Where to from here?

[GVGjr]

Our form is down but we are still well placed so is it simply a time to regroup or should we be hiting the panic button?

What can be done to get us back on track?

What changes do you think will be made for next week?

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Where to from here?

Our form is down but we are still well placed so is it simply a time to regroup or should we be hiting the panic button?

What can be done to get us back on track?

What changes do you think will be made for next week?

We can still regroup and do Ok I think. Nothing drastic really needs to change, we just need to get back to basics. Contested ball, hard tackling and pressure, kicking to the space of leading forwards. We know we can do it.

Changes for next week? In: Williams, Out: Everitt.

If one of Callan or Higgins get up, I'd think we should rest a player like Aker who is struggling a bit with injury concerns.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Where to from here?

we can't really move on the ladder, give aker, jono and the coon a week off

[The Underdog]

Re: Where to from here?

Canberra...
Seriously though folks there is something afoot. The midfield intensity has dropped off markedly. Our decision making going into the forward 50 has been awful and our lack of forward movement and quick leading (Murphy aside) has contributed to this. Cooney is in and out of games, Griffen is lucky to hit a target and Akermanis hasn't played a decent game since the handstand. I actually think our backline was good today but got NO help from upfield after half time. Lake was good on Fev when the ball was coming in with pressure on, but he can't do much when Judd and Stevens are delivering it lace out on a platter. I just hope it isn't a deeper division in the ranks.

[Stevo]

Re: Where to from here?

Any chance we have dropped out of form in the coaches box as well? Today's effort didn't appear to be the most complete of plans. We shut down Waite after he run amok for the first quarter but we also didn't do much to curb Judd or Stevens. Just a thought but I know there is a tendency to solely blame the players but we might need to start looking a bit deeper.

[Rocket Science]

Re: Where to from here?

Agreed wholeheartedly re: Lake on Fevola...our boy rendered Fev a virtual non-factor for almost three quarters before the midfield floodgates opened.

Would be delighted to welcome Williams back at Everitt's expense, but it's anyones guess how bad the re-injury is.

Resting blokes aside (Aker, etc), appears we'll likely need a replacement for Addison...Callan would make sense if he's fit, but failing that who's next in line?...Ward?...or would his VFL form prohibit...or give Wighty or Tiller another crack on the merry-go-round perhaps?

Re: the cockroach...will be interesting to see if the non-tag on Judd prompts media talk and/or comment from Rocket this week.

[GVGjr]

Re: Where to from here?

Any chance we have dropped out of form in the coaches box as well? Today's effort didn't appear to be the most complete of plans. We shut down Waite after he run amok for the first quarter but we also didn't do much to curb Judd or Stevens. Just a thought but I know there is a tendency to solely blame the players but we might need to start looking a bit deeper.

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn't do a lot to stop him.

[whythelongface]

Re: Where to from here?

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn't do a lot to stop him.

According to some that was part of the game plan today.

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Where to from here?

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn;t do a lot to stop him.

Yes, I thought the same - the Blues midfield just ran amok, some of the coaching moves or lack thereof left me shaking my head a few times. Let's hope things turn around quick smart.

[The Underdog]

Re: Where to from here?

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn't do a lot to stop him.

Do we have anyone who is capable of stopping him though? One thing I'd say we lack in the midfield is a strong tagger. Boyd and Cross have done it before but they struggle to win the ball and keep a man quiet concurrently. Plus neither of them particularly have the pace to go with someone like Judd. With rotations too it's not often one player stays on another for the whole game. We gave Judd too much room but we could have helped ourselves by winning the ball and providing more intensity and pressure in the contest after half time.
We've gone from thinking we can win from anywhere to going into our shell pretty damn quick.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Where to from here?

According to some that was part of the game plan today.

It was specifically said on Fox that we were not going to tag either player. Was Rocket trying a few things out today? A few people have said that we are training for September??

[The Pie Man]

Re: Where to from here?

Canberra...
Seriously though folks there is something afoot. The midfield intensity has dropped off markedly. Our decision making going into the forward 50 has been awful and our lack of forward movement and quick leading (Murphy aside) has contributed to this. Cooney is in and out of games, Griffen is lucky to hit a target and Akermanis hasn't played a decent game since the handstand. I actually think our backline was good today but got NO help from upfield after half time. Lake was good on Fev when the ball was coming in with pressure on, but he can't do much when Judd and Stevens are delivering it lace out on a platter. I just hope it isn't a deeper division in the ranks.

Divisive as this may be, we haven't looked a unit since Darwin - read into that and Jason's antics there what you will; all I know is Jason Akermanis has hardly had a kick since, Brad Johnson seems to get over agitated at teamates, and we've been smashed in clearances. We put up the white flag today, completely fair for all Dogs fans to ask the club 'WHAT THE FARK IS GOING ON?' Don't tease us like this Dogs, I'm over it. We have pretenders written all over us.

[GVGjr]

Re: Where to from here?

Do we have anyone who is capable of stopping him though? One thing I'd say we lack in the midfield is a strong tagger. Boyd and Cross have done it before but they struggle to win the ball and keep a man quiet concurrently. Plus neither of them particularly have the pace to go with someone like Judd. With rotations too it's not often one player stays on another for the whole game. We gave Judd too much room but we could have helped ourselves by winning the ball and providing more intensity and pressure in the contest after half time.
We've gone from thinking we can win from anywhere to going into our shell pretty damn quick.

Perhaps not but I think Boyd could have curbed him to some extent.
The Blues have employed Gibbs as a run with or tagger over the last 6 weeks or so with great effect so could look at using a similar tactic ourselves.

[The Underdog]

Re: Where to from here?

Perhaps not but I think Boyd could have curbed him to some extent.
The Blues have employed Gibbs as a run with or tagger over the last 6 weeks or so with great effect so could look at using a similar tactic ourselves.

I actually think Ray may be worth a shot at this kind of job. He's developed a reasonably strong body and has good fitness and pace. I agree that we should have given someone the task of trying to curb Judd but winning the football would have been a pretty good start.
Todays game highlighted some deficiencies that became apparent last week. We are very much out of form also, perhaps including the coaches box.

[mjp]

Re: Where to from here?

Every season has a flat spot...ours has been going for a month or so now and to be perfectly honest Carlton are a bad match-up for us.

There might be another couple of losses ahead of us between now and the end of August.