WB Game Day V Richmond R7 2021

**kruder** · 02-05-2021, 11:46 AM

I had a good level 2 view Friday night my second game of the year live and its just amazing at how well Bailey Dale has slotted into the backline. Absolute natural, he knows when to leave his opponent and help and and when to stay and defend and obviously his kicking is a real weapon. Well done to Bevo and the coaches for finding him a role, he is always a player that has had AFL attributes its amazing at what continuity can do for a player.

While we are on the backline, I think Crozier Duryea and occasional Wood(thought he was solid again) were poor in coming across and helping out Cordy an Keath in the air. We also switched the ball numerous times with Cordy being the outlet kick and we all know how that will end, I just think in general including the first half outside of Dale we were just not adventurous enough with ball in hand.

Bailey Smith is out of form , he looks a little lost on the Wing but defensively he is a liability atm. He needs to go back and look at the vision at his first year without the football he was very aggressive with his tackle pressure he has fallen off a cliff with it. Good players still need to tackle/apply pressure Bailey, just ask Richmond...

Westy just do the bloody basics mate. Keep it simple. Hollywood is in LA. Lets give him another game after a stern chat.

Stef Martin and the midfield(bar Libba) were poor all night IMO there is no doubt the second half rot started with them.

Do we have a soft underbelly? Time will tell, but I just didn't see enough players in the second half wanting to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. We have all discussed our gritty hero's from 16 many times, this is a more talented group but do we have enough grit?

**bulldogsthru&thru** · 02-05-2021, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Stefcep

Spot on.

We created enough scoring opportunities to win this game. But we as per usual didn't take them. That might not matter when you have 60 Inside 50's with a 15-20% conversion rate, but it does matter when playing the best who won't let us have that many inside 50's.

Off the top of my head :

1. Bonts miss
2. West turning his back on 2 free forwards in the goal square and then not even kicking the distance
3. Naughton's shank
4. Bruce's soccer volley inside the goal square and from almost directly in front.
5. Bruce's around the corner snap from inside 30m
6. Lipiniski's poster.

You can talk about the tackles/kicks/pressure, but they're all just a means to creating goal scoring opportunity, and mean nothing if you don't take them.

Richmond missed a few too. It’s not like they were accurate and we weren’t. We let them line up in numbers at the centre square and peppered inside 50 constantly for almost all the second half. It’s exactly what they want to do.

**comrade** · 02-05-2021, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by bulldogsthru&thru

Richmond missed a few too. It’s not like they were accurate and we weren’t. We let them line up in numbers at the centre square and peppered inside 50 constantly for almost all the second half. It’s exactly what they want to do.

Bevo has mentioned previously about the danger of repeat stoppages inside defensive 50. When you don’t have height and marking ability in your defence, you just invite the pressure when the other side is on top. We were desperate for someone to clunk a mark back there but just didn’t have the cattle.

**DOG GOD** · 02-05-2021, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by comrade

Bevo has mentioned previously about the danger of repeat stoppages inside defensive 50. When you don’t have height and marking ability in your defence, you just invite the pressure when the other side is on top. We were desperate for someone to clunk a mark back there but just didn’t have the cattle.

At one stage it was 16-0 inside 50’s in that 3rd qtr, so why wasn’t Naughton pushed down there to give us an Avenue of someone who could take a contested mark?

**comrade** · 02-05-2021, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by DOG GOD

At one stage it was 16-0 inside 50’s in that 3rd qtr, so why wasn’t Naughton pushed down there to give us an Avenue of someone who could take a contested mark?

It’s a good question. Would have been the perfect time to swing him back and shore things up a little.

**bulldogsthru&thru** · 02-05-2021, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by DOG GOD

At one stage it was 16-0 inside 50’s in that 3rd qtr, so why wasn’t Naughton pushed down there to give us an Avenue of someone who could take a contested mark?

Yeah we should have adjusted and played tempo footy a bit. Having Schache and Bruce up forward is enough to allow Naughton to play in defence. The ball wasn’t going down our end anyway.

**jeemak** · 02-05-2021, 05:36 PM

But Naughton can't kick to himself and we were getting absolutely spanked on the outlet in lieu of our forwards not holding space and competing.

It's a dilemma we probably wrestled with, and perhaps it would have been the right move just to hold onto the ball.

**Grantysghost** · 02-05-2021, 05:38 PM

Naughton is our gun tall forward, I really can't entertain any notion of removing him from that position.

**bulldogsthru&thru** · 02-05-2021, 05:54 PM