Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

A horrible night.

One of my best mates had a fit just as the players ran out, had to administer first aid and frantically plead for MCG staff to assist while they looked on dumbfounded. The site of his face turning blue and shaking is going to keep me awake for days. I can't recall any details of the game to be perfectly frank, other than at 4.4 I felt we'd fluffed it.

This felt like a less controversial version of the 09 Prelim. We were good enough and are good to have got the result and I believe to have won the lot this year. Not "in the future" now. Today. I'm a mess at moment. So disappointed.

The March was a great scene. So glad the idea came to life.

Is your mate alright?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

Were they freakish, or simply clinical?

Certainly clinical and brilliant by Walker. But from a backman's point of view, if you restrict the oppositions gun key forward to shots from outside 50, you're probably feeling like you're playing the percentages fairly well. When he nails 3 from 3 from 50+ when it matters, it's freakishly good and IMO a tough reflection on the defender.

[Sedat]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

Certainly clinical and brilliant by Walker. But from a backman's point of view, if you restrict the oppositions gun key forward to shots from outside 50, you're probably feeling like you're playing the percentages fairly well. When he nails 3 from 3 from 50+ when it matters, it's freakishly good and IMO a tough reflection on the defender.

Agree with that - I have no complaints at all about our key defenders tonight. Walker was simply too good.

Dickson and Redpath were clinical for us to be fair - shame that Redpath has so many limitations as a player (not the least his iron gloves) because he really is a beautiful set shot for goal.

[comrade]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

That's how I feel about it too. I was pretty certain this team was very different to that of 97-98 and 08-10, so much so that I hadn't even thought about what happened in those games today. Walking to the G tonight, I was sure if we played well then we'd win.

To lose in exactly the same way has left me feeling as flat as I can remember. A sobering reminder that we are, after all, Dogs supporters.

There's more to it (ie. our team defense was atrocious in the first half especially) but I'm finding it difficult to be overly positive right now. We have some major issues with the list (ageing players in key positions, bare cupboard for key backs, unproven rucks and a gun mid short) and our depth isn't as good as we thought it was when we were toweling up mediocre sides like Essendon and Port. Our top 15-18 or so looks good, but there's still a lot to fix.

And had we nailed a few simple shots and got the win, you'd be feeling cockahoop right now at the state of our list.

Chin up, nothing is as good or bad as it seems.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

And had we nailed a few simple shots and got the win, you'd be feeling cockahoop right now at the state of our list.

Chin up, nothing is as good or bad as it seems.

To be fair I have raised all of those concerns a few times during this season.

Fully fit Libba and Koby probably complete our midfield, we need Dale (and future draftees) to provide that run on the outside. It's usually the easiest part of the ground to fix though. However, I am worried we may take a few steps backwards if Murph/Morris/Boyd decline. We are pretty bare for defenders of all sorts, with the exception of rebounders.

Anyway, we'll see how the off-season shapes up.

[SonofScray]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

Is your mate alright?

Yes. Will be Ok and saw out the game after getting some attention.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

All due respect to our 2 All Australian candidates, but Morris may be the biggest hole of all. A truly versatile gun one on one defender is really hard to find. He has been so great for us.

Boyd was an inside mid for years and Murph has been a winger and half forward at various stages of his career. Given we have a deepish pool of players struggling to break into midfield rotations, I wonder if 1 or 2 of these may be groomed to ultimately replace our aging defenders?

[Remi Moses]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

To say the list is in trouble is just hysteria of the highest order.
Yes there is some issues, but in trouble?
I think Murphy will be by far the hardest to replace, but Morris and Boyd are replaceable .
Someone takes the mantle and improves with added responsibility, added with a recruit or two .

[Remi Moses]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

All due respect to our 2 All Australian candidates, but Morris may be the biggest hole of all. A truly versatile gun one on one defender is really hard to find. He has been so great for us.

Boyd was an inside mid for years and Murph has been a winger and half forward at various stages of his career. Given we have a deepish pool of players struggling to break into midfield rotations, I wonder if 1 or 2 of these may be groomed to ultimately replace our aging defenders?

It's impossible to make judgements on guys who have played little senior footy as well.
I thought we'd find it nigh on impossible to replace Grant, Darcy, And West a year later, but they were replaced

[comrade]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

To be fair I have raised all of those concerns a few times during this season.

Fully fit Libba and Koby probably complete our midfield, we need Dale (and future draftees) to provide that run on the outside. It's usually the easiest part of the ground to fix though. However, I am worried we may take a few steps backwards if Murph/Morris/Boyd decline. We are pretty bare for defenders of all sorts, with the exception of rebounders.

Anyway, we'll see how the off-season shapes up.

Dale, Libba, McLean and Stevens will all vie for midfield spots next season and will instantly improve on the team that ran out tonight. Personally, I would love to add Bennell to the mix as his skill set would really complete us.

Murph is irreplaceable, I agree. But Biggs, JJ and Webb have all shown that they can at least provide options off the HBF. I have faith the Z Cordy will slot into Morris' role long term. Boyd's role I'm not overly concerned with.

Key defenders are a worry, but Hamling destroyed Jenkins tonight and Roberts did as well on a rampaging Walker as you could hope. Another big pre-season into both and there should be even more improvement.

The ruck is my biggest area of concern.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

I'm heartbroken and proud too. Those set shots we missed were the killer, won every other stat and the effort was A1. Would have loved to have had Eddie Betts on our side too.

Hope the Jongy doubters are swinging around - I thought he was pretty good tonight. That mark is burned into my memory - what a ripper & to convert too. Hamling looked pretty composed out there too.

I thought he struggled early but came back really well after half time. He seemeed to get the pace of the game.

[whythelongface]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

Our first qtr was just as bad, missed some very gettable goals and conceded some super soft goals.. We led the inside 50's at one stage 15 to 6, but we're behind as we had given up 5 goals... Not good enough.

This. With the start we had we should of been in front by at least a couple of goals. Instead we let them back in and they kicked 5/ 6 in a row to have a qtr time lead.

[The bulldog tragician]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

For me, it's not even about the missed shots in the 1st and 3rd qtr - as annoying and ultimately damaging as they were. It is about lacking composure in critical moments late in finals - the Bont out of bounds and the Crameri fumble/missed handpass from Hunter. Nail these 2 moments, as the players involved should have, and we have a famous finals win. By contrast Walker nailed his key moments - one a set shot and one a beautiful spot-up to Charlie Cameron. We have never nailed the key moments in finals, not in my lifetime anyway. I cling to the hope that one day we'll be on the right side of a Billy Brainless after the siren moment, a Darren Jarman putting us away, a Riewoldt stepping up, a Leigh Matthews bobbing up in crucial moments, and not always on the receiving end of such heartbreaking moments. We've had our chances over the years (as we did tonight) - the Bont/Crameri moments tonight can just be added to the Gilbee miss in 09, the Mark West miss and Grant/Hudson fumbles in 97, the inability to ice 30 seconds off the clock against Geelong in 94, etc...

I know exactly where you're coming from, I think we all do. But that feeling, that we are cursed as Dogs fans, is deeply ingrained in us as OUR story, it doesn't have to be Bont's story or Jake's story. Maybe it's just that there's no real alternative but to invest hope in these guys and what they can do, but I prefer to think that last nights loss was a series of individual, fixable mistakes that will be eradicated and improved with experience, not the fates laughing at us yet again.

[GVGjr]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

I know exactly where you're coming from, I think we all do. But that feeling, that we are cursed as Dogs fans, is deeply ingrained in us as OUR story, it doesn't have to be Bont's story or Jake's story. Maybe it's just that there's no real alternative but to invest hope in these guys and what they can do, but I prefer to think that last nights loss was a series of individual, fixable mistakes that will be eradicated and improved with experience, not the fates laughing at us yet again.

With the list that we have considering the age and experience profile our focus will be on 2017. I get that we have a history that challenges the spirit of many but I believe our set-up with personnel, both playing and from an administrative perspective, is the best it's ever been and we will get stronger..a lot stronger.

Last night was a hiccup and a bitter pill to swallow in an otherwise hugely positive season

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day Round EF 2015 - Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide Crows

I walked out disappointed of course that our season was done, but I steeled myself to NOT do the Bulldog thing of decrying our history and sulking about what could have been for the next 10 years. We performed magnificently, when you take away the skill errors of a team so young. This was a completely different team profile than 2009, than 1997/8. We will learn and be back next year with a vengeance.