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  1. #16
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    Maybe we are galvanised...but we just aren't good enough?
    From memory you were worried about our list before the season had started.

    What were your concerns and what do you think we need to improve on specifically?

  2. #17
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by bobmurphy View Post
    From memory you were worried about our list before the season had started.

    What were your concerns and what do you think we need to improve on specifically?
    My issues have been documented for months and primarily revolve around three or four things:

    1/.Lack of real midfield depth - borne out given Ward especially and Reid have been injured.
    2/.Excessive number of forwards - lead/mark forwards specifically - in our best 22.
    3/.Lack of run from behind the ball. Moving Griffen to the midfield permanently has compounded this (but helped address number one).
    4/.Age.

    My primary issue off-season of course was that we fixed something (the forward line) that wasn't broken. Now, the new working part (Barry Hall) has been exceptional - no question. But we are an easier match-up for opposition sides and accordingly we have gone from the heaviest scoring side in the competition to something less than that...and I dont think that is the direction we want to move in.

    None of that has much to do with this though. My comment was a response to all the 'it is a mental issue', 'where is the hunger' etc stuff I am hearing...I am not saying that they are wrong, but it is possible there is a bigger problem - we aren't quite as good as we thought we were. In other words, it isn't in our heads - they are fine. We just aren't quite good enough. We are certainly not as good as Geelong...and if anything I think that the gap is widening!
    What should I tell her? She's going to ask.

  3. #18
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    but it is possible there is a bigger problem - we aren't quite as good as we thought we were. In other words, it isn't in our heads - they are fine. We just aren't quite good enough. We are certainly not as good as Geelong...and if anything I think that the gap is widening!
    Agree.

    BTW I don't agree with Chris Grant. Aker would have probably been picked up elsewhere if we didn't, too good a player. He's been asset to us in many ways. The last week or so the club's been to blame as much as he has for letting things get out of hand for NO GOOD REASON.

  4. #19
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    Maybe we are galvanised...but we just aren't good enough?
    Sadly you may be right
    The curse is dead.

  5. #20
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    None of that has much to do with this though. My comment was a response to all the 'it is a mental issue', 'where is the hunger' etc stuff I am hearing...I am not saying that they are wrong, but it is possible there is a bigger problem - we aren't quite as good as we thought we were. In other words, it isn't in our heads - they are fine. We just aren't quite good enough. We are certainly not as good as Geelong...and if anything I think that the gap is widening!
    I'm probably the main proponent of the 'mental issue' side of things with my 'where's the hunger' thread, but this is not because I don't agree with your main points, mjp (I do), and there are certainly major physical and balance issues in our list to address.

    But not being as good as Geelong (with Pods straightening them up now, probably the best team of recent memory, including the three-peat Lions) is quite different to not turning up to play against the Bombers, conceding 4 goals in the last 5 minutes against the Saints and mentally going home at halftime against the Lions.

    Crappy teams get blown out of the water. Mediocre teams try hard but fall short. Limited teams put on good showings for 30 point losses. They don't jog around for 2 hours then then put on 3-minute 5 goal bursts to bring a 40 point deficit to 9 points when they feel like it, or keep a grand finalist down to 3 goals for the best part of 4 quarters. We're not Geelong, no one is, but we're certainly no worse than Collingwood, St.Kilda, Hawthorn, Freo, Sydney or anyone else in the next tier down from the Cats (all of whom also have significant list balance and injury issues).

    There isn't a standout team this season apart from Geelong, no reason why we couldn't still make the GF with some form, and if our list is in the right place physically and mentally.

  6. #21
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by Lantern View Post
    I'm probably the main proponent of the 'mental issue' side of things with my 'where's the hunger' thread.
    Not intended to be a shot at anyone - I guess I am seeing and hearing a lot of talk about it all being mental, and just put forward a counter point.

    I have no idea what sort of team we have at the moment - none whatsoever - and this is with regard to mentallity as well as game style. All I know is whenever we come up against an opponent prepared to play with a bit of grit, we lose. I reckon we are a team of bullies, happy to push around North but not prepared to stand firm when the pressure is on. We lose one-on-one contests, we make bad decisions with the ball...to me that points to either a lack of focus or something more serious.

    Let's hope it is a lack of focus.
    What should I tell her? She's going to ask.

  7. #22
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    All I know is whenever we come up against an opponent prepared to play with a bit of grit, we lose. I reckon we are a team of bullies, happy to push around North but not prepared to stand firm when the pressure is on. We lose one-on-one contests, we make bad decisions with the ball...to me that points to either a lack of focus or something more serious.
    Let's hope it is a lack of focus.
    No worries mjp, didn't take it as a pot-shot at all! Just clarifying that since I was the one to put forward the mental stuff, that I should probably have a go at explaining that side of things.

    But it looks like we're both saying pretty much the same thing but don't really know what the cause is -- we're speculating that it's a combination of an imbalanced list, physical issues/injuries, focus (which is my 'mental softness' angle), and potentially just other clubs having caught up with us (ie. we're not as good as we think we are, relatively speaking). I've chosen to highlight the mental aspect, but all the other issues are also highly relevant. It just seems that the mental bit is the only one really in the players' control, so if they can get that right it fixes one side of the equation.

    The 'bad decisions with the ball' bit is what worries me the most -- players don't lose their skill or decision-making ability overnight, so either they are trying to play out of their comfort zone (Boydy), or their minds are just that little bit off the pace.

  8. #23
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    I have no idea what sort of team we have at the moment - none whatsoever - and this is with regard to mentallity as well as game style. All I know is whenever we come up against an opponent prepared to play with a bit of grit, we lose. I reckon we are a team of bullies, happy to push around North but not prepared to stand firm when the pressure is on. We lose one-on-one contests, we make bad decisions with the ball...to me that points to either a lack of focus or something more serious.
    We beat the Hawks, didn't Eade say this was one of the toughest games he's ever coached?.
    The curse is dead.

  9. #24
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
    . We lose one-on-one contests, we make bad decisions with the ball...to me that points to either a lack of focus or something more serious.

    Let's hope it is a lack of focus.
    I still think our contested footy is as good as any other team. But I certainly agree we have been making bad decisions with the ball. On execution on the whole has been way down.

  10. #25
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    Quote Originally Posted by Ozza View Post
    I still think our contested footy is as good as any other team. But I certainly agree we have been making bad decisions with the ball. On execution on the whole has been way down.
    Maybe the players are simply being over-loaded with information and are becoming gun shy when it comes to disposing with the ball.

  11. #26
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    Re: Jason Akermanis owes Western Bulldogs, legend Chris Grant

    I think our game style looks way more complicated this year than it did last year. We seem to try to flip the handball around quite a bit more. That may be added pressure, but we seem to look at the handball as the first option and some of our guys just don't have quick enough hands to execure this skill effectively.

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