Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

[G-Mo77]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Yep. Especially to chuck him straight in the centre circle, matched up against Mundy.

Should have been given three quarters to play himself in, then subbed out if anything. Would have been fierce at the start of the match, but not as much as it would have been at the start of the last quarter with scores level!

Addison would have been a much better choice if this is the role they had planned for Mitch. I really feel sorry for the kid after the way he was handled tonight.

[angelopetraglia]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

45 touches is awesome. Problem is how many of the 45 actually hurt the divide?

24 contested possessions. 12 clearances. He gets it on inside where the pressure and heat are immense. He was everywhere. Gets a lot of ball to the outside runners. Winning the inside footy is such an important part of the game. He is not the reason we lost.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

As always, our best players DON'T step up when we need them to.

Agreed. At best we are lazy but realistically we are mentally weak and this explains seasons 2008, 2009 and 2010.

looks like we'll be spared the anguish of another PF loss year.

[comrade]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

I am actually with you and mjp in rating us higher than I did before the game. I thought we were in a log jam talent wise and could be in the latter half of the eight but I rate us as a top 4 side. I just don't see us being more than that.

Then what do we have to do to take us to the next level?

[Dry Rot]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Then what do we have to do to take us to the next level?

A number of heart transplants.

[comrade]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

A number of heart transplants.

Be constructive.

[Rocco Jones]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Agreed. At best we are lazy but realistically we are mentally weak and this explains seasons 2008, 2009 and 2010.

looks like we'll be spared the anguish of another PF loss year.

Definitely don't agree with the lazy call but do somewhat with the mentally weak. Some sides can be so mentally weak that they cannot simply compete with the gun sides, we are different. We definitely can compete and do it very well. We just crumble when the win is in sight.

Tonight made me more confident that we are a top 4 side but probably a little less belief that we win the flag (which is very minimal anyway).

[GVGjr]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Agreed. At best we are lazy but realistically we are mentally weak and this explains seasons 2008, 2009 and 2010.

looks like we'll be spared the anguish of another PF loss year.

I can't agree as this is nothing more than an embarrassingly inaccurate critique.

I just can't be bothered going over this again with you.

[ReLoad]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

The fact wasnt that our players didnt have heart, they came back and fought as hard as I have ever seen from them before. It was that we were not smart, and we did not capitalise on our opportunities.

Things we should have done differently: Lake going forward was the right thing to do, but after we were in front stick him back again. We needed him down there to stabilise.
We should have played some uncontested footy, drop guys back and play kick to kick, control the tempo. Nick Maxwell at Collingcrap would have commanded and directed this, likewise the coaching staff should have orchestrated this.

Needless to say, we got in a winning position, we worked hard enough to get there, its just taking control of that situation and finishign it off.
That game will have Freo in an amazing frame of mind, whereas we're going to get smacked around now and be pushign it uphill.

We also have some seriously sore bodies and underdone players, I have a feeling this is going to get ugly.

[Rocco Jones]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

A number of heart transplants.

Ridiculous call. I am extremely frustrated believe me but one of us knows very little about footy if you thought that performance lacked 'heart'. I actually think we care 'too much' if that could even begin to make sense. We work so bloody hard in these big games but the monkey keeps on getting bigger and our guys know it. No surprise that it's the senior guys who struggle most with it.

Then what do we have to do to take us to the next level?

I'm not sure but a few things could help.

Win a huge game by 'accident'. For example Freo just wasting all the opportunities we handled to them during our meltdown. Just winning a huge game, even if it's despite a meltdown, would be huge with our confidence.

New guys who haven't really been a part of the meltdowns coming into the side. This is not to say they should just be handed a game of course and inexperience brings it's own issues in big moments too obviously but just seems like there are a lot of our guys with that ape on their back.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Be constructive.

I'm being accurate.

IIRC in late 2000 we took on a hot Carlton side before Kouta did his knee. We were way under strength and beat the bastards. A few weeks later, we beat the "unbeatable" Bombers side.

And then in in 2002 with club in chaos we had that memorable draw against the Bombers and then IIRC last round beat the worthy 2002 grand finalists the Pies.

Victories won with heart against better opponents.

When did we last do this this against similar teams/similar odds in 2008 - 2011?

[The Pie Man]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Then what do we have to do to take us to the next level?

If it's about executing in the moment as Eade has mentioned during the week, it was a bit of 1 step forward, 2 steps back tonight. Coming back from 20 down was impressive, but Freo were pretty bad in partly allowing that..and then we can't close it out despite having possesion in the forward 50 wih 3 mins left and being a goal up.

The team's been built - we can perform better than tonight, though is there a new level they can get to that we haven't previously seen?

[comrade]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

New guys who haven't really been a part of the meltdowns coming into the side. This is not to say they should just be handed a game of course and inexperience brings it's own issues in big moments too obviously but just seems like there are a lot of our guys with that ape on their back.

The side is already undergoing a transition with players like Jones, Roughead, Liberatore, Wallis, Ward (if he stays), Grant all playing roles. Say if we get half way through the year and it's looking likely we're just going to be making up the numbers, do we turbo charge the transition and get games into Howard, Cordy, Dahlhaus, Schofield etc?

I know dreamers play kids but I'm dreaming of a premiership and despite how fantastic the guys drafted in 1999-2001 have been, it's looking more and more like they're not going to be the ones to break our drought.

[The Pie Man]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

The side is already undergoing a transition with players like Jones, Roughead, Liberatore, Wallis, Ward (if he stays), Grant all playing roles. Say if we get half way through the year and it's looking likely we're just going to be making up the numbers, do we turbo charge the transition and get games into Howard, Cordy, Dahlhaus, Schofield etc?

I know dreamers play kids but I'm dreaming of a premiership and despite how fantastic the guys drafted in 1999-2001 have been, it's looking more and more like they're not going to be the ones to break our drought.

I'm going to give it until after the Sydney game to make this call to myself - I agree with your comment

[Dry Rot]

Re: Game Day 2011 - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

Ridiculous call. I am extremely frustrated believe me but one of us knows very little about footy if you thought that performance lacked 'heart'. I actually think we care 'too much' if that could even begin to make sense. We work so bloody hard in these big games but the monkey keeps on getting bigger and our guys know it. No surprise that it's the senior guys who struggle most with it.

See post above. If not heart, then what is it? Between the ears?

We used to win some of these pressure games, now we don't. Simple fact.

I can also recall that game v North when their vice captain returned after his head was almost sliced off. Absolute pressure to the end, with that clearance from the centre to Croft and Carey.

We used to win our fair share of these high pressure/against the odds games, but now we don't.

Why?