Three Things I've Learned - Round 3 Edition

[Eastdog]

Once the Round 3 match against Hawthorn is completed, let us know the three things you learned after watching the match.

Be constructive but be honest.

[GVGjr]

Bump

[EasternWest]

Tom Boyd is gonna be worth every dollar.

Webb is one of those guys that looks like he's got plenty of time, and a natural kicking style. He'll be good.

I don't feel as negative as some others about that game. Yeah we got touched up good and proper, but there was enough from our younger and peripheral guys to suggest things will be ok. We just need to be patient.

[bulldogtragic]

1. Webb - could get a rising star nomination this year
2. Boyd - will get a rising star nomination this year
3. We have big problems in little China Town with our inability to have a ruck/2nd forward. Need to address this in the post season as we've not drafted or traded for one in a very long time.

[Remi Moses]

1. Good signs from T Boyd ( might shut the tiresome media narrative )
2. Webb looks a good find
3. The gap between Hawthorn and the top sides is apparent, but against bottom 8 teams it's Grand Canyon proportions

[The Bulldogs Bite]

1. A number of players need to be sifted out of our best 22 by better skilled players (Goodes, Cordy, Grant, Stevens, Picken) for us to compete at the top in 2-3 years.

2. Webb looks a player. Good composure which I was most impressed with. Positioning etc. will come, he looks a relatively smart player anyway, and has a great left boot. I'm a real fan.

3. Boyd will be an absolute manbeast when he's 24/25.

[AndrewP6]

Boyd will be worth it.
Webb can play.
Goodes and Cordy must be great blokes around the club to both still have jobs there.

[SonofScray]

1. It is tough to compete when you lose key personnel to the extent we did today.
2. It is tougher to compete when you invest in playing the game a certain way and the officials don't officiate to it.
3. It is even tougher to compete when both the above occur against a side as good as you'll see in the competition.

[F'scary]

b:

Luke Dahlhaus. You f'n beauty. What an effort with Bonti, M Boyd and Wallis out.

Tom Boyd. You f'n beauty. Great grabs and contests all game and soooooo accurate from the set shot. The dead-eye dick of the AFL.

Will Minson. Battled hard all game. Hold your head up.\

A: Ayce Cordy. Can we cancel your contract immediately so we don't have to see you again in the ones?
Brett Goodes. Shortcomings hidden by a couple of wins. No more games for you.
I am going to Macrae. Footskills. You are supposed to have some.

[Scraggers]

b:

Luke Dahlhaus. You f'n beauty. What an effort with Bonti, M Boyd and Wallis out.

Tom Boyd. You f'n beauty. Great grabs and contests all game and soooooo accurate from the set shot. The dead-eye dick of the AFL.

Will Minson. Battled hard all game. Hold your head up.\

A: Ayce Cordy. Can we cancel your contract immediately so we don't have to see you again in the ones?
Brett Goodes. Shortcomings hidden by a couple of wins. No more games for you.
I am going to Macrae. Footskills. You are supposed to have some.

Is there a need for the swearing? You've done this in three different posts. We have kids and ladies who post on here as well

[Eastdog]

Boyd will be take time but will be very good up forward.

We still have a lot of work to do but we are heading in the right direction I feel with the youngsters.

There are some players on our team who are so frustrating to watch.

[Jeanette54]

1. Our disposal under pressure needs to improve
2. Similarly our disposal and choice of options when not under pressure also needs to improve.
3. Notwithstanding the size of the defeat there were still some positives we can take from the game. For example the debut of Lukas Webb, the further development of Tom Boyd and Michael Talia and the continued endeavour of our young kids who never stopped trying.

ps. My thoughts are with Mitch, Matthew, Bonti, Dale and Eastern Wood for a speedy recovery.

[F'scary]

Is there a need for the swearing? You've done this in three different posts. We have kids and ladies who post on here as well

Ok sorry I'm angry at the extent of the loss.

[Greystache]

1. Boyd looks like he'll tear the competition apart in a few years.

2. It's time to end the Cordy project. He moves like a Ruckman but has the physical presence of an outside midfielder. I kept thinking today of the joke about how we should play the EJ Whitten statue at CHF and make Ayce stand on the roundabout, but then I thought the statue would at least give us a target to kick to and we may even get a rebound to advantage, neither of which Cordy provides.

3. We've got some great youth but we need to keep topping up and developing, the middle age players for the most part just aren't up to it.

[FrediKanoute]

1. Despite winning 2 games, coming up against last years Premiers was going to be tough - today proved it;
2. We are only an injury or two away from being genuine bottom 4 contenders;
3. Despite the loss, there are positive signs around our younger guys - they will mature together

[hujsh]

Is there a need for the swearing? You've done this in three different posts. We have kids and ladies who post on here as well
Get the smelling salts out fellas, the ladies are fainting because of bad language.

(I'm not arguing with the point that he shouldn't be trying to get around the swear filters but I think most women who post here have a)been to the footy and therefore b)heard plenty worse so it seems a rather archaic argument)

[GVGjr]

Get the smelling salts out fellas, the ladies are fainting because of bad language.

(I'm not arguing with the point that he shouldn't be trying to get around the swear filters but I think most women who post here have a)been to the footy and therefore b)heard plenty worse so it seems a rather archaic argument)

You have looked at it the wrong way. On occasions the mods need to subtly redirect members before it goes to far and by his own admission it was probably heading that way.

[Ozza]

Back to things learned....

Probably just a more balanced observation now that I've had time to cool off would be that -
- when you're already missing some good players, some more are withdrawn late, and then lose more during the game - it's very hard to keep up with any afl side, let alone the current best who are basically full strength.
The line up changes created some uncertainty in the side, and with it, it took away some of the cohesiveness we saw in the first two games. We also showed some inexperience in the conditions at Launy.

With these things in mind- it was foreseeable for us to get done badly. It blew out in the last 6-7 mins which left an ordinary taste. By then we were well and truly out of gas.

Positive for us is we some something exciting out of Boyd, and got a look at Webb- who may in future fill one of those half back spots.

At least we get Bonti back next week!

[whythelongface]

-sure we got soundly beaten but there were a number of good moments in the game that would provide our supporters with continued optimism eg. Jong taking the game on; Boyd's pack marking; Talia continuing his development; Dahl's attack at the ball; Webb's debut - all of our emerging talent

- Lukas Webb will a good player for our team

[SonofScray]

Another comment that I don't think I'll get a lot of support for:

Dalhaus' biggest strength as a forward, his ability to get boot to ball quickly, is his biggest weakness outside the F50. the type of manic, scrap and get the ball forward play that results in scores inside 50 are turnovers outside of it. I saw a handful of contests where he needed to habg onto the ball and lock it in, or wait a moment to ensure it got to a team mate but instead played to instinct and right into the opposition's hands.

He still had an OK game, his energy is very good, but there is some room for improvement and some consideration for the coaches around where he spends most of his game time.

[Mantis]

1/ Your defence is going to struggle when you take out 3 experienced players... And especially when you are giving up so many inside 50's.

2/ Our mid-aged players are just making up the numbers, the sooner they are pushed aside, the better we will become.

3/ We got hammered around the ball, but taking out our 2 best contested players this year (Wallis & Bont) doesn't help.. and in games aginst the best you really miss your best contested player.

4/ We have to many little guys who simply get crunched against big/strong bodies.. We can't play all of Dahlhaus, Hrovat & Honeychurch in the same team.

[Ozza]

1/ Your defence is going to struggle when you take out 3 experienced players... And especially when you are giving up so many inside 50's.

2/ Our mid-aged players are just making up the numbers, the sooner they are pushed aside, the better we will become.

3/ We got hammered around the ball, but taking out our 2 best contested players this year (Wallis & Bont) doesn't help.. and in games aginst the best you really miss your best contested player.

4/ We have to many little guys who simply get crunched against big/strong bodies.. We can't play all of Dahlhaus, Hrovat & Honeychurch in the same team.

Concerned about this also. It certainly stands out even more with Dahl and Hrovat both playing on the ball - whereas we could potentially get away with it if Dahl and Honeychurch were both forward. But for the most part I'd agree, we end up being too small.

[SlimPickens]

4/ We have to many little guys who simply get crunched against big/strong bodies.. We can't play all of Dahlhaus, Hrovat & Honeychurch in the same team.

Interesting point, Hawthorne had 6 players in their side under 178cm, of which the majority showed as much if not more physicality than their teammates. Personally I think we can play the 3 you have mentioned in the same side, our issue is we can't play them all in the same area of the ground at this stage of development.

1. When our pressure drops off, we will struggle. Real lethargy across the entire group this week, noted at VFL and AFL level.

2. Tom Boyd showed what he is capable in the short term, long term he could be scary good.

3. You can't be 2 men down at this level and remain competitive for 4 quarters.

[bornadog]

Real lethargy across the entire group this week, noted at VFL and AFL level..

Have they over trained this week or the first two weeks took its toll?

[Mofra]

1. We are a work in progress but when we get smashed we still show glimpses. I do worry for the second half of the year with sore, young bodies though.

2. Lukas Webb will be the best of the 2014 class. Called it early and sticking to the call.

3. I thought Tom Boyd was good for us structurally in R1 & R2. In R3 he was genuinely good for us. In another couple of pre-seasons he will hurt opposition sides.

[Ghost Dog]

1/ Your defence is going to struggle when you take out 3 experienced players... And especially when you are giving up so many inside 50's.

2/ Our mid-aged players are just making up the numbers, the sooner they are pushed aside, the better we will become.

3/ We got hammered around the ball, but taking out our 2 best contested players this year (Wallis & Bont) doesn't help.. and in games aginst the best you really miss your best contested player.

4/ We have to many little guys who simply get crunched against big/strong bodies.. We can't play all of Dahlhaus, Hrovat & Honeychurch in the same team.

Would depend on the opposition. Also, small and young is an issue. Small and mature should be ok.
Example, Port were smaller than North Melbourne, and a number of their 170-185cm runners were the edge. North had perhaps maybe one or two too many giants and it cost them with that style of game.
It's funny how a mid-sized player like Hodge can flatten people and someone like Petrie or Firitto I would't be too scared of.

[Mantis]

Would depend on the opposition. Also, small and young is an issue. Small and mature should be ok.


Agree.. I should have clarified my comments, but that's what I mean.

[EasternWest]

Another comment that I don't think I'll get a lot of support for:

Dalhaus' biggest strength as a forward, his ability to get boot to ball quickly, is his biggest weakness outside the F50. the type of manic, scrap and get the ball forward play that results in scores inside 50 are turnovers outside of it. I saw a handful of contests where he needed to habg onto the ball and lock it in, or wait a moment to ensure it got to a team mate but instead played to instinct and right into the opposition's hands.

He still had an OK game, his energy is very good, but there is some room for improvement and some consideration for the coaches around where he spends most of his game time.

I actually agree with you, but even if I didn't I applaud the tone of this post. It's well thought out and considered. I would hope this is being addressed as the Dahlhaus pros far outweigh the cons and if he can fix these shortcomings he will be an absolute ripper.


2. Lukas Webb will be the best of the 2014 class. Called it early and sticking to the call.

3. I thought Tom Boyd was good for us structurally in R1 & R2. In R3 he was genuinely good for us. In another couple of pre-seasons he will hurt opposition sides.

I like both these points. Lukas Webb is a beauty. So composed and looks to be pretty smart too.

I think Boyd will show young guy fatigue as the year gets longer, but he'll have gone a long way towards silencing or at least quieting the naysayers before that happens.

He's a bloody good player. His ability to use the ball and make good decisions when he found himself further up the ground surprised me. He showed a lot of nous.

The other thing I really like about him is his intent to palm and deflect the ball to advantage when he's not going to mark it in a contest. He's smart. He makes us so much better just by being big woth good hands, but his football intelligence is what is going to set him apart.

I was confident we'd done the right thing when we went after him, and I'm even moreso now.

[Dazza]

Tom Boyd has plenty to work on. But showed he is very capable of becoming a great forward.

[SlimPickens]

Have they over trained this week or the first two weeks took its toll?

It would be a combination, our game style is very demanding but so were our preseason training loads. I think it'll balance out as the season goes on but obviously with a young group we will have some "off" weeks.

[Templeton31]

1. If you'd said after the richmond game that by half time in the Hawks game we would be without wood, M boyd, morris, bonti and wally and be 2 men down I would've said thats a worry coz they were basically our bests against the times!

2. T Boyd - M Lloyd might not be impressed or see much beyond his own navel but I can see we're you are heading and its gonna be great!

3. A season is a long time and what will be interesting is how we react next week. (A bit based on who can play!)

[bornadog]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDADWYYUUAA63rc.jpg:large

I learnt, Boyd can take a contested mark.

[F'scary]

I learnt, Boyd can take a contested mark.

He took at least two fine grabs and I reckon the game has got a monkey off his back and we'll be seeing plenty more going forward now.

[LostDoggy]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDADWYYUUAA63rc.jpg:large

I learnt, Boyd can take a contested mark.

And can make a duck face whilst doing it. Kids these days… ;)

[Eastdog]

He took at least two fine grabs and I reckon the game has got a monkey off his back and we'll be seeing plenty more going forward now.

Yep it's something we have been crying out for inside our 50 especially. Player(s) who can take contested marks. The first 2 weeks he did some good things but still struggled in that area but maybe now he'll get much better as the year goes. Like I said we shouldn't expect too much this year from him but it was a good sign to see yesterday.

[Hotdog60]

1: Goodes comes in for Morris early in the second quarter and finishes the game with the same amount of possessions.
2: Hodges likes to bully the little guys
3: Talia has his best game to date

[boydogs]

I learnt, Boyd can take a contested mark.

With his eyes closed :)

[The Doctor]

1. Given a full strength team we should be able to take them (Hawthorn) on and acquit ourselves very well.

2. Once Tom Boyd has the confidence to own the contest he will be formidable.

3. We need another tall target in attack and Redpath is not the answer.

[Smads57]

Disappointed as with other posters around the final margin but agree there were also signs with Webb, Boyd and Talia's performances.

Found the following on Youtube re Tom Boyd and Sunday's game versus the Hawks. Have watched it a couple of times....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5w-8NVc7W4

[ratsmac]

5 of our better players from the first 2 weeks wins going down injured against a full strength reigning back to back premiers = 100 point thumping. We done ok to only lose by 70.

The Tom Boyd deal will pay dividends.

Goodes is a good VFL player and nothing more. We are better off getting games into Biggs (when fit) or Dailey.

[LostDoggy]

Lukas Webb will make it.

Tom Boyd is and will be worth evety cent.

Talia growing in confidence and looking better every week.

[LostDoggy]

1. We were boys playing men. The Hawks physicality took its toll.

2. Jong's stats were again impressive but he is still very much hit and miss. Some tackles he gets credited with are because he fumbles or loses prime position in the first place.

Lin Jong WB 10 kicks 13handballs 4marks 6 tackles

3. We are learning to play as a team rather than individuals. But our skills were down......we have to get better kickers into the team and a couple more speedsters. Too many plodders or slow movers makes it hard to link up and be precise, which you need in today's footy.

4. Our talls tend to be on the immobile side, through lack of endurance running and fitness. Immobile talls are so yesterday's football.

[Bulldog4life]

1. Reminded of the old school yard fight. The bully bashing the smaller kid but the kid just kept getting up. We never gave up despite the odds being overwhelming.

2. I liked big Tom's game a lot. Whether planted in the goal square or up the other end. He showed his versatility.

3. Young Webby showed that he is going to be a long term AFL player.