Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Either Grommet is being sat on or he is having a case of the second year blues, hasn't done as much as last year and he used to run players down which I don't think I've seen much of the season.

He's a forward who's being asked to play as a mid because our mids are predominately slow and have &^%* disposal. I'm concerned we will create second year blues by asking too much of this kid. Our captain (amoungs others) refuses to be accountable with his disposal. Poor grommet then has to chase and chase and chase because no one else has any pace. Only one thing will turn this around and that's the draft.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

92 points ... 11 percentage points for the Swans. Will the powers that be now admitt that we need a rebuild ??
We had a lot of bad losses last year, this is the most embarrassing !!

This post sums up my response to the loss, and is the attitude I went into the season with.

We need to rebuild.

We beat GWS, Gold Coast and the Demons and all of a sudden "our season is back on track".

Then we beat North, and we're "the big improvers" and finals aren't out of the question!!

But today the truth was delivered, cold on a plastic serving tray, with no cutlery.

We need to rebuild. We need pace and class to complement the grunt.

I've had a gut full of grunt, embellished with grunt and lightly seasoned with grunt, served with a farce of slowly roasted grunt, ( and a complementary side salad of skilled, but slow, one way runners).

Okay, that's a good old fashioned purge.

[Eastdog]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

This post sums up my response to the loss, and is the attitude I went into the season with.

We need to rebuild.

We beat GWS, Gold Coast and the Demons and all of a sudden "our season is back on track".

Then we beat North, and we're "the big improvers" and finals aren't out of the question!!

But today the truth was delivered, cold on a plastic serving tray, with no cutlery.

We need to rebuild. We need pace and class to complement the grunt.

I've had a gut full of grunt, embellished with grunt and lightly seasoned with grunt, served with a farce of slowly roasted grunt, ( and a complementary side salad of skilled, but slow, one way runners).

Okay, that's a good old fashioned purge.

Very true there Dancin' Dougy. Our 4 wins have come against teams that are really bad. Today's match against Sydney is a good indicator of where we are at. That first quarter killed it for us.

[Bulldog Joe]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Well what can be said.
I genuinely believed we could win this but collectively we were just not there and never in the game.
The defensive set ups were non existent and we got killed for run.

I can't believe we are that bad. Is it possible that the accumulation of the successive short breaks with the Darwin game has just taken too much out of players.

It was reminiscent of the West Coast game last year when we had been subjected to short breaks and travel through the previous month.

Hopefully the bye will allow them to rejuvenate and be ready to get a result against Port Adelaide.

[Redemption97]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Two things from today that stood out above the other not so positive things. 1 our skill level out of the clearance was very poor. 2 our ability to apply defensive pressure in our forward line was terrible, too big too slow! Sydney were great though credit to them, they played great footy and have some wonderful skill on the inside and some really dangerous outside players... Something we really don't have enough of at the doggies. I'm putting this one in the same dark place in the back of my mind where I've hid the saints game! On to Port next week!

[hujsh]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Enlighten us then

Stevie Wonder can see that Adam Cooney is not even half the player he once was, nor will he ever be.

I'm not saying he is. To say he offers nothing, however, I can't agree with. He gets as much of the ball as any other mid apart from Boyd and a bit under a goal a game.

Which players at Williamstown offer more?

[Desipura]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

I actually thought Cooney showed some of his old pace at times during the game. In a team as slow as us, it really stood out for mine.
We are too one paced and need to address this in the draft.

[Maddog37]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Really it is a rehash of what we all know and disacussed earlier in the year and last year. We have poor skills and we are slow.

Until we address those issues we will not improve. I do not know where this fits into Bmacs overall plan but it really is time to trim the fat and find some speed .

[Bornadog]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

but it really is time to trim the fat and find some speed .

This will take a long time.

[Mantis]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

This will take a long time.

It should have started last year.

We needed to add speed at the draft and didn't... Bad move.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

I'm not saying he is. To say he offers nothing, however, I can't agree with. He gets as much of the ball as any other mid apart from Boyd and a bit under a goal a game.

Which players at Williamstown offer more?

Strongly Agree with this post.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

I'm not saying he is. To say he offers nothing, however, I can't agree with. He gets as much of the ball as any other mid apart from Boyd and a bit under a goal a game.

Which players at Williamstown offer more?

But what does he actually do with these possessions? I couldn't give a stuff about the possession statistic, it's critically overrated in an over-possession game anyway.

The opposition sides don't give a stuff about Cooney because they know it is VERY rare he will impact a game. That should tell you all you need to know.

He won't be here in 2 years time IMO.

FWIW I am not angry at Cooney, it's not his fault and I really feel for him given I've had injuries that have also stopped me from playing football for good. It's a tragic story for him and our club.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Re Cooney, could we move him to the backline and essentially clone him as the next R Murphy/L Gilbee?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

Re Cooney, could we move him to the backline and essentially clone him as the next R Murphy/L Gilbee?

It's ridiculous that we can't think of another way to use a player as talented as Cooney. If he plays in the midfield, yes, his lack of pace is sad and makes him limited.

However, a limited Cooney pace-wise is still more talented than 90% of players in the AFL. If Jason Blake, Farran Ray and Josh Hill can still have AFL careers in 2012, a smart coach (and for all his strengths, I really doubt Macca's canniness) will still be able to design a role for a player of Coon's football intelligence.

I've long advocated for a move to the HBF a-la Andrew McLeod, where speed isn't as important as the ability to weave through traffic and set up play with his vision and game reading. Playing behind the ball also allows the game to be in front of him, requires less turning around, and let's him run in straight lines forward. Coons is also a vastly underrated overhead mark.

Perhaps that's not the answer, but playing him out of the middle is certainly the worst possible thing to do to his body, and destroy his confidence while denting the expectations of supporters who will continue to compare him to his previous incarnation. Giving him a new role will at least take away the comparisons.

[LongWait]

Re: Game Day 2012 - R10 Western Bulldogs vs Sydney

If Jason Blake, Farran Ray and Josh Hill can still have AFL careers in 2012, a smart coach (and for all his strengths, I really doubt Macca's canniness) will still be able to design a role for a player of Coon's football intelligence.

Wow. What is your evidence for this statement?