List-building has Dogs ready: Eade

[Mantis]

By Jennifer Witham
8:57 AM Thu 18 March, 2010

Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says alleviating the club of "list cloggers" over the past five years has left him with a solid line up to take into the 2010 season.

Eade says the future is bright for the Dogs after putting half a decade of work into assembling the 46-man list that just claimed its first silverware in 40 years with its NAB Cup win over St Kilda on Saturday night.

"We haven't had anyone that's a list clogger," he said at the club's jumper presentation on Wednesday night at Crown.

"Experience has told me from the previous club I was at that you tend to at times goes for depth players that have played five or six games that are 22, 23, 24 and are not going to improve.

"What we've done is we've decided to give kids a go if we get injuries, and I think that has left the list in good stead".

The rest of the article can be viewed by clicking this link.

[ratsmac]

I take it that this is the reason that Wade Skipper couldn't get a game with us. Eade must have seen him as a "list clogger". Or maybe he just wasn't good enough.

[LostDoggy]

Potential List Cloggers

Skipper? Power? McMahon? Birss? Ray?

[BulldogBelle]

Potential List Cloggers

Skipper? Power? McMahon? Birss? Ray?

Not Ray or McMahon unfortunately.

[LostDoggy]

Skipper kept missing out due to better ruckman (ie: Huddo & big Will).
Ray ------ Good Riddance
McMahon-----Ditto
Can't comment on Birss or Power, never saw enough of them, however I'd go with Rocket's decision any day

[Swoop]

Is Tim Callan a list clogger?

[macca]

Birss was a good player, probably just lacked the body strength to take other players on. He was a beautiful kick, but unfortunately he was contesting against a team with a lot of good outside players at the time( gia, eagleton, higgins, cooney )

I just wonder though if he could've been a replacement for Eagleton. McMahon, classic downhill skier. His days are numbered under Hardwick.

Wight ? Possibly, but I thought he showed a lot promise in his first few games in 2007( I remember eade saying 'we found a player' ), and first few games of 2008, and then just lost confidence( maybe we lost a player).

Lynch, maybe stack?

But Eade has been good in managing the list. His good call, 23-25 year olds only playing a handful of games.

[Mantis]

Is Tim Callan a list clogger?

Not at present, but he could well be at the end of the year if he doesn't play atleast 10 games this season.

[mjp]

Aren't list cloggers players who the club/coaches have failed?

[Mantis]

Aren't list cloggers players who the club/coaches have failed?

Perhaps they are just players who don't reach their full potential (for whatever reason), but the coach sees something in them such that they are kept for an extra year or two just in case.

[LostDoggy]

Aren't list cloggers players who the club/coaches have failed?

Only if you're Richmond. Or us during the Rohde years...

[BulldogBelle]

I think Rhode WAS the list clogger...

[mjp]

Only if you're Richmond. Or us during the Rohde years...

Good news that we have put together the perfect coaching staff, perfectly meeting the development needs of every player.

When does a bloke who is not getting a game, not ready for a game and not going to get a game become a list clogger? Does this mean Boumann, Cordy, Grant, Mulligan, Stack, Addison, Wood etc are all list cloggers in waiting? When do you go from talented kid to 'clogger'? After your 3rd year? 5th year? And who gets the blame? And what is the blame based on?

Take a kid like O'Keefe - regularly in the bests for Willi, you would have to say that from a pure 'game impact' perspective he was given a raw deal by the coaches. Yet they would say he was slow and had a poor work ethic...he would probably counter with 'well, they were never going to give me a chance anyway'.....and on it goes. No-one wins.

I just hate the terminology...not everything can be put into little boxes like this.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Aren't list cloggers players who the club/coaches have failed?

Not necessarily.

List cloggers can also be guys who didn't work hard enough, weren't disciplined enough or simply weren't talented enough.


O'Keefe was a speculative draft pick with known deficiencies. It was hoped he could address his weaknesses because he did have some good points as well, it's not as if there's any standouts left at pick 60.

The fact is he couldn't overcome his lack of pace or endurance so he got cut.

Individuals have to accept that sometimes it's their fault too. Had O'Keefe worked as hard as Cross maybe it might have worked out differently for him.


You become a list clogger when you are not a senior regular and have stopped improving.

[mighty_west]

Take a kid like O'Keefe - regularly in the bests for Willi, you would have to say that from a pure 'game impact' perspective he was given a raw deal by the coaches. Yet they would say he was slow and had a poor work ethic...he would probably counter with 'well, they were never going to give me a chance anyway'.....and on it goes. No-one wins.
.

If he had that attitude, he would never have made the grade anyway!

15 other clubs also overlooked O'Keefe, including Geelong where he was given an invitation to train with before the draft.

Is it the senior coaches role to develop these players as such, given all of the coaching staff clubs have these days? or is the head coaches number one priority to win games of footy?

Plus, sometimes these players actually have to take some of the blame themselves, if they just are not good enough but have given it there all, thats just bad luck, however, if these players don;t apply themselves in all area's to give themselves the best opportunities, well, i certaintly wouldn't be blaming any coaches!