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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Cracker of a post. Enjoying the thread. Not really fussed on the thought of star power being what's needed for a dynasty. Competition is so tight these days you only need to make finals and have good games in the gritty end of it. Bont has been average last 2 years. MacRae is consistent as they come. I would pick him over Bont currently at first pick.
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
I don't mind the fact that Burke is a Saints man and it appears to me that he got it right questioning our ability to handle a sustained successful period. I'm now not as quick to dismiss his opinion and it doesn't matter to me how successful or otherwise the Saints are.
I think we took our eye off the ball and lowered the expectations on the playing group which was a massive mistake. Too many players and maybe some on the coaching team backed away from being 100% committed and were in the main allowed to do it.
I look to this season as ground zero for us and hopefully it will go a long way to getting us back on track in terms of being a successful club.
Thanks to those so far who have tried to explain why they think we dropped away so alarmingly.
Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
At the moment our stars are Bont and JJ. They are players who have can and will tear games a part.
Macrae is the Mr Reliable that all good teams need, who in time becomes known as a star because his floor is so high and his consistency is unrivalled. He keeps adding little parts to his game so I think he gets there.
We really need one or all of English, Richards, Naughton and Smith to become stars. They will be pivotal in us taking the next step, which is a lot of expectation but they all have the potential.
We're not devoid of stars, but last year our stars had middling years by the lofty standards they are capable of.
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Our ‘stars’, some of them, were the ones letting us down with a dynasty. Not necessarily a lack of them. Be it excessive partying, poor training, poor form, poor attitudes, shocking examples (up to & inc. dumb Tatts in-season) to others and rumours of bullying. The main two (Libba with a knee gets a reprieve last year) being Stringer & Dahl who are now elsewhere.
I’m not as eloquent as Sister Mary Stigmata of Saint Helen, of the Blessed Shroud, who articulates my view on these two best:
You two are such a disappointing pair. I prayed so hard for you both. It saddens and hurts me that the two young men whom I raised to believe in the Ten Commandments have returned to me as two thieves with filthy mouths, and bad attitudes. Get out! And don't come back... (until you've redeemed yourselves).
But them going has given us a chance to shoot back up with some good work. Without going into fine points of all the trades, Stringer helped bring in Schache & Richards. Dahl helped in netting us Rhylee West and St Kilda’s 2019 3rd rounder. Plus freeing up about $1,000,000 in salary cap. So our star generation is improved and the cap to retain them. So things are looking better for this hard period. I think our talent profile is better now. Fact is we did blow a chance to keep things going, but since we didn’t we needed to make good moves with the list and we did.
As for Burke, if he wants to contrast Dog-Saints lists in 2016 and 2019 feel free.
Now here’s hoping this year goes as well as it possibly can. Oh, Boyd’s back is still stuffed 7 months on... Well best as we can after this.
Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
Go_Dogs
At the moment our stars are Bont and JJ. They are players who have can and will tear games a part.
Macrae is the Mr Reliable that all good teams need, who in time becomes known as a star because his floor is so high and his consistency is unrivalled. He keeps adding little parts to his game so I think he gets there.
We really need one or all of English, Richards, Naughton and Smith to become stars. They will be pivotal in us taking the next step, which is a lot of expectation but they all have the potential.
We're not devoid of stars, but last year our stars had middling years by the lofty standards they are capable of.
I reckon you forgot a bloke with a 7 on his jumper
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
NoseBleed
I reckon you forgot a bloke with a 7 on his jumper
He's akin to Macrae for mine - super reliable and a very important cog but to me a 'star' is a guy who will a game off his own boot with a period of play where they are just unstoppable. Macrae and Hunter are hard runners and accumulators but death of 1000 cuts types, not 'tear a game open' types.
It's a major reason why I believe Richards has real potential to be a star - in his first season he showed good form as a HB, then on a wing where he takes the game on and breaks the opposition zone by leg and by foot, then he was thrown forward and kicked 3 goals in a quarter. 3 goals in a quarter is a match-winning burst. That's star quality.
Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
The outcome might have been correct but there's little to back up his reasoning since he highlighted GWS as an example of a dynasty in making.
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
hujsh
The outcome might have been correct but there's little to back up his reasoning since he highlighted GWS as an example of a dynasty in making.
You don't think at the time that he wrote the article that GWS looked to have a 5 year window of success in front of them?
Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
You don't think at the time that he wrote the article that GWS looked to have a 5 year window of success in front of them?
Much in the same way we did. As it turns out neither club has set the world alight so his reasoning looks shoddy at best.
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
hujsh
Much in the same way we did. As it turns out neither club has set the world alight so his reasoning looks shoddy at best.
GWS still made a prelim in 2017 and played finals last year.
Their problem is the opposite to ours - we're a young team that needs to bring in/develop stars, they need to stop their stars from leaving and they continue to lose very good players every year.
If we can hold onto all three of Richards, English and Naughton and Schache continues his upwards trajectory, with Bailey Smith we'll be in a very good place.
I really hope the rumours about Adelaide chasing Bailey Williams are false too.
Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
Mofra
GWS still made a prelim in 2017 and played finals last year.
Their problem is the opposite to ours - we're a young team that needs to bring in/develop stars, they need to stop their stars from leaving and they continue to lose very good players every year.
If we can hold onto all three of Richards, English and Naughton and Schache continues his upwards trajectory, with Bailey Smith we'll be in a very good place.
I really hope the rumours about Adelaide chasing Bailey Williams are false too.
Personally I consider a dynasty to involve more than one premiership and more than 2 GF appearances in a relatively short(5-6 years maybe) period. Neither club looks like achieving this with the lists from 2016 despite the difference in 'star power'.
The path the two clubs have taken is different but I still consider Burke wrong on both fronts.
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Nathan Burke talking of dynasty's is like Donald Trump, Steve Smith and Dave Warner hosting a syposium on ethics.
[CENTER][B]WOOF Member 315[/B][/CENTER]
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
I don't mind the fact that Burke is a Saints man and it appears to me that he got it right questioning our ability to handle a sustained successful period. I'm now not as quick to dismiss his opinion and it doesn't matter to me how successful or otherwise the Saints are.
I think we took our eye off the ball and lowered the expectations on the playing group which was a massive mistake. Too many players and maybe some on the coaching team backed away from being 100% committed and were in the main allowed to do it.
I look to this season as ground zero for us and hopefully it will go a long way to getting us back on track in terms of being a successful club.
Thanks to those so far who have tried to explain why they think we dropped away so alarmingly.
Wouldn't mind something close to Hawthorn's ten years since 2008 - some even predicted it might take us 3 + years to reach the same heights again as 2016. That's still within our reach
Float Along - Fill Your Lungs
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
Originally Posted by
The Pie Man
Wouldn't mind something close to Hawthorn's ten years since 2008 - some even predicted it might take us 3 + years to reach the same heights again as 2016. That's still within our reach
Could you imagine what it might do to membership numbers if were to build a successful period of say 4 years.
We were super competitive for 4 years under Rocket but now we are in such a stronger position off the field we would really benefit of a good stint around the mark of the top 4.
Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"
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Re: Western Bulldogs Devoid of Stars
One thing I can not understand.
The bulldogs in 2016 bought back a love for the game for so many people. The buzz around football and the feelings from all fans of other teams was amazing. It was the romantic story from the western suburbs against all odds. What a finals series it was.
So the bulldogs united football fans and and rejuvenated the game with how exciting they played. This did wonders for the AFL and the game itself. And how were we rewarded, they changed the rules to combat our advantage. Instead of embracing the doggies for rejuvenating the game they f$&@€#g punished us. This is just so ridiculous in so many ways
sorry a bit off topic but had to get it out.
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