I Am Getting Very Nervous

[LostDoggy]

I don't know about other posters but I'm getting very nervous about our chances in September.

Since the Brisbane effort, we have played poorly in my view and that includes the games where we came out on top.

The loss of Williams has thrown our backline structure out all together. We are experiencing little run off half back and that is slowing down our entry into the forward 50. We continue to give the central corridor over to the opposition and we are getting cut up through that channel on a regular basis.

Gun players including Aka, Murphy and Lake are well down on form and appear in need of a rest. Perhaps, now that a 2/3 finish is guaranteed, the time has come to give them a day off.

The things we were good at earlier like contested ball, tackling and fitness to run out games appears to be on the wane.

My view is that unless there is a major uplift in our current form we will be dead in the water come September.

I don't want to be seen as a negative supporter but facts are facts and as a team the Dogs need to face up to them.

What do others think of our chances?

[Topdog]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

Even the coach and the players have said the same.

We are experiencing a lull at the moment but we can get out of it.

[1eyedog]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

I don't know about other posters but I'm getting very nervous about our chances in September.

Since the Brisbane effort, we have played poorly in my view and that includes the games where we came out on top.

The loss of Williams has thrown our backline structure out all together. We are experiencing little run off half back and that is slowing down our entry into the forward 50. We continue to give the central corridor over to the opposition and we are getting cut up through that channel on a regular basis.

Gun players including Aka, Murphy and Lake are well down on form and appear in need of a rest. Perhaps, now that a 2/3 finish is guaranteed, the time has come to give them a day off.

The things we were good at earlier like contested ball, tackling and fitness to run out games appears to be on the wane.

My view is that unless there is a major uplift in our current form we will be dead in the water come September.

I don't want to be seen as a negative supporter but facts are facts and as a team the Dogs need to face up to them.

What do others think of our chances?

We haven't had Williams for most of the year, certainly not for the first 10 odd wins, think the problem is elsewhere. Our mids are very attacking but lack defensive efforts in my opinion.

[ledge]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

Best time to get a lull if we are going to get one, also the chance to fix any problems we do have.
If we dont do well, we cant complain we obviously tried our best and had our opportunities to get it right.
Maybe if we dont get there (dare i say it) we were not good enough yet.
But to me all this year is a bonus, none of us expected this and the furthest we go the more experience we have for probably what Rocket expected in the first place, which was next year and the year after.

[whythelongface]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

Prior to last week's game I honestly thought that we were also lame ducks and basically unless we were able to win against the Swans we had no chance. But after Sunday I have some confidence that come Finals we will go pretty well.

Why my sudden change of thought? The main concern going into Sunday was the way we finished off the games against Geelong and Carlton - people have attributed this to an intensive training phase. I wasn't convinced. I was more of the belief that it was a pyschological factor which stemmed from last year. The guys proved on Sunday that they have moved on from that and showed glimpses of what they are capable of in the 2nd qtr. One or two decent games under our belt then come September we will have a good chance of making the GF.

It will be interesting leading upto the Finals the approach the coaching staff take. I am a believer that you need momentum, however it has been pointed out by another poster that teams don't always go into Finals series with good form, yet are have won premierships. The main thing is that we have secured 2nd or 3rd posi which has given us the opportunity (and a bloody good one at that) to make the GF.

[LostDoggy]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

Must win game for us.

Roos have made us their bitches and we need to break the hoodoo.

I reckon we won't let this one slip.

[LostDoggy]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

Hudson needs a rest badly. He hasn't been the same since he hurt his ankle and it will give Streety a well deserved chance. Also, think that Higgins, Tim Callan and a couple of others will get some match fitness into them - so that we have some choices come selecting our best 22 make the boys jostle for selection.

Will Tommy Williams play again or is he out for the rest of the year? Let us not forget that his first game back was average, but his next game was on Franklin.

Finally, we have made last year's goal a reality this year - and will keep on refining our finals chance until we take out the big one. Whether that is this year, next year or the year after - our future looks bright.

[mjp]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

This time last year I barely cared what happened when we played...feeling nervous about finals chances in August? By comparison, this is great.

[Mantis]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

As with mjp the last part of the season of 07 was a nightmare, the season could not end quickly enough. After we couldn't make the finals I hardly watched any footy, didn't give a toss who won or lost.

Fast forward 12 months and I am starting to get excited. It's been 10 years since we looked like a reasonable chance to firstly make a GF and possibly win one. I am also taking more interest in the teams we may face in the finals, looking for chinks in there armour that we might be able to expose (having a hard time finding one in Geelong, but I will).

Nervous....not really, not much I can do about the results, but I am starting to get excited at what might happen in September.

[LostDoggy]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

This time last year I barely cared what happened when we played...feeling nervous about finals chances in August? By comparison, this is great.

As with mjp the last part of the season of 07 was a nightmare, the season could not end quickly enough. After we couldn't make the finals I hardly watched any footy, didn't give a toss who won or lost.

Fast forward 12 months and I am starting to get excited. It's been 10 years since we looked like a reasonable chance to firstly make a GF and possibly win one. I am also taking more interest in the teams we may face in the finals, looking for chinks in there armour that we might be able to expose (having a hard time finding one in Geelong, but I will).

Nervous....not really, not much I can do about the results, but I am starting to get excited at what might happen in September.

So the fact that this is a better performance than last year leaves you both pleased and satisfied?

Looking over the last three years, I saw 2006 as a year of promise for the future, 2007 as a complete disaster and I am now concerned that what began as a promising year may be heading into another disaster based on current form.

Unless there is major turn around in form we are heading for going out in straight sets which would be humiliating given our start to the season. After supporting the Dogs for well over 50 years, my nervousness is growing from our current form and a long history of finals failure.

I take no satisfaction in the fact that compared to last year we are miles ahead. There is little to get excited about in reaching the finals and getting bounced straight out.

The purpose of my thread was to raise some concerns about current form. There appears to be a reluctance by everyone associated with the Dogs to accept this fact.

[Mantis]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

The purpose of my thread was to raise some concerns about current form. There appears to be a reluctance by everyone associated with the Dogs to accept this fact.

I still think we can turn it around, but agree that if we carry on in similiar fashion we might crash out in the finals, which would be a disaster.

I would be looking for our form to continue to improve over the next few weeks. I thought there were some good signs in the Sydney game to suggest that our intensity had improved and will improve further.

[Twodogs]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

I've been getting more and more nervous all year-that's a good thing. ATM I'm downright scared that we cant do it without Williams. Winning games earlier in the year without him is fine but we wont win games without him at the end of the year.


But nervous is good, it means there's something to lose.

[LostDoggy]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

But nervous is good, it means there's something to lose.

Well, like you I hope the last thing Johnno says to the team before he leads them out on to the MCG in the GF is, "You're dead. Your baggage, your possessions mean nothing. All that matters now is your personal honour. All that matters now is your fame and glory. Follow me. I will lead you and we will win the day."

[Go_Dogs]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

I'm starting to get nervous, not because I'm scared we'll choke, but because this team could be so good, and they need to realise that any opportunity is the perfect one...if they don't they won't achieve anywhere near what they should be able to.

I'm sick of the aura surrounding Geelong. We are better than them. We can be. We must be. We will be.

[1eyedog]

Re: I Am Getting Very Nervous

I'm not really nervous, whatever will be will be. I've had 36 years of let downs I just hope we perform well and give it a shake, be unbelievable to win it but can't look that far ahead. The Bulldogs are like the girls I fancied as a kid, I didn't want to have too great a expectations just in case I got dropped again.