Three things I have learned. Round 8-Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane Lions Mars Stadium

[Twodogs]

When we have have all warmed up tell us three things you learned today about the football that you didn't know before the football started.


I didn't know it could be this cold. Actually having virtually grown up hanging around the western oval I guess I had forgotten it could get this cold.

[GVGjr]

Bump

[DOG GOD]

1. Naughton should never play defence again
2. We need a tackling coach
3. Hayes doesn’t do enough to warrant selection

[comrade]

1. The only way Gowers and Hayes are getting games is due to Bevo's pigheadedness. It's certainly not because of their output.
2. Dunkley is limited in what he can do on a footy field, but what he can do is very good.
3. If AA was announced today, Caleb Daniel should be a lock.

[LostDoggy]

1. I need to time machine Naughton to 2009, the prelim day my tv nearly went over my balcony. Naughton will get us over the line in a final.
2. Kayo is great, as an interstate dogs member I can watch games other than on an iPhone 5se and there is no Mark Ruscuito and no crows fans asking why I don’t go for an Adelaide team or yelling ‘make the ball go the other way’
3. I was a big fan of dunks, I’m now a bigger fan of dunks. Heroic, Zaine too.

[LostDoggy]

1. The only way Gowers and Hayes are getting games is due to Bevo's pigheadedness. It's certainly not because of their output.
2. Dunkley is limited in what he can do on a footy field, but what he can do is very good.
3. If AA was announced today, Caleb Daniel should be a lock.


Hayes I don’t see it at all. Good goal but we have several better players in vfl.

Gowers was our leading goal kicker last year and goes hard but he doesn’t look like he knows what is going on out there sometimes.
He may be in our best 22 or maybe not but it’s time to give a few others a shot. I can’t look when he kicks for goal.

Caleb is a rolled gold superstar and role model to us all.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

1. Looking at how physical the ruck game was today, it was a good time for English to come down with 'general soreness'. We need him next week.
2. In retrospect the Match Committee has done well, in perservering with some guys who have been down. Ed Richards, Dunks, Wood have started rewarding the coach for sticking with him through a quite start to the year
3. Young was very quiet statistically but he is brave, has good decision making skills, is composed under pressure and harder than his physique would lead you to believe. I can now see why the match committee elevated and have persevered with him.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

1. We can play slick football but also get down and dirty when we put our minds to it.

2. Loved the atmosphere in the outer and will definitely be going back for more.

3. 'Match day experience' can still be spoilt by cacophony coming out of the p.a. even in Ballarat.

[AshMac]

1. It’s great seeing Dunkley spending most of his time in the guts where he belongs. Becoming a potent companion to Bont in there
2. Brisbane are a very good outfit with top end talent across the ground - really good win
3. Whilst I love watching the footy hit the roof every time a player kicks a goal - reminds me of the grounds when I was a kid - we should be playing Ballarat very start and very end of season for weather. Conditions make for exhausting footy

Are we allowed to officially blow the lid off about Naughton yet?

[bornadog]

1. We are a gutsy team with some real hard nuts.

2. We can play wet weather footy

3. We don't give in

[Mofra]

1. I love - absolutely love - the anticipation in the crowd when the ball gets kicked anywhere near Naughton. We haven't had that for a long time.

2. Trengove is a warrior. For any flaws he has he's aggressive and a great teammate.

3. Lachie Hunter was back in that first half. Ran hard and hit targets.

[ratsmac]

1. Trengove should've been in the side from the start of the season. I said this last week too but it was again confirmed how important he is to the team. He played against one of the best ruckman in the comp today in Martin and halved the contest.

2. Dunkley is owning his midfield role. Bevo said in the presser he has a leading midfield role (whatever that entails) and he is killing it at the moment. His work with the Bont great to watch.

3. Team discipline. Bevo and co had them setting up the ground so Brisbane couldn't move the ball freely. We caused them to take risks to move the ball and cause plenty of turn overs where we had numbers.

[whythelongface]

1. Jackson Trengove was huge. Fantastic game and really nullified both Martin's and McInerney's influence

2. We can play tough uncomprimising footy yet still keep the scoreboard ticking over.

3. Feel like we are starting to turn a corner - footysmarts, kicking for goal and structure (glad that Roberts came in and play a role - made some errors but felt he was a solid contributor).

thought i would throw in a 4th non-related one
4. I haven't watched much of Brisbane so haven't noticed this but i had to take a double take when Hipwood was lining up for goal as I thought it was Rafa. Maybe it is just me but there are similarities.

[Remi Moses]

1 . Josh Dunkley is pivotal
2. Daniel is all Australian
3. We can get our hands dirty

[westbulldog]

1. I'm glad I don't live in Ballarat, would need a new wardrobe :)
2. Hunter is unfairly targeted by some on this forum imo, some even to the point of vitriol, would you prefer he didn't average over 27 possessions and nearly 8 marks per game ?
3. Harris Andrews is a quality young bloke who has comeback well from a horrific concussion last year, handshakes with Naughton before the bounce.

[comrade]

2. Hunter is unfairly targeted by some on this forum imo, some even to the point of vitriol, would you prefer he didn't average over 27 possessions and nearly 8 marks per game ?


I would prefer he didn't average over 27 disposals because then it hopefully means someone who uses it with more care has had plenty of it.

The last 2 weeks, Hunter hasn't been our leading possession winner and we've played more free flowing, attractive football. I don't think it's a coincidence.

[westdog54]

1. Naughton, amongst all of his other talents and blessings, is a fighter. Comprehensively beaten in the first half but worked his way back into the game after that half-time goal to be instrumental in the second.
2. Dunkley didn't let me down. I had a feeling he thrived in the conditions.
3. We're well and truly back in the race after a horror 3 weeks.

[westbulldog]

I would prefer he didn't average over 27 disposals because then it hopefully means someone who uses it with more care has had plenty of it.

The last 2 weeks, Hunter hasn't been our leading possession winner and we've played more free flowing, attractive football. I don't think it's a coincidence.

Oh Dear he is not the perfect footballer, just our current best and fairest.

[comrade]

Oh Dear he is not the perfect footballer, just our current best and fairest.

Yep, it says a lot about our 2018 season.

[Happy Days]

Yep, it says a lot about our 2018 season.

Hunter is good man, I don't know what else to tell you.

1. Naughton is the hero the western suburbs deserve and will make everything okay

2. Lloyd can be the sort of player that makes a forward line more functional and I'm so grateful for Richmond never really giving him the chance

3. Hugh McCluggage has a better wet weather pickup than Bont. Imagine looking past him to draft a sub 180cm back flanker.

[Twodogs]

Hunter is good man, I don't know what else to tell you.

1. Naughton is the hero the western suburbs deserve and will make everything okay

2. Lloyd can be the sort of player that makes a forward line more functional and I'm so grateful for Richmond never really giving him the chance

3. Hugh McCluggage has a better wet weather pickup than Bont. Imagine looking past him to draft a sub 180cm back flanker.

He has some tricks doesn't he?

Essendon shouldn't have got the first pick that year anyway so it's good to see that they didn't get the gun player out of it. I still have a problem that they even got a first and second round pick in that draft. They should have got the same sanctions (or worse) that Carlton got in 2000 (?) which caused them to miss out on Goddard.

[Happy Days]

He has some tricks doesn't he?

Essendon shouldn't have got the first pick that year anyway so it's good to see that they didn't get the gun player out of it. I still have a problem that they even got a first and second round pick in that draft. They should have got the same sanctions (or worse) that Carlton got in 2000 (?) which caused them to miss out on Goddard.

No one is madder at Essendon than themselves, so since they've been so quick to forgive themselves who are we to still hold them accountable.

[westdog54]

Hunter is good man, I don't know what else to tell you.

1. Naughton is the hero the western suburbs deserve and will make everything okay

2. Lloyd can be the sort of player that makes a forward line more functional and I'm so grateful for Richmond never really giving him the chance

3. Hugh McCluggage has a better wet weather pickup than Bont. Imagine looking past him to draft a sub 180cm back flanker.

I remember seeing an interview with Fagan not long after that draft. He said then that they'd rated McCluggage as the best player in the draft and would have taken him with pick 1.

Dashed good player.

[Twodogs]

No one is madder at Essendon than themselves, so since they've been so quick to forgive themselves who are we to still hold them accountable.

Fairy 'nuff.

I mean if they have taken responsibility for their own cheating and endangering their players lives who am I to call them scumbag, thieving, drug addled cheats who are loved by the AFeL? That sort of assessment by me would be grossly unfair.

[merantau]

1. Indonesia is a damn lot warmer than Ballarat - I landed here yesterday. Telecommunications work vastly better here than in Bendigo - Telstra is way off the pace.
2. There is a lot to like about the way we are playing right now.
3. Hunter is our new Peter Featherby for those with long memories. Seriously though the things he does well far outweigh the negatives imo.

[Twodogs]

1. Indonesia is a damn lot warmer than Ballarat - I landed here yesterday. Telecommunications work vastly better here than in Bendigo - Telstra is way off the pace.
2. There is a lot to like about the way we are playing right now.
3. Hunter is our new Peter Featherby for those with long memories. Seriously though the things he does well far outweigh the negatives imo.


Good memory. Him or Ian Dunstan. I can remember sitting in the seats at VFL park and watching Dunstan kick balls that would go so high that they went higher than the light towers they had there.

His kicks used to go higher than they went longer.

[merantau]

Good memory. Him or Ian Dunstan. I can remember sitting in the seats at VFL park and watching Dunstan kick balls that would go so high that they went higher than the light towers they had there.

His kicks used to go higher than they went longer.

I remember Jack Dyer defending Featherby saying something like, "When he's got the ball the others ain't." And Ian Dunston I remember in much the same way as you. In addition he was really elusive. Think he smothered himself in baby oil before stepping out on the ground. Btw - is that allowed? Could be a good tactic and Johnson&Johnson would fall over themselves to sponsor us!

[Bulldog4life]

1. Trengove is important to the team as ruck or full back.
2. Lachie Hunter had a very good game.
3. JJ back to his line breaking runs.

[comrade]

Hunter is good man, I don't know what else to tell you.


He's good, but he butchers the ball too often trying to do things his ability doesn't allow for. His ridiculous worm burner yesterday that led to a Brisbane goal is a perfect example.

[Twodogs]

I remember Jack Dyer defending Featherby saying something like, "When he's got the ball the others ain't." And Ian Dunston I remember in much the same way as you. In addition he was really elusive. Think he smothered himself in baby oil before stepping out on the ground. Btw - is that allowed? Could be a good tactic and Johnson&Johnson would fall over themselves to sponsor us!

Being covered in baby oil may make it a bit hard to pick up the ball.

[jeemak]

I would prefer he didn't average over 27 disposals because then it hopefully means someone who uses it with more care has had plenty of it.

The last 2 weeks, Hunter hasn't been our leading possession winner and we've played more free flowing, attractive football. I don't think it's a coincidence.

It's a bit like when later in his career Daniel Cross used to get so much of the football but because of his unwillingness to kick forward quickly if he couldn't get an immediate handball to a running team mate we'd stagnate, eventually going sideways. Sure his effective disposal percentage was always right up there, but it's the disposals he didn't take that concerned me.

Hunter is so one sided that too much football in his hands in transition can actually stifle us sometimes. I much prefer him getting the football with a clear path in front of him rather than him finding the football with his back towards goal, because the latter situation limits us unless he has plenty of running support and is disciplined enough to give it off by hand.

[westbulldog]

A few on here would omit Lachie Hunter, ffs !

[jeemak]

A few on here would omit Lachie Hunter, ffs !

Is anyone really that ignorant of his clear positive attributes, or are you being a bit dramatic or sensitive about some pointing out and being frustrated by his negative ones?

He's an excellent player but he does my bloody head in because he could be more reliable and damaging with some discipline and attention to detail in his game. I honestly don't think he gets the best out of himself sometimes and it's between the ears when he doesn't, meaning he can actually be better just by concentrating for longer more often.

[Twodogs]

A few on here would omit Lachie Hunter, ffs !

Being dropped did Macrae's career the world of good. Stringer was dropped the week before the 2016 finals and it provided the kick up the arse he needed at that moment in time.

Dropping a player isn't always a bad thing, so long as it's explained why he's been dropped and what he has to work on. I'm not on the drop Hunter bandwagon but if dropping him makes him a better player then I'm all for it.

[comrade]

No one has suggested dropping Hunter.

[Mofra]

Is anyone really that ignorant of his clear positive attributes, or are you being a bit dramatic or sensitive about some pointing out and being frustrated by his negative ones?

He's an excellent player but he does my bloody head in because he could be more reliable and damaging with some discipline and attention to detail in his game. I honestly don't think he gets the best out of himself sometimes and it's between the ears when he doesn't, meaning he can actually be better just by concentrating for longer more often.
I thought Hunter was our best player in the first half. He hit targets which was a change from a couple of weeks ago.

Was he playing through injury? So many of his kicks dropped short which can be a sign.

[GVGjr]

I thought Hunter was our best player in the first half. He hit targets which was a change from a couple of weeks ago.

Was he playing through injury? So many of his kicks dropped short which can be a sign.

Hunter frustrates me from time to time but yesterday wasn't one of those days.

[Bulldog4life]

Hunter frustrates me from time to time but yesterday wasn't one of those days.

Yes you have to judge a player from game to game. Not what he has done previously or not because of one particular instance. This is for any player. Yesterday Lachie had a very good game.

[craigsahibee]

He's good, but he butchers the ball too often trying to do things his ability doesn't allow for. His ridiculous worm burner yesterday that led to a Brisbane goal is a perfect example.

The positive out of that was that Toby McLean really got stuck into Hunter for that error. I love it when the players "hurt" as much as we do. They're invested and that's good.

[Ghost Dog]

Trengrove could reasonably claim he should have been brought in earlier. That hardness will be a great asset in Geelong.

[bornadog]

Trengrove could reasonably claim he should have been brought in earlier. That hardness will be a great asset in Geelong.

The Brisbane bench was not happy with Trengrove's ruck work. I could hear them complaining he wrestles too much in the ruck. :D

[Mantis]

The Brisbane becn was not happy with Trengrove's ruck work. I could hear them complaining he wrestles too much in the ruck. :D

He does.. he makes body contact very early in ruck contests as he doesn't have much of a leap.

[Dancin' Douggy]

1. Naughton can will his way into a game. His second half was brilliant. Right up until the half time siren he had 2 disposals. To finish the day with 3 goals and 16 disposals was testament to his resilience and perseverance. A gun for sure.

2. La. Young can play. I'm always amazed when a young player gets drafted, (doesn't matter whether they're the number 1 pick or a rookie) and forces their way into the senior line up in their first year, and then holds their spot. He has great closing speed and never seems to panic. Always seems to get there in time for a spoil or tackle or smother and uses the ball well when he gets it. We have half back flankers coming out of our &%$#holes, the fact that he's holding that spot down is pretty impressive.

3. Wet weather football actually works pretty well in wet weather.

[1eyedog]

He does.. he makes body contact very early in ruck contests as he doesn't have much of a leap.

His leap is actually OK its just that he so undersized that he needs to use his head.

[The Pie Man]

A few on here would omit Lachie Hunter, ffs !

I said I'd like to try someone like Lipinski in his role as he's a better kick - that may have sounded like I'd drop him....I wouldn't.

And to be fair to Lachie, he's been better the past 2 games - stuck an important tackle in the 3rd quarter against Richmond that led to a goal and his pass to Naughton to end the 2nd quarter on Saturday was very important to cap off some momentum.

[Ozza]

I would prefer he didn't average over 27 disposals because then it hopefully means someone who uses it with more care has had plenty of it.

The last 2 weeks, Hunter hasn't been our leading possession winner and we've played more free flowing, attractive football. I don't think it's a coincidence.

He had 32. If not for Dunks having a monster game, he would have been. He had 22 kicks, in the wet, and 1 was a clanger.

[comrade]

He had 32. If not for Dunks having a monster game, he would have been. He had 22 kicks, in the wet, and 1 was a clanger.

His last few weeks have been an improvement, but let’s be real, he had more than 1 ineffective kick this week. I can remember a 20 metre dart under no pressure in defence that missed the target and went out of bounds.

His work rate and running ability is A grade, he just lets himself and the team down with his disposal choices too much for my liking.

[Ozza]

His last few weeks have been an improvement, but let’s be real, he had more than 1 ineffective kick this week. I can remember a 20 metre dart under no pressure in defence that missed the target and went out of bounds.

His work rate and running ability is A grade, he just lets himself and the team down with his disposal choices too much for my liking.

I think there is so much focus on Hunter's kicking, and pretty much no focus on the fact that he is such a smart player that he gets to where we need him to be. How often are we stuck for an option and Hunter is the only one out to kick to. His smarts and work rate often stop us from bombing long down the line.

As a like for like - I think Lipinski has a real future, and he is classy and can run. But last year he was the only player out-running Hunter for KM's in matches and while Hunter was getting it 30 times, Patty would get 12. Its smarts and running to the right areas at the right times. Even timing the leads so that you have space at the right time - not before the player with the footy has seen you.

[comrade]

I think there is so much focus on Hunter's kicking, and pretty much no focus on the fact that he is such a smart player that he gets to where we need him to be. How often are we stuck for an option and Hunter is the only one out to kick to. His smarts and work rate often stop us from bombing long down the line.

As a like for like - I think Lipinski has a real future, and he is classy and can run. But last year he was the only player out-running Hunter for KM's in matches and while Hunter was getting it 30 times, Patty would get 12. Its smarts and running to the right areas at the right times. Even timing the leads so that you have space at the right time - not before the player with the footy has seen you.

I think everyone recognises his running ability and smarts, hence why no one is going overboard and saying he’s no good or that he should be dropped. His value to the team is high, but it’s a blessing and a curse at times because his kicking hurts us multiple times a game - though less so the last few weeks compared to the first month.

He’s just a player I’ll always get frustrated by and have to take the good with the bad, until someone else comes into the team that is able to run hard and to the right spots all day.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

I think everyone recognises his running ability and smarts, hence why no one is going overboard and saying he’s no good or that he should be dropped. His value to the team is high, but it’s a blessing and a curse at times because his kicking hurts us multiple times a game - though less so the last few weeks compared to the first month.

He’s just a player I’ll always get frustrated by and have to take the good with the bad, until someone else comes into the team that is able to run hard and to the right spots all day.

Hunter Dunkley and Macrae are all fine accumulators of the ball but lack the necessary foot skills to make us a high scoring side. Together with Bontempelli and Libba we are building a formidable midfield. It should be a great test against Geelong who are the best in the business with the likes of Dangerfield Kelly Selwood Ablett Kelly and Duncan.

[AshMac]

Hunter Dunkley and Macrae are all fine accumulators of the ball but lack the necessary foot skills to make us a high scoring side. Together with Bontempelli and Libba we are building a formidable midfield. It should be a great test against Geelong who are the best in the business with the likes of Dangerfield Kelly Selwood Ablett Kelly and Duncan.

Shame Ablett’s playing...

[bornadog]

Hunter Dunkley and Macrae are all fine accumulators of the ball but lack the necessary foot skills to make us a high scoring side. Together with Bontempelli and Libba we are building a formidable midfield. It should be a great test against Geelong who are the best in the business with the likes of Dangerfield Kelly Selwood Ablett Kelly and Duncan.

Good to see you don't rate Dahlhaus :D

[jeemak]

Macrae's kicking has found some of its creativeness again in recent weeks. At the conclusion of last year it was a real strength of his on both sides but it had been well and truly off at the start of this year.

[bornadog]

Macrae's kicking has found some of its creativeness again in recent weeks. At the conclusion of last year it was a real strength of his on both sides but it had been well and truly off at the start of this year.

Yes agree, he has been much better and the team is being rewarded.