Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

[Bornadog]

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WESTERN Bulldog coach Brendan McCartney admitted today there were parts of his side's game the club is embarrassed about.

After another big loss inflicted by St Kilda last weekend, the first year coach said his team was able to produce for a quarter or two but it wasn't able to do it "long enough and strong enough".

Speaking after today's training session at the Whitten Oval as the side prepares for Saturday's game against North Melbourne, McCartney said he had expected the team, at sometime, to go through a bit of a trough because of its raft of young players.

He said teams with young, developing players could expect a whack from an opposition side full of mature, developed bodies.

"There is no shying away from the situation and there are parts of our game we are a little bit embarrassed about, what we are serving up," McCartney said.

"The reason we are embarrassed is that it is there for a quarter, it is here for a half and it's not there long enough and strong enough.

"We are not doing cartwheels about our performances over the past six weeks, but there is no point, as I've said before, (in saying) woe is me."

McCartney said he was loving his job, although he didn't like losing or getting beaten by 70 points.

"And I don't like seeing players disappointed and I don't like seeing supporters as disappointed as they are,” he said.

"We have a long way to go and early in the season when we were winning games, I still said we had a long way to go and a lot of improvement left in us.

"We are losing games and we still have long way to go and we are going to do it off the back of young people and teaching them the right way."

Forward Daniel Giansiracusa agreed with his coach that the team wasn't performing for long enough, including in last Sunday's 76-point loss to the Saints.

"And that's the challenges we face," he said.

"I was really proud of the guys in the first half. Contested ball was right up. But for reasons, it did drop away and we come to work of a Monday and we try to figure out why that happened."

Giansiracusa said he hoped the Bulldogs would perform for longer against the Ross.

[Mantis]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

"I was really proud of the guys in the first half. Contested ball was right up. But for reasons, it did drop away and we come to work of a Monday and we try to figure out why that happened."

Frankly, I don't give a *!*!*!*! if our contested ball work was right up... it's what comes after we win the ball that's the problem and conversely when the opposition have the ball.

I'm glad you're embarrassed... You should be.

[Maddog37]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you.

[Bornadog]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you.

Well we are all getting sick of hearing about the contested ball. There is more to footy than just the CP stat.

[Maddog37]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Sorry BAD, it was just a joke( obviously not a very good one!).

My inner Star Wars geek escaping.

[Bornadog]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Sorry BAD, it was just a joke( obviously not a very good one!).

My inner Star Wars geek escaping.

Not having a go, we have all lost our sense of humour

Just sick of the line about CP. We are top 6 in CP but bottom 4 club, surely the club can think of better spin than this. Supporters are also embarrassed about our performance's. We just want a four quarter effort and a few wins and we would be satisfied for next year. We know half the team has only played less than 50 games, but why do we fall away so quickly.

[chef]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Well we are all getting sick of hearing about the contested ball. There is more to footy than just the CP stat.

There is, like how we let sides just waltz down the fat side of the ground.

Talk is cheap and we have been hearing this for a while now. I'll believe it when I see it Brendan.

[Cyberdoggie]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Sorry BAD, it was just a joke( obviously not a very good one!).

My inner Star Wars geek escaping.

Don't worry i was laughing with you young jedi!

[AndrewP6]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Good to hear the players are now spouting the same monotonous message.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Was going to say something, but what's the point? Would get flamed for it anyhow. Continue wallowing in the self pity boys.

[azabob]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

We are all frustrated by what is happening on field.

What I don't understand though is posters complain when McCartney says nothing or doesn't show passion, posters complain when McCartney says something even when he doesn't refer to contested possession.

What do you want from the guy and our footy department?

One thing is for sure 99.9% of us don't know what messages he is communicating behind closed doors.

On the upside at least we are all on message as one, if questioned; talk about CP.

[Sedat]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Just sick of the line about CP. We are top 6 in CP but bottom 4 club, surely the club can think of better spin than this.

We basically broke even in CP's against St Kilda (lost it by 3) and yet we had 12 scoring shots to 38. We also had a 25% conversion for scoring shots to inside 50's, compared to St Kilda's 70% conversion. Safe to say CP's are the bloody least of our problems.

Wax on, wax off.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

We basically broke even in CP's against St Kilda (lost it by 3) and yet we had 12 scoring shots to 38. We also had a 25% conversion for scoring shots to inside 50's, compared to St Kilda's 70% conversion. Safe to say CP's are the bloody least of our problems.

Wax on, wax off.

Good Points . The Ox is slow and all that stuff.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

The game is foot ball. Tick the first box, we can get the thing. Smith, Libba and Wallis will ensure that. Time do do something clever with it.
It really comes down to percentages. If we cannot get it inside the 50, and there are no targets inside 50, surely it makes sense to have a Griffen or a Murphy be told just to go for goal and try and hit one from 55 or 60 out, with the flow of play, trying to catch their defenders not tending the square, and roll it through. Then, when they clue on to that and move a defender back, switch it and try to hit a leading target like a Jones or a Cordy.

Watching us win the ball, then play kick to kick with it and then watch the saints set up camp, time and time again was depressing. I understand we are trying to get Liam and the other kids to understand how to lead and run. They need as much game time as possible. But without actual score board pressure, the incentive / game day motivation for them to learn is not exactly there. If we are 60 points behind, how hard will they run? Not hard. If we are within a kick, watch them run.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Western Bulldogs coach Macca embarrassed by aspects of team performance

Interestingly, Adelaide, according to prostats, leads contested possessions and clearances but is in the bottom half of most other stats, second bottom in tackles. Clearly leading the 'played most crap teams twice' stat too.