Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

At one point yesterday I shouted encouragement to Dale while he was playing on Thomas. The Collingwood supporters around me looked at me with bemused expressions on their faces, thinking I was encouraging the Paddle Pop Lion. As if he's the only Dale in the world!

Ive told you before you need to stop cheering fictional characters who arent playing. This is like when Caramello Bear had to take out a restraining order against you.

And anyway, the Paddle Pop lion plays for Adelaide doesnt he?

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

Ive told you before you need to stop cheering fictional characters who arent playing. This is like when Caramello Bear had to take out a restraining order against you.

And anyway, the Paddle Pop lion plays for Adelaide doesnt he?

Did you not read the most hated opposition player thread?

Heres a funny look alike for all you Dale Thomas Haters !

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

One thing i noticed was the free kicks paid against Hudson....
I thought he got a pretty rough deal off the umpires.
Was that just me?

[Rach]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

I've noticed Huddo seems to take the ball out of the ruck contest a lot and then gets caught holding the ball.

[Bornadog]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

I've noticed Huddo seems to take the ball out of the ruck contest a lot and then gets caught holding the ball.

I think that was the dumbest rule change of all time.

[dog town]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

That was a good test for us. We had a number of players well down, were probably beaten tactically and had an opposition that were in a must win situation. To come away with the win says alot about where we are at.

The backline was again absolutely brilliant. Kept us in the game during the first half and then took over it in the second.

I thought Malthouse coached brilliantly against us. He really stifled our run and we struggled to find an outlet pass coming off half back. The only time we looked dangerous for the first quarter and a half was when we won a centre clearance.

I dont have time to do a full run down but I will mention a few players briefly.

Cross- Was close to our best IMO. He is a fantastic leader out on the ground and often does something vital just when we need it. It is as if he senses the moment. Two of these occured yesterday. One was when he sprinted to a contest at half back that he had no right to be in and won it with complete desperation. The other was deep in the last quarter when we were up by only a goal and desperately needed another score to make it two scoring shots between us and the pies. We kicked the ball down the line to a contest giving the pies a chance at getting the ball back but Cross took a brilliant contested mark. He does these things every week at crucial times. Just thought it was worth highlighting.

Hahn- Probably our most influential player on the day, Our only genuine winner up forward for the game. Going to be important in September. I thought we could have pushed him up the ground when we were falling down across half forward and played Murphy out of the square.

Ray- A couple of opponents really got the better of him and when he got the ball himself he used it poorly. He often just tries to do a little bit to much with the ball. I would like to see him take the first option a little bit more and not over think the situation. We have plenty of players pushing up from Willy so he would want to improve on that form.

Morris- Had my doubts about him on Didak as the clever guys can sometimes clean him up a bit but he was sensational and gave plenty of run as well.

Hargrave- Very good again. Beat Medhurst and gave plenty of drive.

Everitt- Got some amazing spoils in and played his best game of the year.

Aker- He is injured. Nothing surer IMO. He is our best tackler most of the time but 5 or 6 times he didn't even attempt to move laterally in pursuing someone. My bet would be its an ankle/knee/groin or hip. Something that stops him going sideays. Break could come at a good time for us.

[1eyedog]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

That was a good test for us. We had a number of players well down, were probably beaten tactically and had an opposition that were in a must win situation. To come away with the win says alot about where we are at.

The backline was again absolutely brilliant. Kept us in the game during the first half and then took over it in the second.

I thought Malthouse coached brilliantly against us. He really stifled our run and we struggled to find an outlet pass coming off half back. The only time we looked dangerous for the first quarter and a half was when we won a centre clearance.

I dont have time to do a full run down but I will mention a few players briefly.

Cross- Was close to our best IMO. He is a fantastic leader out on the ground and often does something vital just when we need it. It is as if he senses the moment. Two of these occured yesterday. One was when he sprinted to a contest at half back that he had no right to be in and won it with complete desperation. The other was deep in the last quarter when we were up by only a goal and desperately needed another score to make it two scoring shots between us and the pies. We kicked the ball down the line to a contest giving the pies a chance at getting the ball back but Cross took a brilliant contested mark. He does these things every week at crucial times. Just thought it was worth highlighting.

Hahn- Probably our most influential player on the day, Our only genuine winner up forward for the game. Going to be important in September. I thought we could have pushed him up the ground when we were falling down across half forward and played Murphy out of the square.

Ray- A couple of opponents really got the better of him and when he got the ball himself he used it poorly. He often just tries to do a little bit to much with the ball. I would like to see him take the first option a little bit more and not over think the situation. We have plenty of players pushing up from Willy so he would want to improve on that form.

Morris- Had my doubts about him on Didak as the clever guys can sometimes clean him up a bit but he was sensational and gave plenty of run as well.

Hargrave- Very good again. Beat Medhurst and gave plenty of drive.

Everitt- Got some amazing spoils in and played his best game of the year.

Aker- He is injured. Nothing surer IMO. He is our best tackler most of the time but 5 or 6 times he didn't even attempt to move laterally in pursuing someone. My bet would be its an ankle/knee/groin or hip. Something that stops him going sideays. Break could come at a good time for us.

I thought Ray was one of our better players on the day

[dog town]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

I thought Ray was one of our better players on the day

He was ok when we had the ball but his opponents slayed us in the first half. It was the sort of game where everyone could see it was going to be an arm wrestle and we could not afford to be as unaccountable as he was early. He tightened up after half time but struggled with the ball in his hand. Might be a bit harsh but stats alone cannot measure performance. He can improve all those areas though.

[dog town]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

I forgot to mention our defensive stoppages. We coughed up 3 goals from defensive stoppages which is a concern. We didn't even have a sweeper at the back of the pack for one of them. That sort of thing can cost you close games as Geelong found out in a semi final a few years back.

[Mantis]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

I forgot to mention our defensive stoppages. We coughed up 3 goals from defensive stoppages which is a concern. We didn't even have a sweeper at the back of the pack for one of them. That sort of thing can cost you close games as Geelong found out in a semi final a few years back.

Good point, was simply astonished that we didn't have one player goal side of his opponent for this stoppage.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

He was ok when we had the ball but his opponents slayed us in the first half. It was the sort of game where everyone could see it was going to be an arm wrestle and we could not afford to be as unaccountable as he was early. He tightened up after half time but struggled with the ball in his hand. Might be a bit harsh but stats alone cannot measure performance. He can improve all those areas though.

I've just finished watching a replay. Seems there's a perception rather than fact about Farren's disposal. It was pretty good on the weekend.

[dog town]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

I've just finished watching a replay. Seems there's a perception rather than fact about Farren's disposal. It was pretty good on the weekend.

His actual skills are ok as a rule, its the decisions he makes with the ball that concern me. I can think of 4 times off the top of my head where he held onto the ball for way to long and pretty much butchered our forward foray. He did this alot last season as well. He just holds onto the footy until he is about to be tackled and puts enormous pressure on himself.

Did you see him run at an opponent and then handball backwards to another one when we had runners free everywhere?

I am not out to cut him down. Just calling it as I see it. He will get 20 or so tocuhes most weeks if given free reign but at this stage his best games have come as a defensive running player. I just want him to get the ball and give it off first option. The whole team is doing this and we are moving the ball better for it. It is when we start playing that pretty run and draw game of last season that we get into trouble. He was not on his own yesterday but its something Ray has been a repeat offender with.

[Raw Toast]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

Great report DT.

Agree that some of Everitt's spoils were amazing - I was actually a bit disappointed with his kicking in the first half, seemed to be leaving the ball just short of our lead-up players (which was an unfortunate team trend), but his desperation at the contest in the second half was inspiring. He has long arms IIRC, and put them to great use. If he builds his game around that sort of desperation then he'll be super.

Boyd did a number of super things as well, keeps on setting us up as well as negating opponents, and I think Eade was right to single him and Cross out.

Morris was as composed as I've seen him with the ball. Had a great moment where he feinted a hand-ball and then worked with the space that opened up for him. It seems like quite a few in the team are learning from Cooney's added composure this season and his ability to create space and size up his option. It's a dangerous thing to do, because you can open yourself up to being crunched and can get a bit too arrogant, but when balanced with normally using the first option, it can really help split the game open.

Eade said they worked harder than us for most of the game and I think he was spot on. In the second quarter there were a few moment where it was clear they were trying for an overlap down the wing, and we just didn't work defensively to try and stop it.

Eagle had some very good moments and some appalling ones. He played from behind as a forward a few times, and was pretty poor in some contested situations. His run is important but he'd want to do better, because Hill will be challenging for his spot sometime soon I reckon.

Ward's hands are so good in leading marking contests. From what we've seen, if the ball is put in front of him he'll mark it out in front. He might be dropped back for Hill, but I'd like to see used as a leading half-forward flanker, and maybe even a bit deeper in the forward fifty. When we're breaking down like we were across half-forward he looks like he could be another go-to small leading type.

[Twodogs]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

Ive told you before you need to stop cheering fictional characters who arent playing. This is like when Caramello Bear had to take out a restraining order against you.

And anyway, the Paddle Pop lion plays for Adelaide doesnt he?

Judging by the size of his head he'd be a Hawthorn player.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day - Bulldogs vs Magpies

Hahn- Probably our most influential player on the day, Our only genuine winner up forward for the game. Going to be important in September. I thought we could have pushed him up the ground when we were falling down across half forward and played Murphy out of the square.

Good to hear, I was beginning to think I saw things differently.