LOL Bulldogs

[EasternWest]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

100% you'd prolly rush in and get us all killed!

Lulz.

Damn Leeeeeroy Jenkins.

[whythelongface]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

How do you know the cupboard is bare? Craig Macrae was an unproven coach at the beginning of the year and has taken Collingwood from 17th to 4th.

I agree that Bevo is a very good coach, but our ‘system’ & personnel didn’t get the job done this year and we need to work out why.

Of course we need to work out why. That is a fact.

In regards to the coaching pool. You are right I don’t know but for every Macrae there is Bolton, or a Noble, or a Rutten. Give me what we have in this area, and try to resolve the matters first and foremost that need addressing, rather than changing for the sake of it.

[Sedat]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

Since we can laugh at others shouldn’t we have a laugh at ourselves?

That’s a combined 147pt turnaround in our last 2 finals.

The footy world is laughing at us… very interested to see how we come back from this.

As a club we swept the GF capitulation under the carpet. Our best got us 19 points up with 37 mins to go in a GF, and our best got us 41 points up in a cut-throat final on the road yesterday. Unfortunately, our worst conceded 16 goals to 1 in the final 37 minutes of the GF and 11 goals to 2 last night. Opposition now smell blood with us and we have a significant challenge to rectify all of our game plan, our structure, our personnel and our psychological make-up. How do we harden our resolve when we next stare opposition challenges in the face in a final? Other clubs have been able to, can we? I remain positive that we have some of the tools at our disposal so that we can contend and do so for a stretch of years, but we have clear challenges that we now cannot hide from.

In the cold hard light of day, last night can help us get to another premiership tilt - we have nowhere to hide now and need to have a proper look under the hood, and fix what is currently broken and not working.

[Grantysghost]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

As a club we swept the GF capitulation under the carpet. Our best got us 19 points up with 37 mins to go in a GF, and our best got us 41 points up in a cut-throat final on the road yesterday. Unfortunately our worst conceded 16 goals to 1 in the final 37 minutes of the GF and 11 goals to 2 last night. Opposition now smell blood with us and we have a significant challenge to rectify all of our game plan, our personnel and our psychological make-up. How do we harden our resolve when we next stare opposition challenges in the face in a final?

I'd argue this started prior to those two games mentioned.

GWS 2019 elimination final. Never recovered mentally.

[DOG GOD]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

We all agree that things have to change. From on field personal, gameplan, asst coaches, team selection, recruiting etc etc.
But the biggest question remains. Does the Western Bulldogs football club have the balls to make the decisions required.?

[Sedat]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

I'd argue this started prior to those two games mentioned.

GWS 2019 elimination final. Never recovered mentally.

2019 was an embarrassment but we weren't ready. 2020 was more of an indictment but even then we weren't yet in the window that our club put on the record. We have been in the window the last 2 years, and our best football is clearly of a premiership winning standard that not many clubs are capable of. Unfortunately our worst, as exposed in the last 2 finals, has undone all the gains of our best. There is nowhere to hide now - better to get to work 12 months late than not to do the work.

I expect us to do a forensic examination of everything this off-season, something we didn't do and should have done 12 months ago - game plan, personnel, structure, list, tactics, psychology/player well-being, coaching depth. I don't think we should go the nuclear option and destroy everything, because we do have the bones of a potential premiership contending team.

[GVGjr]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

I get the frustration and that there are issues that need addressing but seriously I think we read into this way too much. Baying for Bevo’s head, reputations tarnished, never coming back from this - gotta love the drama. The problem at the moment is that we are a victim of our own success - we are now expecting a lot from a list that has flaws and is not ready. We are expecting a lot from a forward line that had a 22, 20 and 19 year old as the key targets - all players that have serious upside but are 3,4, 5 years from playing their best football. We are also lacking in certain areas which, we all know, need addressing.

Those baying for Bevo and suggesting he is gone. One simple question- whom takes over as coach? The talent pool is bare. Bare. I mean there is literally know one. What we have is a bloody good coach whom with a quality list will take us to the pinnacle (we know there are serious gaps that need addressing) and who (for all his stubbornness) is a good game day coach - no doubt he needs assistance but in reality he has taken a fairly average list (with some extreme levels of talent) to be very competitive. Building a dynasty takes time - 6, 7, 10 years even - perseverance and the opportunity to build a list with your key requirements is the key. You simply don’t get rid of a good coach if you have one.

I'm all for keep Bevo but he is going to need some more support. Given the coaches in the finals this year are all one team senior coaches it's not like getting a first time coach is a real problem for any club.

[GVGjr]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

In the cold hard light of day, last night can help us get to another premiership tilt - we have nowhere to hide now and need to have a proper look under the hood, and fix what is currently broken and not working.

This is exactly how I see it, two losses from winning positions should mean we have to have a deeper look at our failings and puts some steps in place to address that. We cannot sweep this under the carpet and expect anything to change and it's not as simple as just getting a couple of needs based players.

[The bulldog tragician]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

The loss last night and the GF had all those shadows of our many years of finals underperformance. I was waiting for those Roughead moments..in the EF and GF where one individual basically when the cages were rattling says “we’re not going to lose this on my watch.” Instead all the moments were of panic and poor choices. Freo held onto a two goal buffer for the last 10 minutes without us looking like we could possibly conjure up another major. It looked like a mountain. Were we mentally or physically shot? Either way, why?

The Collingwood-Geelong match gave me lots of questions. Time and again Geelong present for finals after they are written off. They could have been mentally scarred by embarrassing losses and straight set exits, they’re not. Guys whose finals performances are a long running joke turn it around. What are they doing we can’t?

Collingwood have had a staggering rise. If they were in our position last night, two goals down with 10 minutes to play, they would have fired another shot and played all the big moments so much better…even if they didn’t win. (They would have against Freo though). What are they doing that we can’t?

[anfo27]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

The loss last night mirrored our season. When we get the game on our terms, we look good. When we don't have it on our terms, we make the opposition look great!

[Bornadog]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

The loss last night mirrored our season. When we get the game on our terms, we look good. When we don't have it on our terms, we make the opposition look great!

We have several players in our defence who panick with the ball and don't think over what the next play should be.

Whilst Richards has had a great year, he has presented many howlers in lost of games, especially trying to switch play and either getting caught or kicking to the opposition. Dale also gets caught a few times but is not as bad. Keath is almost cooked for me, I was so disappointed in his trying to do too much last night and turning over the ball.

As for VDM, I am still livid in his game last night. I actually prefer McNeil.

[Happy Days]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

Man I gotta find something else to do with my time.

Take a look at the stats sheet. There’s a really clear line between our AFL standard guys and some tradies that we pick each week for some reason. It’s been going on forever and absolutely has to stop. Only guys who are good or might eventually be good from now on.

[Mofra]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

I believe Bevo is underachieving with a talented list and I am just perpetually gobsmacked with player selection and trading. I seriously think this last loss is indefensible.

Talented list - maybe not as good as we think?

Our gameplan of "let Bont drag us over the line" barely accounts for one of our top-liners having a down patch in the game. With Libba out we seem to have too many accumulators, not enough 'grunt'

[Grantysghost]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

Man I gotta find something else to do with my time.

Take a look at the stats sheet. There’s a really clear line between our AFL standard guys and some tradies that we pick each week for some reason. It’s been going on forever and absolutely has to stop. Only guys who are good or might eventually be good from now on.

Haha tradies! Where is Jack Redpath.

Needed that laugh thanks HD.

Weightman seems to get a free pass on here, was as bad as Vanders.

[whythelongface]

Re: LOL Bulldogs

I'm all for keep Bevo but he is going to need some more support. Given the coaches in the finals this year are all one team senior coaches it's not like getting a first time coach is a real problem for any club.

It is not a problem getting a senior coach but getting a good coach is the hard bit. You need to get it right (plenty of failures in the recruitment of first time coaches). The examples you have mentioned, with the exception of Macrae and Longmuir, have all been coaching for awhile with varying levels of success. Scott and Longmire both inherited very good list. Hardwick, Goodwin, Fagan and Bevo took their lists to various levels of success (Bevo with a quick win) that have come over a period of time. Generally it is not something that happens over night. If we were to replace Bevo potentially it could lead to a positive change but it could also be a spectacular fail. Apart from Hardwick, Bevo has had as much success as all on that list (and with no where as near as much resources as the bigger clubs).

As you and others have rightly mentioned we need an overhaul in terms of assistants, resourcing and our playing list. I still think Bevo is the right man for the job.