Take a breath & Debrief - Round 7

[Palmybulldogs]

Hi all! I’m hoping I can make this a weekly thread for each round. The idea of this is to take a breath and gather my thoughts after each game and provide some actual thoughts on the game that aren’t heightened (whether positively or negatively) from the game that has just finished. For example immediately after a loss sometimes it can feel like the world is ending so I just want to take a breath and properly think about my thoughts on the game.
with that in mind, round 7, GWS Giants in Canberra. Considering ANZAC weekend and where we are at with our season, entering the game 3-3 with a tough fixture still to come over the next few weeks, this was a hugely important game.
i thought we started the game quite poorly, we couldn’t defend their transition game and they were on top in the midfield battle, the I50 entries we did have were generally pressured or just generally pretty poor.
from the second quarter on, however our midfield really got on top and dominated the contest. Our inside 50 entries still struggled all night, conditions played a part in that but regardless our forwards did a much better job in locking the ball in or at least halting their transition enough for the mids to get setup, especially in the second half.
We kicked some very opportunistic goals that I don’t feel the Dogs are usually known for so that was fantastic to see and we really maintained our pressure on the Giants all game and were able to put them to the sword. A bit disappointing to let them score late in the game and reduce the margin, deserved to win by more.
Bevo was absolutely in his bag tonight, made some bold, risky calls both from a selection standpoint to moving Lobb forward and leaving our backline significantly inexperienced, but it worked an absolute treat, all in all a fantastic 23 player performance and a coaching masterclass from Bevo

[JanLorMill]

That backline isn’t going to hold up in drier conditions and against better midfields. I think Lobb has to play forward without Darcy in the side. Hopefully Jones regains form and helps out down back then we are probably top heavy with buss, O’Donnell, English, naught, etc

[Palmybulldogs]

That backline isn’t going to hold up in drier conditions and against better midfields. I think Lobb has to play forward without Darcy in the side. Hopefully Jones regains form and helps out down back then we are probably top heavy with buss, O’Donnell, English, naught, etc

There will definitely be games that backline would struggle, however it is important to note, it is very rare that it is exactly 6 v 6 in the backline. Team defence is system based, if the mids and forwards provide high pressure it will force opposition teams entries into their 50 to be poor, this makes it much easier to defend and transition the ball ourselves. Not to mention if our mids can either win the clearances or at least slow them and force repeat stoppages it gives the Dogs time to set up defensively after starting 666. So yes I agree being inexperienced will at times in games cause the backline to struggle, if the rest of our game is in good shape, it will go a long way to helping our backline stand up. Personally I don’t think the conditions effected their forwards too much last night at all, they have great crumbers forward of the ball and our defence really stood up to continue applying a ton of pressure which forced them to miss a lot of shots they would normally capitalise on

[NAUGHTY100]

I think with L Jones Bevo has given him a refresh , i think he comes stright back in , so Lobb can stay forward and Buss definitely stays after that 1st game .

[EasternWest]

Great thread. I'm subscribed.

[Palmybulldogs]

I think with L Jones Bevo has given him a refresh , i think he comes stright back in , so Lobb can stay forward and Buss definitely stays after that 1st game .

That would be my assumption too, I understand he was ommitted but part of it was likely to also refresh him after an interrupted preseason. Form aside, his leadership on the field will be crucial particularly with such an inexperienced backline. My best guess would be Jones, Lobb, Buslinger in defence. Then Naughton and Buku/O’Donnell forward. Form pending I would think Buss, Buku and O’Donnell probably interchange that last backline and second forward spot, possibly Croft could even come in at either end as well. Had a good preseason but hasn’t seemed to translate that into form at this stage in the VFL however. Gardner will possibly come into the frame once he can build a base after he too had an interrupted preseason

[jazzadogs]

We thought Duryea was just getting a refresh too...

Buss got a game over Jones on form, and performed well. I don't think it's a fait accompli that Jones walks back in.

[Palmybulldogs]

We thought Duryea was just getting a refresh too...

Buss got a game over Jones on form, and performed well. I don't think it's a fait accompli that Jones walks back in.

For sure! And if there’s one thing Bevo has proven, it’s that he has no fear in dropping senior players in favour of inexperienced, but in form players

[Bornadog]

For sure! And if there’s one thing Bevo has proven, it’s that he has no fear in dropping senior players in favour of inexperienced, but in form players

Thanks for the thread.

Small favour, can you please put a space more often between sentences as it is hard to read. Thank you and much appreciated.

[Bornadog]

A great Debrief from Jeff White

[Grantysghost]

Love this idea PB.

[Grantysghost]

We scored 55 points from stoppage and 57 from turnover so it was an even distribution.
25 from centre clearance which is about our avg, 56 from forward half and 31 from defensive half.

So we did well to score from forward half stoppage.

[jazzadogs]

We scored 55 points from stoppage and 57 from turnover so it was an even distribution.
25 from centre clearance which is about our avg, 56 from forward half and 31 from defensive half.

So we did well to score from forward half stoppage.

In Kingsley's press conference, he said he was really happy with the total number of forward half turnovers (16), as this was an improvement on previous weeks. But when they turned it over we made them pay, with 6 goals from those 16 turnovers.

[whythelongface]

A great Debrief from Jeff White

Thanks for sharing. That is a great analysis and shows the work that our coaches are putting into stoppage and centre clearance work. Having confidence in English hitting to advantage is critical for our momentum and thought he did that really well (as evidenced by this video).

[mjp]

That backline isn’t going to hold up in drier conditions and against better midfields. I think Lobb has to play forward without Darcy in the side. Hopefully Jones regains form and helps out down back then we are probably top heavy with buss, O’Donnell, English, naught, etc

Why?

They just held up against one of the premiership favourites with the reigning Coleman Medallist and a ripping midfield.

I don't get the negativity. Those guys have played 1x game together...who's to say what they might be able to do??