Do you believe we can win the flag this year ?

[LostDoggy]

I have to admit that normally i am an optimist before the start of each season believing that if we get off to a good start we could sneak in and win the flag. Im sure some other Doggie supporters have the same thought.

Id be interested to know if you think we have a genuine chance or not ?

I'll be the first to admit though that i am not having the same level of optimism this year and in fact i think a top 4 spot is beyond us.
Am i seriously underestimating our chances or have i just had a big glass of reality ?

[The Underdog]

To be honest, it's rare in my heart of hearts that I actually believe we can win the flag.
It's just in my time on earth we've rarely been that close and there always seems to be at least 4-6 teams that seem better equipped for it than we are. I always think that it's a possibility but I never really believe that it will happen.
As for this year, I'm hopeful, but it's hard to really be too confident after the finish to last year. I like to believe the pre-season "we're fitter than ever, the kids look great, these guys'll step up, we've recruited well" hype, but then you realise they said all that last year and the year before and the year before and on and on.
Maybe I'm a cynic, maybe I've just been whacked upside the head by reality too often. Don't mistake it for not wanting to win it all. There's nothing I want more. I just find it hard to build my hopes up too high.

[hujsh]

I just hope for the club to have a successful year and even if we don't win the premiership, I'll try to enjoy whatever wins we have.

[bornadog]

Every year I go into the season full of confidence but this year I must admit I am not so. The reason, the last seven games of last year. I know, we have heard it all ie the reasons, the revamp of the assisatnt coaches, Eades new role etc etc etc, but it sticks in my gut.

Hopefully I am wrong and we can play something like the last 6 games of 2005.

[hujsh]

Every year I go into the season full of confidence but this year I must admit I am not so. The reason, the last seven games of last year. I know, we have heard it all ie the reasons, the revamp of the assisatnt coaches, Eades new role etc etc etc, but it sticks in my gut.

Hopefully I am wrong and we can play something like the last 6 games of 2005.

What worries me is that teams often play as well the next year as they finished the year before.

We did good in 06 after our 05 finish. Port did really well last year after a very good finish to 06

[bornadog]

What worries me is that teams often play as well the next year as they finished the year before.

We did good in 06 after our 05 finish. Port did really well last year after a very good finish to 06

Exactly!!!

[Sockeye Salmon]

What worries me is that teams often play as well the next year as they finished the year before.

We did good in 06 after our 05 finish. Port did really well last year after a very good finish to 06

Like us last year following our finish to 2006?

Will we win it? Probably not.
Can we win it? Absolutely.

[hujsh]

Like us last year following our finish to 2006?


Yes.

We were serious top 4 chances but we lost quite a few games we should have won (coincidentally one against Port) and only finished 8th. We beat the Maggies and then got smashed. Not awesome form.We never even won more than 2 games in a row in 07.

[FrediKanoute]

2007 needs to be put into perspective:

1) underdone players
2) coaching staff in turmoil
3) blooded a LOT of kids
4) very much an attitude of it will just happen

Yes we were poor particularly the last 7 games and no we never really got going. However I think that we have addressed a number of deficiencies, have more players doing a full preseason and the backoffice side of the club seems to have been sorted out. Can/Will we win the flag is not a question I'd be asking at this stage. I'd be more focussed on whether we can improve, win ugly and compete in the strength areas. If we can do this then the question about the flag will be come relevant. If we can't then we don't have a hope in hell!

[LostDoggy]

2007 needs to be put into perspective:

1) underdone players
2) coaching staff in turmoil
3) blooded a LOT of kids
4) very much an attitude of it will just happen

Yes we were poor particularly the last 7 games and no we never really got going. However I think that we have addressed a number of deficiencies, have more players doing a full preseason and the backoffice side of the club seems to have been sorted out. Can/Will we win the flag is not a question I'd be asking at this stage. I'd be more focussed on whether we can improve, win ugly and compete in the strength areas. If we can do this then the question about the flag will be come relevant. If we can't then we don't have a hope in hell!

Points 1 and 3 were real considerations for much of our problems. Even when we were winning we weren't winning that well in a lot of them. Too many players were not 100% cherry ripe.
We will benefit in 2008 from getting some senior experience exposure for a few of the younger guys in 2007 so that shapes as a real positive for us.
Having vastly more guys training now than 12 months ago should also be a real positive for us.

So two big ticks there.

Points 2 and 4 come down to the coach which has been addressed by the club.
With an almost completely new coaching team, development managers and a new head of the football department the club has put everything in place.

So another two big ticks there.

On top of that we landed a very good ruckman and a key forward capable of kicking 50 goals. Which is more ticks to the report card.

2008 is shaping as a real test to see where we are really heading with the list that we have and the game plans that we employ.

[Mofra]

In 96/97 we went from 15th to only a dodgy goal umpire away from a Grand Final berth.

Never say never in AFL - every year a bottom four team enters the next year's top 4, and I think with the changes in place, a decent ruckman, Murphy & Hahn now recovered from their knee injuries and some injury luck during the season, that team will be us.

[hujsh]

This is the perfect situation for the club. We're set to improve considerably but many people can't even see us scratch the eight. UNDERDOG!

[Mofra]

This is the perfect situation for the club. We're set to improve considerably but many people can't even see us scratch the eight. UNDERDOG!

Underdog = loser mentality, something we need to rid ourselves of. We need belief that we will win, a presumption of favouratism whenever we take the field.

Terry Wallace (everyone's favourtie columnist, I know) was talking about the cultural difference between Footscray & Hawthorn during his playing days. He described Hawthorn as, being 3 goals down with 5 minutes to gom still thinking they'd win; everyone knuckled done, assuming they'd find a way. Often they did, because they had the belief.

At the Bulldogs it was different; 3 goals up with 5 minutes to go, everyone would be hoping to just "hang on". There was a presumption that they could still lose, and often they did.

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you are probably right". I want a team of winners, not "battlers".

[hujsh]

Underdog = loser mentality, something we need to rid ourselves of. We need belief that we will win, a presumption of favouratism whenever we take the field.

Terry Wallace (everyone's favourtie columnist, I know) was talking about the cultural difference between Footscray & Hawthorn during his playing days. He described Hawthorn as, being 3 goals down with 5 minutes to gom still thinking they'd win; everyone knuckled done, assuming they'd find a way. Often they did, because they had the belief.

At the Bulldogs it was different; 3 goals up with 5 minutes to go, everyone would be hoping to just "hang on". There was a presumption that they could still lose, and often they did.

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you are probably right". I want a team of winners, not "battlers".

In the sense of proving everyone wrong the underdog is good but yes it's not the type of mentality you want to be the main attitude at the club

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Concur with Sockeye.

Regarding form following on from the previous year, that's not always the case. Geelong of course is the biggest example of this, as much as The Dogs, Freo & Melbourne are the opposite way. Every year there's a couple sides that perform badly, but turn it around quite impressively the following year.

No reason why we can't and won't do that. Whether we can play well enough for long enough to succeed in September, who knows. The competition is pretty close, and IMO we're certainly in with a chance as are another 6-10 sides.

[hujsh]

Concur with Sockeye.

Regarding form following on from the previous year, that's not always the case. Geelong of course is the biggest example of this, as much as The Dogs, Freo & Melbourne are the opposite way. Every year there's a couple sides that perform badly, but turn it around quite impressively the following year.

No reason why we can't and won't do that. Whether we can play well enough for long enough to succeed in September, who knows. The competition is pretty close, and IMO we're certainly in with a chance as are another 6-10 sides.

They finished rather well once the pressure was off.

This, end of year reflects next year thing, is of course not set in stone. Just a noticeable pattern that i hope we don't follow.

[westdog54]

Do I believe we can win the flag? Absolutely. We've made the changes necessary to take the club forward both on and off the field and we have a list chock full of talent, and we seem to be striking the right balance in terms of size for once.

Do I think we'll win it? In a word, no. Geelong may have had a phenomenal year to leapfrog the pack, but for any team to match that sort of turnaround anytime soon is highly unlikely IMO.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Underdog = loser mentality, something we need to rid ourselves of. We need belief that we will win, a presumption of favouratism whenever we take the field.

Terry Wallace (everyone's favourtie columnist, I know) was talking about the cultural difference between Footscray & Hawthorn during his playing days. He described Hawthorn as, being 3 goals down with 5 minutes to gom still thinking they'd win; everyone knuckled done, assuming they'd find a way. Often they did, because they had the belief.

At the Bulldogs it was different; 3 goals up with 5 minutes to go, everyone would be hoping to just "hang on". There was a presumption that they could still lose, and often they did.

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you are probably right". I want a team of winners, not "battlers".

Point 1: underdogs and self belief
North have shown that it doesn't matter what other people think of you and that its completely up to the players to be consistently switched on and ready to play. I dont care whether we are considered underdogs or not. I do care that the players believe that they can win. Without belief they will never achieve the club successes we all crave.

Point 2: wallace
A lot of that Wallace stuff is very much cliched rubbish IMO. And it was in a day where Wallace had far more media savvy than many of the other coaches going around, but Terry is an entertainer and salesman who always has an eye on promoting Terry.

Point 3:
Whats to say that Winners and Battlers are mutually exclusive? I think the list needs more battlers, and it needs more absolute star quality. The guys who have the ability to be stars wont get there if they aren't prepared to battle for it, and the team wont get anywhere unless we can find some junk yard dogs or streetfighters.

[Mofra]

Point 1: underdogs and self belief
North have shown that it doesn't matter what other people think of you and that its completely up to the players to be consistently switched on and ready to play. I dont care whether we are considered underdogs or not. I do care that the players believe that they can win. Without belief they will never achieve the club successes we all crave.
You seem to be arguing my point in a way. How often did North try to claim the underdog mantle last year? I can't think of a single interview in which they did.
Why would we deliberately start to do this ourselves?


Point 2: wallace
A lot of that Wallace stuff is very much cliched rubbish IMO. And it was in a day where Wallace had far more media savvy than many of the other coaches going around, but Terry is an entertainer and salesman who always has an eye on promoting Terry

You are being a little unfair on someone who, regardless of media savvy, knows football. You wouldn't seriously suggest that Hawthorn & Footscray had similar confidence levels during the 80s & early 90s?
He was, incidently, talking about his playing (not coaching) career.


Point 3:
Whats to say that Winners and Battlers are mutually exclusive? I think the list needs more battlers, and it needs more absolute star quality. The guys who have the ability to be stars wont get there if they aren't prepared to battle for it, and the team wont get anywhere unless we can find some junk yard dogs or streetfighters.
I'm not sure you've understood my position. I am saying we shouldn't label oursleves with derogatory terms, as I was responding to a Bulldogs fan.
Bluecoller & battler are two different terms. Boyd is bluecoller. Morris is bluecoller.
Neither are battlers because they are at the level required of an AFL footballer. Battler implies they are fringe at best.

[BulldogBelle]

With the way we finished off 2007 - I remember thinking at the end of last season, how do we turn this around.

Fast forward 4 months - The whole review thing shows me that the club is trying to turn around what happened in those last 7 weeks. Issues are being addressed and new appointments to the club.

My optimism has returned - if we get off to a great start, this inturn will boost the confidence of our players and hopefully we will get a winning streak of games. Hmmm, I am the eternal optimist.

[Pedro Sanchez]

I think it’s a super exciting year ahead… Yeah we were rubbish last year but 08 is a fresh start and a new chance.

In my book we have a premiership coach, we have tremendous talent that is on the verge of fulfilment, and we have a club that is pointing in all the right directions. It’s almost surreal to think that our facilities will be world class and the bench mark of the comp.

With these factors combined with the recruitment of a genuine ruck, talented forward and the added development of our rookies we’ll be okay. To grab the choccies and take out the flag we will need our fair share of luck though, with regards to injuries and reports etc, so we’ll just wait and see.

In a nutshell I’m expecting us to become a consistent and hardened side in 08 that will finish anywhere in the top 6. And with that bit of added luck who knows.

Game on in 08!

[Go_Dogs]

I think any team can win the flag at the moment. The competition is so even that if things such as injuries go your way a bit, and you have a bit of luck you can really make it work for you.

So I guess I certainly think we're a chance this year, although I don't think it'll be the best opportunity we'll have over the next 5 years.