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Re: Disgraceful
I haven't even seen the game, should I watch it? Very busy weekend so I'm glad I missed it.
What is the most disappointing thing about dropping this game is that it has made it a pretty tough ask to hang onto a top 4 spot. We set up our destiny early on last year and pretty much rode that into the Finals now this year we have a real battle on our hands. We have to play 3 of the top 5 sides in the final 3 weeks. Win all or at least 2 of those we'll keep stay in the 4. Lose 2 or all we'll be playing in an Elimination Final.
Next week is now a huge one! If they can't get motivated for this game and pull out a win I doubt they'll make top 4 or do much more come finals time. It's time to prove ourselves over the next 3 weeks.Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
I agree with what you say for the most part MJP, but there's a few things I disagree with including the above. I understand the sentiment of not having anyone else to bring in and play that role, but the fact is - besides 2 or 3 games this entire season - Hahn has been a liability. I was a huge fan of his prior to this seaso, but he's had a horrible year. His bag v Fremantle came about fairly easy. I think he might've played OK against North the next week, and obviously the Essendon game was a standout, but aside from that he's been poor.
Hahn's inability to apply pressure and win a contest has been costly. He is out-muscled and out-marked far too easily this year. It seems as though he can't break the tackles like he used to, is rarely in the 'right spot' at the drop of the ball and allows his defender to run right off him. Why hasn't he been dropped once? A 'statement' needed to be made much earleir in the year to him that he needed to lift his output. It wouldn't of mattered who we brought in - they couldn't of done a worse job than Mitch. I'm not a fan of Skipper but to switch these two may have awoken Hahn at the VERY least. Nothing was tried and as a result we're none the better.
You have to at least try and find an alternative. Whether that's replacing him for a couple of weeks or whether it's just telling him to go and find some touch/form at VFL.
The only thing Eagleton has proved is that he cannot perform under ANY pressure. How many times must he prove this before the coaching panel decides to invest their time in developing another player? They might not be ready - but I would much prefer to develop a young player rather than waste time on a player who continually lets the side down. His football over the last 6-8 weeks has been garbage. It's beyond my comprehension how he still gets a game.The rest of the group are not taking their chances - hence the coaches believe that Eagleton continues to be a better bet than the younger group. Why? Because he has at least proved it at some point...
They never should of been in this position to begin with. If they were able to fight back and win, perhaps people would be talking a little more about the 'come back'. However, we lost to a bottom four side and were smashed in the first half. Even when we did hit the front, we couldn't topple them.It is how you respond in tough times that proves who you are - not what you do when things are rolling along. Backs against the wall, they responded. That is a simple fact. The first half was terrible - yep, acknowledged. But if you hold this to be the truth about them then you must EQUALLY say that the fact that they will fight tooth and nail when they are down and the odds are against them is the truth. But you wont do this - you say that the poor effort represents their behavior, but refuse to say that the fightback does.
I'm sorry - but they shouldn't be getting a pat on the back for coming back and losing to West Coast. They deserve everything they get for such a performance with so much writing on it.
Nobody cares if you fight back and lose, especially when it's:
a) The third time you've lost under a kick and still haven't learnt from poor starts.
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b) Against a side completely out of finals contention.
Apart from the Hawks game we haven't come close to playing four quarters for the entire year. Too often we give away 5-6 goals in quick succession. We learned that you can't afford to do this against ANY side, let alone quality ones. The team has gone missing in all but one game played this year.'This team' has been liable to go missing? No they haven't - they have lost 3 games in 3 months - and two of those were by less than a kick.
I really don't understand why they should be admired for getting themselves back into a game against a bottom four side, and still lose.They are not pathetic - not even close. The efforts in the first half were not up to the standards that they themselves had set...they tried to put it right. That is to be admired.
You can't set your sights on making finals and winning Premierships, and then when you lose to an average side, 'admire' your efforts. I thought we passed this mentality a few years ago?
I understand you're trying to give a balanced view but after Saturday's performance particularly, I'm afraid you can't make any excuses or admire anything they did. Quite simply - it wasn't anywhere near good enough.W00F!Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
What is succuesful about making the top 4?? The only sucess that maters is what happes once you make the top 4 and we have only achieved this once in our existence.
Recent prem sides, you say..... I can guarantee you we won't see one of those sides giving up 30 point head starts in most of their games and allowing opposition teams to kick 6 or 7 unanswered goals in 5 minutes with sickening regularity.
I agree it's with you that it's hard to win, but are you overlooking who we lost to and the manner in which we lost the game. The manner in which we lost the game is a perfect example of how we play our footy, most times we can overrun a side and win, which can mask the fact that we are nowhere near a 4 quarter side.
At our best I reckon we can match it with anyone, the problem is, our best is so far away from what is being displayed that I doubt it can be regained this year. WCE highlighted and made obvious what we have been able to cover up this year, poor disposal into half forward through lack of geniune options, suspect decsion making and a work ethic that is always left to too few in our side.
Our structures are flawed and many of our good players cannot cope with a hard tag. Throw in a few 30+ year old guys and no tall options I fear that we will fall short, literally.
Was I harsh on your post, yes and I apologise. I read back over it and I could of used less abrasive language but thats what I get for posting straight after a loss.
What I wont apologise for is disagreeing with the premise of your post which suggests that we are going well because we can respond to adversity. Our side needs adversity like a drug before it can switch on and that is not a good sign.Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
Someone needs to bottle this post for vintage.
We are not a bad side but we have a lot of very bad qualities, qualities which don't bode well in finals. We have every right to expect more form our club especially given what was on the line and the calibre of opposition we were facing.
In 19 attempts they haven't won in Melb, yet we let them get 46 points up!!!
Sure it's not the end of the world, however, finals are only weeks away and at present we are nowhere near it. I'd like to think we can switch on and turn it around, play the sort of footy that was starting to change the preceptions of so many. Tough, hard, contested footy.... This is not the sort of game we are plaing at the moment.Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
I do not mean to say I told you so however a few weeks back, I stated we need to tinker with our game plan otherwise we will get the same result in finals as last year (might be worse). I shall leave that to the powers that be..........Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
No, you did not miss it, in fact you were one of the replies I received.
Again you will disagree however Williams was getting comprehensively beaten by Kennedy, there was an opportunity to say to him "go forward, back your instincts and run run run". He could not have done any worse playing forward. I know you will say, "he is struggling down back, how is he going to perform up forward". Not comparing the 2 however I have not yet seen Tippett play down back, perhaps Williams will never be a backman?
There was an opportunity to play Lake forward for at least a quarter (other than Kennedy) they did not have another dominant big man in their forward line.
Why does Malthouse have the guts to play 3 youngsters in a huge game a few weeks back yet we either do not have the faith to address a weakness in our structure or the youngsters are not ready. If they are not ready, when will they be? Mick has often said with youngsters it is only a birth certificate, he backs them in.
Only time we give tall youngsters a go to address a key position deficiency are in practise matches (Mulligan played against Sydney and did alright by all reports).Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
My bad.
Our tall youngsters are not ready.
Grant - He can't run out a game at VFL, how will he make an impact at AFL level. After the Carlton game (his first) the kid was distraught when realised just how far away he is from having his body ready for senior action.
Boumann - Clearly not up to it yet. Leads to the wrong spots even at VFL level when up forward and gets pushed around too easily in defence. Not the answer yet.
Cordy - Not ready for 2 years.
Mulligan - Shown promise, but is always injured.
O'Shea - Injured all year.
Roughead - Injuries have hurt, might play a role next year.
Everitt - Hasn't improved.
Did I miss anyone?Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
Boumann - Clearly not up to it yet. Leads to the wrong spots even at VFL level when up forward and gets pushed around too easily in defence. Not the answer yet.
You could insert Williams instead of Boumann and it sounds like the same player.
How about Williams playing forward last week? And Lake for a quarter?
Having said that, if O'Shea was fit, he may well have played some games this year.Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
Another year of mediocrity; believing the hype about ourselves and our "potential". Every year it's another excuse, another fall-back. Oh, no key forward. Oh, injuries. Oh travel. Oh under-resourced. Oh under-financed. Clubs in far more perilous financial positions than us have managed success - North Melbourne is an example of this. The happy-clappy brigade on this forum are once again way too soft in their assessments. Way too forgiving, and have their estimations of our playing stocks set way too high. If you're not cynical about our club, where it's been, where it's at and where it's going - then you're living in a fantasy land. Bornadog, mjp and the rest of you - stop making excuses for the team and the coach. If it's not "players missing" it would be something else for you happy-clappy, "everything's OK" muppets. You talk about how 'valiant' our comeback was. We shouldn't have been in that position - and every single player in that 22 knew that when they walked off on Saturday. Valiant comebacks mean SFA in the grand scheme of things. And we've been in this position now several times this season (Pies, Cats and WCE). Well done Bulldogs Bite on a good post, one of the few good ones in this thread.
The game against WCE summed up our inherently insipid culture. "Almost there" & "so close". Not ****ing good enough. The past few years we've had the pundits contantly wax lyrical about the Dogs. "Great side, lots of potential, could go all the way", etc etc. And each year, we as a club (and especially those within the club) fall victim to believing this hype, and never actually end up enacting it.
We played like a side that simply did not have the desire, culturally, to want to win. Against a side missing its marquee performers (Cox and Kerr), and a side that had nothing to play for. Ourselves on the other hand, still have that elusive goal of a Prem...feck even a grand final would be a refreshing change. Something our opponents on Saturday have achieved on numerous occasions in their short-lived AFL existence. Cox and Kerr are just as important to WCE as Gia/Higgins are to us, if not MORE. We had EVERYTHING to play for. To run into some good form before finals, to take confidence into the remaining three H&A games; all of which will be tough as hell. But instead, we fall over when it matters most.
This year we've had only a small group of players that have been 100% committed and desperate for just about every game. You can count them on one hand; Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken, Harbrow, Lake and Hargrave. The rest of our team have been inconsistent and unreliable over not just this year, but the past few years when we've been touted as 'contenders'. Players like Eagleton, Hahn, Minson, Hill - who have been getting extended runs in the senior side and have not been taught a lesson by having their inconsistent efforts punished. Complacency has set in, and this means standards drop.
Then there is the game plan. Oh yes, our "game plan". Having a running game is all well and good. At times it can be entertaining, yes entertaining. If I want ****ing entertainment - I'll go watch a movie or I'll go to the circus. I want results, I want wins. If that means playing outdated football that involves kicking to contests and/or having people in front of the ball (instead of 21 of the 22 being behind it) - so ****ing be it. If something isn't working, or if the opposition have figured us out - it's up to Eade to make changes accordingly. Tactically he has been nothing short of inept for most of the year. We've beaten some teams, but no one of any substance. In the one game where we came close (Geelong); we were playing catch-up the whole game because tactically Eade was slow to react.
ON NOTICE:
- Smorgon (if you didn't stick the boot up Eade's arse on Saturday, you deserve to take a long look at yourself; demand improvement constantly and demand changes)
- Eade (You've had a fair bit of time now to develop a Plan B)
- Hahn (should be dropped immediately)
- Eagleton (should be dropped immediately)
- Hill (lacking consistency and effort on a weekly basis, 2's for a few weeks)
- Minson (take grabs or **** off; Skipper deserves a chance)
- Addison (not good enough for AFL. Full. Stop.)
- Cooney (get your head out of your arse boy)
- Cross (work-rate is down, one good year doesn't make an elite midfielder)
- Everitt (you've been given the #3, and I'm still wondering why)
- Welsh (join the long list of reject spuds we've signed over the years, you play 1 good game in 5 - not good enough)
- Williams (figure out what you want to do with your life; you're looking like a waste of space)
- Griffen (start performing consistently or I'll really begin to believe Tambling is a better player than you)
Robert Murphy. Didn't even play against West Coast, but doesn't escape my wrath in any case. Stop writing wanky articles and focus on your football. I'm sick of how our players get distracted with off-field stuff. You're not James Hird. You've strung together a handful of games in the past couple seasons and you go missing at crucial moments when you do actually play. Murphy, Gia and a few others get a free ride from way too many posters on this forum. They are part of the leadership group and it's time we demand more. They are the ones setting the example to other players.Comment
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Re: Disgraceful
a. So who do you replace each of these players with next week?
Yep, that 1 hour per week Murph takes out to write an article must really be affecting his football
Gia is underrated by even our own fans so I'm not sure demanding more will make any on field difference.Western Bulldogs: 2016 PremiersComment
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