The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

[bornadog]

7 Wins and currently sitting in 10th spot a game out with bad percentage. Can we make the finals?

The run home


Rd 16: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
Rd 17: Carlton (MCG)
Rd 18: Gold Coast (Cazalys Stadium)
Rd 19: Essendon (Etihad Stadium)
Rd 20: Brisbane Lions (Gabba)
Rd 21: GWS (Etihad Stadium)
Rd 22: Port Adelaide (Eureka Stadium)
Rd 23: Hawthorn (Etihad Stadium)

[The Underdog]

We need to win 5 to 6 games. I'm not sure we can. Aside from the Lions, I'm not optimistic that we're better than any of those teams

[bulldogtragic]

Yep. On the 0.0001% you need to cancel them for a GF, it'll be money well spent.

[bulldogtragic]

We need to win 5 to 6 games. I'm not sure we can. Aside from the Lions, I'm not optimistic that we're better than any of those teams on

Brisbane won today, and beat us for 3.5 quarters at Etihad. 'If' we keep serving up what we serve up and 'if' they come to play, I'm not that optimistic.

[LostDoggy]

A win next week and everything changes.

[hujsh]

I can see us winning 5 of those.

Can also see us losing all of them depending on the day.

Bit of a dice roll at the moment unless something changes ala Geelong/Sydney

[bulldogtragic]

I can see us winning 5 of those.

Can also see us losing all of them depending on the day.

Bit of a dice roll at the moment unless something changes ala Geelong/Sydney

Kick it to Buddy? :D

I wish.

[Sedat]

It's a pretty cruisey run home on paper but we are playing as poorly as anyone. Would take a huge turnaround in form for us to win 6 more but there's no doubt we have the talent and capability to make a sustained run.

[westdog54]

GWS are 0-2 at Etihad this year after going 3-0 last year.

Essendon and Port Adelaide are falling away.

You never know which Carlton are going to turn up on any given day. Ditto Gold Coast.

You just never know with this mob this year.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

On season's form we'd be lucky to win 2 of those. It's hard to believe we've gotten worse as the season has progressed and from the first time we played west coast, but Saturday showed just how bad our form has become.

We miss finals by a long way unless some sort of a miracle turnaround happens and the players decide they actually want it. I loved our premiership last year and i'd take our current predicament 20 times out of 10. But what is disappointing is the fact that there are no decent/quality teams this year. It was the perfect opportunity to go back-to-back. The fact that a depleted GWS side still sits atop the ladder with downhill skier sides in Adelaide and Geelong behind them speaks volumes about the quality of good teams this year. Hell Richmond are in the top 4 and on form could be flag favourites. That's just crazy. If Sydney do end up making the 8, the others better watch out because they're the only team capable of playing finals quality football that goes the distance. I feel a huge opportunity has been lost. However a silver lining (maybe) is that because the ladder is so congested we could end up with a nice little draft pick if our current form does continue.

[boydogs]

I barely watched any footy on the weekend after our loss, where usually I'd have every game on. I got so frustrated watching our game, purely because I know we can play so much better. Even our goals involved passes to players that missed by 5 metres where we had to do it the hard way

We have the ability to take the whole competition by storm, most teams are middling this year and we can put them away with even a half of footy at the level we are capable of. You can't rule us out but we're running out of chances

[The Adelaide Connection]

Bevo has you all right where he wants you. He has secretly bought the rights for any Bulldog 2016 and 2017 season movies. He needs a sequel that backs up with Mighty Ducksesque against the odds come from behind victories. Winning from 7th? Ha! Try going on a twelve game unbeaten run from 10th!
Form the flying V!

[Eastdog]

No game is "easy" nowadays. We need about 12 wins to make the 8 so around about another 5 wins. We could potentially win 5 or 6 more games but at the same time not get the required amount of wins as well and based on our current form it wouldn't surprise me. Like boydogs said watching at Etihad just very frustrated with the way we went about it. Came back in the final term but it wasn't enough we should have been switched on from the start.

Loved our premiership in 2016 - I feel one of the best ever in the history particular in how we win it but to be honest our premiership defence has been a let down. I hope we can change that with a win on Friday night interstate. That could be the confidence boost we need.

[MrMahatma]

I'm giving us 10% chance of doing anything this year. Lowering my expectations to lower my disappointment each week.

We looked manic with our pressure for 10mins in the last qtr last week, and even with our fumbling hands and poor disposal we still clawed back 4 goals on the trot. We can play well, but we don't often... so I'm putting the cue in the rack.

[Mantis]

Put a fork in us!

What's so frustrating is that we had to play out of our skins to win it last year.. but footy to only 80% of that mark would be good enough to be right up there again, but we aren't even capable of that.

Lots of reasons why we haven't been able to back it up, but to have another chance for the ultimate slip by again isn't much fun.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Our forward line has become a major problem, with Stringer Picken and Dickson well down on last year. The defence has held up reasonably well. There needs to be a major overhaul of our attack, to be anywhere near being a serious contender.

[FrediKanoute]

Our forward line has become a major problem, with Stringer Picken and Dickson well down on last year. The defence has held up reasonably well. There needs to be a major overhaul of our attack, to be anywhere near being a serious contender.

I agree, but our attack was functioning well before we got hit with injuries to Crammers and Cloke. Roughie going down robbed us of our ability to play Boyd mostly as a ruckman and McLean, Smith and Dickson have been a shadow of the players they were last year.

Is there a need for a clean out? I don't think so. I think its all about a full preseason. Our guys have never caught up the 3 or 4 weeks the opposition had on them. UNderstandable too - we are a young side and the tanks of our guys whilst good are not great.

As for booking holidays......well I am in Munich Prelim weekend and then have a wedding in Portugal for the GF weekend so I'm not concerned about how deep we go in September.

[bornadog]

Our forward line has become a major problem, with Stringer Picken and Dickson well down on last year. The defence has held up reasonably well. There needs to be a major overhaul of our attack, to be anywhere near being a serious contender.

The way I see it, our midfield is our biggest issue.

We are down on contested possessions, clearances and stoppages and therefore have not been able to feed the forwards like we were last year. Whilst the defence has held up pretty much and we are one of the lowest scored against, our defenders run and bounce and attack has not been lethal like last year.

[bulldogtragic]

The way I see it, our midfield is our biggest issue.

We are down on contested possessions, clearances and stoppages and therefore have not been able to feed the forwards like we were last year. Whilst the defence has held p pretty much and we are one of the lowest scored against, our defenders run and bounce and attack has not been lethal like last year.

That's why I'd like us to pursue Rockliff as a free agent to address it with mature talent. I think he's top 12 in the league for contested possession, clearances and inside 50's while nearly getting it 30 times a game with an efficiency at nearly 70%.

[Eastdog]

The way I see it, our midfield is our biggest issue.

We are down on contested possessions, clearances and stoppages and therefore have not been able to feed the forwards like we were last year. Whilst the defence has held p pretty much and we are one of the lowest scored against, our defenders run and bounce and attack has not been lethal like last year.

Generally our defence has been pretty good but lately even in that area we need to pick up a bit.

I don't know the team certainly has changed dramatically from last year although it would have been good to keep Joel Hamling but that's done and dusted so can't go back now. I posted in one thread is it a movational thing we have achieved the summit and really are content - that surpurises me a bit as I thought we would still be hungry and go for another flag again.

[merantau]

I've been having the odd sleepless night trying to work out the cause of our malaise this year. Of course it's multi-faceted. So here goes:

Injuries. We have had some significant injuries this year but we had just as many, if not more, last year so, I discount injuries as a critical factor.

Form. Star players from last year have been down on form at various times and for various reasons.
Clay Smith was mega during the finals but did not make the 22 for the first game.

Tom Boyd: has shouldered a big load and has not had the rxpected impact this year.

Tory Dickson has been sadly out of sorts. I would have played him off half back in the second half last week and put JJ forward. Dickson tackles well and can run with the ball too. He's got a good tank too.

Libba. Who would have thought he'd be dropped for lack of form?

The Bont. A mixed bag. Brilliant and team lifting at times but he has been targeted by opponents and treated harshly by umpires at times. Rule changes have blunted one of his, and our, most attacking weapons. When Bont gets his hands on the ball first - good things happen.

Stringer: mercurial, enigmatic. Promises Toorak, delivers Toolern Vale. Can do anything on the field but sometimes does nothing. Makes the difficult look easy and the easy look difficult. Does he know how to lead? Always seems to be flying from behind to take a big pack mark. Often gets a piece of it but seldom hangs on.

Suckling. Has earnt the role of whipping boy after earnest application to the task. Does some good things but the ledger shows he's in the red I'm afraid.

Matthew Boyd. Has the game passed him by? Perhaps, but the main difference this year is less support from those around him, and I include mids dropping back in this, which means he has not had that little bit of extra time to dispose of the ball.

Fletcher Roberts: has found himself out of the side
Shane Biggs has also been dropped for lack of form.
Toby McLean has been inconsistent this year.

Bob came back well but hasn't been able to have the impact he would want.

Easton Wood. His intercept marking and running with the ball have dropped off but I can't fault his endeavour.

JJ. In the last three weeks he's become a talking point for all the wrong reasons. A nightmare for him and for us. If something doesn't change he is in danger of becoming football's Daryl Cullinan. You have to DO SOMETHING JJ. I suggest you do what you do best: get the ball and run with it.

Roughie: what is his role? I think ruck, ruck, ruck. What a pity Adams went down again.

Fitness: Last year we applied relentless pressure to the contest. We just haven't been able to do that this year. I don't know why that is. Can that change over the next 8 weeks. I doubt it.

Nailing the big moments. We have been very poor in this area. It cost us against GWS and dare I say it against the Cokes twice. But although we didn't deserve to beat them we could have had we taken our chances.

There, I'm reasoned out and I haven't even got to the MC and what happens, or doesn't happen during games.

[Eastdog]

Pretty accurate summary merantau.

Here are a few players who have done quite good this season. Note some are out current with injuries and one came back from a big injury.

Luke Dahlhaus
Lin Jong
Caleb Daniel
Mitch Wallis
Jack Macrae
Marcus Adams

[merantau]

Pretty accurate summary merantau.

Here are a few players who have done quite good this season. Note some are out current with injuries and one came back from a big injury.

Luke Dahlhaus
Lin Jong
Caleb Daniel
Mitch Wallis
Jack Macrae
Marcus Adams

Yes, I agree with your assessment. I am also happy with BJR to an extent but then again he has missed some vital kicks.

[Eastdog]

Yes, I agree with your assessment. I am also happy with BJR to an extent but then again he has missed some vital kicks.

Jack Redpath a very good mark and gives us a bit in the forward line.

[merantau]

Pretty accurate summary merantau.

Here are a few players who have done quite good this season. Note some are out current with injuries and one came back from a big injury.

Luke Dahlhaus
Lin Jong
Caleb Daniel
Mitch Wallis
Jack Macrae
Marcus Adams

Yes, I agree with your assessment. I am also happy with BJR to an extent but then again he has missed some vital kicks.

[jeemak]

Much like last year list health and continuity will be a massive factor.

We've really struggled as the hunted in the face of each of the above pretty much from the word go this year, and that coupled with some match committee and coaching hubris has put us behind where we could have credibly been in terms of wins and losses.

The match committee and coaching staff put their balls on the line by playing players in funky roles outside of the conventional and it's continued to cost us. They genuinely via match day evidence believe basic fundamentals of talls versus talls, smalls versus smalls and ball winners versus stoppers is rubbish.

Whilst I have massive issues with the way the playing group has applied itself in quarters from first to last across the year, I really struggle with fundamental positioning at contests or stoppages and in ground set up. These are coaching issues, and I don't see them being rectified soon.

[jeemak]

Addendum - We are easy to get behind, but we can't ever get behind.

[Dry Rot]

7 Wins and currently sitting in 10th spot a game out with bad percentage. Can we make the finals?

The run home


Rd 16: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
Rd 17: Carlton (MCG)
Rd 18: Gold Coast (Cazalys Stadium)
Rd 19: Essendon (Etihad Stadium)
Rd 20: Brisbane Lions (Gabba)
Rd 21: GWS (Etihad Stadium)
Rd 22: Port Adelaide (Eureka Stadium)
Rd 23: Hawthorn (Etihad Stadium)

Yep, leave now.

Most of them are now at best 50/50 games and most will probably be losses.

I did predict this in another thread and got flamed....

[Ozza]

Yep, leave now.

Most of them are now at best 50/50 games and most will probably be losses.

I did predict this in another thread and got flamed....

You must be rapt with our loss of form then.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

You must be rapt with our loss of form then.

More that he was flamed for being 'hysterical'. Obviously no pleasure in being proven right but to be called 'hysterical' after what has proved to be correct is a bit disappointing.

[bulldogtragic]

More that he was flamed for being 'hysterical'. Obviously no pleasure in being proven right but to be called 'hysterical' after what has proved to be correct is a bit disappointing.

Exactly, to fair to DR. Then to WDs credit he apologised, which doesn't always happen.

I think we could all be a little more diplomatic and courteous in these hard, frustrating times. Myself included.

[Dry Rot]

You must be rapt with our loss of form then.

We lost any form we had well before I posted that. I am hardly rapt watching the garbage I saw vs the swans.

[DOG GOD]

I was another in agreeance with Dry Rot. I said in another thread if we lost to swans we wouldn't make the 8. Our form before the bye was very average, being behind at half time in nearly all those games. For me, we just haven't played anywhere near the footy we played last year (finals aside). We look lost, disinterested, not working hard enough, not playing as a team, MC has been laughable at times, and game day has been just as bad. Teams have either worked us out, or our attitude after the ultimate stinks.

Honestly, I would not be surprised if we didn't win another game for the year...yep we are playing that bad.

[comrade]

I'm thankful we beat two of my most hated teams in North and Saints. If we were to miss finals yet pip the Giants, I'd take a little solace from that.

[LostDoggy]

I don't know what it is but for some reason I just have this feeling we will beat the Crows. $4.25 under 39.5 then it's back on.

I have been known to be wrong from time to time but there is a nagging gut feel about it.

[LostDoggy]

Too much time between games lately so the short back up will suit us more.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Too much time between games lately so the short back up will suit us more.

Don't get you hopes up Rooner. I had that feeling last week :-(

[LostDoggy]

Don't get you hopes up Rooner. I had that feeling last week :-(

You know what the hopes I had for this season are gone. Which I'm strangely fine with like the expectations are gone so there isn't any pressure now. But this gut feel is there which really hasn't been there all season. How many games have we played this season where we thought we won't win? We aren't really expected to win anymore almost back to underdogs.

I'm on the $4.25 no probs.

[boydogs]

I don't know what it is but for some reason I just have this feeling we will beat the Crows. $4.25 under 39.5 then it's back on.

I have been known to be wrong from time to time but there is a nagging gut feel about it.

The way Beveridge spoke about the Adelaide game during the West Coast game press conference tells me he's really focused on getting the win. I think we will see the best of Beveridge this week, he has got a few things wrong lately but you don't forget how to coach overnight

[LostDoggy]

The way Beveridge spoke about the Adelaide game during the West Coast game press conference tells me he's really focused on getting the win. I think we will see the best of Beveridge this week, he has got a few things wrong lately but you don't forget how to coach overnight

No you don't forget and we will need his A game.

[1eyedog]

I cannot see us fixing our inside 50 ball movement, our pressure levels or our skill level to a high enough point in one week to beat a premiership fancy on their home turf. This is not a drop the Freo game, get a few players back and then play out of our skins Elimination Final scenario. We have been in this slump almost all season. Losing to West Coke at home on the weekend pretty much stuck the fork in our season as far as I'm concerned.

We'll get creamed over there absolutely creamed and then we at least know where we stand. Adelaide will tear us a new one with their attacking run. The only way to stifle this is immense pressure and we've simply lost the ability to do this. If we lack pressure across the ground and play a high defence as we have done all year this will be a 10 goal blow out.

[Twodogs]

Addendum - We are easy to get behind, but we can't ever get behind.

Yep, we are much too easy to score against and that's our biggest problem. We are getting too far behind on the scoreboard.


I don't know what it is but for some reason I just have this feeling we will beat the Crows. $4.25 under 39.5 then it's back on.

I have been known to be wrong from time to time but there is a nagging gut feel about it.

I'm so confident I'm heading over to Adelaide tonight. Go dogs!

[DragzLS1]

I don't know what it is but for some reason I just have this feeling we will beat the Crows. $4.25 under 39.5 then it's back on.

I have been known to be wrong from time to time but there is a nagging gut feel about it.


With $3.40 odds just for win I wouldn't touch the under 39 for the little bit extra value. I done that against the saints game and got burnt by 1 point :( and don't forget North and Melbourne both blew Adleaide away, in Adelaide by more than 40! If anything, we have the talent to do it too and usually we score heavily against the crows.. p.s we still want pay back for the loss to them in the 2015 finals! Gluck which ever way you go :) ill be getting on the win as I have a funny feeling about this weeks game

[bornadog]

With $3.40 odds just for win I wouldn't touch the under 39 for the little bit extra value. I done that against the saints game and got burnt by 1 point :( and don't forget North and Melbourne both blew Adleaide away, in Adelaide by more than 40! If anything, we have the talent to do it too and usually we score heavily against the crows.. p.s we still want pay back for the loss to them in the 2015 finals! Gluck which ever way you go :) ill be getting on the win as I have a funny feeling about this weeks game

North beat Adelaide in Hobart.

Hawks won over in Adelaide, so they are certainly beatable.

[The Pie Man]

You know what the hopes I had for this season are gone. Which I'm strangely fine with like the expectations are gone so there isn't any pressure now. But this gut feel is there which really hasn't been there all season. How many games have we played this season where we thought we won't win? We aren't really expected to win anymore almost back to underdogs.

I'm on the $4.25 no probs.

I had a bad feeling about last week - though I am more confident we'll at least show up tomorrow night. Still don't think we'll win.
Reckon Don Pyke will want this bad after Bevo's comments following our win early last year re: whinging about umps.

[jeemak]

Yep, we are much too easy to score against and that's our biggest problem. We are getting too far behind on the scoreboard.



Yep.

I was mainly referring to the fact sides can catch us too high up the ground, and get behind our defence for an easy score. We really struggle to do the same against other sides.

[bornadog]

I was mainly referring to the fact sides can catch us too high up the ground, and get behind our defence for an easy score. We really struggle to do the same against other sides.

Too many times when we are entering our Fwd 50, it is clogged with players and we can't find a player on their own to hit up.

[LostDoggy]

With $3.40 odds just for win I wouldn't touch the under 39 for the little bit extra value. I done that against the saints game and got burnt by 1 point :( and don't forget North and Melbourne both blew Adleaide away, in Adelaide by more than 40! If anything, we have the talent to do it too and usually we score heavily against the crows.. p.s we still want pay back for the loss to them in the 2015 finals! Gluck which ever way you go :) ill be getting on the win as I have a funny feeling about this weeks game

Terrible luck on the saints game! With the weather I'm confident the low scores should keep it under 39 which is now out to $4.50. The feeling in my gut is still there so giddy up.

[bornadog]

Booked.

[bulldogtragic]

Booked.

Oh yeh for you, while the rest of us have to listen to Cameron Ling orgasm his dimwiited word vomit when Geelong win some finals, only for the plastics to win it.

I wanna spew. *!*!*!*!ing spew just thinking about it.



Have fun.

[bornadog]

Oh yeh for you, while the rest of us have to listen to Cameron Ling orgasm his dimwiited word vomit when Geelong win some finals, only for the plastics to win it.

I wanna spew. *!*!*!*!ing spew just thinking about it.



Have fun.
he is so awful, and even worse when we lose

[AndrewP6]

I'm going to Cairns on Wednesday. I might see if I can stretch the finances to a September holiday too.

[Sedat]

Have a great holiday BAD. Europe will still be beautiful in September ;)

[bornadog]

Have a great holiday BAD. Europe will still be beautiful in September ;)

Wish I was on the Greek Islands right now.

[dadsgirl16]

I messaged my sister last night..."at least we will have a cheaper Sept/Oct this year"

Might start saving for 2018 I reckon

[Sedat]

Wish I was on the Greek Islands right now.
So do I and I've only been back home from the Greek Islands for 2 days!