Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

[jazzadogs]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

They seemed to really straddle the line of what is a required length kick coming out of defence as well, and I guess that's to their credit as some of them seemed very short, especially on the diagonal crossing into the square. It enabled them to hold possession and take advantage of our lack of frontal pressure/ disorganisation.

It was really noticeable that they would protect the ball with short kicks to uncontested marks, often linking 4 or 5 together to slice through us as we were too fatigued to close space in the zone like it is designed for.

By comparison, I can't think of a single time we linked even 3 uncontested marks in a row.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

It was really noticeable that they would protect the ball with short kicks to uncontested marks, often linking 4 or 5 together to slice through us as we were too fatigued to close space in the zone like it is designed for.

By comparison, I can't think of a single time we linked even 3 uncontested marks in a row.

Out run. Out worked. They just looked fitter and had more run in their legs all night.

[Bornadog]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Out run. Out worked. They just looked fitter and had more run in their legs all night.

No wonder coming off a bye, and we have had some terrible weeks where injuries left us with no rotations

[jeemak]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

It was really noticeable that they would protect the ball with short kicks to uncontested marks, often linking 4 or 5 together to slice through us as we were too fatigued to close space in the zone like it is designed for.

By comparison, I can't think of a single time we linked even 3 uncontested marks in a row.

It reminded me of how teams get or got picked apart on the narrow grounds of Kardinia and Subi of yesteryear respectively, where you give away the short thinking you can roll back and crunch space, but give three away and territory either laterally or by length has your defence cooked.

It also reminded me of how the outside five is catastrophic if the rest of your pressure game is cooked. In hindsight we were the trailblazers with that tactic, but when we were executing it at the implementation of the Stand Rule our pressure everywhere else was really bad. Now everyone is doing it at different times, and use it effectively.

[Eastdog]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Just got home from Marvel.

Another home game lost. Disappointing we could not consolidate our win from last week and good form in recent weeks tonight.

Our pressure would have been very low. We got beaten up in the midfield where the game was decided. They were more hungry and did seem a lot fitter than we were.

Tough for us being undermanned and playing a side coming off a bye and we also play another side Freo who are bying this week next. It is what it is.

The umpiring was atrocious and for all the talk of paying HTBs we certainly did not get the benefit.

Realistically we are still in the hunt for the top 8 with the competition being close. Top 4 out of reach now as you need at least 15 wins or more to make it.

We could definitely miss the 8 again all together. Just too inconsistent.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

How can we be drawn two weeks in a row against teams coming off the bye? The fixture is atrocious and the opening round has created even more issues.

[jeemak]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

How can we be drawn two weeks in a row against teams coming off the bye? The fixture is atrocious and the opening round has created even more issues.

From a mate in a WhatsApp group that usually rips into us and Bevo:

The schedule wins that come out of our horrid fixture is so wrong. It’s bad enough when teams get to walk into the finals when they draw 2 against the 3 bottom sides but to get done on byes and short weeks after interstate travel is corrupt.

There's too many teams getting screwed, and we've been cooked this year on byes in particular.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Bevo

Difficult to win with the landslide of clearances.

[Eastdog]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Would be interesting to know the stat tonight for how many times we won the ball when we hit the deck as I felt that we were just really bad in this area.

We need some zippy small forwards. West has helped here didn't have his best night. We miss Weightman.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Bevo

We could not get enough momentum and didn't have enough winners all over the ground. We could not have been beaten more convicing and we we still kicked 70 points and we were in the game.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Bevo

In the first half their uncontested marking game they picked us apart. We didn't execute as well as we had. They also got goals close to goal out the back and we have not been giving a lot of those up. Our mids allowed the ball out of the source to quickly, we fumbled and we left our defence exposed.

[jeemak]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Just got home from Marvel.

Another home game lost. Disappointing we could not consolidate our win from last week and good form in recent weeks tonight.

Our pressure would have been very low. We got beaten up in the midfield where the game was decided. They were more hungry and did seem a lot fitter than we were.

Tough for us being undermanned and playing a side coming off a bye and we also play another side Freo who are bying this week next. It is what it is.

The umpiring was atrocious and for all the talk of paying HTBs we certainly did not get the benefit.

Realistically we are still in the hunt for the top 8 with the competition being close. Top 4 out of reach now as you need at least 15 wins or more to make it.

We could definitely miss the 8 again all together. Just too inconsistent.

Great post Eastie, thanks from someone who wasn't there.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Bevo

There was an energy in their game at the source that we could not match. I'm not going to make excuses (about them coming off a bye). We were just outplayed.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

Bevo

JOD played his role as a forward well tonight. Lobb had an ankle and was not covering the ground as well as he normally does. Buku was insurance for us tonight.

[SonofScray]

Re: Bulldogs V Lions - Round 13, 7/6/24 Marvel Stadium 7:40PM AEST

All the fawning over a 6-6 record and guffawing at folk who have expressed frustration with the Club and are looking for a change over the past few weeks doesn’t seem to have taken place on as solid ground as perhaps it felt.

Finals are going to require a very strong, consistent run of footy, beating good teams in form and ready on the day. We aren’t doing that and haven’t been doing it for a while. Some positive signs in the past month but it was very optimistic to look past the * on the wins.


We are a capable team, very capable when the conditions are right. Tonight, with injuries and the bye and fatigue etc there were plenty of conditions not right.