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Bulldog Revolution
03-01-2008, 11:59 AM
http://www.abc.net.au/sport/columns/200704/s1898359.htm?afl

Bulldogs a one-trick pony
By Dan Lonergan

In elite team sports, some teams just expect to be at the top or near it most or all of the time.

The media and their supporters expect it, but these weight of expectations don't weigh them down and they deliver the goods regularly.

In the AFL, West Coast is one case in point. They have missed the finals just four times in their 20-season history and are the only undefeated team after four rounds this season, so expect them to feature heavily in September again in 2007.

At this stage they deserve to be favourites to defend their 2006 flag.

For many years in the VFL, power houses like Carlton, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Richmond in the 1970s, Essendon, the Hawks and the Blues in the 80s and Melbourne in the 1950s were expected to win regularly and did.

Brisbane made an art form of it in the first half of this decade along with Port Adelaide in home and away football.

It's a lesson the always struggling clubs must take onboard. Too many of these sides have one or two excellent seasons by their standards and then seem to get caught up in all the glory when the expectations rise and as a result they can't cope and go back to the mediocrity that they are accustomed to.

Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs are examples of that. The Dockers had the best of their 12 seasons last year, winning nine of their last 10 to finish top four for the first time and make the preliminary final.

Over the summer they added experienced pair Chris Tarrant and Dean Solomon to their playing list and were rated highly to win their first premiership, but three matches in and they are one of four teams without a win.

Although it's not panic stations yet and they only had a 50 per cent record after 12 rounds last year before storming home, the Dockers need wins and require them quickly if they are to finish top four, which is where you must be to give the flag a shake.

They may have got ahead of themselves or started believing all the favourable publicity from the media, who right across the country have been bullish about the Dockers chances.

However it seems the weight of expectations placed on a club who have become used to letting them and their fans down has got to them.

Don't rule them out but the next month will test them. They have a trip to Melbourne to play another winless team in the Demons, then it's an emerging Adelaide at home, a rejuvenated Brisbane at the Gabba and an improving Hawthorn. They require at least two wins just to stay in touch.

Fremantle has to begin acting like a team that can win a premiership. It certainly has the playing list to be a contender.

The disappointing Western Bulldogs are in the same boat. This is a club that has been littered with a mediocre culture for more than 80 years. They have one flag, two grand final appearances and 31 finals to their name and 11 victories.

Because of their short history, take Freo and Port out of the picture and the Dogs are close to the worst performed team ever in the league.

St Kilda may give them a run for their money, having been in the league 28 years longer. They have played 41 finals for 16 wins, but have five grand final appearances.

The Saints have picked up the most wooden spoons by a long way, so their history is as tragic as denounced by former Carlton president John Elliott when referring to the Bulldogs in 2000.

The Saints though look in much better shape than the Dogs. They at least have a number of game plans and a multitude of big-bodied star forwards like Nick Riewoldt, Fraser Gehrig and Justin Koschitske.

'One-trick pony'
The Dogs were touted like Fremantle to be genuine top four chances and even in contention for the premiership, but after an OK win over Geelong, when they played one outstanding quarter, they have been completely outplayed by Adelaide and St Kilda in the past week.

Teams have worked them out. As one Bulldogs fan said to me over the weekend, "they are a one-trick pony".

They play an exciting and skilful brand of football, when if given space will chop up the Opposition, but Brisbane (preseason), the Crows and the Saints haven't allowed them any room to move, so skill error after skill error keeps occurring, caused by real and perceived pressure.

Their forward line when open is creative and wonderful to watch, with all those light weight quick runners running down the ground and finishing beautifully, but if the space is blocked up they panic and overuse the footy.

They need a Plan B and I'm surprised that Rodney Eade, who has a reputation as one of the best coaches in the league, hasn't come up with one.

That is obviously his task this week for the clash with Richmond, who are yet to win but have been pretty competitive in all three games.

Their coach Terry Wallace and assistants Brian Royal and Jade Rawlings know the Dogs well, so expect them to shut them down also and then isolate the tall forwards.

Too many Bulldog stars of last year have been found out, especially two of their best, Adam Cooney and Ryan Griffen.

Daniel Giansiracusa, Nathan Eagleton and Farran Ray must learn to get more contested possessions. This is an area the Dogs have been smashed in so far.

Scott West and Daniel Cross as usual try hard and get plenty of the footy, but their effectiveness is being reduced. They require more hard bodied onballers.

They have one quality forward in Brad Johnson, but he's just over six foot. They have no tall forwards to speak of and if the delivery in the forward line is pressure laced, they have no chance of scoring.

Former skipper Luke Darcy, who can play the role of a power forward and the creative Robert Murphy are miles off their best after knee reconstructions.

It's early days but after a two-year lay-off, Darcy is battling to keep up with the pace of the game.

It seems the clubs have plotted how to stop the Dogs and looking at the efforts of Adelaide and St Kilda, it appears to be pretty easy.

The Bulldogs are also hamstrung with replacements for the many out-of-form players, while gun Brisbane recruit Jason Akermanis, whose best footy might be behind him, is out injured. Anyway, he is an outside player and a quality finisher.

Chris Grant, one of their better key position players but also their oldest, won't be seen until at least the half way mark of the season, which will probably be too late.

There are big wraps on top 10 draft pick Tom Williams becoming a key defender, but he hasn't played a senior match yet due to a string of injuries. To expect him to make an immediate impact is folly.

There's not much else as the club's recruiting policy seems to concentrate on picking up light-weighted, quick and skilful ball carriers.

Other than Brian Harris the Bulldogs haven't recruited a decent key forward or defender for more than 10 years.

There is no way the Dogs will achieve a top four finish at the moment and they will be hard-pressed to make the eight.

If they don't it will be a wasted season, which is not uncommon for this club from Melbourne's western suburbs.

It's likely Eade's men will be one win and four losses when they take on the West Coast Eagles, who destroyed them in the finals last year with their strong bodies.

They will do so again, leaving the Bulldogs out of the picture and probably contemplating a bottom four performance.

Let's see if this club can throw away the mediocre tag and find a way of overcoming the opposition's stifling tactics, which are starting to work a treat.

It's the first time since he took over that Eade will be under pressure at the Whitten Oval.

He and the players have put together a game plan they believe in and has worked to a certain extent, but the good and strong teams have countered it.

What are the so-called 'new-look' Western Bulldogs made of?

As a Bulldogs supporter, taking my media hat off, I'm not optimistic they can succeed and change as they don't have enough cattle to significantly alter their style.

They've got a tough job in front of them.

Bulldog Revolution
03-01-2008, 12:03 PM
Lonergan was castigated at the time by the club, but his comments now appear more than justified - and he did call it very early in season 2007. Admittedly he errs on the side of Danny from Droop St - its who he is and he knows it.

What do others make of it 8 months later?

Is it just impossible for us to know as supporters to know if we have made the improvements needed?

Centre square?

Forwardline?

Pipeline of developing talls?

Harder defensive edge?

What should we be wanting to see pre-season?

Dry Rot
03-01-2008, 12:19 PM
Interesting read and quite prescient.

Early in season 2007 he picked that we'd be one dimensional, easy to shut down, the knee reco guys would struggle, malfunctioning forward line and bottom 4 finish.

Perhaps most importantly, he flagged in April that Eade needed a Plan B and aside from the second Saints game, we saw no evidence of that.

hujsh
03-01-2008, 12:53 PM
That is the most depressing thing i have read in ages. I remember Eade saying that these Dogs have a chance to make their own history. I really hope they still can because with the draft designed to make an even competition the culture of the club could really make a big difference to how successful teams are over long periods.

We still have a lot of talented young players, that may have ten years or so together, that can be the foundation of a successful team and maybe get to a grand final. They might have to make a commitment like Geelong and Essendon did to win a premiership. If we win a premiership the monkey might be off our backs but that is easier said than done

At least we beat Richmond.

ledge
03-01-2008, 01:56 PM
I think we have been trying to kick over our full forward since Wallace taught us too, we still do it to an extent, one of our cultures, but with small blokes like Johnno down there sometimes we gotta have a ping, would like to see a tall forward down there more often who doesnt lead all the time and gives us opportunity to just put it in goalsquare when rushed. And with this touch the back rule and free kick im surprised we didnt try Street there more often. In saying that i do think Welsh is still a short full forward but we have more options now and which one is the full back going to chase ?Welsh or Johnno? Maybe im from the old school, with blokes like Salmon and Lockett or even McKenna?. I have also noticed the drop in 100 yr goal kickers seems to me to be a trend or cycle, i think at some stage the tall full forward will be back, could we be the first to go back to it and get that elusive 100 goal kicker and premiership?

Bulldog Revolution
03-01-2008, 03:16 PM
Interesting read and quite prescient.


Always a good post when you have to reach for the dictionary - I guess in some ways I am asking questions that cannot really be answered until the end of 3/4 of the way through 2008. But I am also slightly concerned that there are no quick fixes for our problems and that our 2006 batch of lightly built draftees did not help with the long term solutions.



We still have a lot of talented young players, that may have ten years or so together, that can be the foundation of a successful team and maybe get to a grand final. They might have to make a commitment like Geelong and Essendon did to win a premiership.


When you look at the stats on how many years guys generally play for its rare that they play 10 years. We have had Grant, Smith, Darcy, Johnson and West recently who are amongst the finest 30 odd players to have worn the jumper over 100+ years so we've been a bit spoilt, but its not many who last that long or serve with such distinction. Theres a very real possibility we dont have a player on the list that will be there in 10 years time.

Sockeye Salmon
03-01-2008, 03:24 PM
When you look at the stats on how many years guys generally play for its rare that they play 10 years. We have had Grant, Smith, Darcy, Johnson and West recently who are amongst the finest 30 odd players to have worn the jumper over 100+ years so we've been a bit spoilt, but its not many who last that long or serve with such distinction. Theres a very real possibility we dont have a player on the list that will be there in 10 years time.

Ted Whitten was the only survivor from the 54 side to still be there in 61. 10 years is a long time in football.

Actually, 10 years would be a long time in prison, too.

Or Adelaide.

Dry Rot
03-01-2008, 03:26 PM
Ted Whitten was the only survivor from the 54 side to still be there in 61. 10 years is a long time in football.

Actually, 10 years would be a long time in prison, too.

Or Adelaide.

How does poor old Richo feel playing for the Tigers all this time?

Poor bastard.

Bulldog Revolution
03-01-2008, 03:37 PM
How does poor old Richo feel playing for the Tigers all this time?

Poor bastard.

Thats why I've always been far more forgiving than many others for his occasional annoyance at delivery. I'd tolerate a bit of his antics because he does play with such effort - thats not to say I wouldn't have given him a bake, but I wouldn't have suspended him.

If you'd played forward for a team with Gaspar, the Kellaways and plenty of others over the years etc you would go crazy, absolutely crazy

hujsh
03-01-2008, 06:36 PM
When you look at the stats on how many years guys generally play for its rare that they play 10 years. We have had Grant, Smith, Darcy, Johnson and West recently who are amongst the finest 30 odd players to have worn the jumper over 100+ years so we've been a bit spoilt, but its not many who last that long or serve with such distinction. Theres a very real possibility we dont have a player on the list that will be there in 10 years time.

True but i would hope some of Cooney, Griffin, Higgins, Everitt and Williams can make it.

Bulldog Revolution
04-01-2008, 08:16 AM
True but i would hope some of Cooney, Griffin, Higgins, Everitt and Williams can make it.

Fair enough, but for that would mean Cooney playing until he was 33ish and Griffen 32ish. And basically that would mean becoming some of the greats of the clubs history, which is clearly not beyond them, but at present they are a long, long way off that.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that we cant just assume that we can wait for a good group of kids to mature all at the right time and win us a flag, because we've kind of been waiting for that to happen for ever.

We do need to keep introducing youth into the side, but we need to find a group of players with the necessary hunger - the type of hunger we see in Cross, Boyd and Morris.

Dry Rot
04-01-2008, 04:15 PM
We do need to keep introducing youth into the side, but we need to find a group of players with the necessary hunger - the type of hunger we see in Cross, Boyd and Morris.

We seem to have drafted some harder players this year.

BulldogBelle
04-01-2008, 05:50 PM
We seem to have drafted some harder players this year.

Looks that way DR, theme over this summer is for the guys to put on more muscle, be fitter and not be thrown off the ball that easily. Can't wait for the season to start.

LostDoggy
05-01-2008, 02:26 PM
Centre square?

Forwardline?

Pipeline of developing talls?

Harder defensive edge?



All areas that we need to improve but the defensive edge is more about attitude and the coach should be demanding a certain style from nearly every player and not excepting anything less. Flog them on the training track and just demand that players tackle hard and man up.