Three Things I've Learned - Round 12 Edition

[Eastdog]

Once the Round 12 match against Brisbane Lions is completed, let us know the three things you learned after watching the match.

Be constructive but be honest.

[GVGjr]

Bump

[westbulldog]

Our recruiting has been very astute.
Grant and Tom Boyd are showing good form.
Stringer could be anything.......X factor personified.

[F'scary]

1. Toby McLean is going to be a big name in footy.
2. Tom Boyd is starting to scare the opposition.
3. The Minson/Roughead combination continues to work - our best game for clearances all season.

[1eyedog]

Our recruiting has been very astute.
Grant and Tom Boyd are showing good form.
Stringer could be anything.......X factor personified.

You just learn that?

[westbulldog]

what three things did you learn,,,thats the thread

[The Bulldogs Bite]

1. McLean can play, very good effort in what was basically his first game.
2. Our drafting has been very good (re: Webb, McLean, Dale and even Daniel today in the VFL)
3. Back half has improved but we still have a need for somebody like Carlisle if available

[bulldogtragic]

1. Brisbane are really average
2. When we apply ourselves, we are dynamite
3. Winning big feels really good

[1eyedog]

1. I learnt that for the first time this year we put a price on opposition goals (especially late) because it was critical for the club to win big. We haven't done this all year and constantly give away junk time goals. We only let two late ones through this week.

2. I think I've finally learnt, or at least come to the conclusion that, our supporters are letting us down. Sure we make some noise but 21k against an ex-Victorian club, even if they are crap, is abysmal. We need to start cracking 25k+ if we want prime time slots against big clubs next year. It's not all about winning well and playing attractive football. The players are doing their bit, time for the supporters to start doing theirs!

I learnt that buying my son a flag at the footy tonight not only gave him rsi of the elbow, it also helped him enjoy the game because he was constantly watching for goals. It's the first time he's sat still and been able to watch a full game which heightens both of our experiences.

[Bulldog4life]

Mitch Wallis is a very reliable kick for goal.

Hamling and Roberts are continuing to impress each week.

Tom Boyd seems to play better in the forward line when given a run in the ruck. Like Roughy of Hawthorn.

[whythelongface]

1. For such a young team to play average (based on our expectations) in the first, get challenged early in the 2nd half, where the opposition got within 9 points, and then to kick away and win by 72 points shows that this team has the ability to put teams away when challenged. A very good trait for such a young team.

2. For a team that contained 12 players under 50 games our expectations are high (based on our form lines this year), yet they continue to deliver. This time it was against opposition that they were expected to win against. It is all well and good to win against highly rated opposition when you are not expected to win but to win against opposition, where you go into the game as red hot favourites is another thing. Hopefully they continue to learn and deal with this pressure and put lesser teams away.

3. Tom Boyd has exceeded my expectations for this year. He definitely will deliver on this potential. The next 10 years with Boyd and Stringer are really going to be fun to watch.

[Daughter of the West]

(Caveat: I only watched up until 5 minutes into the third & went to bed, haven't been well this week)

1. When we are good, we look like we can mix it with the best, but when we're bad, oh man. It's not pretty. And it can all happen in 2 minutes!

2. I understand that the boys have been told to play manically, but there are times when they just need to take a breath and assess their options. There were a few too many times last night where we played on at all costs for a negative results.

3. The dogs even pervade my sleep! After switching off in the third, I woke up at 3am having dreamt the boys lost by 2 points which was a bit a cause for panic. A quick check of the AFL app soothed me back to sleep, thank goodness it wasn't a (delayed) premonition!

[ledge]

1 playing the play on at all costs is great for the players and confidence if it comes off but we still need to realise sometimes we need to stop.
2 Stringer in the middle can rip through an opposition midfield.
3 Even when Jake has been shot in the belly he only needs a 2 min rest to recover.

[Go_Dogs]

1. Dickson is just about our most important defensive, pressure applying forward. First half was very good.

2. Dale is going to finish his career with more goals than games. Moves smartly in the F50 and as we transition the ball.

3. Our development is first class. We've had great returns from first year players - credit to Maple and Hansen.

[LostDoggy]

1. We looked rusty and tried to play too fast in the first half. Players weren't quite in the right positions for some chains to succeed. Ball disposal wasn't what it should have been either.
2. We have some very young looking and 'skinny' kids whose ability to keep at it has been amazing.
3. The opposition have been putting a lot of time into the Bont. Despite some fumbles, he has been able to influence games in clutch moments. His willingness to learn how to fight his way through this shows what a great footballer he can become.

[Scorlibo]

1. Opting to keep picks 5 & 6 in the 2012 draft and not pursue Jack Martin could turn out to be the best recruiting choice the club has made.

2. Mitch Wallis looks like being every bit as good as was promised in his draft year.

3. The song, 'Walking in a Stringer Wonderland'.

[ratsmac]

1. We have a very good forward line, that's right, the Bulldogs have a very good forward line. We had Boyd taking pack marks, Stringer kicking them from any and everywhere, Wallis resting forward kicking 3, Dahl hunting packs. And to top it off Dickson had a quiet one and Crameri didn't play. The sky is the limit.

2. We have a very good back line. More so the half backs. With Wood's intercept marks and willingness to take off with speed as soon as he hits the ground, coupled with Murphs speed and agility with pin point accuracy kicking and JJ's speed and side step, we are lightning quick from half back. Even the bigger boys Roberts, Hamling and Roughead (when he's there) are holding up pretty well. Who would of thought we could have a decent back line at the start of the year.

3. Jake Stringer is going to worry some opposition coaches for the next 10 year's. When he is on, he is unstoppable. He can play forward midfield and even back (thanks for that Macca). His one finger solute should be trademarked!

[Remi Moses]

1. Jake Stringer is the stuff of nightmares for opposition coaches
The only sensible thing BT said all night was that Jake reminds him of PHIL Carman.
Hopefully without the temper. I'll bet he's coping it being referred to as " the package" all night
2. Mitch Wallis has stepped up to the plate in the absence of Libba
3. The loss of those players 2 years back has hurt the lions badly

[FrediKanoute]

1 I knew Stringer was special, but I now know how special - best forward since C Grant (apologies Johnno)

2 Wallis is a gun. His inside work is top notch. It may have taken an injury to his mate Libba, but he has arrived.

3 Grant/Stevens -two maligned players who are proving to be key parts of the machine

[Mantis]

1/ Stringer makes the hard look easy and vice versa.. For that reason he isn't allowed to have a set shot from anywhere except the boundary line.

2/ For his size Dahlhaus is the best tackler in the game.

3/ In offensive transition we look great, we can look equally as bad going the other way.

[Sedat]

1. Our draft class of 2014 looks like being a special group considering all were picked outside the top 25. Wait til they start needing to shave :D

2. Boyd is getting marked very hard by all the ignoramuses outside our 4 walls. He makes our forward line function infinitely better than it has in a very long time.

3. Channel 7 are a complete and utter abomination to footy broadcasting - the sooner they lose some or all of their rights the better. They are the worst mix of loudmouth brain-dead sloganeering and idiocy (BT), weird and completely out-of-context sexual innuendo references (McAveney), vanilla special commentary that states the bleeding obvious (Ling, Matthews, Richo), vaudeville straight men humouring and goading the idiotic tendencies of the main commentators (Cometti, Darcy) and the worst boundary riders since King Wally Lewis was patrolling the Gabba in the mind 90's (Welsh). I despise Channel 7 for making our great game unwatchable and treating serious sports lovers like morons.

[LostDoggy]

1 - I'm still none the wiser of what our best ruck combo/set up is..

2 - Grant, was the cleanest and most composed player on the ground. One grabbing everything and more importantly hitting targets (95% disposal effiencey) he suprised me.

3 - With our midfield being a tad light on for experience and depth, Wallis and Stevens needed to step up and they have. Stevens has been a huge improver this year.

[LostDoggy]

3. The song, 'Walking in a Stringer Wonderland'.

I quite enjoyed the song!

[bornadog]

3. Channel 7 are a complete and utter abomination to footy broadcasting - the sooner they lose some or all of their rights the better. They are the worst mix of loudmouth brain-dead idiocy (BT), vanilla special commentary that states the bleeding obvious (Ling, Matthews, Richo), vaudeville straight men humouring and goading the idiotic tendencies of the main commentators (Cometti, Darcy) and the worst boundary riders since King Wally Lewis was patrolling the Gabba in the mind 90's (Welsh). I despise Channel 7 for making our great game unwatchable and treating serious sports lovers like morons.

VFL team isn't any better either.

[always right]

VFL team isn't any better either.

Campbell Brown....spare me.

[always right]

1. I've learned that I never want the ball in Macrae's hands shooting for goal from beyond 30m but I want it in his hands every time we need a miracle 25m pass around the corner.

2. Stringer will dine out on poor defences every time and now I want to see him do it regularly against the best. Looking forward to it.

3. I don't understand the tactic of leaving one wing un-manned at centre bounces just to have a spare defender. If we don't win the centre clearance it's an automatic avenue to goal.

[bornadog]

3. I don't understand the tactic of leaving one wing un-manned at centre bounces just to have a spare defender. If we don't win the centre clearance it's an automatic avenue to goal.

Did you notice at the start of the third quarter, Lions had 8 players in their backline and we had 7 as Grant moved down there when he noticed his man down there. They were strange tactics from Brisbane.