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Losing four consecutive games doesn’t sit well with Western Bulldogs midfielder Mitch Wallis.
The Bulldogs set themselves for a big showing against Fremantle in Perth on Saturday night, admitting they lowered their colours against Carlton in round five.
And while they were in the game against the Dockers up to their eyeballs, they lost by 19 points after a poor start to the final quarter.
After winning their first two games of the season, they now have a 2-4 record and are among the bottom sides on the ladder.
Wallis said the Dogs' most recent loss had left a bitter taste in their mouths.
“Our endeavour was great, but how many times can you say that?
“We let them out too easy from the centre bounce in the last quarter and they really had a fair bit of the momentum. We had our opportunity with shots on goal and we couldn't convert.
“It's a pretty disappointing loss, this one.
“It does leave a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth, this one.
“Being 0-4 doesn't sit well; it does hurt. You can't mask it.”
The Dogs had eight players on the field on Saturday with fewer than 50 games experience and three who are yet to reach double figures.
Ruckman Tim English is just 21 years old and key forward Aaron Naughton is yet to turn 20.
But Wallis said the team was not listening to commentary around how inexperienced the side is.
“That's an excuse; we don't like using age as an excuse,” he said.
“We have plenty of talent and they are proving themselves, but we’re not being consistent over four quarters.
“We’re searching for that.”
As the Bulldogs look for their third win, they turn their attention to Richmond.
They meet the Tigers at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Again, the Bulldogs had enough entries into attack against the Dockers to win that game, but with 9.15 on the board, they let themselves down in front of goals.
In their previous three losses, they were also wasteful in attack, kicking 9.14 (against Gold Coast), 9.10 (against Collingwood) and 7.15 (against Carlton).
Wallis said they needed to start taking their chances to add pressure on the scoreboard when they came.
“We had our opportunity with shots on goal and we couldn't convert,” he said.
“We're hoping we can have an even spread and when it's someone's turn to put their hand up, you do that. If we look at our efficiency kicking at goal, we are nowhere near where we need to be.
“We flip that around and kick the goals we should, we'll be in more games, win a few more.
“We’re not too far off it, but have a few things to tick off.
“When you start to build pressure, but you don't get the scoreboard pressure and they can slingshot back and kick a goal, it is quite demoralising.
“The signs are there that we can take it up to Fremantle. We rate Fremantle pretty highly. To play like we did over here was a good sign, but at the end of the day, we didn't come up with four points.”
Losing four consecutive games doesn’t sit well with Western Bulldogs midfielder Mitch Wallis.
The Bulldogs set themselves for a big showing against Fremantle in Perth on Saturday night, admitting they lowered their colours against Carlton in round five.
And while they were in the game against the Dockers up to their eyeballs, they lost by 19 points after a poor start to the final quarter.
After winning their first two games of the season, they now have a 2-4 record and are among the bottom sides on the ladder.
Wallis said the Dogs' most recent loss had left a bitter taste in their mouths.
“Our endeavour was great, but how many times can you say that?
“We let them out too easy from the centre bounce in the last quarter and they really had a fair bit of the momentum. We had our opportunity with shots on goal and we couldn't convert.
“It's a pretty disappointing loss, this one.
“It does leave a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth, this one.
“Being 0-4 doesn't sit well; it does hurt. You can't mask it.”
The Dogs had eight players on the field on Saturday with fewer than 50 games experience and three who are yet to reach double figures.
Ruckman Tim English is just 21 years old and key forward Aaron Naughton is yet to turn 20.
But Wallis said the team was not listening to commentary around how inexperienced the side is.
“That's an excuse; we don't like using age as an excuse,” he said.
“We have plenty of talent and they are proving themselves, but we’re not being consistent over four quarters.
“We’re searching for that.”
As the Bulldogs look for their third win, they turn their attention to Richmond.
They meet the Tigers at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Again, the Bulldogs had enough entries into attack against the Dockers to win that game, but with 9.15 on the board, they let themselves down in front of goals.
In their previous three losses, they were also wasteful in attack, kicking 9.14 (against Gold Coast), 9.10 (against Collingwood) and 7.15 (against Carlton).
Wallis said they needed to start taking their chances to add pressure on the scoreboard when they came.
“We had our opportunity with shots on goal and we couldn't convert,” he said.
“We're hoping we can have an even spread and when it's someone's turn to put their hand up, you do that. If we look at our efficiency kicking at goal, we are nowhere near where we need to be.
“We flip that around and kick the goals we should, we'll be in more games, win a few more.
“We’re not too far off it, but have a few things to tick off.
“When you start to build pressure, but you don't get the scoreboard pressure and they can slingshot back and kick a goal, it is quite demoralising.
“The signs are there that we can take it up to Fremantle. We rate Fremantle pretty highly. To play like we did over here was a good sign, but at the end of the day, we didn't come up with four points.”
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