Honest reflection and the path forward

[GVGjr]

I hate to blow my own trumpet but, I think I was onto something with last nights post about us not addressing the collective trauma from the grand final pantings, because Bevo has now come out and said the same thing.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/834606/g...JaIJ0r032DWFjg

''WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge admits he's not sure if his side ever got over the trauma from last year's Grand Final defeat''

Squarely on him for not addressing it, and instead sweeping it under the rug.

They should have watched it together and the coaches could have put their hands up and said we should have structured up differently in the midfield to stop the run. The group would have accepted that and hopefully gotten past it.
Not watching it together seems a strange decision to me.

[azabob]

They should have watched it together and the coaches could have put their hands up and said we should have structured up differently in the midfield to stop the run. The group would have accepted that and hopefully gotten past it.
Not watching it together seems a strange decision to me.

This has been a known fact since January. We've posted about this topic on this very board. But in reality majority of posters wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt - that the coaches indirectly coached it.

From what i've heard only Bontempelli has watched a replay.

[GVGjr]

Better to acknowledge it 12 months late than not at all. Now that it has been acknowledged, hopefully there is a deep dive into what has happened in our last 2 finals (good and bad) and enact real, sustainable and meaningful change to eradicate the bad and accentuate the good.

Bevo and the club have two years of data to support the idea that it needs to be addressed but I'm not sure the better late than never is an appropriate course of action. We've simply walked past a problem and it's bitten us again. Are we making these decisions based on protecting the players rather than challenging them to get better in a positive way?

[Bulldog4life]

Bevo and the club have two years of data to support the idea that it needs to be addressed but I'm not sure the better late than never is an appropriate course of action. We've simply walked past a problem and it's bitten us again. Are we making these decisions based on protecting the players rather than challenging them to get better in a positive way?

Be interesting to compare our player's individual stats from the period when we collapsed in 2021 GF and last night. Might help weed out a number of the culprits.

[jeemak]

For anyone who actually didn't read the article:

"I was hoping the trauma of the Grand Final wouldn't have any lasting effects," Beveridge said.

"It's difficult to understand any sort of magnitude on that, whether it did or whether it didn't. We felt at different stages, with one or two of the significant wins, that we were definitely moving beyond that.

"But all of us as individuals, when we think about what we're capable of, that we'd self-reflect and say, I think I can be more consistent, I can be better than what I have been for the course.

"That's what we have to strive for next year. And that has added up to some frustrations here and there."

Beveridge rejected any association specifically between Saturday's collapse with last year's Grand Final at the same venue, where they had led by 19 points in the third quarter before Melbourne ran out 74-point winners.

So it hasn't actually been acknowledged. He's just answered a direct question with a straight bat.

I don't have a view either way as to whether watching the game together as a team and dissecting what happened would have been the best option, but I think we can get a bit dramatic about the impacts either way.

No matter the course of action you most likely end up in the same place as long as you have a plan to address what happened.

[F'scary]

Great read this morning. Thanks. Few points, probably none original but for the sake of echoing trending views:

• List refreshment: I think we will go into the draft with good to reasonable picks for 6 players. Pretty sure Dunkley and West will be gone, which is a blow. But, we will get something in the draft back for them. I genuinely believe Dunkley is worth a pick in the 5-10 range because there will be more than one team very keen on him. West, about 30-40 because he is a real threat to just put himself into the draft. There are 4 easy retirements and delistings: Wallis, Schache, Martin and Butler. There are another 4 for a call to be made on (JJ, Duryea, Cordy and Parker), perhaps move one or more of them on for some variety of free agent.
  
  In 2023 there is another easy cull list, won't be hard to go another 4 in the draft and a couple of free agents.
  
  

• I think Marra and Darcy look the goods and are worth the draft picks investments.
• Disappointing end to the season but it was the 6th out of the last 8 under Bevo where we have made the finals, which is the broad benchmark for deeming a year successful or not. Things are not that bad but action needs to be taken now to prevent a slide, including a good look at the game plan.

[Sedat]

Bevo and the club have two years of data to support the idea that it needs to be addressed but I'm not sure the better late than never is an appropriate course of action. We've simply walked past a problem and it's bitten us again. Are we making these decisions based on protecting the players rather than challenging them to get better in a positive way?

You are 100% correct about last year but none of us can reverse time. I'm glad that there is acknowledgement, albeit 12 months too late, that we pulled the wrong rein and that we effectively treaded water in 2022.

[Mantis]

You are 100% correct about last year but none of us csn reverse time. I'm glad that there is acknowledgement, albeit 12 months too late, that we pulled the wrong rein and that we effectively treaded water in 2022.

The only saving grace is that we haven’t wasted another standout season from the skipper whilst we treaded water… he was hampered/ below his best for most of the year. Would be even more pissed off he he’d tore it apart again with the mess still going on around him.