WB 2013 its gunna be...

[Rance Fan]

WB 2013
Its gunna be ....

another long frustrating year. But kinda expect it
I hope I'm wrong but will try to remain positive anyhow

Will try to refrain from negative posts

Cheers! Heres to a few improvements for WB 2013!!

Anyone see it differently?

[Greystache]

This could get ugly, let's try to keep it considered discussion.

[craigsahibee]

As Clubber Lang said in Rocky 3.. "My prediction. PAIN"

[AndrewP6]

No comment. I need a drink.

[bulldogtragic]

No comment. I need a drink.
Make mine a double with a handful of anti depressants. Sigh....

[LostDoggy]

As Clubber Lang said in Rocky 3.. "My prediction. PAIN"

Yeah. But Clubber went on to lose that fight???????
Are you suggesting the Dogs had a minor fall tonight and with a catchy and inspiring montage mid season they will defy the odds and win the title?

[Greystache]

Yeah. But Clubber went on to lose that fight???????
Are you suggesting the Dogs had a minor fall tonight and with a catchy and inspiring montage mid season they will defy the odds and win the title?

Anyone seen the movie Major League??

[bulldogtragic]

It's gunna be free from controversy. No claims of performance enhancing can be levelled at us!

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Let's try and make this a good discussion, rather than throwing out a few one liners. It might help ease some very early season pain. :p

What are the things we desperately need to work on? There's a few areas.

Skill Level:
I don't have the statistics, but I am positive that for the last 2-3 years we have been in the bottom four for this stat. It is a disturbing trend; if it does not improve this season, then players and coaches need to be held accountable. In terms of drafting, we need to apply the Hawthorn and Richmond philosophy -- if you can't kick, we won't pick you. Thankfully it seems that our recent batch all have decent skills, but this needs to be a concentrated approach at the draft table for 2-4 years and not just 1.

Apparently it has been a real focus this season that whilst was pleasing to read, clearly was not evident in our first game of 2013. Whilst it is understandable to a degree that the skill level will be down, the errors are consistently coming from the same players. I've always been of the belief that you can't teach skill; you can either hit targets well or you can't. Whilst there are some exceptions to the rule (Jobe Watson), the reality is that Smith/Jong/Boyd/Wallis/Addison/Cross/Talia etc. are never going to be damaging disposers of the ball. At best, they will be average.

My biggest concern is that players who used to have skill, have lost it. Griffen is a prime example of this; I shudder when he has the ball, because it rarely ends up on our chest. He's made an extremely poor habit of bombing the ball long, often to the advantage of the opposition's KPD's. Tonight, Fletcher was given first class service from Griff. Higgins and Murphy are two others who make far more errors than they should, for players of their ability.

End result: there's no way around it. Draft players who can kick, trade those who can't. Before anyone replies with "Howard/Tutt" examples, obviously they need to be able to play too.

Forward Structures:
Last year, we had no structure at all, and more often than not we were out-numbered. Tonight, I lost count how many times we bombed the ball to a 2-on-4, 1-on-3 type scenario. At times, we didn't even have anyone deep in our forward line. I'm not sure if this is a coaching thing or young players getting lost, but it really needs to be changed, and it SHOULDN'T be hard to change. The 'youth' tag line can only last so long, at some point they have to start applying what they supposedly learn ... or they aren't played.

End result: much the same as above. If they aren't learning and improving, don't play them. Cordy is the main one I'm looking at, but ditto Grant. It might mean we have to play Roberts and Stringer before they are ready, but I would rather this than playing guys who have been in the system for 4-6 years (Cordy/Grant) and who produce very little. I understand young guys need a few games to find their feet, but at some point, they need to start showing something. I really hope we don't persist and persist with Cordy & co. if they aren't improving. It also means that come draft time, we need to look at taking a mix of 2-3 tall/medium forwards. At this stage, Jones/Dahlhaus/Dickson are OK whilst Stringer/Hunter/Roberts are young and untried. We desperately need to add 2-3 more to this group, given some (Dahlhaus, Higgins, Stringer? Hunter?) will be part of midfield rotations etc. anyway.

Defensive Structures:
We are a very unaccountable side and this can be attributed to a few aspects such as being an inexperienced side and not having the required fitness/strength all over the ground. Again, though, the expectation of improvement needs to stand strong. I hope in the games that follow we DO NOT play Markovic/Austin over Roughead/Talia/Roberts and possibly Williams if he's playing down there. I think Goodes showed he's going to be a good inclusion down there, Lower I am less convinced about (skill level was as bad as Boyd's) and Young did OK. Morris was pretty damn good on return IMO and will be invaluable for the young defenders that we have in JJ/Pearce etc.

End result: it will take time, but this is a promising area of the ground. We will cop some thrashings and look amateur at times, but there's some solid potential in Talia/Roberts/JJ/Pearce. Obviously Goodes and Lower are stop gap for a few years, whilst Morris won't be around a whole lot longer, so in the next 2 drafts we'll definitely need to add to this group in terms of KPD's and medium defenders.

Conclusion:
We are quite a long way off where we'd like to be. Much depends on our drafting in the next 2-3 years. The early signs from this year's crop sounds good, and Libba/Wallis/Dahlhaus/Smith will be long term players. Our midfield looks OK, albeit it's very reliant on Cooney producing good football. In reality, we need to add more class to this area in the next 1-2 years. I've heard we are developing Macrae on flanks etc. which is fine for his initial development, but we need him to become a genuine mid in a couple of years. It's a difficult job balancing your draft needs, and right now, our biggest area we need to address is our forward half. However, in the next year or two, a classy skilled mid is still required.

Lastly, we need to be ruthless this year. By that, I mean we need to separate those who we think can/will make it from those we think will struggle/won't. It's a very early call, I know, but my faith in Cordy, Howard and Tutt (for example) is non-existent. If they don't show good signs early on when they'll undoubtedly be given opportunities, I hope we "cut our losses" and turn our focus to developing other players. I'm still bewildered that Cordy got a 3 year contract, but whatever.

One of my biggest criticisms in the past has been our refusal to turn over the list quicker. We give players far too many chances to prove they cannot play. Yes, young players need time. But you can usually make an educated guess as to whether a kid will make it after 15-20 games. For example, Jong, Pearce and JJ have had far limited game exposure than Howard and Tutt, but all three have a much better chance of making it than the latter.

Rant over.

[The Underdog]

Anyone seen the movie Major League??

Is Clay Smith our Wild Thing?

[LostDoggy]

It's gunna be free from controversy. No claims of performance enhancing can be levelled at us!

Don't jinx it

[Greystache]

Great contribution Bulldogs Bite, very considered and thoughtful post.

[Remi Moses]

I agree with a lot of TBB points, but the call in particular with Tutt is way to harsh.
Be fair he has hardly played any footy .
Worried about Cordy to be honest, I think Grant's at last chance saloon.

[Remi Moses]

Don't jinx it

Our finishes suggest we're on Prozac or Valium.

[Dry Rot]

Great contribution Bulldogs Bite, very considered and thoughtful post.

+1. Good readTBB. And accurate.

[craigsahibee]

Yeah. But Clubber went on to lose that fight???????
Are you suggesting the Dogs had a minor fall tonight and with a catchy and inspiring montage mid season they will defy the odds and win the title?

Yes possibly with a few sprint sessions on Altona Beach under he supervision of Chubbs Peterson.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Let's try and make this a good discussion, rather than throwing out a few one liners. It might help ease some very early season pain. :p

What are the things we desperately need to work on? There's a few areas.

Skill Level:
I don't have the statistics, but I am positive that for the last 2-3 years we have been in the bottom four for this stat. It is a disturbing trend; if it does not improve this season, then players and coaches need to be held accountable. In terms of drafting, we need to apply the Hawthorn and Richmond philosophy -- if you can't kick, we won't pick you. Thankfully it seems that our recent batch all have decent skills, but this needs to be a concentrated approach at the draft table for 2-4 years and not just 1.

Apparently it has been a real focus this season that whilst was pleasing to read, clearly was not evident in our first game of 2013. Whilst it is understandable to a degree that the skill level will be down, the errors are consistently coming from the same players. I've always been of the belief that you can't teach skill; you can either hit targets well or you can't. Whilst there are some exceptions to the rule (Jobe Watson), the reality is that Smith/Jong/Boyd/Wallis/Addison/Cross/Talia etc. are never going to be damaging disposers of the ball. At best, they will be average.

My biggest concern is that players who used to have skill, have lost it. Griffen is a prime example of this; I shudder when he has the ball, because it rarely ends up on our chest. He's made an extremely poor habit of bombing the ball long, often to the advantage of the opposition's KPD's. Tonight, Fletcher was given first class service from Griff. Higgins and Murphy are two others who make far more errors than they should, for players of their ability.

End result: there's no way around it. Draft players who can kick, trade those who can't. Before anyone replies with "Howard/Tutt" examples, obviously they need to be able to play too.

Forward Structures:
Last year, we had no structure at all, and more often than not we were out-numbered. Tonight, I lost count how many times we bombed the ball to a 2-on-4, 1-on-3 type scenario. At times, we didn't even have anyone deep in our forward line. I'm not sure if this is a coaching thing or young players getting lost, but it really needs to be changed, and it SHOULDN'T be hard to change. The 'youth' tag line can only last so long, at some point they have to start applying what they supposedly learn ... or they aren't played.

End result: much the same as above. If they aren't learning and improving, don't play them. Cordy is the main one I'm looking at, but ditto Grant. It might mean we have to play Roberts and Stringer before they are ready, but I would rather this than playing guys who have been in the system for 4-6 years (Cordy/Grant) and who produce very little. I understand young guys need a few games to find their feet, but at some point, they need to start showing something. I really hope we don't persist and persist with Cordy & co. if they aren't improving. It also means that come draft time, we need to look at taking a mix of 2-3 tall/medium forwards. At this stage, Jones/Dahlhaus/Dickson are OK whilst Stringer/Hunter/Roberts are young and untried. We desperately need to add 2-3 more to this group, given some (Dahlhaus, Higgins, Stringer? Hunter?) will be part of midfield rotations etc. anyway.

Defensive Structures:
We are a very unaccountable side and this can be attributed to a few aspects such as being an inexperienced side and not having the required fitness/strength all over the ground. Again, though, the expectation of improvement needs to stand strong. I hope in the games that follow we DO NOT play Markovic/Austin over Roughead/Talia/Roberts and possibly Williams if he's playing down there. I think Goodes showed he's going to be a good inclusion down there, Lower I am less convinced about (skill level was as bad as Boyd's) and Young did OK. Morris was pretty damn good on return IMO and will be invaluable for the young defenders that we have in JJ/Pearce etc.

End result: it will take time, but this is a promising area of the ground. We will cop some thrashings and look amateur at times, but there's some solid potential in Talia/Roberts/JJ/Pearce. Obviously Goodes and Lower are stop gap for a few years, whilst Morris won't be around a whole lot longer, so in the next 2 drafts we'll definitely need to add to this group in terms of KPD's and medium defenders.

Conclusion:
We are quite a long way off where we'd like to be. Much depends on our drafting in the next 2-3 years. The early signs from this year's crop sounds good, and Libba/Wallis/Dahlhaus/Smith will be long term players. Our midfield looks OK, albeit it's very reliant on Cooney producing good football. In reality, we need to add more class to this area in the next 1-2 years. I've heard we are developing Macrae on flanks etc. which is fine for his initial development, but we need him to become a genuine mid in a couple of years. It's a difficult job balancing your draft needs, and right now, our biggest area we need to address is our forward half. However, in the next year or two, a classy skilled mid is still required.

Lastly, we need to be ruthless this year. By that, I mean we need to separate those who we think can/will make it from those we think will struggle/won't. It's a very early call, I know, but my faith in Cordy, Howard and Tutt (for example) is non-existent. If they don't show good signs early on when they'll undoubtedly be given opportunities, I hope we "cut our losses" and turn our focus to developing other players. I'm still bewildered that Cordy got a 3 year contract, but whatever.

One of my biggest criticisms in the past has been our refusal to turn over the list quicker. We give players far too many chances to prove they cannot play. Yes, young players need time. But you can usually make an educated guess as to whether a kid will make it after 15-20 games. For example, Jong, Pearce and JJ have had far limited game exposure than Howard and Tutt, but all three have a much better chance of making it than the latter.

Rant over.

I think that is a fantastic well reasoned post TBB. Nice work.

[boydogs]

This could get ugly, let's try to keep it considered discussion.

Better to vent on here than throw something through the telly :p

Our skills and decision making were woeful, in the cold light of day you can reason that it's only the NAB cup, but I was disappointed watching that.

[Eastdog]

Better to vent on here than throw something through the telly :p

Our skills and decision making were woeful, in the cold light of day you can reason that it's only the NAB cup, but I was disappointed watching that.

I was at the match tonight and was a little disappointed too about our skills. It's understandable as we have a lot of youngsters in there but the older players don't have an excuse. Cordy for me should of taken that mark near the boundary against Collingwood. Grant looked alright. How did people rate Brett Goodes game?

[LostDog]

the year i end up with high blood pressure and hate football

[DragzLS1]

Think grant done ok today was chasing and laid a nice tackle in the forward 50 to turn the ball over. Tuft was growing in confidence and started running with the ball more. Redbath was not too bad IMO he is a big unit and threw his body around which was good to see for a change.

Think Cordy needs to prove himself this year. Jones Will be ok looks a little more confident having a shot but doesn't get enough of it.

It's only NAB cup round 1 so let's not read too much into it rather then getting some game time and km in the legs before the season proper starts. The. We shall asses where we really are at. Don't forget Carlton lost all 5 games last year in the nab cup but started the season with a bang! Let's hope the older guys start hitting up our targets and just take the game on.. We could suprise a few when on song

[G-Mo77]

Skill Level:
I don't have the statistics, but I am positive that for the last 2-3 years we have been in the bottom four for this stat. It is a disturbing trend; if it does not improve this season, then players and coaches need to be held accountable. In terms of drafting, we need to apply the Hawthorn and Richmond philosophy -- if you can't kick, we won't pick you. Thankfully it seems that our recent batch all have decent skills, but this needs to be a concentrated approach at the draft table for 2-4 years and not just 1.

Apparently it has been a real focus this season that whilst was pleasing to read, clearly was not evident in our first game of 2013. Whilst it is understandable to a degree that the skill level will be down, the errors are consistently coming from the same players. I've always been of the belief that you can't teach skill; you can either hit targets well or you can't. Whilst there are some exceptions to the rule (Jobe Watson), the reality is that Smith/Jong/Boyd/Wallis/Addison/Cross/Talia etc. are never going to be damaging disposers of the ball. At best, they will be average.

My biggest concern is that players who used to have skill, have lost it. Griffen is a prime example of this; I shudder when he has the ball, because it rarely ends up on our chest. He's made an extremely poor habit of bombing the ball long, often to the advantage of the opposition's KPD's. Tonight, Fletcher was given first class service from Griff. Higgins and Murphy are two others who make far more errors than they should, for players of their ability.

End result: there's no way around it. Draft players who can kick, trade those who can't. Before anyone replies with "Howard/Tutt" examples, obviously they need to be able to play too.



Top post mate. I find it hard to argue with any of the points you raised but will touch on this one. One thing I will note is that I've never been comfortable with Griffen's ball use by foot, I think he gets a free ride from criticism at times. Anyway it's not always entirely his fault though. Even when we were strong I always felt that we didn't protect or ball users enough which leads to pressured disposal which then leads to poor disposal. Blocking and sheparding have never been a strength and it's virtually non existent now. Our efficiency would improve a hell of a lot if players are prepared to work harder for each other. Some of the basics of football still go a long way.

[Eastdog]

Great read TBB.

[boydogs]

I was at the match tonight and was a little disappointed too about our skills. It's understandable as we have a lot of youngsters in there but the older players don't have an excuse.

They do, it was hot & sticky and round 1 of the NAB cup. But I can't recall a worse display.


How did people rate Brett Goodes game?

He was good, for the sake of balance I thought Goodes, Smith, Young, Lower & Gia played well, and 4 of those are young or new recruits which is a good sign. We're lamenting Boyd & Griff as much as anyone, it's obvious the skills across the group need work as opposed to our newbies being duds.

[jeemak]

Good post TBB.

I agree that Griff's ball use by foot has become second rate, and it really shows that under the extreme pressure (as he's been subjected to since Cooney's injury issues) a poor technique becomes exposed. I remember seeing that game where he got 556 touches in the first half last year, and thinking he's not using them well enough. Part of it is the crowding that happens to accumulators and game breakers these days, but it stood out for me as an area he needs to focus on.

With respect to Howard and Tutt, I can't disagree with you more. The former had a wrecked first season on our list, though he played some excellent football last year for us where he gathered a lot of the ball, was tough, and kicked goals. Sure he has his positioning issues when in defense, but no player is perfect and he was always going to take along time to develop. It's been acknowledged by pretty much everyone at the club, since he arrived there. As for Tutt, he's not played enough football. He looks fit, and that's a good start coming off a horror year. I don't think I can remember too many Bulldogs using the ball as well as he did in his debut game. He needs to consolidate and be given a chance to put his best foot forward.

Cordy was given a three year deal because he's been hampered by injury at the start of his career and is significanty under developed. It's going to be a tough gig for him this year, as his support is suffering from the same crap delivery he is, and they are also in a development stage of their careers. If anyone is suffering from our poor drafting of forwards in recent years, it's him (and possibly Grant).

[DOG GOD]

Great post TBB.

[bornadog]

When we finish the pre-season (end of March) and play our first few REAL games, then I will put down my thoughts. How anyone can draw any conclusions from a couple of practise quarters is beyond me.

[Hotdog60]

When we finish the pre-season (end of March) and play our first few REAL games, then I will put down my thoughts. How anyone can draw any conclusions from a couple of practise quarters is beyond me.

I agree but I suppose last year is still burning deep and people are just looking for some form of light at the end of the tunnel and it's still looks gloomy.

[Ghost Dog]

I think you can draw quite a lot of conclusions from individual players in the NAB.
How they recovered from Injury
If they have improved their ability to hit targets or take a mark.
If they have improved their intensity.

[G-Mo77]

With respect to Howard and Tutt, I can't disagree with you more. The former had a wrecked first season on our list, though he played some excellent football last year for us where he gathered a lot of the ball, was tough, and kicked goals. Sure he has his positioning issues when in defense, but no player is perfect and he was always going to take along time to develop. It's been acknowledged by pretty much everyone at the club, since he arrived there. As for Tutt, he's not played enough football. He looks fit, and that's a good start coming off a horror year. I don't think I can remember too many Bulldogs using the ball as well as he did in his debut game. He needs to consolidate and be given a chance to put his best foot forward.

I'm in agreeance to TBB on this one. Both players HAVE to perform this season or that's it. We can't afford to hang onto players just that little bit longer because they may turn out OK we've got to cut our losses and continue to turn the list over. I don't expect to see either player with us next season, as always I hope to get egg on my face because of this comment and hope both prove me wrong.


Cordy was given a three year deal because he's been hampered by injury at the start of his career and is significanty under developed. It's going to be a tough gig for him this year, as his support is suffering from the same crap delivery he is, and they are also in a development stage of their careers. If anyone is suffering from our poor drafting of forwards in recent years, it's him (and possibly Grant).

I'm patient with Cordy. He was always going to be a long term project and as you said the injuries suffered early on have put him well behind. He missed close to 2 years of football which I think a lot forget about. I can't deny that I still get concerned when I see him play at AFL level though. There is a lot of work to be done.

[Mofra]

End result: there's no way around it. Draft players who can kick, trade those who can't. Before anyone replies with "Howard/Tutt" examples, obviously they need to be able to play too.
We would have missed out on Dahlhaus if we adopted this philosophy - and as much as we desperately need footskills, I'd take a Cross/Smith/Boyd over Howard any day of the week. Obviously anyone with excellent footskills who carves it up as a junior goes early in the draft, so decisions after round 1 are always a balance.

Our forward structure is our biggest issue IMO - we don't seem to have a real system. Gia gets by on smarts but at his age can he do it for a full season? With Dahl pushing up the the middle, we will rely on Higgins to stay fit and one of our talls emerging as a genuine target, both very big "ifs" for the upcoming season.

[Mofra]

When we finish the pre-season (end of March) and play our first few REAL games, then I will put down my thoughts. How anyone can draw any conclusions from a couple of practise quarters is beyond me.
By comparing ourselves with the skill level of other clubs, which appear to be far more advanced than ours.

[Ghost Dog]

We would have missed out on Dahlhaus if we adopted this philosophy - and as much as we desperately need footskills, I'd take a Cross/Smith/Boyd over Howard any day of the week. Obviously anyone with excellent footskills who carves it up as a junior goes early in the draft, so decisions after round 1 are always a balance.

Our forward structure is our biggest issue IMO - we don't seem to have a real system. Gia gets by on smarts but at his age can he do it for a full season? With Dahl pushing up the the middle, we will rely on Higgins to stay fit and one of our talls emerging as a genuine target, both very big "ifs" for the upcoming season.

Daniel Cross - disposal was really accurate last season and he has improved out of sight.

[chef]

When we finish the pre-season (end of March) and play our first few REAL games, then I will put down my thoughts. How anyone can draw any conclusions from a couple of practice quarters is beyond me.

It's just that we don't look any advanced from last year. Same old problems, can't kick and a none existent forward line.

[Go_Dogs]

Terrific post TBB, very well reasoned. I agree with all of the areas of improvement you have pointed to.

As far as the specifics, as others have said, Griff's tendency to bomb long to no one has become a concern. We know he can use the ball well by foot, and he still pulls off a few incredible balls every year but he's increasingly inconsistent and needs to get better at lowering the eyes and directing a quick bullet or weighted ball to a shorter target. That being said, I think he was very much in cruise control last night, a few handballs missed targets etc. Just not a high quality Griffen game.

Howard and Tutt are interesting players. Can't read much off last night but big years for both of them. I tend to lean towards Jeemak's assessment that Howard's 2010 was basically a write off because of injury and he has made improvements in 2011 and 2012. I think he's improved his contested ball and tackling, but don't think he's quite got the defensive nous to play back at AFL level. His endurance and speed are ok, and his skills are good enough. Tutt needs to demonstrate more improvements with his contested and defensive skills but he appeared to work a bit harder to shut down space and apply pressure defensively last night. Besides that he has pace and endurance and his kicking is pretty good. Both need to progress further this year to really drive our improvement but I'm not sure either can ever be more than good solid players at this stage.

Cordy is a bit the same with his injury history and probably needs another 12 months before he's really ready. From that perspective I can see why we gave him a long term contract as he simply needs more development time, as frustrating as that is. He'll get plenty of game time throughout the year.

Overall I don't think last night should be seen as indicative of how we'll perform ALL season, but we need to be realistic that we are in for some tough weeks with an inexperienced side which has some players who'll step up but many others who we'll find aren't quite able to deliver what we need. Our senior core has a number of question marks over it because of injury, age and skill level which doesn't help. We don't really have a single genuine, consistent elite performer at the moment. I do think some changes ie. if we set up our forward line and use the ball more intelligently going forwards (as we did on maybe a couple of occasions last night) we can be more effective and competitive, we simply need to get more bang for our buck when we win the ball. We don't need to reinvent the wheel but some minor adjustments and better/more consistent execution we could take some positive steps forward before the years out.

[KT31]

the year i end up with high blood pressure and hate football

For you, not much different than any other year being a Doggie's supporter then.:)

[Happy Days]

Positive: Ben Hudson's beard still lives, on Tom Campbell's face

[Ghost Dog]

.



Overall I don't think last night should be seen as indicative of how we'll perform ALL season, but we need to be realistic that we are in for some tough weeks with an inexperienced side which has some players who'll step up but many others who we'll find aren't quite able to deliver what we need.

Maybe safer to assume it is indicative, so we can leave some room to be pleasantly surprised!

[Go_Dogs]

Maybe safer to assume it is indicative, so we can leave some room to be pleasantly surprised!

You might be onto something :D

[bornadog]

It's just that we don't look any advanced from last year. Same old problems, can't kick and a none existent forward line.

Whilst we don't have an experienced forward line, I think our major problem is the back line. The backs are not delivering the ball well in to the forward half. We continually just bomb the ball long to get the ball out of the backline and then expect the forwards to just clung the ball from no where and kick goals. Even Murphy looked lost playing in the forward line last night.

We must settle the back six and get these guys to play as a unit before we have any chance of even winning one match this year.

[GVGjr]

When we finish the pre-season (end of March) and play our first few REAL games, then I will put down my thoughts. How anyone can draw any conclusions from a couple of practise quarters is beyond me.

You can't draw any serious conclusions but it's a form guide of sorts and we shouldn't just ignore it.

I wouldn't want to see us back up next time with a similar display.

[boydogs]

When we finish the pre-season (end of March) and play our first few REAL games, then I will put down my thoughts. How anyone can draw any conclusions from a couple of practise quarters is beyond me.

McCartney was certainly disappointed with our performance.

[bornadog]

You can't draw any serious conclusions but it's a form guide of sorts and we shouldn't just ignore it.

I wouldn't want to see us back up next time with a similar display.

In 2012 we won one game from the last 14 games - the last 11 straight losses by an average of 50 plus points. When we get our best 22 on to the park, then we can start to judge where we are at this season. Last nights mickey mouse format is no form guide. We are a developing team that will be lucky to win 5 games in 2013.

I remember watching us belt Brisbane Lions in the last practise match in the early 2000's. They went on and won the premiership that season, we finished last or near last.

We know the coaches just experiment, try rookies, play players out of position. Thats why I say lets not be critical yet.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

A long cold winter

[Flamethrower]

Anyone seen the movie Major League??

What are you saying? If we play bad enough we will be relocated?

Or do you think we would be better off watching Ricky Vaughn, Pedro Cerano and Willie Mays Hayes each week?

Seriously though, 2013 is not about wins and losses... it is about the process of building a team that in time will become a genuine premiership contender.

[Mofra]

Daniel Cross - disposal was really accurate last season and he has improved out of sight.
True, although I think his disposal was ok for the year or two earlier, he just lacked confidence to kick as a first option. He does seem to want to kick the ball more now which is a good thing.

[LostDoggy]

What are you saying? If we play bad enough we will be relocated?

Or do you think we would be better off watching Ricky Vaughn, Pedro Cerano and Willie Mays Hayes each week?

Seriously though, 2013 is not about wins and losses... it is about the process of building a team that in time will become a genuine premiership contender.

Perhaps Greystache was referring to 'A League of Their Own'?

If there were Brownlow medals for facials expressions then Ayce Cordy would be a top five favourite. Unfortunately for him they're handed out mainly for football talent.

I'd like to see more Of Jack "Widow-maker" Redbath*

* cheers DragzLS1

[Greystache]

True, although I think his disposal was ok for the year or two earlier, he just lacked confidence to kick as a first option. He does seem to want to kick the ball more now which is a good thing.

The irony is Cross is more likely to hit a target than Boyd, yet Cross is so reluctant to kick and Boyd tries to drill 60m bullets regularly.

[Greystache]

Perhaps Greystache was referring to 'A League of Their Own'?

If there were Brownlow medals for facials expressions then Ayce Cordy would be a top five favourite. Unfortunately for him they're handed out mainly for football talent.

I'd like to see more Of Jack "Window-maker" Redbath*

* cheers DragzLS1

No I meant Major League. A team early in the season that looks like a rabble of defective veterans and no name kids that inexplicably gets better as the season wears on. We can always hope.

[bornadog]

No I meant Major League. A team early in the season that looks like a rabble of defective veterans and no name kids that inexplicably gets better as the season wears on. We can always hope.

According to Macca, he isnot expecting any major improvement till after mid year.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

The irony is Cross is more likely to hit a target than Boyd, yet Cross is so reluctant to kick and Boyd tries to drill 60m bullets regularly.

Agreed but what astounds me further is the great regularity that Boyd has of missing 20-30m targets under no pressure.

Furthermore, if the coaching staff aren't pulling him up for it, surely he realizes it's a major issue himself when they do the review every week.

Cross isn't a bad user of the ball and stays within his limitations, his problem as you alluded to Grey is his indecision.

[F'scary]

If there were Brownlow medals for facials expressions then Ayce Cordy would be a top five favourite. Unfortunately for him they're handed out mainly for football talent.

I'd like to see more Of Jack "Widow-maker" Redbath*

* cheers DragzLS1

The coach needs to bite the bullet and substantially redo the forward line for the h&w season:

HFF: Dahlhaus, Jones, Hunter

FF: Dickson, the Widow-maker, Stringer

that means Goodes and Jong don't get promoted...unless Cordy is put on the long term injured list.

and the Widow-maker should keep the number 2 clipper look but add a mullet al la Danny Southern

[The Underdog]

The coach needs to bite the bullet and substantially redo the forward line for the h&w season:

HFF: Dahlhaus, Jones, Hunter

FF: Dickson, the Widow-maker, Stringer

that means Goodes and Jong don't get promoted...unless Cordy is put on the long term injured list.

and the Widow-maker should keep the number 2 clipper look but add a mullet al la Danny Southern

Maybe our friend the Widow-maker should take a mark on the lead and kick a goal before we go promoting him. Not that I didn't like his effort but he struggled to finish off with actually taking a grab. There are 3 guys in that forward line with a combined total of 0 games.

[F'scary]

Maybe our friend the Widow-maker should take a mark on the lead and kick a goal before we go promoting him. Not that I didn't like his effort but he struggled to finish off with actually taking a grab. There are 3 guys in that forward line with a combined total of 0 games.

At the moment, I prefer the Widow-maker to "the Statue".

[Mofra]

Maybe our friend the Widow-maker should take a mark on the lead and kick a goal before we go promoting him. Not that I didn't like his effort but he struggled to finish off with actually taking a grab.
If the 20 game rule ever needed further legitimacy, Redpath may well prove it this pre-season.

[The Underdog]

At the moment, I prefer the Widow-maker to "the Statue".

He certainly moved well on Friday, and I don't want Cordy at FF but I'd like to see more than a good half of VFL and a half reasonable pre-season game before I anoint Redpath as our best option at FF. I'd prefer the spot to be earnt.
At the moment I'd prefer Williams at CHF and Jones at FF



If the 20 game rule ever needed further legitimacy, Redpath may well prove it this pre-season.

He's certainly got some early momentum.