Three Things I've Learned - Round 23 Edition

[Eastdog]

Once the Round 23 match against GWS Giants is completed, let us know the three things you learned after watching the match.

Be constructive but be honest.

[bulldogtragic]

Three, 3, trio

[boydogs]

Bonts bleeds clutch
Gia has given all he has
Austin shouldn't play again

[Greystache]

1. We can't defend at all. Whether it be in the midfield or inside defensive 50m we can't prevent teams scoring.

2. We just aren't improving in our weak parts of our game.

3. We've just secured ourselves 11 Sunday twilight games next year.

[westdog54]

1. Our lack of composure as a team is mind boggling. I reckon we have half a dozen players who make more good decisions than bad.
2. We are the worst team in the league at defending on the rebound and all 17 teams know it.
3. It's no good doing the incredible when you can't do the basic under pressure. I love you Jakey, but you blew it, son.

[whythelongface]

1. We just don't turn up to play in the first 15 mins and we then play catch up all day;

2. We still have some long hard years ahead of us before we make finals

3. We are nowhere near the best midfield team in the comp as some commentators had predicted us to be this year.

[bulldogtragic]

1. Minson, Higgins & Cooney's value was much higher last year. I'm not sure we can play them all as per this years roles into another year.
2. We are not as far advanced as I hope we would be from mid 2012 to now.
3. We held too many passengers on the list, the time has come to cut deep.

[ReLoad]

1. When murthy and Morris retire we are instantly the worst team in the competition.
2. We do not have a decisive edge in any part of the game to cause the opposition to worry about, we are outran, out contested, out rebounded, out smarted etc etc
3. The Bont is going to be the best CHF we've had since turtle

[KT31]

1. When murthy and Morris retire we are instantly the worst team in the competition.


Really with Stringer, Bonts, Dahl, Hunter, Macrae, Crameri , Wallis, Libba, Roughhead and Hrovat ?

[GVGjr]

1) So much top end talent from the draft makes this GWS side a danger going forward.
2) A lot of work to be done from now until the start of next season.
3) J-Mac and the recruiting team need some things to fall their way.

[ReLoad]

Really with Stringer, Bonts, Dahl, Hunter, Macrae, Crameri , Wallis, Libba, Roughhead and Hrovat ?

Yup, you have a single Backman in that list, we are already massively outgunned in the back line, imagine when those two go....... We are already close to the worst defence in the league.

[kruder]

1) So much top end talent from the draft makes this GWS side a danger going forward.
2) A lot of work to be done from now until the start of next season.
3) J-Mac and the recruiting team need some things to fall their way.

Luved the Cam McCarthy cameo. GWS should get aggressive and sell a young key forward. Clubs will pay overs to get a deal done.

[Bulldog4life]

1/ Irrespective of the spin from the Club we have not improved from last year.

2/ Jakey a very good game...you could have been a hero son except for dropping that plum pud.

3/ For the first time since his appointment I think B-Mac might be in trouble if we don't show a marked improvement next season.

[Ozza]

1. Will Hoskin-Elliott is an absolutely exceptional talent.
2. We badly missed Easton Wood's pace, athleticism and versatility in the back half during the last 3-4 weeks.
3. Can't have TC and Minson in the same side.

[G-Mo77]

1. We are in a real mess. No pace, no key defenders, no key forwards and one of the worst sides by hand or foot in the comp. Why?
2. Libba struggled over the past 4 - 5.
3. So has Macrae. Fatigue or treading water. Worrying.

[Mofra]

1. We desperately need an AFL-standard spine. 2 genuine AFL-grade talls will make us a much, much better side.
2. Bad kicking is bad football, poor forward line skills hurt us badly
3. I've never seen a Bulldogs team where the side is driven by a core of players so young. Murphy aside, the players I wanted with ball in hand were kids - Bonti, Hrovat, Stringer, Macrae, JJ - felt far safer than Boyd, Austin, Gia, Higgins today. It's a "vibe" thing.

[Daughter of the West]

1. I hate that manufactured piece of plastic club that is the Greater White Sooks more than I realised. Them and their bazillion #1 draft picks, ugh (actually, I'm just jealous that they are dripping with talent and potential)!

2. Looking around the supporters at both the VFL and AFL game today, the average age of our supporters is somewhere in the 60s. And this is not a good thing, and I think is pretty telling that we've had so little in the way of big success for so long (any posters around or above this age, please don't take it as a knock). In the age of instant gratification, we need a big turnaround fast if we're going to grow, or at least maintain our members.

3. Today's VFL result gives us hope, but I'm a little sceptical about how that will translate to the big game. As a club we're missing something (confidence? money? arrogance?) but I couldn't for the life of me tell you what it is. I promise though, if I ever figure it out, I'll be on the phone to the club straight away.

[Dry Rot]

Looking at the last two weeks:


1. We are a team that has no vision

2. Having no vision, we are a team of poor decision makers

3. Whatever decision we make (mostly poor) then we then butcher the execution of that decision.

[Remi Moses]

1. We can't defend any transition, nor one on one.
( GWS had 40 odd inside 50's for 18 goals!)
2. We need a Franz Beckenbauer type sweeper!( honestly we were playing the off side trap )
3. I think the blow torch will come on McCartney if we start poorly next season( rightly so)

[Ozza]

1. We can't defend any transition, nor one on one.
( GWS had 40 odd inside 50's for 18 goals!)
2. We need a Franz Beckenbauer type sweeper!( honestly we were playing the off side trap )
3. I think the blow torch will come on McCartney if we start poorly next season( rightly so)

Wood was doing a lot of the sweeping work prior to him being injured. A couple of times yesterday (and last week), opposition got out the back and it was only our 'slow's' behind the ball (one time it was Gia, Higgins and Morris as the three chasing some GWS speedsters....gee whiz).

[LostDoggy]

Wood was doing a lot of the sweeping work prior to him being injured. A couple of times yesterday (and last week), opposition got out the back and it was only our 'slow's' behind the ball (one time it was Gia, Higgins and Morris as the three chasing some GWS speedsters....gee whiz).

Pretty sure he is yet to re-sign? May be wrong.

[Maddog37]

1: GWS have some super kids.
2: We are not all on the same page.
3: Griff will be massive in 2015

[azabob]

1: GWS have some super kids.
2: We are not all on the same page.
3: Griff will be massive in 2015

Can you expand on point two?

[KT31]

1. The concessions and draft picks the AFL granted the two plastic teams continues to really piss me off.
2. We are really crap in milestone games, should have pulled out all stops for Gia.
3. One decent tall forward and one decent tall back are a must for us next season.

[Maddog37]

No cohesion between players. Lack of talk. Lack of defensive effort by some players. Lack of shepherding. Teams need to defend as a team and not leave it to a few.

My guts aches watching the effort Morris puts in when compared to some of his team mates.

[westdog54]

No cohesion between players. Lack of talk. Lack of defensive effort by some players. Lack of shepherding. Teams need to defend as a team and not leave it to a few.

My guts aches watching the effort Morris puts in when compared to some of his team mates.

As much as I hate bashing the usual suspects, Austin had one shocker in the first. Got caught halfway between running into space and shepherding and (I think it was Hrovat) ended up handballing over his head.

[chef]

1. Our crowd numbers are getting to worrying levels.
2. It's going to be a decade before we'll be a chance to be a better side than the Giants. Stupid AFL.
3. We don't have anybody on our list right now who is the answer to our tall forward woes.

[Mantis]

3. We don't have anybody on our list right now who is the answer to our tall forward woes.

We had 34 shots on goal so the front half wasn't an issue.. Giving up 18 goals from just over 40 entries was.

[Sedat]

We had 34 shots on goal so the front half wasn't an issue.. Giving up 18 goals from just over 40 entries was.
Agree that our back half (and the lack of defensive pressure from our mids) is far a bigger concern, but we shouldn't dismiss the front half issues either. We simply get no value for our forward 50 entries compared to other clubs, so we do need a structural/tactical change or a personnel change there to become more efficient.

Watched Footy Classified last night and Matthew Lloyd highlighted our continued use of our 'plus 1' (Adam Cooney) in the midfield stoppages resulting in the opposition's spare man in defence (Heath Shaw) having an absolute picnic. Despite smashing GWS in the clearances (as expected with an extra number in there), we were getting picked off time and again by the spare, and then GWS with their running power went slingshot over the top of our midfield stoppage structure into an open forward line with ease. It certainly isn't the first time this has happened under BMac's tenure.

[chef]

We had 34 shots on goal so the front half wasn't an issue.. Giving up 18 goals from just over 40 entries was.

Didn't say it was the be all and end all, just that we don't have anyone capable to play that role on our list.

[westdog54]

We had 34 shots on goal so the front half wasn't an issue.. Giving up 18 goals from just over 40 entries was.

It might be if half of the reason that we miss so many is our forward structure breaks down so easily and we don't have a target who can finish off the good work. Time and time again we had a ring-a-ring-a-rosey of handballs in the forward 50 that ended with a rushed shot on goal that either missed or got punched through.