WB Game Day V Sydney Swans R17 2021

[The Bulldogs Bite]

The trouble is Sweet is not setting the world on fire to cover the ruck.

It's less about Sweet and more about the roll on effect him playing has on our structure. We are not winning a flag with English rucking by himself, if Martin can't go we need to play Sweet so that English can impact forward / Bruce can stay forward / Young can stay back.

I find it frustrating we've reverted back to a method we've seen fail for 3 years.

Could we have swung Dale forward in the 2nd half? Our forward line just wasn't functioning

Yep I thought we should have done this and worth a shot - our forwards were stagnant and couldn't create space.

[SonofScray]

Just re-watched the JJ 'effort' in the last after Marra gives off the deft handball. 40m, slight angle and just a diabolical miss.

Killed our chances.

JJ was bitterly disappointing today, thought he took some really soft efforts early that set a tone. I had written him off early this year, then thought he’d found some form. He’s gone cold again. Really wish VDM was fit so we could push him out.

[The Pie Man]

Killed our chances.

JJ was bitterly disappointing today, thought he took some really soft efforts early that set a tone. I had written him off early this year, then thought he’d found some form. He’s gone cold again. Really wish VDM rwas fit so we could push him out.

RE: VDM, so do I, though McNeill should come in next week as a likely replacement in the meantime

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

So I was at an under 9's football carnival all day my son was participating in, so didn't get to watch the game til last night.
That was one of the most frustrating games I've watched all year. So many times we butchered the ball coming inside 50, fluffed marks, and easy shots on goals.
I hope this game highlights to Jamarra the level he's got to get to in order to be a contributor at AFL level. He's got some work to do.
Bruce and Wallis were inept up forward too, both dropping marks, and in Bruce's case, missing sitters as well. That was as poor a performance as our forward line have put out this year.

[Mantis]

Our frontal half pressure was non existent. Have never seen more handovers in my life, with Wallis & Bruce being the worst offenders. Just no want or desire to close down the 45 kick that gave the Swans forward momentum… and then our mids who ‘zoned up’, but were largely in positions that were non influential and when they needed to push to close space they refused to do it…. I’m looking at you Jackson.

Regardless of who was out and how badly we used the ball if we’re going to defend like that we aren’t beating anyone we need to.

Our first real stinker of a performance… not going to dwell on it with it being more important how we respond, but we need a more even effort across the board if we’re going to go deep.

[Happy Days]

Yeah our forward pressure was truly horrible and proved to me that we can only play one of Bruce and Wallis (no prizes for guessing who stays), especially without Naughton in the side heaven forbid he ever misses another game. In hindsight was probably not the game to swing JJ back either, who, for all of his faults, has largely brought the heat this year.

Kind of demonstrates the peril in having your best pressure player also being a kamikaze pilot aerialist. I think I also just talked myself into McNeil playing next week.

[comrade]

Yeah our forward pressure was truly horrible and proved to me that we can only play one of Bruce and Wallis (no prizes for guessing who stays), especially without Naughton in the side heaven forbid he ever misses another game. In hindsight was probably not the game to swing JJ back either, who, for all of his faults, has largely brought the heat this year.

Kind of demonstrates the peril in having your best pressure player also being a kamikaze pilot aerialist. I think I also just talked myself into McNeil playing next week.

I didn’t mind playing Wallis for some experience with both Weightman and Marra down there but he just can’t play again. Completely unsuited to the modern game where pressure and pace is an non-negotiable in the forward half.

[azabob]

I didn’t mind playing Wallis for some experience with both Weightman and Marra down there but he just can’t play again. Completely unsuited to the modern game where pressure and pace is an non-negotiable in the forward half.

I get Wallis can never play again, but surely JJ is in the same boat - as he has the skill set required in the forward half but just picks and chooses his effort level.

[comrade]

I get Wallis can never play again, but surely JJ is in the same boat - as he has the skill set required in the forward half but just picks and chooses his effort level.

Yeah, JJ is on the thinnest of ice. He has more AFL standard weapons than Wallis which is why Wally is in my gun first, but I'd also happily spell JJ and bring in McNeil.

[bornadog]

McNeil played well last week in the VFL picking up 22 disposals, but would he come in after missing a week?

[The Pie Man]

McNeil played well last week in the VFL picking up 22 disposals, but would he come in after missing a week?

Fresh

Yep

[Grantysghost]

Coaches votes :

Western Bulldogs v Sydney

10 Jordan Dawson (SYD)
8 Tom McCartin (SYD)
3 Bailey Smith (WB)
3 Luke Parker (SYD)
3 Alex Keath (WB)
2 Taylor Duryea (WB)
1 Caleb Daniel (WB)

Leaderboard
79 Clayton Oliver MELB
76 Marcus Bontempelli WB
76 Touk Miller GCFC
73 Samuel Walsh CARL
70 Jack Steele STK
70 Ollie Wines PORT
63 Darcy Parish ESS
61 Zach Merrett ESS
60 David Mundy FRE
55 Max Gawn MELB

[merantau]

I never want to see us play like that again. There has to be a lot to learn from this game especially in the coaches' box. The pattern was set very early. It was working well for Sydney but we just let them roll along waltzing the ball out of defence, then centering it once they got it into their forward half. They always had a pretty open forward line whereas ours was like a peak hour Bourke St tram.

We get a chance to redeem ourselves this week. GC are a good side. They carved us up for a quarter earlier in the year and are coming off a good win against a desperate GWS. Hopefully we put in a convincing performance and win well. Or, at the very least win - I don't care how ugly it is: just win.

There are no easy games anymore - just ask West CoÃ*st - and if you go in with the wrong mindset then watch out. That loss against Sydney has given some encouragement to the teams below us. We can dash those hopes over the next few weeks.

[Ghost Dog]

Watched Footy Classified today. We are most changes for any side in the league, with 41 players gone through the best 22 ( according to them). They made the point that at this time of the year, we really need to settle our positions.

[Mitcha]

The comments were relating to us needing to settle on our best 22 leading into the finals. Not one of the space cadets on the panel is likely to be aware that at least 5 of our front liners have been unavailable for many weeks with long term injury. They are happy to tell us how decimated Richmond have been every single week however. Complete lack of research.