Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

[Scorlibo]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Thought Grant showed some good signs. Some great grabs and some great kicks. Made an absolute howler in the third quarter but aside from that he did OK.

Should Grant be playing deeper forward? We lack direction kicking into the forward fifty, and Grant would prove a good leading target in the absence of Johnno and Murph.

[KT31]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Should Grant be playing deeper forward? We lack direction kicking into the forward fifty, and Grant would prove a good leading target in the absence of Johnno and Murph.

IMO Murphy plays better running off the back and I have grave concerns with Johnno's injury and age he may end up being another handbrake in the forward fifty.
We can't play Hahn, Minson, Aker, Bazza and Johnno in the same forward line and leave Hill the only one with any leg speed.

[G-Mo77]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

IMO Murphy plays better running off the back and I have grave concerns with Johnno's injury and age he may end up being another handbrake in the forward fifty.
We can't play Hahn, Minson, Aker, Bazza and Johnno in the same forward line and leave Hill the only one with any leg speed.

That was pretty noticeable tonight. The Bombers just ran it out with ease all night and because of the overlap it freed up so many players. Stack has been helpful by adding a little speed inside the forward 50 but he really offered nothing tonight and I would be very surprised if he gets a game next week.

Is there anyone else who could play in the forward half with a bit of pace and apply some much needed forward pressure?

[lemmon]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

That was pretty noticeable tonight. The Bombers just ran it out with ease all night and because of the overlap it freed up so many players. Stack has been helpful by adding a little speed inside the forward 50 but he really offered nothing tonight and I would be very surprised if he gets a game next week.

Is there anyone else who could play in the forward half with a bit of pace and apply some much needed forward pressure?

Perhaps Picken could play this role but its really robbing Peter to play Paul as we don't have another speedy stopper

[AndrewP6]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Pathetic effort for about 90 percent of game time. So disappointing to have a great chance to build momentum going into the middle of the season, and we look like we're playing a NAB Challenge match. To have so many passengers (or is it bystanders?) when we desperately had to have someone stand up was, IMO, shattering. To get the ball, either by clearance, intercept, turnover etc... and then just kick it to no one, or worse, straight back to them, was amateur. We got nothing or next to nothing from Higgins, Aker, Hahn, Stack, Minson, Hargrave (and so on), we deserved to lose that by 8 or 9 goals, not points. And Collingwood next week? Lord, help us...

Shattered.

[G-Mo77]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Perhaps Picken could play this role but its really robbing Peter to play Paul as we don't have another speedy stopper

Yeah he is to valuable to us with the role he plays now. I thought he was very good all night. Busted his arse for the whole game, it's a pity it didn't rub off on some of the other passengers out there.

[Sedat]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

We needed to be clean with our disposal tonight - fair to say a Richmondesque 61% disposal efficiency by foot will not help any team win a game of football, and Essendon profited from our generosity accordingly. Higgins was at an appalling 25% efficiency by foot, with his numerous ineffective little dinky around the corner kicks off his left foot the lowlight of the night, and Coons was only tracking at 50%. The delivery into our forward 50 especially in the 3rd qtr was as poor as I've seen from a Dogs outfit in many a year - so many up and unders that were money for jam for Fletcher and Pears, followed by 4-5 shanks from Coons and Griff in clear space. Our clearance work was actually very good on the night but we simply wasted too many gilt-edged chances to punish Essendon on the scoreboard, and we also coughed the ball up all too easily to them throughout the night. Their defensive pressure was very good to be fair to them, and they spread and ran harder to present all night.

FFS if Higgins is sore and cannot kick properly because of his groin soreness, rest him for as long as he needs to get 100% right. Doing neither him nor the team any favours trying to nurse him through.

[macca]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

If the players are in the wrong head space- re the Aker stuff, then I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility that it could manifest in them getting frustrated with each other.
Then again with the way we were butchering the ball, that alone might be enough to push the players frustration out into the open.

Good pickup. Gia was very pissed off late in the 3rd quarter when an errant kick did not hit him on the wing. The missed mark as well at satrt of 4th , really showed his frustration. I just wonder how much is it in the player's heads.
The bombers look quick, and much more cohesive as a team. Their disposal was still ordinary but they always seemed to have players around. We our poor disposal was worse than theres.

And why do we keep giving team 2 goal starts in games ? Surely this has to be addressed ? Hall 5, Hill 3, and gilbee 2, where is hahn ? stack and grant ? I'm not sure about the assists but would like to know how many assists our fwds, contributed.

[GVGjr]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Whilst Hudson was very good for us last night the ruck combination for Hille and Ryder had a real presence all over the ground. They took some nice marks in the back half and Ryder in particular was a threat up forward.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Even though Grant didnt kick any goals (he proberly would have if he kicked on his left footy) I thought he was pretty good last night, that was just a crap game, SO disapointed.

I really hope we bounce back next week!

[Missing Dog]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

I really think last nite has cost us a top four spot i really hope im wrong though after this round we are going to be two games from 1 2 3 and a tough game next week against the pies going to be real tough

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Didn't get a chance to post after the game last night, but was a very flat performance. From early on it was obvious that we lacked intensity for the contest, and Essendon really wanted it a lot more than we did.

Our guys just couldn't get into the game.

Our disposal was terrible, and the majority of the side were passengers.



It's not the end of the world, but dropping these "winnable" games is going to come back to bite us on the bum later in the year. MASSIVE game next week now.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Pathetic effort for about 90 percent of game time. So disappointing to have a great chance to build momentum going into the middle of the season, and we look like we're playing a NAB Challenge match. To have so many passengers (or is it bystanders?) when we desperately had to have someone stand up was, IMO, shattering. To get the ball, either by clearance, intercept, turnover etc... and then just kick it to no one, or worse, straight back to them, was amateur. We got nothing or next to nothing from Higgins, Aker, Hahn, Stack, Minson, Hargrave (and so on), we deserved to lose that by 8 or 9 goals, not points. And Collingwood next week? Lord, help us...

Shattered.

I watched it on the web, using the FLASH app at AFLlive.
Those Damned little red dots. they had so much possession. We just could not get our hands on the ball, and costly misses by minson and others.
GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FlightoftheCallanWards]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

Just a really, really disappointing effort from almost all. Makes next week absolutely massive. I thought before last night's game that we should get the win but would struggle next week. If we can grab a win next week (highly unlikely) then we will be 7-4 and reasonably well set.

A few changes though. Stack really has to be dropped, Higgins rested until fit. Moles has been ready to go hasn't he?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Essendon

If the players are in the wrong head space- re the Aker stuff, then I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility that it could manifest in them getting frustrated with each other.
Then again with the way we were butchering the ball, that alone might be enough to push the players frustration out into the open.

I didn't get to even listen to the game as I was at a function, but I was having the scores text to me all night. Good to read everyone's posts so that i can get some idea of how crap we played! I too am wondering if all the off field stuff is affecting them, although we really haven't been at our best all year? I hate to read that some players were abusing one another for not hitting targets, etc. This just smacks of more trouble IMO. What I thought was going to be a good year, culminating in a great year, seems to be slowly dripping down the drain