Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

[Jasper]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

For all the science and the focus we place on data and stats footy can still throw forward a good old mystery selection puzzle for all of us to mull over.
We lose one of our gun mids in Treloar and overlook a host of reasonable but somewhat uninspiring replacement options instead opting for a 197cm tall defender who has played very limited football in the last 3 years and only arrived at the club pm the senior list a few weeks back.
To complicate matters just that bit more we already have 3 x 197cm key defenders in the side so we wait in anticipation how Bevo and the MC set up for the game against Carlton.

And now for the player. I saw O'Donnell him when he first arrived at the training at Skinner after being announced as a cat B player.
It was initially to train with a handful of rehab players and the likes of Weightman and Vandermeer more or less took him under their wings and started putting him through his paces with some basic kick, mark and run drills.
I noted on the training thread that he moved well for a bigger boy, held his marks in a one touch style but his kicking had a tendency to look a bit proppy when tested more on the 40mtr range. Plenty to work with though and a few of the track watchers have claimed him as an inspired selection but none of the track watchers predicted this debut game at such and early stage.
Since then he also shadowed Lobb in a training session and has played a few times for Footscray before this surprise announcement.

It's a great news story to see him almost rushed into the side and you can tell on here that we all wish him well but this is where it all gets real for him on Saturday night.

I'd imagine his family and friends are super excited and as nervous as anything and I wonder how JOD feels the morning after the huge announcement? Go well young man and enjoy the experience.

Great read and I have had another look at the training reports.
Im getting excited at seeing James on Saturday night.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

Scoob did well to keep it all together.

Haha.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

I imagine James as Simon's son, prepared himself for this or cricket from an early age.
Achieving promise in cricket, then switching seemingly dramatically to footy is as dramatic as Bevo & co picking him.
No doubt Bevo senses James' readiness for greatness, purpose and drive.
The eldest son drive is powerful, even more so in a powerful person.
Body size and skill proven.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

I imagine James as Simon's son, prepared himself for this or cricket from an early age.
Achieving promise in cricket, then switching seemingly dramatically to footy is as dramatic as Bevo & co picking him.
No doubt Bevo senses James' readiness for greatness, purposeand drive.
Body size and skill presumed.
Averaging six marks a game with a taste for the contest.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

I imagine James as Simon's son, prepared himself for this or cricket from an early age.
Achieving promise in cricket, then switching seemingly dramatically to footy is as dramatic as Bevo & co picking him.
No doubt Bevo senses James' readiness for greatness, purposeand drive.
Body size and skill presumed.
Averaging six marks a game with a taste for the contest, hmmm reminds me of early reports of Naughton and he will grow and bulk up.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

Number 18.

Trent Bartlett?

[Grantysghost]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

i imagine james as simon's son, prepared himself for this or cricket from an early age.
Achieving promise in cricket, then switching seemingly dramatically to footy is as dramatic as bevo & co picking him.
No doubt bevo senses james' readiness for greatness, purposeand drive.
Body size and skill presumed.
Averaging six marks a game with a taste for the contest, hmmm reminds me of early reports of naughton and he will grow and bulk up.

x 3!

[Grantysghost]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

Did Bevo pick him just so he could meet Simon? Haha

Did he go to St.Bede's?

[Bornadog]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

Trent Bartlett?

Beasley

[D Mitchell]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

That rule is there to be exploited and I am glad we did

I wish we would recruit from Ireland also.
Ed Richards is from a famous Collingwood family who we valued higher than the resource rich club.
Now O'Donnel from Saints sitting on top of ladder.
It apeases me that we can be a destination club apart from Treloar being shown the door.
O'Donnel chose FFC rather than his families club deliberately with due consideration it seems.

O'DonnelL It didn't end well with Bernie Collins. James is the second O'Donnell to have played for our Club, Vincent Roy O'Donnell played 7 games in 1930. James might well be a descendant of the legendary Hugh Roe (Red) O'Donnell, High King. Legend has it that Red Hugh smote and dispatched 22 Kings Men of Carl Town in 1461, a mere 562 years ago.

[Eastdog]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

Good luck to James. Hope he has a great debut. Will see how he goes.

[SonofScray]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

His selection is quite surreal.

I note Bevo bristled at the commentary about him only being around for 35 days, and fair enough too given the association and support extends beyond that, but from our perspective as fans this is a real bolter.

Feels like one of Disney films, like The Rookie or Invincible. Or an old fashioned footy story where a club plucks a relative unknown from the country and they (potentially in our case) star.

Wish JOD well, he’s certainly added some interest to this weekend, no doubt there. Can’t expect too much from him, but a good showing really gets folk up and about I suspect.

[Scorlibo]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

Having watched two out of the three VFL games he's played, I've been very impressed with how involved he's been. A guy with his background you'd expect that maybe he manages to get his hands on it just a few times to begin with, chipping it around in the backline. Yet he's managed to have a real impact, including with intercept possessions and not being afraid to demand the ball when in space.

His selection is a shock, no doubt, but maybe he'll surprise at the next level as well? The mere selection excites me because it implies that the coaching group are liking what they see behind closed doors.

I think Liam Jones has been just okay so far this year, but his supreme athleticism to be first to the ball or close down space is a huge asset for a defensive unit, and I could see how O'Donnell could offer the same ability in time.

Best of luck Jimbo!

[EasternWest]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

O'DonnelL It didn't end well with Bernie Collins. James is the second O'Donnell to have played for our Club, Vincent Roy O'Donnell played 7 games in 1930. James might well be a descendant of the legendary Hugh Roe (Red) O'Donnell, High King. Legend has it that Red Hugh smote and dispatched 22 Kings Men of Carl Town in 1461, a mere 562 years ago.

Subscribe.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Re: Welcome to the Bulldogs: James O'Donnell

O'DonnelL It didn't end well with Bernie Collins. James is the second O'Donnell to have played for our Club, Vincent Roy O'Donnell played 7 games in 1930. James might well be a descendant of the legendary Hugh Roe (Red) O'Donnell, High King. Legend has it that Red Hugh smote and dispatched 22 Kings Men of Carl Town in 1461, a mere 562 years ago.

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