Jake Niall Kicks Cooney out of bounds

[Ghost Dog]

Time to deliver
Jake Niall
April 28, 2011

IN THE course of the AFL's longest round, Paul Chapman, Scott Pendlebury and Jobe Watson all did what Adam Cooney was unable to do on Anzac Day evening - they kicked goals at critical moments.

Chapman twice booted important goals from 55 metres, taking responsibility by having the long shot.

Watson, who isn't a penetrating kick, sank an important one from the edge of the 50-metre arc that kept the then struggling Dons in touch in the second term, while Pendlebury nailed two angle shots with high degrees of difficulty - one left foot, the other right - in pressure situations.

Cooney had four opportunities to goal and missed all of them, sending one out on the full. His final opportunity was from about 40 metres at a slight angle and almost certainly would have ''iced'' the game for the Bulldogs, giving them a 12-point lead in time-on.


http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-new...#ixzz1Kkqd4kgf


Nothing much to read here. Takes a swing at Adam, Luke Darcy defends him.
Article points out good call, Boyd as captaincy choice. ( if we see a repeat of Monday, or any esky lid surfing I'll agree ok? )
Questions his ability to impose himself on the game ( remind everyone, it was a game and everyone has a bad day at the office )
Brownlow medals don't come with McBurger meals Jake.
Negative journalism a la Robert Walls.

[Mantis]

Nothing much to read here. Takes a swing at Adam, Luke Darcy defends him.

I disagree and think it is a good article.

And how very unlike Luke to defend a Bulldogs player.

Questions his ability to impose himself on the game ( remind everyone, it was a game and everyone has a bad day at the office )

When did Adam last impose himself on a big or important game?

Negative journalism a la Robert Walls.

Jake is normally pretty circumspect with his views and has every right to question our best and highest paid player when he feels that he isn't pulling his weight.

[chef]

I disagree and think it is a good article.

Agree.

Cooney was the player I was most disappointed with on the weekend.

[Hotdog60]

Time to deliver
Jake Niall
April 28, 2011

Watson, who isn't a penetrating kick, sank an important one from the edge of the 50-metre arc that kept the then struggling Dons in touch in the second term, while Pendlebury nailed two angle shots with high degrees of difficulty - one left foot, the other right - in pressure situations.

Cooney had four opportunities to goal and missed all of them, sending one out on the full. His final opportunity was from about 40 metres at a slight angle and almost certainly would have ''iced'' the game for the Bulldogs, giving them a 12-point lead in time-on.


Brownlow medals don't come with McBurger meals Jake.
Negative journalism a la Robert Walls.

I'm also critical about this bit and a champion should have nailed at least 3 of them, yes you don't get Brownlows in McBurger meals but since winning the Brownlow Adam has not hit any consistency in his performances.

[SlimPickens]

Agree.

Cooney was the player I was most disappointed with on the weekend.

Absolutely, I think the article is pretty fair really. For the dogs to be at their best, Cooney needs to be at his best. Unfortunately we haven't seen this for a little while now.

[Desipura]

Cooney & Lake should be setting the trend, they failed to stand up when we needed them to.
This week presents a huge challenge to our leaders to set the tone

[aker39]

IN THE course of the AFL's longest round, Paul Chapman, Scott Pendlebury and Jobe Watson all did what Adam Cooney was unable to do on Anzac Day evening - they kicked goals at critical moments.

I was at the Hawks v Pies game and I actually thought of Cooney's misses, but not in relation to Chapman, more so Menzel and Duncan. These 2 young players both kicked crucial goals, from about 40m-45m out and I couldn't help but think of the nights before misses from Cooney.

[Mofra]

It's not just Cooney - there are a few who need to be setting the pace.
The team has lost some of the vibe of their top 4 years - Cooney is with Lake, Hudson & Hall in terms of reduced output this year. Of these guys, Cooney is the one most likely to be able to recover quickly.

[LostDoggy]

It's not just Cooney - there are a few who need to be setting the pace.
The team has lost some of the vibe of their top 4 years - Cooney is with Lake, Hudson & Hall in terms of reduced output this year. Of these guys, Cooney is the one most likely to be able to recover quickly.

Let's hope so Mofra - it is time for these "younger" senior players to step up to the plate. We all know Cooney's ability, but he often fails to display it when it is needed most - I guess there are a few who need to grab the game by the throat and rip it up!

[bornadog]

I thought the article was spot on.

The way I see Cooney is he is too laid back. I heard Darcy talking about him recently and he said when Cooney first came to the club he would be in the rooms practically sleeping before a game whereas other guys were nervous and raring to go. That changed after a few seasons. The point being he doesn't seem to take footy as seriously as he could. Cooney also said recently he could see himself fishing all day when he was around 30 years old????? That again tells me he is not as serious about the footy.

Really, he needs to pull his finger out, especially this week as he really can be elite if he put in 110%.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I thought the article was spot on.

The point being he doesn't seem to take footy as seriously as he could. Cooney also said recently he could see himself fishing all day when he was around 30 years old????? That again tells me he is not as serious about the footy.

I thought the article was fine. His performance on the weekend was bound to attract it this type of attention. At least it was better than his disgraceful round 1 efforts.

But Bornadog - doesn't that sound like a throwaway line from Cooney?

I'm happy enough if he fishes all day at 30+ but gives it everything he has got now.

I dont think his fishing comment has anything to do with anything much - sounds like Cooney being the lovable larrikin that he is.

Not all players are made to be Matt Boyd, Daniel Cross, Dale Morris types. Cooney is a laid back guy, but I think it would be foolish to mistake that for him not being serious about his footy.

[Cyberdoggie]

Cooney has been missing easy shots for way too long now, you can even tell from those photos on the article that he is leaning back too much when he is taking the kick.
I do it all the time in indoor soccer and the ball just skies itself. Seems to be a habit of mine when i'm exhausted and i take a wild swing at it. Could be a habit of Adam's as well.

[Swoop]

I don't have a problem with his persona, Dane Swan is very much in the same mould and that doesn't affect his football but certainly his performances have been below par and it's about time he began imposing himself more consistently on games.

The question does need to be asked, is it possible that Cooney is a very good player but may never actually become a genuine elite superstar aka Daniel Wells for example?

[Sedat]

The question does need to be asked, is it possible that Cooney is a very good player but may never actually become a genuine elite superstar aka Daniel Wells for example?

Interesting question. I personally think that Cooney is a jet of the competition and has an incredibly quick mind and reflexes to go with his pace and ball winning ability at the stoppages. He was very poor with his finishing on Monday and he was also poor with his decision-making around the ground, which is most unusual for him. I still think he has the tools to be a regular top 10 player of the competition but he needs continuity with his training to be able to get the best our of himself. He also needs to impose himself in a game of significance against top-shelf opposition - he has a great opportunity to do so this Sunday.

I was very happy when I saw this article because Cooney needed a public clip over the ears for his sub-standard performance on Monday. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Niall's article whatsoever - balanced and objective criticism that was well researched, unlike 99% of Bulldogs articles in the newspapers that aren't written by Mark Stevens.

Luke Darcy is fast becoming one of the most annoying cheerleaders in the football media. I basically take no regard of anything he says in relation to the Bulldogs.

[ratsmac]

Cooney was disappointing on Monday with his disposal only I thought. His efforts are certainly there. We expect a lot from Cooney and so we should therefore this criticism is warranted.
Good article I thought too.