Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

[Eastdog]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

We can only get better and will learn a lot from today.

Yep agree NBP. It hurts now but will be back.

[comrade]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

I think all this lamenting about how we always lose important games and nothing ever changes mainly serves to perpetuates the idea that we always lose important games and nothing ever changes.

The curse of the Bambino talk always happens after these type of games. Was it mentioned when we beat Sydney in Sydney last year?

We had 17 players with less than 100 games out there - compared to just 8 for the Hawks. They had 7 with more than 150 games. 7! and that's without Hodge and Roughead.

When the bulk of our team have played 122 games on average (like the Hawks) and we continue to drop close games, then I'll start worrying more.

[Eastdog]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

Or judge how far 15 metres is...or judge whether a kick is deliberately out of bounds...or consistently rule on holding the ball decisions...or...

They just need to get a balance. They are too inconsistent on holding the ball. Maybe we are just being bias.

[Sedat]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

The curse of the Bambino talk always happens after these type of games. Was it mentioned when we beat Sydney in Sydney last year?

Nothing, and I mean nothing, would please me more than to never have to talk about our inability to close out close games. The Sydney game last year was magnificent, but it is very much alone on a desert island with only the 2000 Super Flood, the final v Sydney in 2010 and a few Wallace home & away specials in 1999-2001 for company.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

They just need to get a balance. They are too inconsistent on holding the ball. Maybe we are just being bias.

Nope, they were putrid.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

My sadness of Bob's injury eclipses by several lengths of Whitten Oval, my disappointment with the result of this game.
4 points worse than the dominant team in the comp for several years, with such a young side.
Especially with a quiet game from JJ, Bont, Stringer, and Libba, we did well to get close.
I have no right to be too down.
I didn't predict a season without a loss, so I'll have this for contemplation and improvement. No worries.

[SonofScray]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

Nope, they were putrid.

It was getting ridiculous at one stage. Cyril was caught dead in the water, illegally disposed of the footy, the umpire drew the whistle to his mouth to pay the obnoxious ferric, then inexplicably decided against it as the ball spilled forward to Hawthorn's advantage. Between it and Gibson in the 1st quarter not being penalised, it was a dirty day for the maggots.

[comrade]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

Nothing, and I mean nothing, would please me more than to never have to talk about our inability to close out close games. The Sydney game last year was magnificent, but it is very much alone on a desert island with only the 2000 Super Flood, the final v Sydney in 2010 and a few Wallace home & away specials in 1999-2001 for company.

I've feel like I've made this argument before but here I go:

We're not cursed. Players aren't infected by a strain of 'big game softness' as soon as they walk through the doors of Whitten Oval.

Those games you mentioned stand out because they were underdog victories. Everyone loves underdog victories. But underdog victories are pretty rare.

When have we closed out a big time close game when we were considered the favourite? The answer is probably never, as we've never been the favourite going into a big H&A game or final.

As in we've never assembled a good enough team.

The losses you refer to have generally always been against a team that is just better than us.

Here's a few big games I can recall from the past 7 or 8 years that we've dropped when we were in a position to win:

St Kilda PF 2009
Geelong QF 2009
St Kilda H&A 2010
Geelong H&A 2009 (I think)
Adelaide EF 2015

In each of those games, we were the betting underdogs. Why? Because the other teams were considered better than us for a multitude of reasons.

Yes, we didn't handle the pressure well - or should I say, the other team handled it better than us - but that's because the other team was better than us. The Adelaide game was probably the one that we really should have won, but even then they went in as the bookies favourites as the more experienced and older side and were were missing the likes of JJ and Koby Stevens.

It's not like we get to big games as roaring favourites and continue to fall over. We get into positions with inferior teams and are able to make a scrap of it, yet just don't have the quality to get the job done.

This group has that quality and depth. The scars of 1997, 2009 etc mean jack all because Stringer wasn't there, Bonti wasn't there, Libba wasn't there, Tom Boyd wasn't there, JJ wasn't there.

This time last year, we lost to Hawthorn by 70 points. Tonight, we lost by 3 with a minute to go. Yes, they had some outs. But I'm sure the likes of Dickson and Wood (and Crameri next year) will come in handy for us down the track.

[Bornadog]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

Yep. I've been hearing for 30 years next time will be different. It's never been different, not once.

I think it is different, this group is one of the most exciting Bulldogs outfits in 30 years. They are young, they play attacking football and are a joy to watch. Yes we lost but another minute less or more and we could have won - the lead changed 6 times in the last quarter. I am not happy we lost, but I am not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Plus it was at Etihad, plus they were missing Roughead/Hodge/Hill and we were in the best form possible. Won't get a better chance at beating them.

Hawks may have had two or three out but so did we, with the B&F winner and top goal kicker missing. Hawks were also on average 40 games more experienced than us with 14 players with 100 plus games to our 5.

We will bounce back, forget history look forward it is exciting. But God I wish had of held on.

[Bornadog]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

I can't believe no-one seems to have seen it. When Bob did his knee, Breust was hanging on to him, preventing him getting to Sicily and may have caused his injury. The replay on AFL doesn't show it but I saw it clear as day. Plus an old guy came up to me after the game and said incredulously how Bob was being held in that contest. It should have been a free, Bob shouldn't have done his knee and we should have won full stop.

I thought excatly the same thing at the time.

[SonofScray]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

Stringer had an almost game, he was playing from behind a fair bit early which he has the tendency to do now and again. If a few get over to him, he looks like a genius, if they don't it looks really bad. He got his head more in the game as it wore on but was beaten in the air too often. A few poor kicks inside 50 made it hard for him to keep it simple.

Two scenarios that frustrated me today from Stringer were the giving the footy off over the top inside 50, one at the very start go the game and the other a bit later which saw the ball hit the post. It was showboating disguised as team work. The first was either a kick for goal or a hands inside, instead the chosen miracle handball over the top. The second was better off being a moment to go back and take the set shot.

Despite the lack of positive outcomes, his work rate was still pretty good. Perhaps someone else laying closer to goal and freeing up Jake to get up around the arc and back might've seen better scoreboard production from him.

[SonofScray]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

I thought excatly the same thing at the time.

Watched the replay, might have been stiff. Breust I think it was was holding and keeping him from contesting the footy in the air. He took hs eyes off it for a moment and pulled Bob across, who then pulled up injured. Would have been a contentious free but Gunston got one that was less convincing which he scored from so I'd have taken it.

[comrade]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

I think it is different, this group is one of the most exciting Bulldogs outfits in 30 years. They are young, they play attacking football and are a joy to watch. Yes we lost but another minute less or more and we could have won - the lead changed 6 times in the last quarter. I am not happy we lost, but I am not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Geelong went through the same thing in the 90s, worse perhaps as their losses occurred on the GF stage.

And then again in the early 00s. A talented team but just not quite good enough to knock off the best.

Yet in 2007 they finally assembled a team that had the quality and depth to break through. I feel like we're 12 months away from that break through and the close losses from the past 30 years will mean nothing when it all clicks into gear.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

I've feel like I've made this argument before but here I go:

We're not cursed. Players aren't infected by a strain of 'big game softness' as soon as they walk through the doors of Whitten Oval.

Those games you mentioned stand out because they were underdog victories. Everyone loves underdog victories. But underdog victories are pretty rare.

When have we closed out a big time close game when we were considered the favourite? The answer is probably never, as we've never been the favourite going into a big H&A game or final.

As in we've never assembled a good enough team.

The losses you refer to have generally always been against a team that is just better than us.

Here's a few big games I can recall from the past 7 or 8 years that we've dropped when we were in a position to win:

St Kilda PF 2009
Geelong QF 2009
St Kilda H&A 2010
Geelong H&A 2009 (I think)
Adelaide EF 2015

In each of those games, we were the betting underdogs. Why? Because the other teams were considered better than us for a multitude of reasons.

Yes, we didn't handle the pressure well - or should I say, the other team handled it better than us - but that's because the other team was better than us. The Adelaide game was probably the one that we really should have won, but even then they went in as the bookies favourites as the more experienced and older side and were were missing the likes of JJ and Koby Stevens.

It's not like we get to big games as roaring favourites and continue to fall over. We get into positions with inferior teams and are able to make a scrap of it, yet just don't have the quality to get the job done.

This group has that quality and depth. The scars of 1997, 2009 etc mean jack all because Stringer wasn't there, Bonti wasn't there, Libba wasn't there, Tom Boyd wasn't there, JJ wasn't there.

This time last year, we lost to Hawthorn by 70 points. Tonight, we lost by 3 with a minute to go. Yes, they had some outs. But I'm sure the likes of Dickson and Wood (and Crameri next year) will come in handy for us down the track.

Great post comrade.
And we would hopefully also get Bont, JJ, Stringer with better games to add to Dickson, Crameri and Wood.

[ratsmac]

Re: Game Day Round 3 2016 - Western Bulldogs V Hawthorn

Shattered by the loss, shattered more by Bob's injury. There are so many positives to come out of today's game. It's positive that we have some defensive issues that are plain as day as well, because they (you would hope)can be addressed and sorted. Wood was a massive out for us today, no doubt about it.

If Bob's knee is a ACL injury, how long does the Lars type take to heal? And is it even an option?