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  1. #1
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    Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    ROBERT WALLS
    May 7, 2010

    Welcome aboard the Bulldogs Bus. It will be a good ride because in recent years lots of time, effort and money has been invested to get the bus into tip-top shape.

    There's lots of class. Bob Murphy, Shaun Higgins, Ryan Griffen and Adam Cooney provide that. There's loads of experience, too. At least 16 on board have played more than 100 games of AFL football.

    Some, such as Jason Akermanis and Barry Hall, have been there on grand final day and know what it's like to win a flag. There's speed to burn - no one is quicker than Jarrod Harbrow. And there's lots of grunt - Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Mitch Hahn and Ben Hudson are happy to give and take hits in heavy traffic.

    Click here for the rest of the article

  2. #2
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Nobody with sufficient character to take on the game, eh ? A club that solves it's problems by adopting a flashy business name in preference to going out and demanding respect by performance. Maybe that mentality rubs off on its players.

  3. #3
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Quote Originally Posted by D Mitchell View Post
    Nobody with sufficient character to take on the game, eh ? A club that solves it's problems by adopting a flashy business name in preference to going out and demanding respect by performance. Maybe that mentality rubs off on its players.
    What absolute rubbish.

    Please explain to me the link between the change of name and demanding respect on the football field.

    How many times must the Footscray/Western Bulldogs issue be addressed? I thought that was put to bed years ago.

    At least it was by the vast majority of supporters.

    Get over it - it is changed forever.

    With respect to Walls' article, I don't think there is a lot to argue with. It is a fair summary of the state of play.

  4. #4
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    I think Robert Walls's article has got merit. A number of posters views on this forum after last weeks game were similar to his. Only difference is an "outsider" and not a bulldog supporter is saying it.

  5. #5
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    IMHO Walls is spot on. I like Walls he is forthright, honest and is happy to give our club airtime (good and bad).

  6. #6
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Quote Originally Posted by bulldogsimmo View Post
    IMHO Walls is spot on. I like Walls he is forthright, honest and is happy to give our club airtime (good and bad).
    Yep, agree with that. It's a good article, and as mentioned above it really does seem inline with the thoughts many posted on here after the game last Friday.

    I think he makes a good point as well by mentioning Murphy and Cooney at the end. They seem like guys who don't really want to be leaders, but they must realise they are on the field, and hopefully they are able to stand up in big moments as the season progresses.

    Cooney has already shown this ability, but would love for him to take even more responsibility, more often, because he is so important to the side.

  7. #7
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    I would be one of the posters (probably the noisiest) that wrote similar sentiments in the last week.

    However, I do think Wallsy is selling a couple of Dogs players short. We do have one, maybe two players who do get behind the steering wheel week in, week out, and everyone in the club knows it, even if it's not that obvious to outsiders.

    We have missed Boydy and Ward (and Picken, to a certain extent) more than we realise. It is concerning that two of them are essentially rookies, but the three of them ARE our most mentally resilient and competitive players, and it's no coincidence that we look most fragile without them in the team. Harbrow is no shrinking violet either, and has been competitive from the moment he's stepped onto the park (even in his middling small forward days), which is why it's important to keep him on the list going forward.

    ps. I don't think it's a coincidence that three of the four examples I've provided above come from the rookie list. It takes a certain mental strength of character to drag yourself up and make yourself into an elite player from what everyone else perceives as a long way back.

  8. #8
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    I agree with the article too, but we have a bunch of guys who could fill the role but simply arent. In addtition to Cooney and Murphy, Griffen, Gia, Hall, Aker, Johnson and Higgins. Even Hahn, he has done it before.

    Why arent they doing it now? A few times our good players looked to pass off when they could have made themselves a hero on Friday night. I hope our leaders can have a good hard look at themselves.

  9. #9
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Quote Originally Posted by Lantern View Post
    We do have one, maybe two players who do get behind the steering wheel week in.
    Agreed, I think we have one more that may develop this season. Griff has really stepped up this season and is the kind of character that might just become the bus driver who gets us over the line in big games.

  10. #10
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    When there is a tight game, we don't seem to have anyone that stands up and gets us through.

    Walls is right, Cooney, Murphy must show some on field leadership. Griffen is starting to stamp his name on the ground and is getting better and better, week by week.

    Good examples are the last two games against the Saints. Nobody did that bit of magic, excitement, to really the take the game by the short and curlies.
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

  11. #11
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Hate to say it but I think the article is spot on. There seems to be a really unfortunate disconnect in that our most mentally tough players, Boyd, Cross, Morris, Picken and Hudson are probably not talented enough to put the team on their shoulders and carry them across the line (Boyd may be an exception to this). To this group you could add Ward and maybe even Reid both of whom have shown real steel in the few games they have played and a lot of promse.

    Sadly some of the players with the talent to do it,Gilbee, Cooney, Lake, Higgins, Murphy and Gia don't seem to have that killer edge when the whips are cracking, even though all of them have played game breaking roles in the past. Is this down to form, confidence or personality?? You have to wonder if years of relying on Johnno, Grant (Chris) and Westy, or more recently Aker and now Hall to play this role and carry the team to victory has left some of these others too reticent to impose themselves.

    I agree with some posters that the signs shown by Boyd, Harbrow and Griffen are good, if we can get some of the others to start demanding the ball when the game needs to be won then there is enough talent there to do almost anything.

  12. #12
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    [QUOTE=bornadog;151196]When there is a tight game, we don't seem to have anyone that stands up and gets us through.

    Walls is right, Cooney, Murphy must show some on field leadership. Griffen is starting to stamp his name on the ground and is getting better and better, week by week.

    Good examples are the last two games against the Saints. Nobody did that bit of magic, excitement, to really the take the game by the short and curlies.[/QUOTE]

    I think Harbrow did but sadly he was in the backline.

  13. #13
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    I've never been a fan of Walls and his opinions,
    but he is correct in that we don't really have any game winners that you can count on to thrive in those tight pressure situations. We haven't had many for a while and there isn't a lot there in our senior group. Aker was once this type of player but not so much anymore. Our senior players are more of the quiet nice guys that seem to go missing at the wrong time.

    Having said that i think we have a couple of young guys that are showing some real toughness.

    Cal Ward is a player with a real big game winning mentality. He backs himself to kick big goals from outside 50 and he rarely misses. Ward is still working on his 4 quarter efforts but he's a winner when it counts.

    I think Sam Reid also has some mental toughness, and our other big improver is Matthew Boyd. I think he really has some confidence in his own ability these days, it has taken him a while but with hard work he has improved his game dramatically and he now believes he is a top AFL footballer.

    We have missed Ward and Boyd in recent weeks.

  14. #14
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Quote Originally Posted by bulldogsimmo View Post
    Agreed, I think we have one more that may develop this season. Griff has really stepped up this season and is the kind of character that might just become the bus driver who gets us over the line in big games.
    Yep i've been a Griffen critic in the past but I'm happy that he's made some changes to his game like not trying to break EVERY tackle, not trying for a 5 bounce run when he has the talent to kick 55 metres plus on the run. (I'd actually would have him on the wing)

    Cooney really should by now be our game breaker.

  15. #15
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    Re: Key Dogs need to steer team to a premiership

    Someone just needs to take responsibility and kick the ball through the big sticks. Gia and Hahn come to mind on weekend, both good shots on goals but don't want the responsibility. Gilbee to nail a goal late in the game... but again chokes. Add Johnson too.

    Someone just kick the goal to win us the game. Anyone?

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