Dogs alter approach to NAB Cup

[LostDoggy]

Jon Pierik
January 9, 2011

THE Western Bulldogs have changed their philosophy towards next month's NAB Cup as the club closes in on confirming its new captain.

After winning their opening two matches in last year's pre-season competition, and buoyed by the brilliant form of new spearhead Barry Hall, the Bulldogs opted to hone in on securing their first piece of silverware in 40 years.

They did just that with a 40-point crunching of St Kilda in the grand final, a victory that even elevated the club to equal favouritism to claim the premiership proper.

However, the energy spent appeared to contribute to an early season malaise, with the Bulldogs slipping to a 2-2 record before resurrecting their campaign, one which ended with a third straight preliminary final defeat.

After the Bulldogs trained for more than two hours in searing heat at the Whitten Oval yesterday, assistant coach Paul Williams said there would be a shift in thinking for this year's remodelled NAB Cup, beginning on February 11.

''We were definitely fit, extremely fit, for that time of the year,'' Williams recalled.

''We definitely have reviewed how we went about the pre-season and also the NAB Cup series. ''We still, no matter who we put out there, will be having a crack at it, but we will be making sure we will be 100 per cent preparing for round one.''

The Dogs last year were determined to have their players in mint condition for the start of the AFL season, but the excitement of making the pre-season final changed things. ''We were still pretty much [focused on] round one, but as you win two or three games a little bit of expectation comes out,'' Williams said.

''There hasn't been a lot of silverware at this footy club for a long time, there was a good chance to actually feel a little bit of success. That stuff is good and done now. We are very much looking forward to that first game.

''We will make sure we have a group that will be fit come the end of the year. That's the tricky bit for every side - making sure you are healthy at the right time.''

The wear and tear of a long season meant Adam Cooney missed the entire finals series, Dale Morris sat out the qualifying and semi-finals, while the likes of Brian Lake and Brad Johnson, the now retired former skipper, played hurt.

Classy small forward Shaun Higgins had his movement restricted because of thyroiditis late in the season and was forced to miss the semi- and preliminary finals.

Cooney has now accelerated his pre-season program; Lake, who has shed six kilograms, continues to make steady progress from knee, hip and shoulder surgeries, while Higgins is also healthy.

The Dogs are also closing in on naming their new captain, with the match committee to shortlist candidates this week. Robert Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa, Matthew Boyd, Higgins, Cross and Cooney have been mentioned as candidates. The shortlist will be then reviewed by club management and the board.

CAPTAINCY CAPERS
GOLD COAST
Likely: Gary Ablett
MELBOURNE
Likely: Brad Green
SYDNEY
Likely: Adam Goodes
GEELONG
Likely: Cameron Ling
WESTERN BULLDOGS
In the running: Matthew Boyd, Bob Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa, Daniel Cross, Shaun Higgins, Adam Cooney.

Link

[boydogs]

No Morris in that captaincy candidates list

[LostDoggy]

No Morris in that captaincy candidates list

Yeah shame too. :/

My vote preference listed there would prob go
1. Bob
2. Boyd
3. Cooney

[The Coon Dog]

I'm not too concerned about the NAB Cup this year, particularly with the 1st found format.

I reckon in our group North will be keen to win for the money & memberships.

[Ghost Dog]

Let them have it.
Although that being said I went to the Port V Dog last year - ripper of a game. Was able to sit right on the boundary. Love the NAB - Can have three seats to yourself!

[comrade]

I'm not too concerned about the NAB Cup this year, particularly with the 1st found format.

I reckon in our group North will be keen to win for the money & memberships.

Yep, and watch their fans proclaim it as proof they're on their way up and we're on our way down.

[Ghost Dog]

"Malthouse has delivered the premiership with a wonderful mix of talent and tactics. He has developed a game style based on St Kilda's introduction of the concept of frontal pressure and pompously called it a refining of the box formation of the Roman legions and the tactics of German field marshal Erwin Rommel. Coaches should be banned from reading books."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225933516950

Maybe use the NAB to figure out how to counter this ^^

In addition, f they are going to tinker with rules in NAB, hope they change a rule to get rid of Harry O'brien and his blocking-the-man-on-the-mark after play on rubbish.

[LostDoggy]

Read this article this morning and thought ...I'm happy with that approach! It was great to win some silverware last year, but in hindsight, maybe it meant they were overtrained, or something like that, and we fell away in the main season. NAB is okay, but I'd rather we focus on the September-dance

[MrMahatma]

Is this an admission that we put the NAB cup ahead of preparation for winning the flag last yr?

[AndrewP6]

Is this an admission that we put the NAB cup ahead of preparation for winning the flag last yr?

Kind of... Paul Williams does comment that the club really did need some silverware...

[Murphy'sLore]

I'm sure we all thought at the time that we could do both! Just didn't work out that way.

[Desipura]

I'm sure we all thought at the time that we could do both! Just didn't work out that way.

Geelong thought the same thing a few years back only to win the Grand Final the following year, here's hoping history repeats itself!

[mjp]

What a load of rubbish.

We have the club - on one hand - saying we are far more advanced this year, less players injured than last year, only Shaggy the real long term concern vs 7 or 8 last year. Then on the other hand Williams says '....we were EXTREMELY fit for that time of year....' (talking about the NAB cup and winning the NAB cup GF.

Our memories are all a bit clouded...we won the NAB cup GF but didn't exactly set the world on fire. Didn't we scrape past Brisbane in terrible conditions, play OK in a terrible game vs Hawthorn before beating PA and still not playing well? The GF was OK but for goodness sakes...

[Go_Dogs]

Our memories are all a bit clouded...we won the NAB cup GF but didn't exactly set the world on fire. Didn't we scrape past Brisbane in terrible conditions, play OK in a terrible game vs Hawthorn before beating PA and still not playing well? The GF was OK but for goodness sakes...

Got to agree w/ that mjp. The GF was probably the best game we played out of the bunch, however I agree that the general form line wasn't that great.

[w3design]

I agree we played just okay in the first three games the sydney game was a lake and we were lucky to get over port. just re-watched the nab cup grandfinal . We really only played a half the 1st and the last with barry kicking 5 in the last to win the medal. plus mitch hahn got smashed never to be the same.Plus we lost ward witch took him all year to come good. but its was damm good to win something in my 34 years .