What do we need to do to win our 1st elimination final against West Coast at Subiaco

[Eastdog]

We have a week off now. What will it take for us to win this elimination final and go 1 better than last year. Will it be a boilover.

[dukedog]

The TAB shouldnt have us as favourites for a start. That seems to help.

[LostDoggy]

Kick more goals and behinds then them.
Sorry Easty couldn't resist :)

[The bulldog tragician]

The bye I think will favour us. They have been in sizzling form. We have been the opposite.
To have a chance we need all of Macrae, Stringer, Libba, Campbell and Wood to be back. The bottom tier have shown our depth is not as strong as we hoped.

I'm trying to remember the details of a major boilover (1999?) when we played WCE at the G, were favourites, but lost. There was a howling gale and we... well we were as we so often are, in finals, unable to stand up. I really want this group to be different, we have been cruelled by injury but I don't want that 'finals failure' tag to settle on the shoulders of yet another group. But we need ALL of the above to play to be a ghost of a chance.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

Commence nuclear testing at Domain

[MrMahatma]

Realistically, we need Wood, Stringer, Roughead and Campbell all in. McLean too. We need to shed some of the guys who just can't dispose of the ball under pressure (Jong, Stevens...) and then we're a 15% chance. We get Libba and Macrae back also and it becomes 50/50 for me.

Bevo's presser hinted at only Roughead and Wood being available first week (due to the Thursday game) so that means we're a long shot...

[The Bulldogs Bite]

A Thursday Night final for an away interstate side is absolutely pathetic (yet predictable) from the AFL.

[dadsgirl16]

Hitting a target by hand or foot would be a good start!

[The Underdog]

A Thursday Night final for an away interstate side is absolutely pathetic (yet predictable) from the AFL.

Because of travel for the fans?
Aside from the issue of turning around VFL players from the previous weekend I honestly don't get the angst about it. We've got 11 days to get ready

[Flamethrower]

A Thursday Night final for an away interstate side is absolutely pathetic (yet predictable) from the AFL.

I'm surprised they didn't make it THIS Thursday, then collude with Virgin to make sure all flights were full so we had to drive across to Perth to play.

[Sedat]

1. Picken to terrorise Gaff all night - Gaff has been white hot the last month and needs to be stopped
2. Macrae, Libba and Wood all in (if close to 100% ready)
3. Stringer in, with renewed defensive intent to keep the ball in our forward 50
4. Two of Boyd, Campbell and Roughy to play - 1 of them to spend 75% game time up forward (Boyd preferably), the other to bash into Giles and Lycett all night
5. Deny West Coke mids any time and space with the ball
6. Restrict West Coke to under 45 inside 50's - Kennedy and Darling will clunk a few but we just need to restrict their supply
7. Return of the men of mayhem - fanatical defensive pressure to lock the ball into our forward line

Do all of the above and we win, simple as that. West Coke are a good team but nowhere near a great one. They pulled their Giles trick last weekend but that won't cut the mustard in finals.

[Sedat]

A Thursday Night final for an away interstate side is absolutely pathetic (yet predictable) from the AFL.
Only gives us a 5 day break between the VFL QF against Casey - not much recovery time for prospectives to impress for senior selection. Otherwise I don't mind the Thursday night fixture because if we win we will have an 8 day break to a SF at the MCG.

[westbulldog]

I don't think we have a snowflakes chance in hell. I hope I am proved wrong. The home crowd of 40,000 does, make no mistake, influence the 50/50 decisions over here. We need to accept that our injury toll has finally caught up with us, that is a great pity as with a reasonably full list we would beat them anywhere. We also have nobody to stop Kennedy. We live in hope however.

[G-Mo77]

Pray

[bornadog]

1. Picken to terrorise Gaff all night - Gaff has been white hot the last month and needs to be stopped
2. Macrae, Libba and Wood all in (if close to 100% ready)
3. Stringer in, with renewed defensive intent to keep the ball in our forward 50
4. Two of Boyd, Campbell and Roughy to play - 1 of them to spend 75% game time up forward (Boyd preferably), the other to bash into Giles and Lycett all night
5. Deny West Coke mids any time and space with the ball
6. Restrict West Coke to under 45 inside 50's - Kennedy and Darling will clunk a few but we just need to restrict their supply
7. Return of the men of mayhem - fanatical defensive pressure to lock the ball into our forward line

Do all of the above and we win, simple as that. West Coke are a good team but nowhere near a great one. They pulled their Giles trick last weekend but that won't cut the mustard in finals.

No reason why we can't do all of that, except point 2 which is a real key. I expect Wood back but a little worried about the other two.

I thought we played bruise free footy on Sunday with players wanting to avoid injury in the last game.

[Bulldog4life]

If we do win it will go down as one of our greatest wins. This Bulldog's team can do and Bevo is the right coach as well. I am going to at least think positive until Thursday week. Life is far more enjoyable.

[mitch0418]

We need to do the following in no particular order:

1. Take the crowd out of the game early (It's exactly what the Eagles did to the Crows on Friday night)
2. Play some more tall defenders (if we have any) to stop the likes of Barney Rubble (Kennedy) and Darling
3. Play on quickly and stop over using the footy (ie. 10 handballs to move it ahead 5 metres).
4. Be willing to use Picken as a tagger
5. Eyes down going inside 50
6. Pray

P.S - If Josh Hill kicks a goal or two I will spew.

[bornadog]

We need to do the following in no particular order:

2. Play some more tall defenders (if we have any) to stop the likes of Barney Rubble (Kennedy) and Darling
.


Wood may come in, and there is Cordy who is a backman not a forward.

[chef]

A Tottenham style Lasagne-gate is about the only way i can see us winning.

[Greystache]

A strategic salmonella outbreak.

The AFEL would probably cancel the game and award the points to the team that finished higher on the ladder rather than let WCE drop out of the finals.

[mitch0418]

Wood may come in, and there is Cordy who is a backman not a forward.

Yes it would be great to have Wood back and he's a must to have any real chance. He reads the play so well and can jump which is just as good as being tall. Cordy I am not convinced but happy to be proven wrong. It's just a pity we don't have Adams because he is a solid tall unit and can clear the ball the 60 metres.

If the Doggies can pull it off then it would have to go down as one of the best wins in the club's history. I think we can do it but everyone has to play a blinder and their role. Our skills can't be down like they have been lately against Freo and the like.

[Eastdog]

If we do win it will go down as one of our greatest wins. This Bulldog's team can do and Bevo is the right coach as well. I am going to at least think positive until Thursday week. Life is far more enjoyable.

Said in previous posts on a few threads that if we get up it will be a famous win. It will certainly get on a DVD somewhere next year in our collection of classic games.

[Danny the snakeman]

We need to do the following in no particular order:

6. Pray




Going to need plenty of this. Lets hope the big fella upstairs is a doggies supporter.

[dadsgirl16]

Or the big lady!

[josie]

Read it in another post and think the idea of scrubby low kicks rather than long bombs into forward line to our midget forward line might be worth a try, especially for our players who are inaccurate kicks. And play Campbell if fit with Roughy as rucks with TBoyd spending more time in forward line. Also agree tagging 1 or 2 of their best midfielders. And in unlikely event - If Libba plays rotate Libba and Bonti as a roaming CHF.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

Or the big lady!

I don't think she likes us

[kruder]

1. Picken to terrorise Gaff all night - Gaff has been white hot the last month and needs to be stopped
2. Macrae, Libba and Wood all in (if close to 100% ready)
3. Stringer in, with renewed defensive intent to keep the ball in our forward 50
4. Two of Boyd, Campbell and Roughy to play - 1 of them to spend 75% game time up forward (Boyd preferably), the other to bash into Giles and Lycett all night
5. Deny West Coke mids any time and space with the ball
6. Restrict West Coke to under 45 inside 50's - Kennedy and Darling will clunk a few but we just need to restrict their supply
7. Return of the men of mayhem - fanatical defensive pressure to lock the ball into our forward line

Do all of the above and we win, simple as that. West Coke are a good team but nowhere near a great one. They pulled their Giles trick last weekend but that won't cut the mustard in finals.

How have you viewed our one tall forward and one ruckman structure over the past 6 weeks?

[LostDoggy]

Run,run,run like the wind and tackle and pressure like crazy men possesed!

[bornadog]

How have you viewed our one tall forward and one ruckman structure over the past 6 weeks?

Have you have forgotten Cordy has been playing in the forward line.

[LostDoggy]

Read it in another post and think the idea of scrubby low kicks rather than long bombs into forward line to our midget forward line might be worth a try, especially for our players who are inaccurate kicks. And play Campbell if fit with Roughy as rucks with TBoyd spending more time in forward line. Also agree tagging 1 or 2 of their best midfielders. And in unlikely event - If Libba plays rotate Libba and Bonti as a roaming CHF.

I made this suggestion months ago but i mean it seriously in respects to it being a release strategy instead of the blind long bomb, in all other cases with time, hit a chest

We need to bring relentless pressure, we have a young fresh side capable of doing this but we must stick tackles.

If we are close in the last qtr we will get over the line.

[1eyedog]

Cannot start slowly.

[Cyberdoggie]

We need to do the following in no particular order:

1. Take the crowd out of the game early (It's exactly what the Eagles did to the Crows on Friday night)
2. Play some more tall defenders (if we have any) to stop the likes of Barney Rubble (Kennedy) and Darling
3. Play on quickly and stop over using the footy (ie. 10 handballs to move it ahead 5 metres).
4. Be willing to use Picken as a tagger
5. Eyes down going inside 50
6. Pray

P.S - If Josh Hill kicks a goal or two I will spew.


Picken hasn't really tagged for a long time and it's not Bevo's M.O. to tag anyone really.
If anyone was to tag it may end up being someone like Clay Smith or even Jack Macrae to put some attention into a particular player at stoppages, but the days of hard tags are well and truly gone in today's style of play.

If we are going to win this game we need to stifle the eagles ball movement. Our general web defence is pretty much the best in the league but if sides are allowed to run and carry and break our lines it can come undone quite easily on the fast break. A player like Kennedy can find a lot of space at Subi and can slaughter us in no time if the eagles mids are on top and sending the ball in the quickly.

This game will be won and lost in the middle. If we can get on top and get first use, and stop their outside players like Gaff getting the ball then we can win. I think we are a much tougher inside midfield than they are and we can step it up big time if we get Libba and Macrae back and playing well. Without them I can't see us winning.

We also need to find some efficiency in the forward 50. If we bomb it with slow movement then we won't stand a chance. Dickson will need to play out of his skin, as will Stringer and we will need to improve forward pressure.

Domain stadium and it's size bothers me. Doesn't really suit our side with a lack of marking talls and outside runners to encourage direct play. We prefer to use space on wings to switch the play and open up space with the shifting defensive grid. Not as effective at domain with the thinner longer dimensions.

[Cyberdoggie]

Let's hope it buckets down. That might help us.

[1eyedog]

Picken hasn't really tagged for a long time and it's not Bevo's M.O. to tag anyone really.
If anyone was to tag it may end up being someone like Clay Smith or even Jack Macrae to put some attention into a particular player at stoppages, but the days of hard tags are well and truly gone in today's style of play.

If we are going to win this game we need to stifle the eagles ball movement. Our general web defence is pretty much the best in the league but if sides are allowed to run and carry and break our lines it can come undone quite easily on the fast break. A player like Kennedy can find a lot of space at Subi and can slaughter us in no time if the eagles mids are on top and sending the ball in the quickly.

This game will be won and lost in the middle. If we can get on top and get first use, and stop their outside players like Gaff getting the ball then we can win. I think we are a much tougher inside midfield than they are and we can step it up big time if we get Libba and Macrae back and playing well. Without them I can't see us winning.

We also need to find some efficiency in the forward 50. If we bomb it with slow movement then we won't stand a chance. Dickson will need to play out of his skin, as will Stringer and we will need to improve forward pressure.

Domain stadium and it's size bothers me. Doesn't really suit our side with a lack of marking talls and outside runners to encourage direct play. We prefer to use space on wings to switch the play and open up space with the shifting defensive grid. Not as effective at domain with the thinner longer dimensions.

Picko tagged Sidebottom out of the game a few weeks ago.

I think it depends on whether we have any midfield depth available next week. If we don't get Libba and MaCrae back then Picken is one of our best mids and can't be wasted in a negating role.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Picko tagged Sidebottom out of the game a few weeks ago.

I think it depends on whether we have any midfield depth available next week. If we don't get Libba and MaCrae back then Picken is one of our best mids and can't be wasted in a negating role.

This is a winnable game if we are able to contain Kennedy, Priddis and Graf, their three matchwinners. Picken to Graf makes sense. A lot will depend on the fitness of Liberatore Wood and Macrae plus the anticipated return of Stringer and Campbell.

[merantau]

I will be very interested to see the way we tackle. Players like Shuey spend hours honing their shoulder shrugging, knee bending skills to hoodwink the umps. We must tackle low and we need to make them STICK!
I'm sure we will be up for the game. I'm expecting us to ramp up the pressure and bring a level of freneticism not yet seen by Bulldogs team. Let's stun them from the off.

[1eyedog]

I will be very interested to see the way we tackle. Players like Shuey spend hours honing their shoulder shrugging, knee bending skills to hoodwink the umps. We must tackle low and we need to make them STICK!
I'm sure we will be up for the game. I'm expecting us to ramp up the pressure and bring a level of freneticism not yet seen by Bulldogs team. Let's stun them from the off.

Bevo told a few of us at training tonight that we'd be up for the fight.

[merantau]

Bevo told a few of us at training tonight that we'd be up for the fight.

That's what I want to hear.

[Eastdog]

That's what I want to hear.

When you hear it from the coach itself that just make you feel better.

[merantau]

You have to BELIEVE. You have to STEEL yourself. You have to WILL yourself to WIN every contest you're in and if you lose one you have to let it go and make sure you WIN the next one.
Don't take a backward step, get to every contest, lay crunching tackles and support each other. Go Dogs!

[LostDoggy]

Kick bloody straight, I just don't want another final to go in the 8.21 box. Then pray.

[jeemak]

We need to play a lower defence and use the corridor more when we get the footy on the turnover.

The issue with a high defence as we played against Fremantle and pretty much all year is that the only option to release the footy once you have it is by going wide. It's bloody hard to do at grounds like Kardinia and Subiaco, and if we try this again we're cooked before we start.

Subiaco is a long and narrow ground, if we play high defence on it we will not have any width to soak up pressure with, nor will we have any players forward of centre willing or able to lead at the carrier moving it from defence to attack. If we pull our defence back a little, make it lower, we'll have forward options rather than lateral options to kick to. They can run back, double forward and present through the corridor of the ground on the diagonal from the kicker. Once that's done the other side of the ground quickly opens up and you can score.

If we continue with the high defence we'll force ourselves to run out of room wide on the rebound, and we'll be screwed.

[Webby]

We need to simply set ourselves to win that game no matter what. It has to be our grand final. I think that if we play with that level of commitment and desire, we can win.... So long as we also do our homework, devise, execute and stick to a suitable game plan.

If we have that "bugger next week" attitude and really put bodies on the line in the contest, we can get them.

Finally, we need to get back to where we were earlier in the year. Back then, we had the confidence to take an extra handball or two whilst running into our forward line. This meant either a running shot or a spot up kick. For whatever reason, we've developed a habit of bombing in from 80m or so out. My message would be to run the footy into the forward line. That will upset their marking defenders and break up their rebound game out of defence.

[Twodogs]

Read it in another post and think the idea of scrubby low kicks rather than long bombs into forward line to our midget forward line might be worth a try, especially for our players who are inaccurate kicks. And play Campbell if fit with Roughy as rucks with TBoyd spending more time in forward line. Also agree tagging 1 or 2 of their best midfielders. And in unlikely event - If Libba plays rotate Libba and Bonti as a roaming CHF.


I made this suggestion months ago but i mean it seriously in respects to it being a release strategy instead of the blind long bomb, in all other cases with time, hit a chest

We need to bring relentless pressure, we have a young fresh side capable of doing this but we must stick tackles.

If we are close in the last qtr we will get over the line.


Been banging on about this for years. I think a scrub kick along the ground would be just as hard to defend as the normal kicks. If one of the ideas is to bring the ball to ground for the crumbers then why not just kick it along the ground in the first place.


Let's hope it buckets down. That might help us.

I don't see why. We are much more skilled than them.

[bornadog]

Subiaco is a long and narrow ground, if we play high defence on it we will not have any width to soak up pressure with, nor will we have any players forward of centre willing or able to lead at the carrier moving it from defence to attack. If we pull our defence back a little, make it lower, we'll have forward options rather than lateral options to kick to. They can run back, double forward and present through the corridor of the ground on the diagonal from the kicker. Once that's done the other side of the ground quickly opens up and you can score.

If we continue with the high defence we'll force ourselves to run out of room wide on the rebound, and we'll be screwed.

Yes it is narrow, but also the length is way bigger than other grounds, although Geelong is 170 metres long. WO use to be 176 but the goals have been brought in quiet a bit:

Subi -
Length: 175 m x Width: 122 m

Etihad: 159.5 metres x 128.8 metres

MCG: 160 metres x 141 metres

[Eastdog]

Kick bloody straight, I just don't want another final to go in the 8.21 box. Then pray.

Absolutely. We were very inaccurate on Sunday kicking 6.13 - it needs to be a lot better than it is now.

[Sedat]

I will be very interested to see the way we tackle. Players like Shuey spend hours honing their shoulder shrugging, knee bending skills to hoodwink the umps.
We're not too bad at this ourselves.

[Greystache]

We're not too bad at this ourselves.

It'd be a wasted effort in Perth. The free kicks are only going one way, expecially in a final.

[Mofra]

Absolutely. We were very inaccurate on Sunday kicking 6.13 - it needs to be a lot better than it is now.
How many of our behinds were rushed?
I seem to recall the "kick deep and hope" plan was failing miserably and Freo easily killed plenty of entries.

I really think that better quality inside 50 entries cleans most of that up.

[1eyedog]

We need a solid team effort to stay in the game and we need Jake and the Bont to do something special.

We have both of our best players playing and West Coke are missing their best player. If we can get 80% from the balance of the team we can be close enough.

[Bulldog4life]

The one thing we can't do is leave their forwards space to run into an open goal unimpeded without any of our players in sight. This is Adelaide's great weapon and West Coast do it well too. Even Freo did it to a certain extent last week.

[Bullies]

Yes it is narrow, but also the length is way bigger than other grounds, although Geelong is 170 metres long. WO use to be 176 but the goals have been brought in quiet a bit:

Subi -
Length: 175 m x Width: 122 m

Etihad: 159.5 metres x 128.8 metres

MCG: 160 metres x 141 metres

Brad Johnson brought up a good point with our game at Subiaco. The ground size. We train to play on Etihad and MCG and when we go to Subiaco there is an "extra" kick to the way they normally set up and we don't adjust. The guys are so programmed as to where they go and lead etc that they butcher the ball. West Coast you will see lower their eyes as they know Kennedy/Darling double back and will lead up to the hole.

[Twodogs]

How many of our behinds were rushed?
I seem to recall the "kick deep and hope" plan was failing miserably and Freo easily killed plenty of entries.

I really think that better quality inside 50 entries cleans most of that up.

Bad kicking spreads. If mids start missing targets then forwards start missing easy shots at goal and vice versa.

[1eyedog]

Bad kicking spreads. If mids start missing targets then forwards start missing easy shots at goal and vice versa.

Yep bad kicking builds pressure which permeates.