Practice Match - Dogs vs Blues March 7 at 4pm Princes Park

[bornadog]

Team selection
Squads for Friday’s AFL and VFL practice matches will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

Match Day Live Tweeting & Social Media Coverage
Can’t watch or get to the game on Friday? Make sure you're following the Bulldogs' social media accounts for the latest news, behind the scenes photos and live updates throughout the match.

VFL Curtain Raiser
Northern Blues vs Footscray Bulldogs
Friday 7 March 2014, 1pm
Venue: VISY Park
The Footscray Bulldogs will play their first practice match of the year as a curtain raiser to the senior match on Friday afternoon. Get your first look at the Bulldogs’ VFL listed players as the line-up against Carlton’s VFL affiliate the Northern Blues, as well as your first look at a selection of AFL listed players yet to get a run in the NAB Challenge series.
Ticketing information
All current Bulldogs members will gain FREE access into Friday’s clash against Carlton at Visy Park, simply by presenting their membership card or confirmation email at the gate. Tickets for non-members can also be purchased on arrival to the game for $10 each.

[1eyedog]

I'll be going along. Should be good.

[Cyberdoggie]

Mitch Wallis
Matthew Boyd
Shaun Higgins
Stewart Crameri
Easton Wood
Jack Macrae
Daniel Giansiracusa
Jason Tutt
Adam Cooney
Daniel Pearce
Tom Liberatore
Mitch Honeychurch
Jordan Roughead
Koby Stevens
Lachie Hunter
Will Minson
Tory Dickson
Tom Young
Matt Fuller
Dale Morris
Jason Johannisen
Liam Picken
Brett Goodes
Tom Campbell
Lin Jong
Ayce Cordy

Squad just listed!

Fuller in for his first run.

Still no Griffen.

[comrade]

Is Jonesy injured or in the naughty boy's corner?

[bulldogtragic]

Not a bad squad, Jong and Honeychurch must be impressing the coaches, they've had a good run of games.

[LostDoggy]

Not a bad squad, Jong and Honeychurch must be impressing the coaches, they've had a good run of games.

They're impressing me.

[bulldogtragic]

They're impressing me.

Yep. I wonder what would happen in a game of 'chicken' with Jong and Clay Smith running at each other? :)

[Murphy'sLore]

concussion.

[always right]

No Jones or Darley......staggering. Still no Griff either which is a worry.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Disappointing that Darley and Jones are yet to play.

Some interesting outs including Williams.

[LostDoggy]

Confused about Jones, thought the talk was that he and Crameri were going to take pressure off each other in the forward line as two decent threats. So far Jones unsighted and Crameri looks like he's just warming up.

[Cyberdoggie]

Confused about Jones, thought the talk was that he and Crameri were going to take pressure off each other in the forward line as two decent threats. So far Jones unsighted and Crameri looks like he's just warming up.

It is interesting.

There is slo mo footage on the WB website with Jones taking speccies on the bag. Looks fit enough to me.

Maybe they are trying to say to him you need to apply yourself more?


With Footscray playing in the warm up game before hand will assume he will play there if he's not injured.

[w3design]

My guess would be he is getting the "J Grant" treatment. You don't play till you meet certain performance/training criteria.

[Happy Days]

I'll be there, most looking forward to my first look at Fuller, who if delivers as advertised could be really handy this season and beyond.

I don't mind Jones not playing because I've all but given up on him, and gone ALL IN on the Road Warriors (Crameri, Stringer and Grant) as our best method of kicking a winning score.

[GVGjr]

Is Jonesy injured or in the naughty boy's corner?

Not sure that it either. Reports I have is that he has improved his running an endurance over the summer.
Maybe there is a slight injury concern.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Not sure that it either. Reports I have is that he has improved his running an endurance over the summer.
Maybe there is a slight injury concern.

Either way, the club is still poor at communicating these kinds of details with its supporter base.

[LostDoggy]

According to twitter Jones will be playing the vfl game.

[Remi Moses]

Either way, the club is still poor at communicating these kinds of details with its supporter base.

I think every club now plays ducks and drakes in regards to injuries.

[SlimPickens]

Both Jones and Darley are playing in the VFL game.

[Cyberdoggie]

Any reports on if Bonts is playing for Footscray?
If he is i'll go early.

[LostDoggy]

Does anyone know if we'll see Howie lining up for Footscray? From memory he picked up a slight injury during pre-season but haven't heard anything since.

[bornadog]

Footscray Squad

Marcus Bontempelli
Matt Fuller
Daniel Pearce
Fletcher Roberts
Liam Jones
Josh Prudden
Christian Howard
Michael Talia
Sam Darley
Alex Greenwood
Jack Redpath
Mark Austin
Brent Prismall
Jase Perkins
Will Sullivan
Nick Jamieson
Nick Lower
Will Hayes
Darcy Fort
Mitch Jensen
Tom Gleeson
Christian Elliot
Jordan Clarke
JD Hayes
Jordan Russell
Todd Finco
Jesse Fortune
Lukas Markovic
Anthony Barry

[bornadog]

any reports on if bonts is playing for footscray?
If he is i'll go early.

yes


does anyone know if we'll see howie lining up for footscray? From memory he picked up a slight injury during pre-season but haven't heard anything since.

yes


footscray squad

marcus bontempelli
matt fuller
daniel pearce
fletcher roberts
liam jones
josh prudden
christian howard
michael talia
sam darley
alex greenwood
jack redpath
mark austin
brent prismall
jase perkins
will sullivan
nick jamieson
nick lower
will hayes
darcy fort
mitch jensen
tom gleeson
christian elliot
jordan clarke
jd hayes
jordan russell
todd finco
jesse fortune
lukas markovic
anthony barry

[The Bulldogs Bite]

[COLOR=#2E2E2E][FONT=Arial]Footscray Squad



So now Fuller isn't playing v Carlton?

A few observations on my behalf:

- Williams not playing at all isn't a good sign
- Talia and Jones playing VFL is strange
- Disappointed Fuller and Darley haven't played with the senior team when our back half is a weakness with many out of form
- Why is Jong playing again ahead of senior listed players? Reality is he can't and won't play round one, so what's the point of him taking a position over one of our many listed players who need game time?

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Mitch Wallis
Matthew Boyd
Shaun Higgins
Stewart Crameri
Easton Wood
Jack Macrae
Daniel Giansiracusa
Jason Tutt
Adam Cooney
Daniel Pearce
Tom Liberatore
Mitch Honeychurch
Jordan Roughead
Koby Stevens
Lachie Hunter
Will Minson
Tory Dickson
Tom Young
Matt Fuller
Dale Morris
Jason Johannisen
Liam Picken
Brett Goodes
Tom Campbell
Lin Jong
Ayce Cordy

Squad just listed!

Fuller in for his first run.

Still no Griffen.
Stringer Griffen Murphy Grant Williams and Hrovat all missing and still no Jones which is disappointing

[Remi Moses]

Can you get that right, as according to today's herald tabloid it's "Griffin":eek:

[bulldogtragic]

Is that like Hargraves?

[Remi Moses]

So now Fuller isn't playing v Carlton?

A few observations on my behalf:

- Williams not playing at all isn't a good sign
- Talia and Jones playing VFL is strange
- Disappointed Fuller and Darley haven't played with the senior team when our back half is a weakness with many out of form
- Why is Jong playing again ahead of senior listed players? Reality is he can't and won't play round one, so what's the point of him taking a position over one of our many listed players who need game time?

Maybe the thought is some players got enough load into them( the freo game was taxing)
Thought they would have played either Fuller or Darley by now.

[Remi Moses]

Is that like Hargraves?

Would have thought the Chief Footy writer of the Hun would get that right.

[bulldogtragic]

Would have thought the Chief Footy writer of the Hun would get that right.

Maybe he and other are so busy being 'd' grade celebs that they are subbying out their columns to juniors again?

[Twodogs]

Would have thought the Chief Footy writer of the Hun would get that right.


Hirdy said it was Hargraves. Now drink your cordial.

[Ozza]

Is that like Hargraves?

Jack Macrae is also already becoming one of the most mis-spelled in the media and on Woof.
Plenty of McCrae and McRae's getting about so far.

[Cyberdoggie]

I have no issue with Jong playing in the seniors, he needs the experience and perhaps the coach wants to reward him and boost his confidence. It could also be about showing him what is required first hand by playing against the elite.

This is a philosophy Macca seems to stick by which would explain why the new kids don't get much of a look in, ie Darley, Fuller, Bonts.

Honeychurch obviously is impressing with his attitude.

[LostDoggy]

Im guessing Fuller and a couple of others may be in both squads, but haven't checked.

[stefoid]

Liam Jones - get fit or dont play?

[bulldogtragic]

Liam Jones - get fit or dont play?

Like with Maccas leaders at the cats, hopefully we have them like the Ablett Jnr story, ie you're good, but you could be great if you work harder, we don't think you're doing enough.

[Rocco Jones]

sorry if it has been answered before but what time is the VFL game at?

[bulldogtragic]

sorry if it has been answered before but what time is the VFL game at?

1pm Rocco

[Go_Dogs]

Looking forward to reports. I can't be there today.

[Mofra]

I have no issue with Jong playing in the seniors, he needs the experience and perhaps the coach wants to reward him and boost his confidence. It could also be about showing him what is required first hand by playing against the elite.
He could also want the flexibility of wanting a big-bodied tagger as an option against big-bodied mids - Wallis has done well as a run with player (even on some bigger guys) but he's "only" 6 foot which is getting towards the shorter end of midfielders these days.

[LostDoggy]

Have a friend at the Footscray game currently being played.

Said Jones has looked good with 3 goals to half time
Bonti very clean and apparently kicked a great goal.
Greenwood and Prudden both impressive.

Henderson giving Redpath a bath too.

Footscray by 3 points at the half

[bornadog]

Josh Prudden finding plenty of the ball, while Liam Jones continues to be the dominant presence forward of centre.

[bornadog]

Lower, Prudden, Greenwood and Fort starting in the centre for the final term. Bulldogs by 7 points.

[bornadog]

Blues by two points

[Murphy'sLore]

Is that the final score, bornadog?

[bornadog]

Quick reply through Jesse Fortune, crumbs off the marking contest at the top of the square. Bulldogs by 4 points. Late Q4 FB 62 NB 58

[bornadog]

Is that the final score, bornadog?

sorry late in 4th

[bornadog]

Less than a minute remaining, Blues back in front. Gleeson snaps a goal from in close. FB 63 NB 64

[bornadog]

Northern Blues get the win by a point, FB 9.9 (63) NB 10.4 (64)

[LostDoggy]

Have heard Darley was fairly impressive. Which is a good sign for our half back woes.

[bornadog]

Roberts kicked 2, Prudden and Greenwood played well.

[Remi Moses]

Pretty good for a first time hit out .

[Twodogs]

Thanks BAD. Great reports.

[bulldogtragic]

Thanks BAD. Great reports.

Ditto. As an omen, Footscray coming back to a one point loss is right on cue.

[bornadog]

Hunter loves a cheeky snap. Dribbles the left footer along the ground. GOAL. Crumbed nicely off the Minson tap at the throw in. WB 12 CARL 0

[bornadog]

WB 20, Carlton 8

[LostDoggy]

Campbell and Ayce with 2 big marks!! Two goals :) 32 to 8

[Twodogs]

Is there a gale blowing toward our goal?

[LostDoggy]

Dickson with another!!! Margin out to 30 points. WB 38 CARL 8

[Twodogs]

We must be domintating the contests.

Is Darley or Honeychurch playing?

[bornadog]

WB 6.4 (40) lead CARL 1.2 (8). Quarter time

[Twodogs]

Go dogs!

[Happy Days]

We must be domintating the contests.

Is Darley or Honeychurch playing?

Honeychurch yes, Darley played in the early game.

We've got a two goal breeze but nothing serious. Goodes is ribboning them out of defense.

[bulldogtragic]

WB 6.4 (40) lead CARL 1.2 (8). Quarter time

Just imagine if Grant was playing, we'd be 134 points up. 10 scoring shots to 3!

[bornadog]

FIRST QTR GOALS: Cordy, Campbell, Cooney, Hunter, Giansiracusa, Dickson

[bornadog]

Carlton snap a goal

[divvydan]

Looks like Fuller, Pearce, Young and Libba aren't playing and we're only playing 22.

[bornadog]

WB 41, Car 32

[bornadog]

Royal Parade ends is definitely the scoring end. Menzel snaps another for the Blues. They've kicked 5-0 goals this term. WB 41 CARL 36

[bornadog]

Hunter adds a behind. Better ball movement down the outer side. A couple of involvements from the #26 WB 42 CARL 37

PS this is all from Twitter

[divvydan]

Libba and Young warming up now at half time, so maybe we're rotating a couple for the second half.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Can we delist Cordy now? On par with Mulligan.

[bulldogtragic]

Can we delist Cordy now? On par with Mulligan.

Mulligan didn't cost a first round pick though. He'll be kept on until any residual denial is expired.

[bulldogtragic]

Higgins with 22 touches the half time via twitter.

[bornadog]

HALF TIME GOALS: Giansiracusa 2, Cordy, Campbell, Dickson, Cooney, Hunter


HALF TIME: WB 7.6 (48) CARL 5.7 (37)

[bornadog]

Third quarter on the way.

WB 48 CARL 43

[bornadog]

GOAL. Macrae. Gets out the back, gathers the long ball the clears the pack and runs in to dribbe it through. WB 55 CARL 43

[bornadog]

Clever all around. Macrae gathers inside the arc, lifts the eyes, sees Koby. Gathers, ducks one, snaps on the right. GOAL. WB 61 CARL 43

[LostDoggy]

Higgins with 22 touches the half time via twitter.

Who??

[bornadog]

wb 61 carl 49

[bornadog]

Who??

Half time - Higgins 22 disposals, Boyd 16, Stevens 11 touches + 7 tackles.

[bulldogtragic]

Who??

You know, the guy who the press focus on every year at this time, and whose each and every preseasons make you dream. That guy. :)

[LostDoggy]

Wow huge bonus if Higgins comes on.

[LostDoggy]

:) ok im dreaming

[bulldogtragic]

For non twitters

3/4

Dogs by 22
Higgins 30
Cooney 3 goals

[Go_Dogs]

Thanks for the updates all. Sounds very promising thus far.

What has Cordy done TBB? Based on the early post sounded like he clunked a mark and finished with a goal.

[LostDoggy]

Thanks for the updates guys love it

[bornadog]

Libba 16 disposals in the third term

Higgins 30 Disposals

[bornadog]

Last quarter half way through

WB 76 Carl 56

[Dancin' Douggy]

Thankyou all for these updates. Sounds pretty good to me.

[LostDoggy]

Quick reply. Giansiracusa. GOAL. His third, streaming inside the arc, drilled the drop punt from 40m. WB 83 CARL 66 (twitter)

[bornadog]

Dogs going on with it, now 83 to 66

[bornadog]

I hate Carlton

[Twodogs]

Even though i'm not there and it's just a practice match I'm still loving beating Carlton.

[bornadog]

Dogs going on with it, now 83 to 66

FINAL SCORE, nice win

[Twodogs]

Full time Bulldogs 12.11 83 to Carlton 9.12 66!!!!

Go Dogs.

[bulldogtragic]

Even though i'm not there and it's just a practice match I'm still loving beating Carlton.

Cue twitter and Facebook posts with erased comments about a great win, to, it's only a practice game.

[Twodogs]

Did we win?

[Throughandthrough]

Did we win?


we shit it in

[Greystache]

Did we win?

We shitted it in. How did we do it?

[bulldogtragic]

Did we win?

Do I take it the swear filter is off? :)

If not, we shit it in!

[Greystache]

It's starting to come together.

Cooney could be in for a massive year.

[LostDoggy]

It's starting to come together.

Cooney could be in for a massive year.

Shhhhh.....Dont tell anyone.

[azabob]

Shhhhh.....Dont tell anyone.

You always have been a true believer!

[bornadog]

Bloody Higgins, only 3 disposals in the last quarter for a game total of 33 ;)

[bulldogtragic]

Bloody Higgins, only 3 disposals in the last quarter for a game total of 33 ;)

Needs to get fitter! :)

Back to the magoos I say.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Gee we might have unearthed an absolute superstar in Macrae.
I was so excited about Stringer, I always kind of thought of Macrae as the steak knives, but he has been absolutely outstanding. He looks like he's got the kind of frame that will put on solid muscle as well. Another thing that is surprising after seeing him fresh from the draft night.
I'm so excited about this group.

[LostDoggy]

You always have been a true believer!

Never lose faith mate. I'm fully Cooneyfied.

[Greystache]

Needs to get fitter! :)

Back to the magoos I say.

Played the loose man in defence.

[Happy Days]

Played the loose man in defence.

Was still BOG

[azabob]

Played the loose man in defence.

Did he use the ball well?

[G-Mo77]

This game by Higgins has me wanting to put him in my SC team. I vowed never to do it again.

[Eastdog]

Sounds like we had a good win and its especially great beating Carlton. Haven't really followed the match on social media but for woofers who did manage to go in your opinions who were our best and worst. Good to hear that Higgins had a good match.

[Greystache]

Did he use the ball well?

Very well. Mind you this is from a report someone gave me. I couldn't go today due to work. If we don't get a report I'll put something up.

I'm glad he played well, but I'm not getting excited that we're trying to find ways to cover his lack of accountability and competitiveness rather than fixing it.

[KT31]

Any one know if any video of the game is available ?

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Sounds like we had a good win and its especially great beating Carlton. Haven't really followed the match on social media but for woofers who did manage to go in your opinions who were our best and worst. Good to hear that Higgins had a good match.

Higgins was outstanding and has played himself into our opening game as a defender. Macrae again was excellent even if his disposal lets him down at times. Libba and Cooney took the game away from Carlton in the second half after the Blues had dominated the second term. Goodes was a fine player in defence and I was impressed with Jong's game. Morris was terrific at full back on Waite. Gia was again our best forward in an attack that struggled. Crameri to me was disappointing and we went into the match without Dahlhaus Stringer and Jones. Wallis did a fine job tagging Murphy. Honeychurch played for most of the game and impressed with his tenacity whilst Boyd and Stevens were other good players.

[Twodogs]

What was Jong's role NBP? He's been impressive in all the sessions I've seen. And he's a big unit.

[Bulldog Revolution]

My take on the game

First quarter we dominated them, completely dominated them - smashed them in the middle, slowed there ball movement and got numbers back, Carlton had only 2-3 good scoring opportunities and we are five goals up and should have been at least seven goals up. Cooney in super touch, Hunter classy and clean, Higgins rebounding out of the back line, Goodes productive down back, Roughy solid, Morris superb, Crameri lively up forward, Stevens good through the middle. Campbell took a nice grab up forward, and then Cordy followed up with a great grab off a set up kick by Crameri and we looked superb. Jong brilliant out of the middle in the first quarter, Wallis and Boyd involved also.

Second quarter our tall forwards dropped away - Campbell and Cordy struggled, didn't compete as well, and they moved the ball far more speedily and created more chances. We made some poor decisions around who would compete in the air and who would stay on the ground - Menzel got a very easy one out of dog mistake. Cooney completely dropped out of the game, as did Higgins. Goodes still excellent and Macrae worked into it after a very quiet first quarter. JJ made a super run down the wing but put the ball to a Honeychurch one on one 30 metres out from goal, which wasn't the right option. We had our chances but our final kick inside 50 let us down. Gia with a nice goal as the siren sounded for half time.

Third quarter we got our game back up and running but the Blues competed more effectively than the first quarter. Libba introduced into the middle and was super. Cooney got going and kicked two fine goals. Higgins got back into it, as did Hunter, Goodes again kept accumulating and mopping up. JJ, Macrae and Stevens solid. Tom Young into the back line of the second half. Crameri trying hard but not massively effective

Last quarter the game probably never reached great heights. We had chances to kick a few more but didn't, we also conceded a few. Daniel Pearce and Fuller were introduced into the backline and Pearce was particularly sharp. Crameri tried to manufacture some scores using his running power but it didn't quite click. Campbell looked tired. Dickson missed a left foot snap from close. Gia kicked one late.

Best: Goodes, Cooney, Morris, Higgins, Stevens.

So based on this game we have Griffen, Dahlhaus, Stringer, Murphy to add to the team.

Final random thoughts: Bonto flashed in and out in the VFL but reportedly did some great things. Honeychurch was lively in the seniors without setting it on fire. Hunter was super classy and clean - Im calling it early but I think he's going to be a star. Higgins a welcome addition providing some class behind the ball. Macrae kept accumulating it, after having a very quiet first quarter he worked into it nicely.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

What was Jong's role NBP? He's been impressive in all the sessions I've seen. And he's a big unit.

Jong was used in the midfield and looked good. He is always looking to help out a teammate and has plenty of courage. Should be a handy player this year.

[bornadog]

My take on the game

First quarter we dominated them, completely dominated them - smashed them in the middle, slowed there ball movement and got numbers back, Carlton had only 2-3 good scoring opportunities and we are five goals up and should have been at least seven goals up. Cooney in super touch, Hunter classy and clean, Higgins rebounding out of the back line, Goodes productive down back, Roughy solid, Morris superb, Crameri lively up forward, Stevens good through the middle. Campbell took a nice grab up forward, and then Cordy followed up with a great grab off a set up kick by Crameri and we looked superb. Jong brilliant out of the middle in the first quarter, Wallis and Boyd involved also.

Second quarter our tall forwards dropped away - Campbell and Cordy struggled, didn't compete as well, and they moved the ball far more speedily and created more chances. We made some poor decisions around who would compete in the air and who would stay on the ground - Menzel got a very easy one out of dog mistake. Cooney completely dropped out of the game, as did Higgins. Goodes still excellent and Macrae worked into it after a very quiet first quarter. JJ made a super run down the wing but put the ball to a Honeychurch one on one 30 metres out from goal, which wasn't the right option. We had our chances but our final kick inside 50 let us down. Gia with a nice goal as the siren sounded for half time.

Third quarter we got our game back up and running but the Blues competed more effectively than the first quarter. Libba introduced into the middle and was super. Cooney got going and kicked two fine goals. Higgins got back into it, as did Hunter, Goodes again kept accumulating and mopping up. JJ, Macrae and Stevens solid. Tom Young into the back line of the second half. Crameri trying hard but not massively effective

Last quarter the game probably never reached great heights. We had chances to kick a few more but didn't, we also conceded a few. Daniel Pearce and Fuller were introduced into the backline and Pearce was particularly sharp. Crameri tried to manufacture some scores using his running power but it didn't quite click. Campbell looked tired. Dickson missed a left foot snap from close. Gia kicked one late.

Best: Goodes, Cooney, Morris, Higgins, Stevens.

So based on this game we have Griffen, Dahlhaus, Stringer, Murphy to add to the team.

Final random thoughts: Bonto flashed in and out in the VFL but reportedly did some great things. Honeychurch was lively in the seniors without setting it on fire. Hunter was super classy and clean - Im calling it early but I think he's going to be a star. Higgins a welcome addition providing some class behind the ball. Macrae kept accumulating it, after having a very quiet first quarter he worked into it nicely.

thank you for the details, can you shed any more light on the talls and rucking ?

[bulldogtragic]

Thanks BR. Much appreciated.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

To be honest, I was disappointed.

Outstanding first quarter. We absolutely dominated them, moved the ball very well by hand and foot, switched the play and used our rebounding half backs to devastating effect. Higgins, Goodes and co. were excellent. Then, we were well beaten in the second quarter, like we were v St. Kilda and Fremantle. My concern was two fold; we switched off and weren't working hard enough from a personnel perspective, whilst tactically we played into Carlton's hands. We had a spare for most of the quarter in Crameri who clearly has no idea defensively, whilst our half forwards pushed up to half back. The result? When we did win the ball, we were clogged up - there was no space - and we had no options going forward, so we bombed the ball to nobody or to out numbered contests. I was really interested to see what we'd do if/when Carlton got a run on after coughing up good leads v Saints and Freo, but it was much of the same. Fumbling, extremely bad decision making and poor skill execution. As I said, my concern is with the tactics - it simply isn't working. We need to be able to stem the bleeding and slow the game down but we did anything but (again). Disappointing. Against good sides, we'll be pummeled if we switch off for quarters.

We did get back on top after the second quarter and dominated general play, but our forward line was as dysfunctional as you're ever likely to see it. The amount of ball we won/pumped into F50 for the return we got was very average. This again came back to decision making and skill execution at times, however, much of the blame must also go to the forwards. Crameri, Campbell and Cordy were absolutely awful and that's being kind. If Barry Hall played today, he would have kicked 15.

Sounds like a harsh summary, but it's frustrating to see that the things we need to get better at are still our major weaknesses. We looked sublime in the first quarter and our mids were excellent for most of the game, but an an inability to put it on the scoreboard was painful.

Wallis: Tagged Murphy and I thought he did a pretty solid job. Hard to take note of everything, but he was very solid. Faded in the second like the entire side, but overall a good performance. Goes in low and hard.

Boyd: Played a very good game, only made one error if I recall correctly. Used the ball well, gave it to players in better positions and as always is a contested ball winning beast. Needs to keep playing like this within his limitations.

Higgins: Excellent game. Initially lined up on Thomas but the matchups change every ten seconds. His reading of the play from half back was sublime, he looked a cut above the rest on the field. Ran hard to create run/carry from behind and used the ball really well. What pleased me most, however, was that he put his body on the line repeatedly. It was a complete game from Higgins - very impressive performance.

Crameri: Awful. If he wasn't the 'big signing', I wouldn't play him round 1. Not sure if he's trying to do much, but he's making some fundamental errors that boggle the mind. Simple marks/handballs, trying to take on too many opponents, decision making etc. I feel the need to say 'give him time' and I do think he'll be a good addition but if we're being honest, he was woeful.

Wood: Typical Wood game. Made some fantastic spoils, looked exciting in parts, but also made some blunders and was caught out of position on occasion.

Macrae: Class above. Quiet first quarter but really got going after that, particularly in the second half. His ability to either win a contested contest or hold it up is impressive for somebody touted as an outside player. Rarely wastes the ball. Had a few passages of play where his vision and composure was a pleasure to watch. Next step is being able to hurt the opposition a little more via foot.

Gia: Pushed up the ground a lot, made a few un-Gia like errors when he did, but as always finished well in front of goals.

Tutt: Very average. Thought he was quite soft on a few occasions, peering up to see if anybody was coming and thus fumbling the ball. In one piece of play where this happened, Hunter then came through and picked it up as cleanly as one could. Continues to make these same silly errors, as well as kicking into the man on the mark.

Cooney: Another very encouraging and exciting performance. He's moving as well as he did in 2008 IMO. Used his left foot a few times and looked all class. That explosive pace is back - the signs are fantastic. Like Higgins, a class above the rest today.

Pearce: Only came on in the last quarter, hard to judge. No errors.

Libba: Came on in the second half and looked a class above as he always does with his clean hands and vision. Absolute gun.

Honeychurch: Impressive performance. He goes in really hard, seems to generally make solid decisions and use the ball well. A few errors in close under pressure, but overall there's quite a bit to work with.

Roughead: A pretty decent game, although he did look rusty at times with some basic errors. He'll be better for the run and looks in good condition.

Stevens: Another really good game from Stevens. He has certainly improved from last year. Looks fitter, enabling him to stay in the game longer and use his gut running abilities to advantage. Very tough, very courageous, very good overhead and he's using the ball well. He's been strong this pre-season, one of our best.

Hunter: Sprayed a couple shots on goal/passes, but oozes class. Opposition find it difficult to tackle/quell him, such a smart footballer. One of my favourite players to watch.

Minson: A good hitout for Big Will, he's not dominating yet but he's competing well and looks set for another big year.

Dickson: I wouldn't play him round one. Did a couple of nice things but overall, he's not doing enough. Missed a few easy shots and still struggles when played up the field.

Young: Came on in the last quarter, hard to judge.

Fuller: Came on in the last quarter, I watched him closely and thought he competed well. Uses his body pretty well in contested marking situations to bring the ball to ground. Made one error by foot but other than that, looks like a neat player on very limited exposure. He didn't look out of place, which was pleasing, and also made me wish we played him in earlier games to get a better look.

Morris: Excellent. Gave Waite a bath. Closing speed is still phenomenal.

JJ: Thought he was quiet. Made one great run from half back to roughly CHF but turned it over. You can just 'see' that the kid can play though, has composure and pace, just needs to string it together more often and keep working harder to stay involved.

Picken: Pretty good game from Liam, ball use was much better and was still very tough as always.

Goodes: The help from Higgins across HB really helped settle him. Didn't 'over do' it, as he has thus far this pre-season. Looking forward to seeing Murph/Goodes/Higgins/JJ rotate through there. Goodes needed a better game and he did deliver that.

Campbell: I'm a fan, but he was woeful. Absolutely woeful. Didn't fully extend his arms for marks, dropped almost all of them and looked for body contact instead of simply charging at the ball carrier way too often. He had quite a lot of supply and really struggled.

Jong: I want to say it was a really impressive game, because in many facets, it was. He was strong, tough, won the ball, showed impressive pace, linked up in general play and ran to the right areas .... but despite all this good work, his disposal is still not good enough. If he can fix this up, we have a player - he just kept getting to the right spots, stayed involved, used his body well and worked hard ... but at the end of the day, you need to be effective by hand and foot at this level. Unfortunately he isn't. I do like him though - I have more faith in Jong and his attitude/effort than many currently on our senior list.

Cordy: Let's start with the positive: he took one great mark, arms fully extended, where he jumped off the ground and converted. Now the negatives: every minute before and after that one piece of play. He so often stood 60-80m away from a player needing an option going forward. He still refuses to lead and jump with purpose to take a mark with both hands. He jogs, woefully tries to initiate body contact and throws up a meek one hand. He's still pushed out of contests by midfielders, is slow and has poor decision making and skill execution skills. The first prime example was when he was running into goal about 50m out. He had a man all alone he could have chipped the ball over to who would have taken the shot from about 30m out. Instead, Cordy ran to 40m and kicked it out on the full. The second example was right at the end of the game, where he couldn't even hit Wallis with a 10m pass. Wallis got crunched just as the siren went. Call me a Cordy basher, but I've said from day one he can't play, and he proves me right every time I see him play. I'm tired of the 'injury/development/insert other excuse here' - the fact is he looks so far out of his depth its embarrassing.

Overall, I still have some concerns - mostly around our ability to defend against a run on. We go to water. On the upside, Higgins and Cooney looked fantastic and despite our extremely poor forward line, we never looked like losing the game because of our dominant midfield.

[GVGjr]

A big thanks for all that provided the reports today. Some real first round selection conundrums for the match committee.


Still a few questions to answer but I think this is an encouraging result.

[LostDoggy]

Appreciate the reports .. especially TBB.

[Twodogs]

Official club match report:



A BEST-ON-GROUND performance from Shaun Higgins has the classy Western Bulldog primed for a round one AFL return.

Higgins, who has not played since round three last year due to a navicular fracture in his foot, continued his progress to a comeback with a 33-possession showing for the Dogs in their practice match win over Carlton on Friday at Visy Park.

The Bulldogs broke away early in the game with a 32-point lead at quarter-time, with Higgins a key player in their dominance. The Blues hit back with a four-goal-to-one second term before a tighter second half, but the Bulldogs prevailed by 17 points.

They won 12.11 (83) to 9.12 (66) in their final competitive hit-out of the pre-season, with the Dogs to hold an intra-club next week ahead of their round one meeting with West Coast on March 23.

Higgins admitted he had felt some anxiousness in his first game back from the injury last week against Fremantle, but said the positional switch had helped him settle back in.

"The foot's fine," he said post-game. "Last week I had probably a few nerves going into the game in terms of just getting back out there and playing and wondering how you'd go.

"But I think the role across half-back has probably helped that a little bit and made me focus on just beating my man and then play from there.

"The foot was a long time ago now, I've had a full pre-season of running so I feel as if I've done plenty of work. It's not as if I'm going in a little underdone."

That was obvious. He set up the play from half-back and also moved forward to use his damaging possession and poise, with the 26-year-old appearing in strong physical shape.

He described 2013 as "as frustrating as you get" but said the progress made by the side had steeled him to get fit and be a part of some success.

"You play to win and we've had some reasonably successful sides and I was part of that so I want to get back there as quickly as possible," he said.

"Obviously it's not great on the sidelines but it's probably made me a little bit hungry over the pre-season and I'm really enjoying playing with those guys.

"I think tonight showed how good some of them are so it's going to be an exciting couple of years I think."

The Blues lost Brock McLean in the first term, with the midfielder hobbling off the field and heading to the club's headquarters for medical attention.

Although he played no further part in the game, the club said he was fine and had only suffered a knock, and was not going to be risked in the practice match.

The Blues expect him to be fit to play against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium next Sunday for the Blues' season-opener.

Higgins was supported by Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney, who kicked three goals from 21 disposals, including several vintage Cooney moments where he created space and time for himself and delivered the ball with precision.

Koby Stevens (20 disposals), Jack Macrae (25 and 10 tackles) and Lin Jong (19) were younger Bulldogs to show encouraging signs.

And after sitting out the first half Tom Liberatore had 20 disposals in the second half, including an amazing 16 touches in the third term alone when he controlled the clearances.

The Blues started the contest off the pace (the Bulldogs had 52 more disposals in the opening term), but they came into the game in the second quarter and were better thereafter.

Second-year forward Troy Menzel, who appears set for a more permanent role in the club's attack this season with his crafty left foot and goal smarts, supplied two majors.

Kade Simpson led the Blues with 29 disposals, with Mitch Robinson (17 and two goals), Ed Curnow (23) and Zach Tuohy (18) also solid contributors. New recruit Dale Thomas had 17 disposals but not a significant impact.

Carlton will be buoyed by what they saw before the clash with the Dogs, however, with big man Lachie Henderson playing for the Northern Blues against Footscray in the preceding VFL practice match.
ad.


From:

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2014-03-07/dogs-down-blues-

[Twodogs]

And some video:


http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/video/2014-03-07/vfl-postmatch-marcus-bontempelli



http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/video/2014-03-07/vfl-postmatch-nick-lower

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

A big thanks for all that provided the reports today. Some real first round selection conundrums for the match committee.


Still a few questions to answer but I think this is an encouraging result.

It was an encouraging result with the forward line still a concern. Outside of Dalhlhaus who didn't play today, Gia and Hunter we still have others like Crameri Stringer Jones and Dickson needing to show a lot more. Campbell although just fair today has done enough to be selected. Cordy continues to disappoint. I was informed that Fletcher Roberts was good in the early game today and I would like to see him given an opportunity.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Just to add, I only saw the last quarter of the VFL game, but Bontempelli looks huge. For somebody his age and height, he's already quite thick across his back. He's going to be a physical beast in a few years time, whether he can play midfield at his size I am not certain, but what is certain is that he will be an imposing figure.

[bulldogtragic]

Thanks James Poutney Fitness.

(See how I subtly worked that in?) :)

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Thanks James Poutney Fitness.

(See how I subtly worked that in?) :)

Love your work ;)

[choconmientay]

For all who could not be at the game today, here are some pictures of the match. I took the kids with me so I didn't bother to walk around so I only sat at one spot and randomly taking some shoots with my little camera (omd em-5 + 75mm lens).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111272802@N04/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/111272802@N04/12987976753/lightbox/


Enjoy.

[Remi Moses]

Good result ( always nice to beat them)
Obviously we are a work in progress, but I think some people should realise we did finish 15th last season.
Just wondering whether the whole ASADA stuff is affecting Stewart Crameri.

[bornadog]

Every season I find practise matches do not reflect how the team is going and what they will be like for the coming season. The players are not fully fit and the coaches are easing the team ready for the opening season.

Appreciate all the reports but i wouldn't take it too seriously at this stage. There are still a few weeks of training and getting ready for the real stuff.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Good result ( always nice to beat them)
Obviously we are a work in progress, but I think some people should realise we did finish 15th last season.
Just wondering whether the whole ASADA stuff is affecting Stewart Crameri.

I think everybody realises we finished 15th, but we also need to show improvement in key areas.

Just on your comment re: Crameri, it's a good question to ask.

[Remi Moses]

I think everybody realises we finished 15th, but we also need to show improvement in key areas.

Just on your comment re: Crameri, it's a good question to ask.
Thanks for your summary BB

[jeemak]

Thanks for the reports.

Great to hear that Shaun played well. When fit, he'd command a spot in any side in the league. If we can keep him that way we'll be a lot better for it.

Hearing Cooney got forward and kicked a few goals is great too. The big challenge for our progressing midfielders is to kick more goals more regularly. They have a lot of solid attributes, but goal kicking is the area that if improved upon, will make them a tougher unit to match up on.

[boydogs]

The big challenge for our progressing midfielders is to kick more goals more regularly. They have a lot of solid attributes, but goal kicking is the area that if improved upon, will make them a tougher unit to match up on.

We're becoming a lot like West Coast circa 05/06

[Happy Days]

Cordy: Let's start with the positive: he took one great mark, arms fully extended, where he jumped off the ground and converted. Now the negatives: tl;dr


Amazing

[GVGjr]

Every season I find practise matches do not reflect how the team is going and what they will be like for the coming season. The players are not fully fit and the coaches are easing the team ready for the opening season.

Appreciate all the reports but i wouldn't take it too seriously at this stage. There are still a few weeks of training and getting ready for the real stuff.

I think we all understand that we shouldn't get carried away after any preseason practice game but I do believe it's more than okay to look for small wins within any result.

What I have enjoyed hearing is how Macrae has backed up 2 great performances in the NAB Challenge with another in the practice game and especially the fact that he had 10 tackles to compliment his 20 possession performance.

Wallis performing well on Murphy, Goodes bouncing back with a good game, Hunter stepping up as a dangerous small forward with Dahlhaus rested, Cooney continuing his good run of form and Higgins getting a lot of it are also some wins.

We all expect a hard season in 2014 and yes yesterday was just a practice game but small wins like that do encourage me.

[Hotdog60]

I think the biggest factor in pre season games is to show positive signs so that it will put more bums on seats for the main season.
And a big thank you to all the reports and write ups. A god send when you live interstate.

[Go_Dogs]

Thanks for the report TBB, great read.

Having watched our first 2 games and read the report for this one, I think the positives heading into this season are:-

Liberatore, hasn't slowed down at all.
Cooney is back and other sides should be mindful.
Stevens is set to be a big improver and we may walk away with a huge win from that trade.
Macrae is developing so much faster than I think any of us anticipated. Wanted him for a long time, very happy.
Higgins may have an impact this season which is a real bonus.
Honeychurch looks a great get.

The concerns are have we made enough improvement as a team with, our structures both defensively and offensively? Our transition and ball movement? Our ability to have enough outside the contest as well as in? Our concentration and ability to stay in the game by closing it down when we have to? Our ability to kick a winning score on a consistent basis?

We'll know more over the first 4 weeks of the season, and whilst we've done reasonably well so far and it appears some improvement will occur from last year, there's a lot more to go before we're a very strong side. I hadn't expected us to be a very strong side this year, so I'm not overly concerned as long as we can see improvements in our weaker areas across the entire season along with continued development of our players.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I'll echo TBBs thoughts on the bigs -

Minson competed well - wouldn't say he dominated - the Carlton duo of Warnock and Kruezer look to have improved

Campbell - I was very disappointed, given how well he'd seemed to be tracking - terrific opportunity playing the whole game, didn't attack the footy as a forward - made some late contests, but was caught behind, out of position on occasions, then got bogged down in wrestling, and not competing.

Cordys highlight was the first quarter mark and he did not do enough there after, and was also pretty disappointing.

Both teams played big lineups giving a multitude of bigs opportunities.

Crameri - I think its over exaggerating to say he was terrible. TBB has suggested he wouldn't pick him, I think thats ridiculous based on what I saw. I do think we have to temper our expectations - he is not as accomplished a footballer as Barry Hall, that I completely agree, but few are. He still gets a fair bit of the footy and is frequently in the right spots. They experimented with him in the second sending him to the back line. He wasn't as clean overhead or with his disposal as he'll need to be. He tried to be that creative half forward link man and it didn't always work. He often tries to play on when we don't have options ahead of the ball, and I presume that is trying to give him a chance to really assert his running strength over his direct opponent. Im certain he will be a good contributor in 2014.

[The Underdog]

Thanks very much all for the reports all.
Overall the pre-season has been reasonably encouraging, for what it's worth, and is probably indicative of where we are at. A youngish side putting in a heap of effort but unable to sustain that effort for 4 quarters. Hopefully that will come in time. Pre-season form doesn't mean much it's true but I've certainly been less encouraged by pre-season's before. Although I think I'll wait 10 or 11 weeks before I hop on the Higgins train.

[Doc26]

Thanks for the post match perspectives from NBP, Bulldog Revolution and TBB. When I can't get to the game myself I always find it informative and invaluable to get a range of views from passionate Woofers with a keen eye for the game.

[Hotdog60]

Just on Campbell, we had a few players that pulled up sore after the Freo game and were rested. Could Campbell have fallen under that category but they decided to give him game time. He is ahead of Cordy and maybe the two are playing for a spot as relief ruck. We don't know the full details on how players are going. Jones could have taken his spot but maybe like Grant he's been told he needs to work on some things first.

[wb_age]

Campbell - I was very disappointed, given how well he'd seemed to be tracking - terrific opportunity playing the whole game, didn't attack the footy as a forward - made some late contests, but was caught behind, out of position on occasions, then got bogged down in wrestling, and not competing.

I too was disappointed in Campbell's game. As you said, he was often caught behind his man.

I watched him closely and he rarely lead to the ball carrier and consistently called for it on top of his head or over the top, in my view it was as though he was taking the lazy option or too tired to actually get on his bike and work his man.

On one occasion though, from a beautiful Shaun Higgins kick, Campbell did actually float in from the side and took what became an uncontested mark.

[LostDoggy]

For all who could not be at the game today, here are some pictures of the match. I took the kids with me so I didn't bother to walk around so I only sat at one spot and randomly taking some shoots with my little camera (omd em-5 + 75mm lens).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111272802@N04/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/111272802@N04/12987976753/lightbox/


Enjoy.

Great photos and great report TBB really appreciate everyone's input that's what I love about this site.

The TAB is on notice, when Cooney shaves the rest of his head I'll be on my way down.

[bulldogsman]

Woof is still the best source for information. Thanks guys.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Some great write ups thanks, TBB very sharp perceptions. I got there halfway through the second quarter so missed the best bit.
Some impressions: Cooney is moving like the young Cooney. Higgins was consummate with reading the play and flight of the ball and composure with it. He was putting his body on the line and got crunched once that I saw. I had eyes for Honeychurch and he moves really well. He was at home out there and wanted the ball and provided leads and I think it was Roughie who felt confident to kick it to his lead and he took it. He will make it. Goodes will be in the team rnd 1. I had my arms and chin on the fence and there were two types of players out there: ones that were confident and saw opportunity and those that a shadow of doubt passed over when the ball was theirs to be had. Dickson twice, Cordy modus operandi and others but this is confidence and not reason to write them off.
Macrae is a star, such a natural yet hardworking consistent footballer. Can’t see Lachie Hunter being dropped from the team, here to stay. He knows how to beat an opponent and has smarts and skill. JJ Harbrow replacement, to use slack expression. So many good young players coming through, Roughie included of course and enough time overlap with Murphy , Boyd, Cooney to see success again in a couple of years.

[anfo27]

Was also there yesterday but missed most of the 1st quarter which of course was our best quarter. Been really impressed with Macrae, knows where to run to get the footy, rarely wastes it & isn't afraid to put his body in. In for a big year & seems like someone who could get out of the loop this season & find a lot of uncontested footy.
Hunter is another that impresses me more & more every time i see him play. On a different wave length to most players & reminds me of Stevie J, just super clever.
Really like Jong, how he attacks the footy, his agility & fitness. Will get games this year.
Its just a great sight to see Cooney moving around like he is. The competition has forgotten how good he really is & hopefully they will be reminded on weekly basis.
Higgins does what Higgins always does in pre-season games & he was impressive. Hopefully this is a year where he delivers something.
Cordy, well what can i say about him thats positive? Nothing!!! He was horrible out there & has confidence issues. A couple of times the ball was kicked to him in pack situation & he kept looking around for another tall to contest it.
Goodes was sloppy again & think he has had a disappointing pre-season.
Pearce is one that hasn't done anything to make me think he will be kept on for next year. Big year for him in the twos if he wants a spot on the list.
Libba is just a gun. Finds the ball so easily & then is very clever with it. Libba is like a superhero, his hands are like a magnet & when the ball is close it always seems to have a gravitational pull towards those magical hands.
Liked what i saw from honey, kid is goer.
Campbell was disappointing, dropped quite a few marks i would expect him to take.
Can't wait for round 1!

[bornadog]

Was also there yesterday but missed most of the 1st quarter which of course was our best quarter. Been really impressed with Macrae, knows where to run to get the footy, rarely wastes it & isn't afraid to put his body in. In for a big year & seems like someone who could get out of the loop this season & find a lot of uncontested footy.
Hunter is another that impresses me more & more every time i see him play. On a different wave length to most players & reminds me of Stevie J, just super clever.
Really like Jong, how he attacks the footy, his agility & fitness. Will get games this year.
Its just a great sight to see Cooney moving around like he is. The competition has forgotten how good he really is & hopefully they will be reminded on weekly basis.
Higgins does what Higgins always does in pre-season games & he was impressive. Hopefully this is a year where he delivers something.
Cordy, well what can i say about him thats positive? Nothing!!! He was horrible out there & has confidence issues. A couple of times the ball was kicked to him in pack situation & he kept looking around for another tall to contest it.
Goodes was sloppy again & think he has had a disappointing pre-season.
Pearce is one that hasn't done anything to make me think he will be kept on for next year. Big year for him in the twos if he wants a spot on the list.
Libba is just a gun. Finds the ball so easily & then is very clever with it. Libba is like a superhero, his hands are like a magnet & when the ball is close it always seems to have a gravitational pull towards those magical hands.
Liked what i saw from honey, kid is goer.
Campbell was disappointing, dropped quite a few marks i would expect him to take.
Can't wait for round 1!

Jones played well in the twos, and if he continues to do so, do you think he will take Campbell 's spot for round one?

[anfo27]

Jones played well in the twos, and if he continues to do so, do you think he will take Campbell 's spot for round one?

I'd like to see Jones in there but playing two's would make me think he is behind Campbell even though the big fella was disappointing yesterday. We also need Campbell to back Minson up as i don't think they'll look to Williams to help out in the ruck just yet.
Why was Cordy playing seniors instead of Jones? Surely macca doesn't think Cordy is ahead of Jones!

[Mantis]

Thanks for the reports guys.. Much appreciated... Good to hear that a number of mids/ mid sized forwards continued playing well, but we need more input from the talls.

I see Crameri had 22 touches which to the untrained eye seems ok, what made his game so bad?

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Thanks for the reports guys.. Much appreciated... Good to hear that a number of mids/ mid sized forwards continued playing well, but we need more input from the talls.

I see Crameri had 22 touches which to the untrained eye seems ok, what made his game so bad?

A lot of those possessions were across half back when he was the loose man. I think he's a good player and will be a good fit, but he hasn't performed yet.

Yesterday he did appear to move better/work harder, which was a positive. However, he kept running himself into trouble, either by trying to take on too many players and then suddenly coming to a stop or playing on after a mark when there was no space/options up forward. He did this almost every time, and whilst you might say where were the forwards up the field, he had to know that for a large proportion of the match the majority of our numbers were further up the field (a tactic I hate mind you).

I believe Crameri only had the 1 shot on goal and at a few crucial points in the game his disposal was sloppy. We were out and away on the wing at one point and he handballed to Campbell's feet, who inevitably got tackled and paid holding the ball against. Another passage was when he drifted to half back - can't remember what quarter but we were under the pump - and he was the 'get out' kick. There were 3 Carlton players surrounding him, the ball was beautifully placed to him and he dropped a simple chest mark, which resulted in the ball being pinged back into their F50 not long after.

If it sounds overtly critical, I don't mean it to be. Just trying to give some sound reasoning as to why I felt he was poor. I still stand by my comment that IF he wasn't our big recruit over the summer and was just a regular player, his spot in the side wouldn't be assured for round 1. However, I do still think he's going to be a very handy pick up, and as I said - one positive was that he looked fitter than he did in previous games.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Thanks for the reports guys.. Much appreciated... Good to hear that a number of mids/ mid sized forwards continued playing well, but we need more input from the talls.

I see Crameri had 22 touches which to the untrained eye seems ok, what made his game so bad?

Crameri is purely a roving half forward where he is best suited and should be left there. He tried to take players on further afield and neither had the skill or agility to be effective. In a team that lacks quality big forwards it makes more sense for him to play in attack. Stringer who didn't play yesterday is a similar type and with Grant to provide added pace together with Hunter and Dahlhaus giving us other options you would hope that we are better placed to have more and better avenues to goal.

[Ghost Dog]

It's pretty early in the season. More than one sloppy player I would bet. It's just he demands a fair bit of coin, and rightly so, eyes are on him.

[Twodogs]

Crameri is purely a roving half forward where he is best suited and should be left there. He tried to take players on further afield and neither had the skill or agility to be effective. In a team that lacks quality big forwards it makes more sense for him to play in attack. Stringer who didn't play yesterday is a similar type and with Grant to provide added pace together with Hunter and Dahlhaus giving us other options you would hope that we are better placed to have more and better avenues to goal.


Do you think he can do for us what Aaron Hamill did for St Kilda? A bit of physical presence, slip away from his man and make an option, provide a bit of leadership on the field and that sort of thing? Or does he have to kick goalsabove all else to be judged a success?

[bulldogtragic]

Do you think he can do for us what Aaron Hamill did for St Kilda? A bit of physical presence, slip away from his man and make an option, provide a bit of leadership on the field and that sort of thing? Or does he have to kick goalsabove all else to be judged a success?

As an aside, how sweet was the bleeting when Hamill defected. I think it was one of the biggest dummy spits I've seen.

[Remi Moses]

Didn't Elliott have a go at him at the B+F about being selfish?
I think he left for something like 10 grand a year.

[bulldogtragic]

Didn't Elliott have a go at him at the B+F about being selfish?
I think he left for something like 10 grand a year.

Yep, Jack spat it big time.

[w3design]

Look I am a big L Jones fan, and he had a huge 1st quarter for Footscray, but after that he was no more effective than Cordy or Campbell were for the WB's.
Don't know how we will structure our backline for the R1 trip to the Eagle's nest, but if we can spare Williams to go forward 2 of Cordy, Jones and Campbell will be playing for Footscray. I think a big performance in the intra club match will be needed to get one of them a gig for R1.
I suspect BMac is giving Jones the J Grant 2013 treatment, so don't expect to see him in the firsts for a while yet sadly.
I feel Stewy C might be trying too hard to justify his recruitment and reported wage. I am all in favour of players being versatile, but let's see him settle into a role of a major member of our front 6 before he tries being Mr Everywhere.
I suspect Dickson will also need a good performance in the intra club to be a chance for R1. At this stage, I would say Dal and Hunter have a mortgage on the small forward spots. And I don't think BMac kept Gia on the senior roster to only play him for Footscray. I think the subs vest has his number on the back of it.
Looking forward to seeing Cooney and Griff running through the midfield together again. Add in Wal, Libba, Macrae and Stevens, and probably Matty Boyd, and we have the makings of a serious midfield there.

My one worry is I think we have already seen hints of how sides will be looking to Counter big Will's All Ausie dominance from here on ... 2 x very tall athletic rucks rotating on him quickly, with support from a third tall going 3rd man up from time to time, with the intention of wearing him down as the game progresses, in order to nullify his dominance.

Just a couple of other observations from the 2 Visy Park games.
Honeychurch looks the goods, happy with his selection. Jong continues to improve, still has work to do on his disposal, but looks senior list bound by season's end. Greenwood showed quite a bit in the Footscray match, and would have been top possessions on the ground holder for the first half. Still don't see where we can fit him into our lineup though. If he can continue to find the ball week in and week out though, by season's end he may have some trade value anyway.
On the basis of just that one Footscray match, young Darcy Fort looks to have a serious future, and a few guys have suggested we need another up and coming young ruck on the senior list, so he is certainly worth watching as this season progresses.

[LostDoggy]

Cordy: Let's start with the positive: he took one great mark, arms fully extended, where he jumped off the ground and converted. Now the negatives: every minute before and after that one piece of play. He so often stood 60-80m away from a player needing an option going forward. He still refuses to lead and jump with purpose to take a mark with both hands. He jogs, woefully tries to initiate body contact and throws up a meek one hand. He's still pushed out of contests by midfielders, is slow and has poor decision making and skill execution skills. The first prime example was when he was running into goal about 50m out. He had a man all alone he could have chipped the ball over to who would have taken the shot from about 30m out. Instead, Cordy ran to 40m and kicked it out on the full. The second example was right at the end of the game, where he couldn't even hit Wallis with a 10m pass. Wallis got crunched just as the siren went. Call me a Cordy basher, but I've said from day one he can't play, and he proves me right every time I see him play. I'm tired of the 'injury/development/insert other excuse here' - the fact is he looks so far out of his depth its embarrassing.

A very good and honest assessment of Cordy. I recall a forum post from a frustrated supporter last year after a game which summed up his usual performance "OUT - Cordy IN - A palm tree"

[Go_Dogs]

A very good and honest assessment of Cordy. I recall a forum post from a frustrated supporter last year after a game which summed up his usual performance "OUT - Cordy IN - A palm tree"

I feel I've mentioned it on here before, but his game v Brisbane round 1 last year was about his best in our colours. Reason being he blocked, he did off the ball work, he moved to create space behind him.

These are simple things he can do to make an impact - even if not for his personal stats sheet - but for the good of the team.

Going to be interesting to see how he goes this year.

[Twodogs]

Here's a link to some footage of the game from the Herald/Sun site;

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl

You'll have to click on the video link at the top of the page.

[Mofra]

On the basis of just that one Footscray match, young Darcy Fort looks to have a serious future, and a few guys have suggested we need another up and coming young ruck on the senior list, so he is certainly worth watching as this season progresses.
Quite a few draft watchers were a fan of his, and I think most posters here would feel more comfortable with another ruck option on the list.

[Bulldog Joe]

Quite a few draft watchers were a fan of his, and I think most posters here would feel more comfortable with another ruck option on the list.

Problem is that as a VFL only listed player, he is available to every club.