Three Things I've Learned 2015 - Round 1 Edition

[Eastdog]

Once the Round 1 match against West Coast is completed, let us know the three things you learned after watching the match.

Be constructive but be honest.

[GVGjr]

We must have learned something from tonights game

[bulldogtragic]

Bonts can handle a tag
We may have one of the all time great forward lines in years to come
Nothing heals, like winning

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Bontempelli can become the best player in the league. We have landed a once in a generation talent.
Lin Jong has work to do, but has just made an extraordinary leap forward in such a short time. A real credit to himself and the hard work he must be putting in.
Whilst I still think we will struggle to win often this season, this season promises so much for supporters as the foundation for a great future. Once we get more games into our talented youth we've got much of the ingredients in place for a bright future in a very short time.

[LostDoggy]

Lin Jong can be an AFL player. Honeychurch might just make it too.

[westdog54]

1. Bonts is even better to watch in person than on the TV.
2. We'll never truly replace Griffen, but I'll have fun watching Lin Jong have a crack at it.
3. We've still got some 'unlearning' to do. Slaughtered on the rebound tonight.

[Remi Moses]

1. Bontempelli's the best young player since C Grant
2. We have to defend the corridor and transition better
3. Talia will be a competent AFL defender.( finally shackled Kennedy)

[Throughandthrough]

1. I can't remember the last time we were in the 8
2. Attacking Footy is the best Footy
3. The demise of Will Minson isn't anytime soon

[always right]

1. Jong just ticked another box....his kicking has improved 50%
2. Our defensive structure for the kick outs needs to be a focus this week
3. If Roughy and Talia can maintain that form our defence will stand up.

[stefoid]

The coasters coast-to-coasts were a worry, bt Hurn is a monster kick and the weagles set up for him. Not every team is going to do that to us.

[boydogs]

1. Two tall forwards makes you more vulnerable to rebounding from defense
2. Fletcher Roberts might need a trade to get a game
3. The Collingwood game wasn't a fluke

[Remi Moses]

The coasters coast-to-coasts were a worry, bt Hurn is a monster kick and the weagles set up for him. Not every team is going to do that to us.

I was gob smacked when Hurn kicked it long and Nic Nat tapped it on .
Really have to be awake to that

[LostDoggy]

1. Footballers should never have their natural talents curtailed. Some boys were really set free tonight.
2. Grant. I hate him and I love him and I hate him and I love him.
3. The club is getting better at fan engagement. My kids went absolutely bonkers for the dancing dog pack.

[comrade]

I was gob smacked when Hurn kicked it long and Nic Nat tapped it on .
Really have to be awake to that

Don't know why the Weagles didn't do that at every occasion.

[LostDoggy]

1.Winning is the best healer.
2. Our new game plan will win us more games then most of us thought.
3.Wallis off the taggers leash and M.Boyd off half back will prove to be coaching masterstrokes.

[SonofScray]

1. We are very susceptible to coast to coast goals when the play breaks down across half forward.

2. If the opposition don't get a clean possession out of their defensive 50, we can send it back with interest.

3. Tom Boyd can seize his moments.

[GVGjr]

1 - Matthew Boyd might get another contract
2 - (Not learned but confirmed) Crameri is a lazy so and so with his set shots. He needs to do better than that
3 - Bontempelli is displaying elite 'Hawkins like' skills in his second season of football. This shouldn't be happening but I'm glad it is.

[Scorlibo]

2 - (Not learned but confirmed) Crameri is a lazy so and so with his set shots. He needs to do better than that


Agreed, it's astounding that he doesn't have a proper routine as a four time club leading goal kicker.

[1eyedog]

1 - Matthew Boyd might get another contract
2 - (Not learned but confirmed) Crameri is a lazy so and so with his set shots. He needs to do better than that
3 - Bontempelli is displaying elite 'Hawkins like' skills in his second season of football. This shouldn't be happening but I'm glad it is.

Bonts' 360 out of trouble and rocket left hand hand pass reminded me very much of Hawk.

[AndrewP6]

1. Bevo's game style will be good to watch, win, lose or draw.
2. Boyd Snr can play a different role successfully
3. To quote Pete Townshend: "The kids are alright"

[jeemak]

1. We're still very susceptible to opposition teams getting behind our defence
2. Our poor overall team defending is still offset by crowding of the ball
3. Some of our players are better forward runners and users than they thought they were

[Avoid the rush]

1. We're still very susceptible to opposition teams getting behind our defence
2. Our poor overall team defending is still offset by crowding of the ball
3. Some of our players are better forward runners and users than they thought they were

1. Starting to think West Coast supporters are bigger pigs than Bomber supporters.

2. Was both embarrassed yet enamoured by 'the pack'. Still not sure, but kids seem to love 'em.

3. Jarrad Grant can be anything Jarrad Grant wants to be.

[ratsmac]

1. The, McCartney year's will pay dividends with the new Bevo game plan. We are still strong around the contest in contested possession while being able to spread better. Without Libba and Gryphen we still won the clearances. Positive signs.

2. Bontempelli was untaggable last night. Being heavily tagged was a real concern for me this season, whether he could shake it or not. He'll be ok!

3. Lin Jong will make it. He has plenty to learn still but so far he has learnt so much in a short period. He has the ability to walk out of congestion with ease and find himself 5 metres in the clear.

[ledge]

1 Tory DIckson just seems to get better and better
2 Bontempelli is our fewch
3 We still need to lower our eyes when kicking into the forward line.

[Daughter of the West]

1. Winning in round one is really, really fun!

2. If you could bottle Lin Jong's determination, you could make millions. He's come a long way in a short time and I think there's still plenty to come.

3. Getting through a game like that can give you a real shot of confidence. Yes there were mistakes, yes it wasn't pretty, but we held on and that's all that counts on the ladder.

[ratsmac]

1. We're still very susceptible to opposition teams getting behind our defence
2. Our poor overall team defending is still offset by crowding of the ball
3. Some of our players are better forward runners and users than they thought they were

Spot on. It's infuriating to watch when it happens because it happens so often.

However with the way Beveridge has the boys playing we are more attacking and its risk for reward. Whereas last couple of seasons we would move sideways and backwards to often so our counter attack was less potent. You will be always left open when attacking more. We need to find the correct balance on how to set up defence while pushing forward. It did get better by the end of the game. It's only round 1 and I have full confidence that Beveridge knows how to fix up leaking the easy goals.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

1. Bontempelli exhibits greatness.
2. The team is working for each other, with faith in each other.
3. There is a fine wine brewing in Footscray.

[Scorlibo]

1. The hype around some of our younger players in the pre-season wasn't overstated.
2. Our defence takes too long to organise itself after a turnover.
3. Jeremy McGovern is some kind of player, went between 2-3 opponents without a whole lot of help all night and won 14 turnovers. Shades of Brian.

[F'scary]

1. We're still very susceptible to opposition teams getting behind our defence
2. Our poor overall team defending is still offset by crowding of the ball
3. Some of our players are better forward runners and users than they thought they were

With respect to your point 1, I gather the issue is that we need to fine-tune the extent of our forward press somehow because that is why we get hurt on the rebound (and the kick-ins) so easily - but I'm sure Bevo can do that. At the moment, we have the press set on something like turbo or 11 and it does have considerable benefits but it also leaves us open to the break out play. Just got to hit a balance. One thing that would make a big difference to the defensive rebounds inflicted on us, is us holding more marks in the forward 50 and kicking to leads inside the 50m arc. I think the press becomes particularly over committed when the forwards aren't taking marks.

[LostDoggy]

1 Big bodies in the forward line straighten us up - just get front and centre of the pack
2 It was good to see us come from behind (3 goals) on 3 occasions, dont make it a habit
3 I liked Talias game, need to persist and get games into him

[bulldogtragic]

1. JJ looks a million bucks when he does things right
2. We should seek to trade in McGoven, seriously impressive player
3. Murphy, Picken, Boyd & Morris could get another year if they keep this form and fitness

[LostDoggy]

1. An investment in the game day graphics was well worth it. Loved the pre-game moving graphics around the ground particularly the cartoon dogs who ran around the ground and waited at the race for the players to come out.
2. West Coast's theme song is terrible. Sounds like a cheap kids song and the fake cheering is horrendous
3. Bontempelli is the future

[LostDoggy]

1. An investment in the game day graphics was well worth it. Loved the pre-game moving graphics around the ground particularly the cartoon dogs who ran around the ground and waited at the race for the players to come out.
2. West Coast's theme song is terrible. Sounds like a cheap kids song and the fake cheering is horrendous
3. Bontempelli is the future

It's even worse in Perth, they have fake cheers after a goal is kicked.

[Smads57]

1. Dickson is the new Gia for goal kicking reliability
2. Loved Wallis' game - actually reminds me of Libba senior
3. Liked that after falling behind a few times, we were able to rebound on the scoreboard

[Happy Days]

1. Bontempelli is better at attacking than Scott Selwood is at defending
2. Our interpretation of the forward press will be the most entertaining so far but will see some big time highlights perpetrated against us.
3. McGovern is a McGun and I'm stoked that The Boss beat him even that one time.

[1eyedog]

1. The led advertising around the 1st and 2nd level is absolutely horrendous and is a real problem because it takes your attention away from the game when the ad changes.
2. Grinding out wins is something we never saw under Eade. We ground West Coast down, had a plethora more opportunities to score and ran them off their feet in the final quarter.
3. Gee we look fit, running a more experienced side off their feet in three quarters. Loving the exuberance of youth too.

[LostDoggy]

1. Bontempelli is our next captain (hopefully in about 3 years)
2. Coast to coast goals can be both incredibly attractive and incredibly frustrating
3. Jong is on song for 22 games this year

[Greystache]

1. The new game plan will give us a better chance to win more matches given it doesn't rely on us winning every minute for the full 4 quarters to kick a score, but we're also going to get opened up a few times during the year and suffer some huge losses. One thing's for sure it'll certainly be better viewing.

2. Our end-to-end structure is looking the best it has for a long time, albeit mostly unproven. Roughead looks fit and healthy again, Talia if he can maintain that form will hold down a key defender position, Bonti in the centre is immense, and while not having an impact on Saturday, Redpath and Boyd showed they straighten us up and allow Stringer and Crameri to exploit lesser defenders.

3. This group coming through looks to have a bit more leadership and grit than the previous generation. I can't recall us winning too many games like that in previous years, the fact players like Stringer, T Boyd, Bonti, and Wallis all stood up late in the game is pretty exciting.

[LostDoggy]

1. Stoked how well the backline performed, especially when Kennedy who has such a record against us managed only 2 goals and zero influence.

2. You can see this midfield being very hard to compete with in coming years.

3. The half time mascot dancing thing is god awful.

[Mantis]

1. The new game plan will give us a better chance to win more matches given it doesn't rely on us winning every minute for the full 4 quarters to kick a score, but we're also going to get opened up a few times during the year and suffer some huge losses. One thing's for sure it'll certainly be better viewing.



I'm not sure how suffering huge losses will be good viewing, but agree that our game style is much more viewer friendly.

As the season progresses it will be interesting to see how our game style changes/ develops.. Playing Haw in a couple of weeks will show us just where we are at right now which I think is a bit of an unknown.

[Greystache]

I'm not sure how suffering huge losses will be good viewing, but agree that our game style is much more viewer friendly.

As the season progresses it will be interesting to see how our game style changes/ develops.. Playing Haw in a couple of weeks will show us just where we are at right now which I think is a bit of an unknown.

Because it's obviously the few huge losses when I was referring to when I said we'd be entertaining...

Playing in a fashion that actually allows us to capitalize on our periods of dominance means on our good day we are a chance to beat most teams, rather than trying to strangle the game with numbers around the ball only to inevitably be blown away in a 15 minute period when the opposition get on top. That will certainly be better viewing. A few huge losses I can put up with in the name of progression.

[craigsahibee]

1. Libba's knee will be the making of Mitch Wallis.
2. Talia and Roughead have the potential to be 200 game key position defenders. I thought both were fantastic on Saturday night and Talia in particular understands his limitations by foot and chose the correct out option on almost every occasion.
3. Bontempelli is up there with the best of them when it comes to gathering the ball below his knees. His ability to "one grab" and release in the same motion gives our runners that half a step on their opponents which can make all the difference when delivering the footy.

[Mofra]

1. Bonti is untaggable. a 19 year old manages to work his way through it an amass 10 tackles. He's as much workhorse as he is highlights reel. Beast.

2. Having tall forwards, crumbers and a guy like Stringer who can do both will allow us to develop a dangerous forwardline sooner rather than later.

3. All the talk pre-season has been how much the players love Bevo.
This is only half the story. What has been completely missed is how much Bevo loves the players. Will defend them publically (e.g. post match) and make WO a far more attractive place to be; Dahl and Roughy signing in recent times may just be the start of it.

[Mantis]

Because it's obviously the few huge losses when I was referring to when I said we'd be entertaining...

Playing in a fashion that actually allows us to capitalize on our periods of dominance means on our good day we are a chance to beat most teams, rather than trying to strangle the game with numbers around the ball only to inevitably be blown away in a 15 minute period when the opposition get on top. That will certainly be better viewing. A few huge losses I can put up with in the name of progression.

I was having a bit of fun with your choice of words.. Perhaps I should have added a 'wink' to let you I was joking.

Anyway as you stated playing with a bit of flair should result in score-board pressure when we are playing well which hasn't always been the case over the past few years... But our 1st half shows that we still have a long way to go.

[jeemak]

With respect to your point 1, I gather the issue is that we need to fine-tune the extent of our forward press somehow because that is why we get hurt on the rebound (and the kick-ins) so easily - but I'm sure Bevo can do that. At the moment, we have the press set on something like turbo or 11 and it does have considerable benefits but it also leaves us open to the break out play. Just got to hit a balance. One thing that would make a big difference to the defensive rebounds inflicted on us, is us holding more marks in the forward 50 and kicking to leads inside the 50m arc. I think the press becomes particularly over committed when the forwards aren't taking marks.

I think my second point explains some of the issue. We still crowd the ball, whether that's by design or a legacy of McCartney's days with us. If you crowd the ball, and turn it over, you're going to let teams get behind you easily.

From what I saw on Saturday I don't think there's a huge difference in the way we played in our front half compared to how we did in previous years. Sure, out of defence and through the middle (to an extent) we looked to move it a bit quicker however, once it was in our forward half we were getting numbers around the ball and pushing into the forwrd 50 without a clean chance at scoring. It opened up in the last quarter though, which was nice to see.

My view is things haven't progressed too greatly beyond how we played when we actually played well under McCartney. Under McCartney that was the exception rather than the rule, so hopefully Beveridge can help us make that sort of footy the baseline to progress from rather than the good day at the office as it has been at times these past few years.

There's a lot of water to go under the bridge, and a lot better teams to play against than West Coast to see just how much we've changed over the preaseason.

[bornadog]

once it was in our forward half we were getting numbers around the ball and pushing into the forwrd 50 without a clean chance at scoring. It opened up in the last quarter though, which was nice to see.



Wasn't this because West Coast were applying forward pressure and getting all their numbers into our forward line and our players were following them down the ground? We should have had a few players hang back to stop the fast break and so called sling shot Footy.

[Bulldog4life]

I'm not sure how suffering huge losses will be good viewing, but agree that our game style is much more viewer friendly.

As the season progresses it will be interesting to see how our game style changes/ develops.. Playing Haw in a couple of weeks will show us just where we are at right now which I think is a bit of an unknown.

Agree. It will be interesting to see Bevo's coaching tactics against a team he has an intimate knowledge of.

[Ozza]

1. Jason Johannisen needs to improve his kicking but I really like what he brings to the side with his run.
2. Tory Dickson has added more pace and more aggression to his game over the summer, and is not a purely inside 50 player. And if you want someone to kick for goal for your life...look no further.
3. Nobody gets the footy quicker from ground-to-hand-to-foot - than Luke Dahlhaus.