The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

[SquirrelGrip]

Some observations from our first hitout:

The Good

- Dale Morris made it through
- Brett Goodes
- Murph back in the forward line
- Jarryd Grant's tackle
- the attack on the ball/opposition by Smith, Lower & Jong
- clearly not as many peptides as the opposition

The Bad

- where is Clay Smith's right foot?
- Howard looks like Luke Power, plays like Sam
- still can't play games out
- Cordy never looks even close to taking a mark
- Tarzan Higgins is more like Jane - silky but slows downs significantly as the game goes on

The Ugly

- the fact Gia is still our best marking option in the forward 50
- our Captain's kicking, especially when not under pressure

[LostDoggy]

The Good

-Brett Goodes looked composed, tough and skilful.
-Nick Lower impressed with his attack on the ball and work to make the next contest.
-Jack Macrae was composed under pressure and his left boot looks fantastic.
-Clay Smith is a monster in the contest and has put on some real size in the off-season.
-Moz not only made it through unscathed, but looked like he's hardly missed a beat.
-Jack Redpath's attack on the ball in the air and defensive pressure.
-Gia and Cooney seemed to be moving a lot more freely than last season.

The Bad

-Have to wait over a month for the real stuff to start.

The Ugly

-Black and white stripes don't suit Huddo very well.

[GVGjr]

Does McCartney's facial hair deserve to be in the Ugly category?

In my opinion, he needs to clean it off asap.

[AndrewP6]

Does McCartney's facial hair deserve to be in the Ugly category?

In my opinion, he needs to clean it off asap.

Absolutely, looks terrible.

[wb_age]

The Good

Jason Johannison - Did a lot right, ran the lines and kicked quite well (kick lacks a tiny bit if penetration after a long run, but still at least gives our forwards a chance)

Markovic - strange because he wasn't actually great, but did not get embarrassed in any one on one contests, didn't try be to clever with the ball and turn it over like in the past. Also doesnt look as slow, perhaps it's just because he is wearing his socks down??

Jones - Kick for goal, he would never slotted that in the years gone by.

Grant - played with a bit conviction, still has some way to go but showed signs and can be a clever player. He is the kind of player that will thrive when the team as a whole get going and improve delivery. (He will never be the player to drag us over the line on his own, but can be a solid contributer.

Competitiveness - I watched the games again today and we were nowhere near as doom and gloom as most posters suggest, we competed well , but if our foot skill level improves and we're a better side, look at the diff from the removal of Boyd and Lower and the immediate improvement against Collingwood. If our foot skills don't improve, it doesn't matter who is in our forward line we'll struggle to kick goals

The bad

Ryan Griffen - His disposal was well below his standards, shouldn't be an issue though as he is a star.

Dickson - Other than the goal on the siren which was created by Gia, he didn't do much at all and was actually quite undisciplined and gave away multiple free kicks that were not necessary. It's a shame because he was one of our few shining lights last year.

Back up rucks - Campbell and Cordy we're as close as you can get to being useless out there. Disappointing as we need one of them to really stamp themselves as an AFL quality player.


The ugly

Mathew Boyd - As mentioned by all, his disposal and decision making we're atrocious, re-watched the game this morning and other than his first blind kick that fortunately landed in Addison's arms, every single one of his kicks resulted in a turn over, I also would pause the play prior to his disposal and there were better, simpler options. Really disappointing from our captain.

Lower - As per Boyd, with the exception that he actually made some good decisions but his foot skills were not up to it, even simple kicks that many on this forum would hit on the frequent.

Disposal efficiency - Just like last year, it needs to improve! It doesn't help when your top 2 disposal winners don't actually hit a single target by foot in a half. Boyd should take a leaf out of Cross' book, he displayed the ability to recognize a weakness and handball it off to a teammate to dispose of the ball by foot (in the collingwood game)

[LostDoggy]

Does McCartney's facial hair deserve to be in the Ugly category?

In my opinion, he needs to clean it off asap.

Disagree. Definitely chuck it in The Good category! :D

[Greystache]

The good

JJ showed further improvement and looks like he'll play a lot of senior footy this season. His trajectory continues to go in the right direction.

All of the mature recruits look like they could potentially offer something. Only early days but none of them so far look a total waste.

Jones lead and converted really nicely on one occasion. He looked like he really wanted to work to find space to lead into and get on the end of an easy mark. We haven't seen that much from any of our younger forwards previously and I'm hoping that's a sign that Jones is looking to add that to his game.

The scores reset to zero between games!

The Bad

Lack of any cohesive forward structure

Lack of willingness of forwards to present

Skill level still below VFL level, even from the senior players

The Ugly

Gia is still easily our best forward target and he looks slower again this year

Lack of composure of our players with ball in hand or even in marking contests.

And yes, McCartney's beard!

[Pickenitup]

I thought Tom Young Showed a bit at Half back last night

[Ghost Dog]

That's good. As not many on here rated him after seeing him at training.

[GVGjr]

I thought Tom Young Showed a bit at Half back last night

Yeah he looked OK. It's early days but there might be a spot for him in the best 22.

[Eastdog]

What do you think is the best way for us in organising our forward line which once again last night really hurt us. How can Macca get the most goals out of it which clearly last year did not happen at all. I think it's both a question of delivery and the quality of our forwards at the moment.

[Ghost Dog]

Does McCartney's facial hair deserve to be in the Ugly category?

In my opinion, he needs to clean it off asap.

Is he the only current coach in the AFL with a beard?
Looks ok. Hopefully it has a performance enhancing effect!

[The Underdog]

I thought Tom Young Showed a bit at Half back last night

Solid, used the ball well. Certainly bigger than I thought. Could play a role.

[LostDoggy]

Brendan might be wishing to take over the 'Peoples Beard' mantle!!

[Ozza]

Good:

- Goodes. Looks to be potential the best option on the kick outs. Uses his body cleverly in contested situations. Looked pretty comfortable out there in his first (semi) AFL hit out.
- Lower - didn't kick the ball well, but can forgive these as its Feb he has the action of a neat kicker. Clearly a smart player who knows how to find it.
- Clay Smith - beat three Collingwood players on the back flank and won a free kick. With a full pre-season under his belt - will quite possibly be a best 22 player all year.
- Dale Morris moving well, and pulling up fine.

Bad:

- No real forward structure, and players getting sucked too far up the ground (as usual) leaving us with nobody to kick to.
- Poor kicking. I don't like to whack Boyd, because he is regularly our best player, and always our hardest worker - but the first centre bounce - he had a clear possession, and had time to dispose of it and just threw it on the boot with not much care. Set the tone.
- Bobby's poor use of the footy by hand and foot. Expect more out of our best players.

Ugly:

- Christian Howard and Ayce Cordy.
- Several of Jong's possessions from deep in defence.
- Marcovic and Austin looked very lost.

[Cyberdoggie]

Good: Goodes, Dahlhaus and JJ link up through the middle was exciting, Macrae had 1 touch across the backline the eeked class and composure. Tom Young looks to be a decent defender with good body skills. Competitiveness and attack on the ball was good.

Bad: Cordy was lost out there, reminded me of one of those crazy man sale blow up things with his arms flaying about everywhere. Doesn't look any bigger or stronger and just looks like a gangly kid running around in the little league with no idea where the ball is going.
Howard is an ordinary footballer, i've said it before and i'll say it again. He's has no physical pressence, is useless overhead, and can't even kick easy goals for someone with a so called weapon of a left foot. If there is one footballer that you would least want to have the ball in a pressure situation it is him. Guaranteed to do something dumb or trip over his own feet.

Our biggest problem is our poor ball movement. We are stuck in this hadball razzamadazz where we shoot off quick handballs to stationary targets to try and get out of congested areas. It's just a snowball effect where the more we use it the more likely we are to make a mistake and turn it over, and the opposition can apply more pressure because all they have to do is predict that we will handball it to one of the stationary players and charge them down.
We need to draw space by doing simple things like shepherding and blocking, and actually moving our feet. If we get the ball we need to start moving and provide moving targets to open the space up and reduce the pressure. Just watch Essendon and Collingwood get teh ball out with 1 or 2 handballs then they have space and time to deliver. Whereas we might have 3-5 handballs and are still trying to get away from tackler, instead of having the time and space to look downfield and spot a target.
It's no wonder our disposal is rubbish, we are always under pressure or perceived pressure.

Ugly: not a fan of the beard. Rusty beards are never cool, sorry bmac.

[LostDoggy]

I actually thought Howard looked OK. Was happy with Jong considering his age/experience. Agree with other sentiment about Boydy though, he really needs to clean it up, as Ozza said, the guys see him throw it on the boot and they do likewise.

I didn't think we did that badly, considering Essendon had a point to prove and Collingwood are a far better side than we are, expected to be top 4, and had played two quarters less footy than we had. Maybe I'm making excuses…

I will add one Good:

* Essendon fans. They copped it (and rightfully so, many may say) but for the most part, those around me accepted the harassment with a fair bit of grace and humour.

[Cyberdoggie]

I didn't think we did that badly, considering Essendon had a point to prove and Collingwood are a far better side than we are, expected to be top 4, and had played two quarters less footy than we had. Maybe I'm making excuses…

It wasnt' that we did badly (the score doesn't matter).
Our endeavour was great and all but that only gets you so far. In regular games when you keep caughing up easy goals from blunders then the score gets out of hand and attitudes start to fall away.

I want to see us move the ball better and with more confidence. In my opinion we looked all at sea in this area. We were constantly under pressure because we don't know how to protect the ball carrier or move into space to support him. Then when we occasionally get a whisker clear or have no option we slam it on the boot without thinking to a 2 on 1.

What was picken doing as a stand alone forward with 2 players on him, one being fletcher cointinually backing back? i don't know about you but i can't remember the last time i saw Picken taking a strong overhead mark.


Anyway let's have a look at how we go against Hawthorn. If i see more of the same, even though we will have played 3 very good teams, i can't see us improving much this year. I want to see Mitch Wallis, Liba, Smith try and hold the ball more, use their feet to move into better positions and take the time to find a good option. Wallis in particular has a real handball crazy affliction. After his first year he realized he was slow and got caught a lot, so to combat this he ditched his outside game and basically handball shovels the ball at every contest he jumps in.

[BulldogBelle]

The Good

- Mitch Wallis. Played his heart out.
- Ryan Griffen. Still a master performer.
- Clay Smith. Improved from last year and was one of our best.
- Dale Morris. May get back to his best.
- Brett Goodes. Good enough to get a spot. Nice hit on Essendons player, put him out of the game. Good pickup
- Jack Redpath. Forward presentation better than Jones or Cordy. Have hopes.
- Jarryd Grant. Good tackle and clever fast play.
- Lin Jong. Showed good skills and determination.
- Nick Lower. Good pickup and may get a spot in the final team.
- Jack Macrae. Showed some nice moves. Good pickup.
- Jason Johannison. Player showed a lot of skill and dash. Could get permanent spot.
- Liam Jones. Angle kick for goal from distance went right through.
- Luke Dolly. Serviceable.
- Liam Picken. Tried very hard but lacks elite skills.
- Gia. Got a few goals and looked like the only forward with class.
- The team gave it a good go.They went in. Endeavour good.
- Shaun Higgins. Showed class and leadership qualities.
- Tackling and spoiling was good.


The Bad

- Bob Murphy. First two handballs turnovers.
- Christian Howard. Missed that shot at goal. Has to move quicker.
- Adam Cooney. Not contributing enough. Look at Wallis, Griffen and Smith for good example.
- Jack Redpath. Got to the marks but couldn't hold them.
- Easton Wood. No run and carry from the backline.
- Matthew Boyd. Played for the opposition.


The Ugly

- Dylan Addison. Gave away a stupid 50 metre penalty and goal. Does this often. Has no sense and will never get any. Should not be given another game as same will result.
- Matthew Boyd. His first and last kicks were OK. All others were intercepted by opposition. Is a chronic bad kick. Needs to lose captaincy. Needs to put in hours of practice every day into kicking to a team mate.
- Ayce Cordy. Insipient, incompetent and unsatisfactory. Should be given 6 strokes of the rattan. Then made to practice marking two hours in the morning and two hours at night every day of the week until he improves. Do this with Boyd doing the kicking and Redpath doing the opposition.
- Brendan McCartney. Boyd stills kicks like crap. So what have you done? Cordy and Jones still have scarcely improved - what are you doing? Team's skill levels well down, they need more practice matches, every day I suggest, including week-ends. Ball carrier is still not getting protected - why not? I can't see any special tactics, are there any? Team didn't seem to know the rules regarding out of bounds and gave away many unnecessary kicks. Did you teach them?

[MrMahatma]

The good: our off season spin.

The bad: our initial results in a monkey-mouse contest.

The ugly: gnashing of teeth post "the bad". Although to be fair this has been a good thread.

I do think our comms team are fabulous though. I kind of expected us to have a blinder.

[always right]

- Ayce Cordy. Insipient, incompetent and unsatisfactory. Should be given 6 strokes of the rattan. Then made to practice marking two hours in the morning and two hours at night every day of the week until he improves. Do this with Boyd doing the kicking and Redpath doing the opposition.


Insipient?

[AndrewP6]

Insipient?

It means 'foolish' or 'stupid'

[Greystache]

Insipient?

Insipient- foolish; lacking wisdom; stupid

[jeemak]

For the short term we need to put up with players like Howard not hitting targets with his supposedly good left foot, and looking lost with the ball or in a contest, Wallis being handball happy, Dahlhaus dropping chest marks he should take, Cordy not looking like he knows where to run, Addison letting the side down due to frustration and just about every other poor act on the field that we saw on Friday night.

This group will mature together, and start displaying their strengths together. There'll be a few players that lift above the current state from time to time and show their true qualities before others do, though for the most part it's going to be a very slow process.

The reason for this is that we're still just bottoming out, and beginning the process of moving forward again. All of the weaknesses the younger players displayed (and some from the more experience players) are a result of our team being completely disorganised and lacking cohesion as a result of its overall innexperience.

A player like Cordy in a reasonable side is less exposed, take Grant's 2010 season as a classic example of the concept. Every player on our list is going to have their weaknesses exposed significantly this year, and probably next as a result of us not being a very good overall unit.

Sure, some players will prove themselves incapable of lifting to the required level over the journey, though we need to understand that right now would be a bloody tough time to be an emerging player at the Bulldogs for all but a few of the extremely talented on our list, or those that are just a little bit more developed than their peers.

[Ghost Dog]

The Good


- Brendan McCartney. Boyd stills kicks like crap. So what have you done? Cordy and Jones still have scarcely improved - what are you doing? Team's skill levels well down, they need more practice matches, every day I suggest, including week-ends. Ball carrier is still not getting protected - why not? I can't see any special tactics, are there any? Team didn't seem to know the rules regarding out of bounds and gave away many unnecessary kicks. Did you teach them?

First game of NAB. Not yet started the season proper. Let's all take a breath and pray for the foot fairy to pay him a visit.

[always right]

Insipient- foolish; lacking wisdom; stupid

Thanks....you learn something new every day.

[w3design]

Good:

- Goodes. Looks to be potential the best option on the kick outs. Uses his body cleverly in contested situations. Looked pretty comfortable out there in his first (semi) AFL hit out.
- Lower - didn't kick the ball well, but can forgive these as its Feb he has the action of a neat kicker. Clearly a smart player who knows how to find it.
- Clay Smith - beat three Collingwood players on the back flank and won a free kick. With a full pre-season under his belt - will quite possibly be a best 22 player all year.
- Dale Morris moving well, and pulling up fine.

Bad:

- No real forward structure, and players getting sucked too far up the ground (as usual) leaving us with nobody to kick to.
- Poor kicking. I don't like to whack Boyd, because he is regularly our best player, and always our hardest worker - but the first centre bounce - he had a clear possession, and had time to dispose of it and just threw it on the boot with not much care. Set the tone.
- Bobby's poor use of the footy by hand and foot. Expect more out of our best players.

Ugly:

- Christian Howard and Ayce Cordy.
- Several of Jong's possessions from deep in defence.
- Marcovic and Austin looked very lost.


Oz, no doubt at all, you and I attended the same game. Have to pretty much agree with all of that.