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View Full Version : A MESSAGE FROM BRENDAN MCCARTNEY - Round 23



bornadog
03-09-2013, 11:10 PM
3 September 2013

The highlight of the match against Melbourne was the second quarter where we did everything we wanted to do. It was tough footy, with lots of tackling and winning contests, but also the ball just moved really quickly. Our players settled into a brand of footy for 30 minutes that was very good to watch and be part of.

The performance for the rest of the day probably reflected a group that got a bit weary at season’s end and were playing a club that hadn’t had a great year but were desperate to finish off the season well, with their recent win against us probably in the back of their minds. Often you’ll find when you get to the last game, clubs will try everything in their power to get up for that day. They probably fancied themselves against us a little bit, but it was just good to get the four points and finish the year off strongly.

After the game, we briefly spoke about some of our key stats, and where we could’ve been better, but we moved pretty quickly on to the reality of where we are at. We’re proud of how our players finished off the year, but at the same time, we finished 15th.

We also reminded the players that since the Gold Coast game which was a pretty dark day for us — where we were getting criticised publicly, and there wasn’t a lot of optimism out in AFL land about our Club — we won seven of the last 14 games. Over a 14 week period, only one loss was a blow out, so we are pleased with the consistency of the second half of the season and how our players were able to regroup. The challenge for us is to take that in to next season.

There are a cluster of Clubs, which we’re part of that are talking about next year and are hell-bent on improving. Not all of us are going to go up the ladder at the same time because there simply isn’t enough room for everyone. What we will do is ensure our players leave on their break very clear on where they need to get better and the expectations we have of them when they come back to work, because this is a journey that still has a way to go. I don’t want people to think there’s a time frame on that; we will just keep working our backsides off every day to make our Club better.

Seeing our supporters enjoy and probably more notably understand where we are at has been really pleasing — and we’re glad we’ve been able to reward you with some good footy. The chant that went across the ground at half time of Sunday’s game was pretty indicative of our Bulldog people being on this journey with us.

Thank you for your support this season.

Brendan

whythelongface
04-09-2013, 07:58 AM
Thank you Brendan for giving us supporters hope for next year and beyond. We look forward to the continued development of the team in the off-season. More importantly we look forward to the journey that leads us to the ultimate prize, the flag.

LostDoggy
04-09-2013, 08:06 AM
I hope he keeps the communications up during the long bleak summer.

Remi Moses
04-09-2013, 01:35 PM
It's good honest feedback that's much appreciated.

LostDoggy
04-09-2013, 03:35 PM
To me, the bolded bit says that Mac values us as well as those inside the club. That he has a real appreciation of the supporters being the reason that they do what they do every week.

And it's encouraging to have him say that although the club is proud of its players, the reality is that we finished 15th. He's obviously telling everybody to not get ahead of themselves. Good level-headed stuff. We do have some momentum now though, and I really hope we can use it to foster a solid pre-season and a good start in 2014.

ledge
04-09-2013, 07:49 PM
I just heard his speech from the rising star awards if anyone knows how to put it on this site please put it up its pretty good stuff.

azabob
04-09-2013, 08:22 PM
I just heard his speech from the rising star awards if anyone knows how to put it on this site please put it up its pretty good stuff.

I could listen to BMAC all day long.

What a damn fine speech and what a damn fine man.

Our club is in great hands.

LostDoggy
05-09-2013, 09:38 PM
I could listen to BMAC all day long.

What a damn fine speech and what a damn fine man.

Our club is in great hands.

A magnificent speech that made news in Adelaide, for a coach of an interstate side to be talked about here for something good, wow.

Really proud he is our coach and while I was a rocket fan, we made a great decision. He may not be the man that delivers us a flag(I hope he is though) but he sure is the right man for the club where we are now. Parents of Essendon and St Kilda players would be talking to their kids about coming to work for Macca.


I am so damn impressed by Brendan McCartney.

azabob
05-09-2013, 09:57 PM
A magnificent speech that made news in Adelaide, for a coach of an interstate side to be talked about here for something good,


.

Wow - That is great to hear.

SonofScray
06-09-2013, 01:19 AM
Loved that he mentioned his Uncle Doc, who was a dear old mate of mine and the family and just one of the great men of the West. You couldn't ever take the piss out of Mac's "good people" line ever if you knew that men of Doc's calibre set that standard.

chef
06-09-2013, 07:05 AM
Thank you Brendan for giving us supporters hope for next year and beyond. We look forward to the continued development of the team in the off-season. More importantly we look forward to the journey that leads us to the ultimate prize, the flag.

This.

KT31
06-09-2013, 09:50 AM
Quality speech and imagine many parents hoping on draft day to hear their son's name linked to the Bulldogs.

LostDoggy
06-09-2013, 12:54 PM
Quality speech and imagine many parents hoping on draft day to hear their son's name linked to the Bulldogs.

It's an interesting thought, isn't it? Not just kids in the draft pool, but players considering finding a second home — you'd think they'd discuss it with their olds?