Originally Posted by
The Bulldogs Bite
I actually don't think we're that good.
I should clarify that statement. I think we are a 6-10 side.
Our midfield is overrated. Yes, it can pile on the damage v rubbish sides (think Norf, West Coast, Saints last year) but they are also prone to going missing for lengthy periods of time. On paper, it should be the best mid group in the game but I think it's about the 4th-6th best in reality.
Our forward half is about middle of the pack. Naughton is a star, Weightman is dangerous, West is quickly becoming dependable but there isn't a LOT else. Marra/Buku/Schache/Hannan/rotating mids aren't causing too much damage. Even still, I am encouraged by our forward group over the past 5-6 weeks. JJ is important and if we can get a couple of players back, I don't have an issue with our forward half.
But our back half is diabolical. That's putting it nicely. It's the sole reason I don't think we can beat Melbourne and why we'll probably fall short v Brisbane (and maybe Carlton). Keath is nowhere near his form of '21, Duryea is injured/dropped off a little and the rest are mostly 'attack first' (i.e. Daniel, Dale, Richards). I respect Gardner's effort and he has improved, but he's still barely AFL standard as the second key defender. O'Brien is OK and can play a role.
When I look at the top sides (Melbourne, Brisbane somewhat, Carlton, even Fremantle) they are able to hold up under pressure for a certain period of time largely thanks to their back half and how they set up. Yes, there's always examples of the opposite (Brisbane/Freo on the weekend, Melbourne a few weeks prior) but for the most part their defenders are dependable. I have NO faith we can repel any forward entry, even from bog average sides (Norf kicked 6? on us!).
Until we fix our defence, and it's largely personnel, I don't see how we win anything.
** While it is always easy to point the finger at our midfield, and yes they share the blame a lot of the time, the defenders need to actually DEFEND at times. We can't dominate games for 120 minutes. Imagine if our defence stood up in last year's GF and we were only 1 goal down at 3qtr time? **