Dogs the worst they’ve been under bevo: Watson

[Bulldog4life]

Tim Watson has called the reigning premiers’ 46-point loss to the Sydney Swans on Thursday night the most disappointing they’ve played under Luke Beveridge.

The Western Bulldogs were hardly in the contest last night, with only inaccurate kicking for goal by the Swans keeping them in the contest during the opening three quarters.

Once the home side straightened up late in the third term, their dominance, as illustrated by the 71-39 inside 50 count, began to take shape on the scoreboard.

Watson says that the Bulldogs’ uncompetitive, uncontested performance, which now leaves them at risk of falling out of the top eight, is clearly the lowest point they have hit during the two and a half seasons of Beveridge’s reign as coach.

"For the first time under Beveridge, I was disappointed in the way the Bulldogs played last night," he said on SEN Breakfast.

"That was most unlike the Beveridge Bulldogs last night. They did not compete as aggressively and as hard as what we normally see them compete inside the contests.

"(Beveridge) will cut out excerpts from last night and he will show the players about their lack of desire to really want to compete at the coalface.

"That is the benchmark. They have been the best contested side over the past couple of years, the Bulldogs. They have been nowhere near that same angry, nasty Bulldog outfit that we have seen over more than two years."

Beveridge last night accepted responsibility for not being able to get the best out of his players his post-game press conference, with Watson believing his side’s largely unconvincing 2017 campaign so far is finally beginning to frustrate the Dogs coach.

“He has taken the responsibility, which he has to and every great coach should do that in his situation,” the former Essendon skipper said.

“He’s tried to pull many different levers this year to try and get this side right. We know how many changes he has been making, some of those have been forced and others haven’t been forced. We know how many players from last year’s Grand Final have been dropped since last year as well.

“At this stage he is trying as hard as he possibly can to get the mood of this group back to where it was last year and he hasn’t been able to do that, and we are now seeing the first signs of frustration attached to that.”

Garry Lyon believes the Bulldogs fell victim to one of the worst things you can be related with in AFL football: submissively accepting a defeat.

“There’s two words you don’t want associated with yourself as an individual or your team collectively: passive acceptance,” he said.

“There was passive acceptance of an onslaught last night.”

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2017/06/08/dogs-the-worst-they-ve-been-under-bevo-watson/

[bornadog]

Piss off Watson

[Topdog]

Nah we were woeful last night. Fair call.

[Pickenitup]

Very much a fair call was at the game we were pathetic

[Mantis]

Piss off Watson

What was wrong with what he stated?

It was quite simply, a horrible performance.

[Mofra]

He's correct

[bornadog]

What was wrong with what he stated?

It was quite simply, a horrible performance.

I just hate him. Can't stand what he says about us - maybe it is the way he has a go. Have a look at all his other comments over the seasons. This week he claimed Cloke will never play for the club again, and guess what.

PS: The Geelong loss in round 13 last year was worse than this one - so he is wrong

[Mantis]

I just hate him. Can't stand what he says about us - maybe it is the way he has a go. Have a look at all his other comments over the seasons. This week he claimed Cloke will never play for the club again, and guess what.

PS: The Geelong loss in round 13 last year was worse than this one - so he is wrong

Whilst we lost by more against Geelong last year, last night was our worst performance since the beginning of 2016.

[westdog54]

Whilst we lost by more against Geelong last year, last night was our worst performance since the beginning of 2016.

By a mile.

The Geelong loss may have been a bigger margin, but in terms of the way we performed, it was unacceptable.

[bornadog]

Whilst we lost by more against Geelong last year, last night was our worst performance since the beginning of 2016.

Since round 21 2015, our biggest losses have been:

1. Round 21 2015 Eagles - 77 points

2. Round 13 2016 - Geelong 57 points

and last night.

All other losses in that time period have been around 4 goals and under.

I still think the Geelong one last year was worse than last night and the Eagles was even worse than that, which makes Watson's statement BS because he can't be bothered researching. The Geelong loss was at Etihad where we play well and we were never in it and only made a 5 minute charge in the 3rd quarter, but just smashed all night.

Under Bevo the other big loss was 70 points to Hawks in 2015.

Anyway all academic. I am confident we will bounce back next week as this one surely must hurt the players

[Flamethrower]

Every club has now played a stinker this year. It happens. The key is how the team respond to adversity.

[macca]

Media pigs out To paint negativity . Where were they when geelong got beaten by dons or eagles choking against dons and the suns ? Also teams have worked out our game plan and have adjusted and targetted our game and key players. Last year they played their own game and we were always the underdogs. I trust in system that Bevo has and what the coaches will do that adjust.

[GVGjr]

There is a bit more to than the scoreboard BAD. You have to measure the level of fight by the players on the day. Last nights effort might not exactly be the worst under Bevo but it deserves to be mentioned alongside of those other bad performances.

Like you I don't rate Watson either but I'm not going to nitpick the content of what he has said because in essence he is close enough to being spot on.

[boydogs]

We were horrible. I can only hope it's something we can turn around

[anfo27]

Watson is right, that was our worst performance under Bevo. Watson also said that after the St.Kilda win 'we were back!'. I'm not sure what game he watched but when i left Etihad after the win there was no way i thought 'we were back'. I thought we were very ordinary & lucky that the saints were woeful.

Its been tough to watch us this year. After what we all experienced last year i guess i thought we would continue where we left off. Other than the GWS game & the second half against the lions we haven't been the same team at all.

I honestly was hoping we would lose by more against the swans because only then would the media wake up & write some negative articles about us. Maybe some negative press will wake us from our slumber, one can only hope!

[Eleanor Street]

I think a post premiership year is always going to be difficult. It just goes to show how good teams are that go back to back, but it is rare. Many teams don't come back from a grand final loss! Our game plan is relatively simple. It is not hard to work out that we are going to attempt to handball out of a pack and that if our players in that pack are covered, a turn over is imminent. The good sides and coaches have all worked that out, hence their high tackle counts against us. All teams bring their best game against the premiers. The boys (and a lot of them are boys) have not had an easy game all years. It must be very taxing. The game plan will have to change or develop but that is hard to do mid season. We don't seem to have a B plan. Let us not forget also that Bevo and in fact the entire coaching team a relatively inexperienced and must be scratching their heads at the moment. My main concern is the players losing faith in the plan and might be a bit unsettled by the changes in the side and the fear of who might be next. They still seem to put in every week (apart from last week) and it might be time to just let them settle down. Get some games in Red. Bring back Libba.

[Eastdog]

Hard to disagree with that. We were really bad on Thursday. It was very unlike us. What was dissapointing was our mids not working hard enough. 71-39 inside 50s not great reading. We need to address the ruck issue as well. Got absolutely killed in the clearances. Something has got to change to get us out of this slump and maybe having a loss like we did Thursday might put some spirit and energy back in our side that was serious lacking on Thursday.

[Twodogs]

I can't remember feeling as frustrated or angry walking out of the ground after throwing away a ten goal lead to St Kilda last year. That's my worst loss under Bevo.

[1eyedog]

Here here I left the St.Kilda game completely disillusioned.

[jeemak]

That was 2015.

[Twodogs]

That was 2015.


Still under Bevo.

[bornadog]

I can't remember feeling as frustrated or angry walking out of the ground after throwing away a ten goal lead to St Kilda last year. That's my worst loss under Bevo.

Watching Clay do his 3rd knee on a stretcher and the players around him at half time waiting for Clay to be taken off and Picken have a shot at goal on the siren, didn't help at all. I was almost crying and I am sure the players were too, and down in the dumps in the rooms. Shocking night that one.

[westdog54]

Watching Clay do his 3rd knee on a stretcher and the players around him at half time waiting for Clay to be taken off and Picken have a shot at goal on the siren, didn't help at all. I was almost crying and I am sure the players were too, and down in the dumps in the rooms. Shocking night that one.

We haven't had the best run with traumatising injuries against StKilda have we?

[Twodogs]

Watching Clay do his 3rd knee on a stretcher and the players around him at half time waiting for Clay to be taken off and Picken have a shot at goal on the siren, didn't help at all. I was almost crying and I am sure the players were too, and down in the dumps in the rooms. Shocking night that one.



I get what you hear but surely the best way to honour your teammate is to go out and smash the opposition in the second half? I can never understand why we went into our shells that day. Then again I get angry not upset.

[westdog54]

I get what you hear but surely the best way to honour your teammate is to go out and smash the opposition in the second half? I can never understand why we went into our shells that day. Then again I get angry not upset.

I don't think I've ever seen you angry...;)

[Twodogs]

I don't think I've ever seen you angry...;)

Hehe. No. Of course not

[bulldogtragic]

Good news. Watson was wrong about the game being the worst loss under Bevo. Take that Watson.

[LostDoggy]

I think that today was the game "that we had to lose" in order to just remind the boys that a follow-on Premiership will have to be earned the hard way. Behind us the difference between us and the 16th team on the ladder is only three games.

It's all about keeping our perspective.

[chef]

I think that today was the game "that we had to lose" in order to just remind the boys that a follow-on Premiership will have to be earned the hard way. Behind us the difference between us and the 16th team on the ladder is only three games.

It's all about keeping our perspective.

That should have been last week.

[LostDoggy]

That should have been last week.
Agree, but also a few supporters need a reality check too. The competition is very close this year and we should accept nothing as 'given'.

[Sedat]

Good news. Watson was wrong about the game being the worst loss under Bevo. Take that Watson.
Yep, last 2 weeks have been an abomination - clearly the worst we've played in the Bevo era and comfortably so. We will cop serious heat externally and frankly so we should.

As an aside, has anyone gone from chocolates to boiled lollies as quickly as JJ? He now has a massive challenge to rise up against for the rest of his career.

[bulldogtragic]

Yep, last 2 weeks have been an abomination - clearly the worst we've played in the Bevo era and comfortably so. We will cop serious heat externally and frankly so we should.

As an aside, has anyone gone from chocolates to boiled lollies as quickly as JJ? He now has a massive challenge to rise up against for the rest of his career.

He might still get the big money offer, that offering club might not part with the player or pick they might have. If he wasn't Norm Smith I doubt this would be going on, and I don't think he should've been as I've said. If defensive wet lettuce leaves like Hewitt & Melksham can own him, god forbid when he gets a really good defensive forward from here on. We've got some headaches if this is him 100% doing his best.

On the press, wait for Barrett and co to point out that they headed into the bye week off with a big win and momentum. Then our two worst losses coming back. Insert fake rumours about what happened in the week off here... >

[The Bulldogs Bite]

As an aside, has anyone gone from chocolates to boiled lollies as quickly as JJ? He now has a massive challenge to rise up against for the rest of his career.

I have to wonder if he's playing out time and has already decided to leave.

Either way, not good signs for us - he has been insipid and it's been hard to watch. His response to the attacks have been as meek as you're ever likely to see.

Agree with you - huge challenge for the rest of his career be it with us or another side.

[GVGjr]

Watsons view on yesterdays game

Watson (http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/all-bark-no-bite-legends-slam-complacent-bulldogs-after-slumping-to-sixth-loss-of-the-season/news-story/12343633e2bd9504914bb96379b1b2bc)

THE Western Bulldogs’ inability to evolve has the club lingering outside the top eight, says Essendon great Tim Watson.

And while a plethora of injuries was partly to blame, Watson said the biggest problem came down to the club’s complacency.

“Fundamentally ... they’ve got a problem and that’s that they’re still playing the same game they played last year,” Watson told SEN.

“Everyone else has caught them. Everyone else has their handball game up and running.

“But those teams are actually sharper now than the Bulldogs were last year. They haven’t moved on in any way. There’s nothing new or different about the way they’re playing.”

The Bulldogs slumped to their sixth loss of the season on Sunday, with a relentless Melbourne defeating the reigning premiers by 57 points.

Coach Luke Beveridge suggested the loss was defined by turnovers, with skill not attitude to blame.

But Watson disagreed, saying the Bulldogs had been outhunted, with Melbourne’s fanatical pressure the catalyst for the win.

“Last year when you watched the Bulldogs, even if they got beat, you would rarely say a side was more aggressive around the contest than them or outworked them around the contest,” Watson said.

“You can say that from almost every game this year, that they’ve been outworked and that sides have been harder and tougher than they have. They benchmarked that last year.

“Maybe it’s too hard to come up a year after that when you play that type of football when you’ve got other teams challenging you the way other teams are right now.”

While the Bulldogs have continued to deny they’re suffering from a premiership hangover, the evidence continues to stack up against them.

Matthew Boyd became the 10th premiership player to be axed this season, as Beveridge searches for ways to rattle his playing group out of their funk.

Garry Lyon echoed Watson’s sentiments when it came to the Bulldogs’ complacency, saying it was “hard to find a player who had improved”.

“I reckon the hunger has gone,” he said.

“They weren’t the best or the most talented team, but they were the most desperate and hardest, and when you’ve eaten well then perhaps you aren’t as desperate.”

In particular, Lyon singled out Tom Boyd, one of the Bulldogs’ premiership heroes, for an underwhelming first half of the season.

“Let’s look at Tom at some stage because Tom had an unbelievable finals series,” Lyon said.

“But he’s got no presence out on the ground at the moment, has he?”

The Western Bulldogs face North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, where they will be without Lin Jong, who has a suspected ACL injury.

[anfo27]

Can't agree with the 'theres nothing different about the way they're playing' comment. We look nothing like the side of the last 2 years so that makes no sense to me. He did also say we were back after the Saints game & clearly we were not back, we just beat a hopeless side.
These people played the game & most of the time talk rubbish. You have to wonder if they really watch the game.

[Topdog]

Can't agree with the 'theres nothing different about the way they're playing' comment. We look nothing like the side of the last 2 years so that makes no sense to me.

Yep it is not even close.