The Blueprint

[Dry Rot]

Re: The Blueprint

I think most of us are all on the same page here and agree we need a mini rebuild.

If you want something out of Roughead in 2011 I think Hudson would need to be traded as well.

I don't get your logic here. IMO Roughead needs a good injury free in the Willi ones next year.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: The Blueprint

The thing that is concerning me is our up and coming YOUTH.

I understand they are all showing potential but Eade and the Club did state at the end of last year they expected quite a few of the youngsters to be pushing for and playing senior footy in 2009 - Grant, Everitt, Stack, O'Keffe, Wood, Reid.
Bar Ward and Harbrow this really has not happened. I think Williams is only playing senior football cause he can run and has some size about him.

Everitt, Stack, O'Keefe and Reid have had OK-good seasons playing at Williamstown but have rarely been given a chance at the next level. Eade said he'd be getting games into this group of players and it hasn't happened. He also said he'd rest Hudson, Johnson, Akermanis and Eagleton where needed. That too, hasn't happened.

IMO most of them haven't been given the opportunity and it seems as though they won't get it until the 3-4 older players retire. That's why I really think we need to move most of them on and turn our attention to developing a very young and talented list.

My biggest concern is our up and coming forwards maybe not so our key position forwards but our mid sized forwards.

Agreed. We've got quite a few holes popping up now, and KPP's isn't one of them. We need to get games into Stack & O'Keefe as they have been earmarked for positions in the forward haf of the ground/midfield. I suspect we'll be trying to draft one or two mid sized forwards too.

[GVGjr]

Re: The Blueprint

Lets stay focused on the thread title rather than challenging the individual details.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Blueprint

Its a case of don't give the kids a go, but if we don't we'll never know! The majority of other clubs are but we just don't seem to think its warrented! Now we have a few injurys and Rockets got bugger all options! Poor list management if you ask me What a crappy weekend of footy

[Mantis]

Re: The Blueprint

Its a case of don't give the kids a go, but if we don't we'll never know! The majority of other clubs are but we just don't seem to think its warrented! Now we have a few injurys and Rockets got bugger all options! Poor list management if you ask me What a crappy weekend of footy

Do Geelong & St.Kilda play their kids just for the sake of it? Not a chance.

Over the past 2 seasons we have had one of the the best win/ loss ratio's in the business. The reason for this is because we have been able to keep our best team on the park due to good management and some lady luck. We haven't had the need to play the kids and really their performances at the lower level hasn't really warranted them being given an opportunity to play in a team that has been reasonably successful.

However, we played Grant against Carlton earlier this season and he was buggered at 1/4 time, Stack also played a game and was very quiet. Reid forced his way into the team and performed admirably, but got injured in the process and hasn't been seen since.

One would think a couple of players will get an opportunity over the coming weeks, I hope these guys take the chance they are provided with.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Blueprint

Now is the time to rest some of our players, Hudson - bring in Skipper, bring in O'keefe int the forward line, rest Aker for one game, and Johno the other game against the WA sides.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: The Blueprint

Now is the time to rest some of our players, Hudson - bring in Skipper, bring in O'keefe int the forward line, rest Aker for one game, and Johno the other game against the WA sides.

Skip would really struggle against Sandilands. I would prefer Hudson & Minson to be honest, likewise the following week against NicNat.

[Mantis]

Re: The Blueprint

Skip would really struggle against Sandilands. I would prefer Hudson & Minson to be honest, likewise the following week against NicNat.

It might be better to rest Hudson from the Brisbane game, saves him making a road trip and I think Skipper could go ok against Mitch Clark.

[Jasper]

Re: The Blueprint

Talking of blue prints, I think Eade showed us the blueprint to beat the saints in the third qrt. It is ugly football but It worked, if not for the 2 injuries and the 19th man we may have been there abouts. we have the team with the skills that can beat them but as the third qrt showed we have to be prepared to play ugly arse footy, commit all our numbers back and then release the runners. Aka's pass to Griffen for the last goal of the qrt was a prime example of this.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: The Blueprint

St. Kilda are on track to be the first team in history to go through a season without blooding a first gamer.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: The Blueprint

St. Kilda are on track to be the first team in history to go through a season without blooding a first gamer.

The fitness guy they got from Sydney, Dave Missen I think, has done well over a fair while with player conditioning.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Blueprint

Im not sure if I can articulate my concern adequately, but I think their will be pain in the transission from predominantly 6 individual mid sized forwards to two key marking forwards over the next two years. Can we effectively adapt our current game style to suit this transition?

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Blueprint

Do Geelong & St.Kilda play their kids just for the sake of it? Not a chance.
Over the past 2 seasons we have had one of the the best win/ loss ratio's in the business. The reason for this is because we have been able to keep our best team on the park due to good management and some lady luck. We haven't had the need to play the kids and really their performances at the lower level hasn't really warranted them being given an opportunity to play in a team that has been reasonably successful.
However, we played Grant against Carlton earlier this season and he was buggered at 1/4 time, Stack also played a game and was very quiet. Reid forced his way into the team and performed admirably, but got injured in the process and hasn't been seen since.

One would think a couple of players will get an opportunity over the coming weeks, I hope these guys take the chance they are provided with.

Do Geelong and St.Kilda play out of form and injured players? Not a chance!!
We seem to think we can get away with it!! There have certainly been some performances at Willi that have warrented a spot! Thier unwillingness or lack of guts is going to backfire and all the cracks are starting to widen. We have depth but we dont use it. Sure they are young, so what! Start dropping a few blokes and watch everyone s**t themselves

[AndrewP6]

Re: The Blueprint

Do Geelong and St.Kilda play out of form and injured players? Not a chance!!
We seem to think we can get away with it!! There have certainly been some performances at Willi that have warrented a spot! Thier unwillingness or lack of guts is going to backfire and all the cracks are starting to widen. We have depth but we dont use it. Sure they are young, so what! Start dropping a few blokes and watch everyone s**t themselves

I haven't seen much of the players at Willy, so I can only comment based on my perceptions. I think that the depth we supposedly have isn't really there. Making the big jump from VFL to AFL is huge. Maybe the coaches feel the players doing well at Willy wouldn't make the jump that well. And we can't flirt with form...not good enough for that.

[Bulldog Joe]

Re: The Blueprint

The thread is full of posts about how individual players should be treated. That is not a blueprint but week to week action.

The Blueprint should be about how the club develops the list, how they work with Williamstown, how they set goals for players as individuals and the team.

An important part of the Blueprint is to keep the Bulldogs a continual premieship threat and would identify the resources the club need to provide to maximise the chance at the ultimate prize.