
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
There are certainly frustrations that get vented on here. The ruck situation is a case in point. A lot on here have been crying out for it for a few years. We FINALLY make the adjustment and it appears (albeit from a very small sample size) to be paying dividends. This then begs the question as to why it took so long for the coaches to make the change.
The same has been said about holding onto players for too long. It's bizarre at times that Bevo persists to play guys like Gowers, Lloyd, Dickson for 1 game and then they are subsequently delisted whereas players like Young and Schache never see the light of day and yet are retained/extended.
The same could now be said for our lack of key defenders and small forwards. I think there is a lack of trust with the coach due to a history of being quite stubborn in his ways. We just seem too slow to adjust, which in this caper is suicide.
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12-03-2021, 11:27 AM
#353
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
bulldogsthru&thru
There are certainly frustrations that get vented on here. The ruck situation is a case in point. A lot on here have been crying out for it for a few years. We FINALLY make the adjustment and it appears (albeit from a very small sample size) to be paying dividends. This then begs the question as to why it took so long for the coaches to make the change.
Gotta say, one of the best things about having Stef Martin is knowing Grundy won't just tear us a new one in round 1 without any resistance whatsoever. He may still do so, but we should at least put up a fight.
Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.
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12-03-2021, 11:45 AM
#354
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
comrade
Gotta say, one of the best things about having Stef Martin is knowing Grundy won't just tear us a new one in round 1 without any resistance whatsoever. He may still do so, but we should at least put up a fight.
One of the storylines of this game has to be English.
He's finally got some strong support in Martin, nobody expects either one of them to actually beat Grundy, but we absolutely expect a MUCH fiercer contest.
English's last two games against Grundy have been soul destroying, so Round 1 is a huge moment for him specifically. I'm quietly confident he can be a real difference maker with his ability to punish Collingwood going forward.
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12-03-2021, 12:04 PM
#355
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
The Bulldogs Bite
One of the storylines of this game has to be English.
He's finally got some strong support in Martin, nobody expects either one of them to actually beat Grundy, but we absolutely expect a MUCH fiercer contest.
English's last two games against Grundy have been soul destroying, so Round 1 is a huge moment for him specifically. I'm quietly confident he can be a real difference maker with his ability to punish Collingwood going forward.
English was done within the first few minutes the last 2 years, completely between the ears. Knowing he has Martin to take the burden of no 1 ruck should free him up mentally to be much more assertive. Fingers crossed.
Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.
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12-03-2021, 07:00 PM
#356
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
[B]
Originally Posted by
bulldogsthru&thru
I’ve been a little surprised that people have criticised Gardner because all he does is spoil from behind. That is exactly what I’d like from a lockdown defender. The problem I currently have with Ryan is he gets outmuscled/out positioned too often but hopefully he can work on that. The intercepting can be left to others like Crozier/Wood/Keath etc. Not every defender needs to be an interceptor.
The problem with our defence is the overall workings. We seem lost a lot and most importantly are lacking the guy who can lockdown the big forward. I really hope Gardner can become that but I’m not confident. Keath needs to be freed up to play interceptor. It would only take one recruit to see a major difference.
It’s ancient history now but I guess the big question I have with Ryan G is why, if we are happy to have just a lockdown spoil from behind, low possession gathering guy, did we get rid of Fletcher Roberts? He had all the same attributes but was much ahead of Ryan in terms of his body positioning and defending nous, and had played finals where he didn’t do too much wrong. He was still just 25 when delisted having been continually overlooked. Which would have made sense if it was his lack of qualitative sheen that was the reason, but how exactly Gardner is an upgrade, I can’t understand apart from the usual “who knows what goes on in the mind of Bevo” explanation....
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12-03-2021, 07:06 PM
#357
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
comrade
Gotta say, one of the best things about having Stef Martin is knowing Grundy won't just tear us a new one in round 1 without any resistance whatsoever. He may still do so, but we should at least put up a fight.
What odds we go in with just English and not Martin?
More of an In Bruges guy?
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12-03-2021, 07:49 PM
#358
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
The bulldog tragician
[B]
It’s ancient history now but I guess the big question I have with Ryan G is why, if we are happy to have just a lockdown spoil from behind, low possession gathering guy, did we get rid of Fletcher Roberts? He had all the same attributes but was much ahead of Ryan in terms of his body positioning and defending nous, and had played finals where he didn’t do too much wrong. He was still just 25 when delisted having been continually overlooked. Which would have made sense if it was his lack of qualitative sheen that was the reason, but how exactly Gardner is an upgrade, I can’t understand apart from the usual “who knows what goes on in the mind of Bevo” explanation....
I think Ryan is more agile/athletic than Fletcher. But yes it’s slim pickings to go and say delist Fletcher for the tiniest hopeful upgrade in Gardner. But this is such classic Bevo. We’d back him in with stuff like this in 2017 and 2018. Unfortunately he’s getting more wrong than right these days.
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12-03-2021, 07:58 PM
#359
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
azabob
What odds we go in with just English and not Martin?
Please don't give anyone ideas.
Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.
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12-03-2021, 08:07 PM
#360
Re: WB Game Day V Melbourne - 2021 AAMI Community Series
Originally Posted by
azabob
What odds we go in with just English and not Martin?
Or neither of them?
Dunks and Bont can handle ruck for us vs Grundy.
The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.