NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

[lemmon]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

Fairly glad i didnt go down then. Sounds like a fairly atrocious game we are probably able to sweep this one under the carpet though being only a NAB cup game.

[Stevo]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

Get your hand off it.

You might want to take some of your own advice as it was clearly posed as a question not a statement.

[Stevo]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

Dogs bottom four for 2009?

A month to go before the real season and while we might not be hitting the high notes at the moment there is still plenty of scope for some fine tuning.

[ledge]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

A month to go before the real season and while we might not be hitting the high notes at the moment there is still plenty of scope for some fine tuning.

From the posts it sounds like we need a lot more than fine tuning, more like back to basics.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

From the posts it sounds like we need a lot more than fine tuning, more like back to basics.

Anything half decent would be a start.

The decision making and disposal was atrocious - I can't believe how bad they were. I understand it's a NAB Cup match, it means nothing - etc. But if you saw today, you'd be wondering why they bothered turning up because it was beyond my comprehension of ... well, 'crap'. Far too much handball, which constantly put us under pressure, not a lot of leading/running and no game plan whatsoever.

I have no doubt we'll get better as the weeks wear on, but it was an odd game. Such an ugly "spectacle" - the ugliest I have ever seen. No structure in the game at all really. Forward lines non existant, plenty of flooding, handballs going everywhere. If somebody hit a target - it became a surprise.

St. Kilda looked better in the second half and showed some better signs, but they weren't great either. We were lucky to have one piece of play worth mentioning TBH. Stack to Lynch who played on and kicked a goal was good, but aside from that, it really was awful.

I just hope footy isn't going to be played like this because like Mantis said, if it is, then it's time to follow another code.

[Stevo]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

From the posts it sounds like we need a lot more than fine tuning, more like back to basics.

Obviously I'd prefer us to be playing a better brand of football but there is still a lot of time to get things right. 12 months ago were weren't playing that much better and it didn't hold us back.

[alwaysadog]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

I went and sat behind our bench and the players were on and off like clockwork, forwards, defenders, on ballers today it didn't matter. I'm surprised that Rocket didn't have two teams and do a complete swap every 4 minutes.
No chance of developing any cohesion, or to work on your game or an opponent off of his.
They were determined that no one was going to get heat effected.

It wasn't a game we tried to win. I suspect we would have called it off if we could.

[LostDoggy]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

No good hearing it was that bad...

I didnt expect a win or anything though, team we fielded is nowhere near our best 22, so i think theres nothing to get worried about, the real season is the real season this is just rubbish in the leadup..Look at last year, Essendon belted us in the nab comp, big woop that did for them.

Only concern is un-wanted travelling, I assume we have to goto Alice Springs or something like that next week?

[ledge]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

This interchanging all the time is the biggest load of rot ever, how do you get cohesion or anything if you spend your time concentrating on getting on and off a bench?
I posted once before how i can never understand how players kick team lifting goals, their adrenalin is running , they are on a high but then run off to the bench?
Players get paid squillions to only be on a ground for maybe 1 hr a game.
Go back to the old days i say and then you really see who the fit players and good side is by players running out a whole game.
How do players get to settle and show skills if they are only on for 5 minutes at a time?

[Mantis]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

I went and sat behind our bench and the players were on and off like clockwork, forwards, defenders, on ballers today it didn't matter. I'm surprised that Rocket didn't have two teams and do a complete swap every 4 minutes.
No chance of developing any cohesion, or to work on your game or an opponent off of his.
They were determined that no one was going to get heat effected.

It wasn't a game we tried to win. I suspect we would have called it off if we could.

So why didn't we get the game changed then? Perhaps we tried.

I understand what you are saying, but the lack of polish our player's showed, even early, was very disappointing.

[Mantis]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

Obviously I'd prefer us to be playing a better brand of football but there is still a lot of time to get things right. 12 months ago were weren't playing that much better and it didn't hold us back.

The most disappointing thing from my viewpoint was the poor decision making & the terrible skill level by our 'senior' players.

Players like Johnson, Gia, Cross, Lake, Boyd the list goes on should be master's at hitting targets. I counted Johnson make atleast 6 errors by foot and most of these were under little or no pressure. These are the same error's he makes during the regular season so I guess to think things might improve is asking a bit too much.

[Mantis]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

from the AFL website:

The Bulldogs started the better on Friday, but their trademark skill was noticeably absent, and coach Rodney Eade was at a loss to explain why.

"Normally a coach in this position, you've got all the psychological reasons and we can wheel them out to make excuses," he said.

"I know it was a little bit swirly today, the wind, but it (the lack of skill) was lamentable and most of the skills were not under a lot of pressure."

Eade said getting some experienced players back was the only positive to draw from the game.

Bulldog half-back Lindsay Gilbee fainted at half-time because of the heat but was fine after the match.
The Bulldogs play the Swans in western Sydney next weekend.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/72650/default.aspx

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

I was there today with Mantis.

We refused to use the word 'football' because whatever game it is they're playing, it bears no resemblance to the game I've played and watched for more than 35 years.

We started calling it 'Andersonball".

And it's shit.

[Missing Dog]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

Murphy only played the last quarter and you can tell he hasn't played in a while, shanked every one of his kicks (albeit there were only about 3).

Sounds like he picked up where he finished off last year.

[The Pie Man]

Re: NAB CHALLANGE MATCH v ST KILDA

I was there today with Mantis.

We refused to use the word 'football' because whatever game it is they're playing, it bears no resemblance to the game I've played and watched for more than 35 years.

We started calling it 'Andersonball".

And it's shit.

I didn't go today, and nor am I familiar with the reference, but I found this post hilarious nonetheless

We don't normally play ugly - bad sometimes, but rarely ugly. opin