Footscray vs Frankston

[Ozza]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

Would like to see them both play this weekend.

[Cyberdoggie]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

A test for some supporters too.

luckily I have a 5 year old barbie party to attend so I won't have to suffer the torment of a close game and having to choose sides.


Should be a good test for the young bulldogs, we'll see how our key forwards go against a much tougher opposition.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

I tend to agree. You've summarised it all very well. We do forget after these losses that is significant upside still left in the list.

I suppose the frustration stems from not having seen an overwhelming amount of improvement from the young players this year.

6th years:

Cordy - is getting some continuity but does not seem to have progressed from last year.
Jones - has not garnered regular games, has played well in patches.
Roughead - we know the biggest improvement came last year, has just consolidated.

5th years:

Howard - two poor games in the seniors, is coming to the end of his AFL time it would seem.
Tutt - has improved, no doubt, but enough to be a regular senior player? Remains to be seen.
Stevens - has shown no discernible improvement from last year to this year. Still is a mixed bag.

4th years:

Libba - major improvement came last year, has continued on his late season form.
Wallis - has not been able to consistently find the form he found in the latter half of last year.
Dahlhaus - has become more consistent, but the midfield transition doesn't seem to have been a great success.
Young - Seems to have gone backwards from last year.

3rd years:

Smith - been injured.
Talia - has barely played.
Pearce - injured.
Dickson - out of the side early and now injured.

2nd years:

Macrae - big improver.
Stringer - has not had any kind of impact up forward for the seniors.
Hunter - started the season well before fading.
Hrovat - injured until recently, now putting together bits and pieces of good play.
Prudden - injured.

The sum of all this points to not a great deal of improvement overall. I really hope a few can step up and put some great games in for the last half of the year.

This is a good summary if not a bit disturbing when you see the number of players listed who are yet to establish themselves as good League players. The exceptions would be Roughead Libba Dahlhaus and Macrae whilst I believe that Hrovat and Wallis will be good enough. You haven't listed Campbell who I still have faith in as a future ruckman. The lack of key forwards is a big concern which would suggest that it is time to elevate Redpath from the rookie list.

[Webby]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

I really think these two guys are building nicely, I get the feeling we like developing them in the VFL so were not just throwing them to the wolves in the AFL, like we have done so many times in the past. We won't know for sure until they can step into the AFL and perform but at the moment it seems like its paying off. Cordy is putting together the best football of his career, he looks like a complete different player the way he can move around for a 200cm bloke, and his marking seems to be slowly coming back now. No doubt he just had no confidence in his body before this year.

This just got me thinking about Roger Merrett and his long apprenticeship in the Essendon reserves prior to becoming a great player by his mid 20's. He's one who took time and was far better at 33 than at 23... The ruckmen are in a different time scale to the Chris Judd types..

Anyway, I looked up the year that Merrett won the Gardiner Medal and the article mentioned that the runaway Morrish Medallist in 1982 was Melbourne's Les Bamblett.. I knew Lally was ex-Melbourne, but didn't know he'd been a Gardiner Medallist!

Anyway, both were selected for the Big V by 1985... Bamblett, of course, suffered appendicitis... I think Merrett was even named captain, from memory..

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

Yes. The big difference between Hawthorn and Richmond,as you point out, is that Hawthorn picked the eyes out of the draft, built a relatively young premiership side in '08 and then selectively topped up with mature age trades to run at another flag.

Richmond, on the other hand, always get way ahead of themselves. They're chronically impatient over there. hawthorn built their list over 5 years of concerted trading for draft picks and drafting a glut of good young blokes. That's what I advocate doing. Thus my 'crazy' talk of trading Griff for a pick.

The other potential opportunity for us is to trade for the stockpiled over supply of key tall talent at GWS.... And by that, I mean perhaps Jaksch - who went to school with Hrovat and Macrae, I believe.

The worst thing we can do is try for mature age band-aids and stop-gaps. We should have our eyes on the horizon. Richmond'd are all over the place due to a lunatic core to their supporter base.

I understand your comparisons with Hawthorn's recruiting compared to Richmond which has a lot to be about stronger clubs like the Hawks attracting better players because those players want to be attracted to being part of winning teams. Richmond in spite of its healthy membership base continues to lack on field leadership, which leads me to your thoughts about sacrificing Ryan Griffen. Over a long period of time the Bulldogs have suffered through releasing so many good players. I definitely would prefer to retain Griff who is one of our very few experienced quality players who is currently down on form due to an injury prone start to the season.There is little doubt that a quality forward is an urgent need and we must strive to make this become a reality but not at the expense of giving up a quality person like Griffen. We need to continue to build a healthy culture that will see Griff providing the leadership necessary to ensure the Club's future.

[Webby]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

I understand your comparisons with Hawthorn's recruiting compared to Richmond which has a lot to be about stronger clubs like the Hawks attracting better players because those players want to be attracted to being part of winning teams. Richmond in spite of its healthy membership base continues to lack on field leadership, which leads me to your thoughts about sacrificing Ryan Griffen. Over a long period of time the Bulldogs have suffered through releasing so many good players. I definitely would prefer to retain Griff who is one of our very few experienced quality players who is currently down on form due to an injury prone start to the season.There is little doubt that a quality forward is an urgent need and we must strive to make this become a reality but not at the expense of giving up a quality person like Griffen. We need to continue to build a healthy culture that will see Griff providing the leadership necessary to ensure the Club's future.

That's fair enough. I must admit I'm not 100% sold on the idea, myself. I just want to knock the edge off any overly militant opposition to the subject even being raised.

On thoughts about key tall forwards, I really do think that, rather than paying overs in a bidding war for a Cameron or a Patton, we should try to slip in a trade for Kristian Jaksch from GWS. He's mates with Hrovat and Macrae and would welcome a move home. He's 196cm, strong overhead and can play either end of the field. GWS simply can't can't accommodate all of their big blokes and would likely be open to a trade at a reasonable price. Just a thought.

[Scorlibo]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

On thoughts about key tall forwards, I really do think that, rather than paying overs in a bidding war for a Cameron or a Patton, we should try to slip in a trade for Kristian Jaksch from GWS. He's mates with Hrovat and Macrae and would welcome a move home. He's 196cm, strong overhead and can play either end of the field. GWS simply can't can't accommodate all of their big blokes and would likely be open to a trade at a reasonable price. Just a thought.

Yeah I reckon Jaksch would be a good get. We should enquire at season's end.

[The Underdog]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

Yeah I reckon Jaksch would be a good get. We should enquire at season's end.

Saturday night was the first I'd really seen of him & he got his arse handed to him by Daniher which wasn't the best first impression, I'll admit.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

Saturday night was the first I'd really seen of him & he got his arse handed to him by Daniher which wasn't the best first impression, I'll admit.

the kid has only played the four games in two years to date. The NEAFL - AFL jump would be enormous, even if Daniher has been in the system the same amount of time.

[The Underdog]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

the kid has only played the four games in two years to date. The NEAFL - AFL jump would be enormous, even if Daniher has been in the system the same amount of time.

Not writing him off by any means, that was just the first I'd seen of him and he struggled against a guy who is a similar age. I'd never make a total judgment on a player on one game.

[Scorlibo]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

Saturday night was the first I'd really seen of him & he got his arse handed to him by Daniher which wasn't the best first impression, I'll admit.

He should be playing forward but they're trying to mould him into a defender because they've already got the cattle up front.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Footscray vs Frankston

and he gets the arse this week