Bankers & Anchors: 2014

[bulldogtragic]

This is the season wrap up edition of the Weekly Bankers and Anchors Thread. Post your season long nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys that you we banked on to do the right thing during the season
The Anchors = 3 guys that weighed us down this season by their errors, form or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match.

The thread is named in honour of a popular WOOF Contributor, The Banker, who passed away on 22/04/2012 with a six month battle with cancer.

[bulldogtragic]

B:

Bonts. Triple A credit rated banker.
Libba. As above.
* Peter Gordon. Gave many of us a first in a lifetime experience for a million dollars. Quality investment.

A:

RG. No need to weigh another thread down with his departure.
Jones. Stunk up the season and couldn't go back, find form and get his spot back and runs to Malthouse of all people.
Selfish ethos from now former players who seemed to refuse to run both ways or defend. Poor leadership.

[bornadog]

Bankers

* Macrae - May not be as flashy as some of the recruits, but anyone that can find the ball as many times as he can will be a star. The youngest player to get over 40 possessions in a game. Can't wait to see his progress in 2015.

* Wallis - was reinvented as a tagger and held his own till he was injured. Wally is a natural born leader and a future captain.

* Bonti - The kid is a freak and personally I think the best player with the most potential I have seen since watching Chris Grant from age 17. He has unlimited potential and another one that I can't wait to see in 2015. Really surprised and was the best first year player in the AFL despite what those idiots voted in the awards.

Anchors

* Macca - Out of his depth as a senior coach. He did bring some positives to the club, but overall should not have got the gig in the first place.

* Shoulder injuries - Roughy, Dickson, Fuller and Roberts all suffered during the year and held back their development. They should never have played with injured shoulders.

* Football Department head - The events following the departure of Griffen, Macca and several other players really should not have happened the way it did. The club should have recognised any issues early in the year and have dealt with it in a better way and the buck must stop with the head of football - WTF was he doing all year.

[always right]

B:
The emergence of Bonts and Stringer. Future elite players.
Breakout year for Wood....regardless of his low placing in the B&F
Macrae and Libba....our rocks all year

A
Big Will....after his stellar 2013, he stank it up, clearly hampered by an interrupted pre season
The off season. If not for the Boyd trade, it may very well have been the beginning of the end for our club
The poor turnout of supporters at games. Embarrassing.


Special mention Anchor: Does anyone drop over to the BF board nowadays? Wow...shallow gene pool over there.

[LostDoggy]

B

The forward evolution of Jake Stringer. I’m one that doesn’t want to see him permanently move into the midfield in the future. I think his back half of the season showed why he’ll be so valuable in the future. A player with natural forward instincts.

Pick 4, 2013. A young Koutoufides, or Pendlebury, or Coleman. Whichever name you want to align with him.

Tom Boyd trade. Never seen such a bold move, albeit forced, in my time as a Bulldogs supporter

A

God help me I backed him, but McCartney just kept the same path. The same, unchanging, ineffective path. I backed him until the end. We needed a teacher, but as it turns out we needed a teacher with a discernible plan.

Playing players, particularly Roughead, who were clearly injured. This wasn’t about showing the ‘young bucks’ what they needed to do to make the first grade, or to se what true grit was about. This was plain stupidity by the MC/Coach and risked long-term damage. It was sad at times.

Mark Austin. You don’t chose your talent. You don’t chose your position in the team. How Mark was repeatedly selected ahead of other defenders who needed experience is beyond me. Were they banging down the door? No. Was Mark earning his place in the team every week? Got to be kidding.

[azabob]

MRM - Austin shouldn't be your anchor. Match Committee should be.

[LostDoggy]

MRM - Austin shouldn't be your anchor. Match Committee should be.

He was the example Aza. The hit was against the MC/Coach.

[G-Mo77]

Bankers

Macrae is just all class. He's going to get better and better. With all the talk about Bonts and now Boyd this guy will fall under the radar.

Libba. B+F year and improvement every season. Elite

Stringer. Found his way, some where starting to get concerned I noticed but he found his way back into the team and delivered.

Anchors

Ryan Griffen. I've never forgotten about what a player did for in our colors as quickly as I have with this guy. Nathan Brown is my idol in comparison

MC. I'm glad MRM mentioned it. Some really awful match selections especially late in the year. Austin a good example.

Draft. Our needs weren't met IMO. It remains to be seen what we missed or hit but I don't feel comfortable with going small across the board. Goodes going around again is another head scratcher.

[F'scary]

Bankers: I'm going for...

Dahlhaus - clearly went up another notch this year. Added making himself a lead up target to his repertoire, increased his possession rate and kept doing the other things well that he had previously made his name on.

Dale Morris - another amazing year. So consistent, does so much, much more than could be reasonably expected week in, week out.

Nathan Hrovat - the third in what is now the diamond triumvirate of 2012. Came right into his own in the second half of the year and showed he is definitely in the "young guns" club. Will blow people away in 2015.

Anchors:

The Grifter.

The Ayce in the Pack for continued slow development. Did just enough to scrape back onto the list.

Match Committee for not getting more games into Fletcher Roberts and Michael Talia and selecting a guy ahead of them for seven whole games who they then saw fit only to cut from the rookie list. Bizarre!

[Remi Moses]

Calling the gene pool on big footy shallow is being kind.

[GVGjr]

Calling the gene pool on big footy shallow is being kind.
I'd prefer that we don't make negative comments about other sites as people can make their own choice.
From my perspective the more people talking about the Bulldogs the better.

[LostDoggy]

Bankers:
- The bit of mongrel/swagger coming through the new breed, just the right amount (Stringer, Hunter, Hrovat)
- Sense of excitement, such potential for the future Libba, Stinger, Macrae, Bonti, Boyd, Hrovat, Hunter etc etc etc
- Murph and Morris, Bulldog Legends

Anchors:
- Cooney going, I can see why but his whole family bled red white and blue. Hopefully they'll be back in the fold soon.
- Clay Smith's knee, was shattered for the bloke, he'll bring some grunt when he returns
- Our movement from kick-ins, frustrating.

In all honesty, although I do enjoy the times at the top, its these times that I get the most value out of. The build, the excitement, watching individual players and the team develop. The buzz a new coach brings, new game style, drafting, seeing the list slowwly come together.

[Remi Moses]

I'd prefer that we don't make negative comments about other sites as people can make their own choice.
From my perspective the more people talking about the Bulldogs the better.

I don't mind our club being talked about , as long as it isn't complete drivel