WB Game Day V Melbourne R13 2020

[jeemak]

Crozier really let us down then. He just needs to take more care with his kicking.

[Sedat]

Well done Tim

[Dry Rot]

Lever and May well on top of Naughton and Bruce?

[Topdog]

Great kick from JJ and really solid mark by Timmy.

Superb finish

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo is a genius. English taking marks and even kicking straight. Bruce into the ruck.

[merantau]

Tim English redeems himself. Go Dogs!

[comrade]

I gave Tim a 10% chance of kicking that, great effort.

[Topdog]

Lever and May well on top of Naughton and Bruce?

Yeah they smashed them so Bevo changed things up, put English at FF and Bruce in ruck. Worked brilliantly

[Grantysghost]

Gardner done some OK things I think.

[comrade]

Bevo is a genius. English taking marks and even kicking straight. Bruce into the ruck.

It's been a very good move.

[jeemak]

That's fantastic in transition again, and a really good mark and finish from English.

For the mark Wallis was good with his body work, engaged his man and was able to keep him occupied.

[Sedat]

On replay that was fantastic bullocking work by Wally on Hibberd

[Dry Rot]

Bevo is a genius. English taking marks and even kicking straight. Bruce into the ruck.

Only listening to a radio call. Is Bruce playing in the ruck in the second half and English up forward?

[Stefcep]

What's the wind worth at our ens? 3 goals?

[Eastdog]

What a quarter!!

[Stefcep]

Richards...

[Grantysghost]

Lever and May well on top of Naughton and Bruce?

Not any more !

[Topdog]

That was a fun quarter to watch

[GVGjr]

Keep the scoreboard ticking over, a nice bump on the percentage could be handy

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

What's the wind worth at our ens? 3 goals?
Wind has dropped a fair bit.
If anything its swung a little bit to the end we're kicking in the last.

[Topdog]

Richards...

Hahahaha how far did that kick go? Half a metre?

[Grantysghost]

Only listening to a radio call. Is Bruce playing in the ruck in the second half and English up forward?

Yes its worked a treat. Bruce even doing some good ground ball work after initial ruck contest and took a contested mark in defence.

[jeemak]

What's the wind worth at our ens? 3 goals?

It's probably a couple I reckon, but as Melbourne showed you can move the ball into the wind.

[G-Mo77]

Terrific quarter of footy. Pressure and tackling was immense and got reward for it on the scoreboard. One quarter to go boys!

[Grantysghost]

Wind has dropped a fair bit.
If anything its swung a little bit to the end we're kicking in the last.

You've made my day. Hopefully we can bring it home for you guys at the game.

[GVGjr]

We need to get a few players as multiple goal kickers in the the last quarters. It can't just be Wally

[The bulldog tragician]

Unwatchable??? that was awesome Dogs.

[merantau]

That was a real smashing. We must now capitalise on the good work and go on with it.

[Axe Man]

We need to get a few players as multiple goal kickers in the the last quarters. It can't just be Wally

I reckon 2 goals this quarter will be enough, don’t care who kicks them.

[comrade]

Huge turn around, didn't see that coming. Kudos to Bevo for switching it up in the ruck, brought Bruce into the game and made it tougher for Preuss to get the ball into space for his midfielders.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Did they end up paying Naught's leap?

[Mantis]

That’s the type of footy we’re capable of which makes all the crap we serve up so frustrating... need to keep it going.

[The Underdog]

Bailey Williams has been superb again.

Yep, he’s become super reliable. Loving his work.

[jeemak]

Did they end up paying Naught's leap?

Yeah, that was paid a mark...…….I think!

[hujsh]

Did they end up paying Naught's leap?
Pretty sure it was paid a mark

[The Underdog]

Did they end up paying Naught's leap?

Yep, then he played on

[westbulldog]

Williams is in AA form

[GVGjr]

I reckon 2 goals this quarter will be enough, don’t care who kicks them.

2 goals will win us the game, 4 goals could give the percentage a bump

[Rocket Science]

Pleasing reward for effort that quarter, we might just have broken them.

Lest we be greedy, be lovely to bank a little more percentage.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Wind has picked up again, but swirly..not favouring anyone

[GVGjr]

Williams is in AA form

It makes a huge difference that he's not the yo yo player this year and that he trained with the defenders before the season started

[comrade]

2 very questionable kicks from Hunter. Really need someone else to be the release kick in space.

[kruder]

Lippa needs to stick that tackle, just lacks intensity

[G-Mo77]

Wake up Dogs.

[Stefcep]

3 big marks inside 50 for them could be ominous.

[comrade]

How do we let that mark happen?

[Topdog]

Gardner got a bit lost there. Played a pretty good hands but that was poor

[Grantysghost]

Just need one i think.

[Eastdog]

Do not stop now Dogs! Do not!

[Mantis]

Having to use Gardner on Fritsch as he can’t take a tall isn’t ideal.

[Topdog]

What a kick by Bont. Another great mark by Wallis

[angelopetraglia]

Mitch Wallis. An absolute revelation.

[Stefcep]

Wallis sticky fingers

[Mofra]

Wallis' marking is outstanding

[Rocket Science]

Jeez. Wally is m-o-n-e-y these days.

[comrade]

Jeez. Wally is m-o-n-e-y these days.

Mitch 'Money in the back' Wallis.

[jeemak]

Wow that was excellent footy. Great kick to advantage and outstanding hands.

[merantau]

Wally delivers - again. Bontempelli is having an immense game.

[Eastdog]

Yes!!!

[Grantysghost]

Wallis is a freak one on one.

[EasternWest]

I know it's a redundant statement but Bontempelli is just on another level.

[Topdog]

Great pick up by Gardner there

[comrade]

Great pick up by Gardner there

Yep, handled the pressure well.

[Topdog]

Mitch just doing a bit of everything now

[EasternWest]

Johannisen. Jeez.

[jeemak]

We really need to keep the urgency up here. I get the need to use up seconds but still need to run the footy.

Massive let off from Fritsch.

[comrade]

I reckon Daniel has been poor defensively today.

[Eastdog]

Cavarra! That should be the ball game now.

[comrade]

Nice crumb Cav!

[Topdog]

Cavarra great crumbing goal

[merantau]

Game over!! Cavvvvaaaarrrraaaa!

[angelopetraglia]

Smart play Benny. Genuine crumbing goal.

[jeemak]

Good boy Benny! Crumbing goal is just what he needed.

We've been let off a bit here, the intensity hasn't been there this quarter and the players are a bit lucky.

[Rocket Science]

More of Gaddy Lyon moaning about loopholes in the game when a player takes his full thirty seconds please.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Cav the sealer woo who!

[EasternWest]

26 points up, 3 minutes to go. Dwayne Russell "they might be home".

Only Bulldogs fans are permitted that trepidation.

[jeemak]

I reckon Daniel has been poor defensively today.

He should have killed that ball instead of trying to be cute.

[Sedat]

More of Gaddy Lyon moaning about loopholes in the game when a player takes his full thirty seconds please.
Loinchop is an ordinary bloke but he's a fantastic game day analyst, probably the best going around IMO

[EasternWest]

He should have killed that ball instead of trying to be cute.

Speaking of cute, what's with Melbourne players trying to always do Hollywood handballs when they're under pressure? I can see why they drive their fans mad.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Gee, Naughty has got scragged alot today. Umps oblivious to it

[Topdog]

Brilliant win, really strong second half.

[Stefcep]

Excellent win!

[jeemak]

Gee, Naughty has got scragged alot today. Umps oblivious to it

Only a couple of years worth of whinging about it publicly will fix it.

[Vred]

Huge win, really great game

[angelopetraglia]

How good is footy when you win? Great work Dogs. Some more hope and something to look forward to in this draconian lockdown.

[jeemak]

Cracking win today. Really good performance after half time from the players and the coaching team.

Melbourne let us off a little but in the end they only kicked two more behinds than us.

[comrade]

Huge 3Q set us up, throwing Bruce in the middle was the catalyst. Not sure where that leaves English.

[Mantis]

More of Gaddy Lyon moaning about loopholes in the game when a player takes his full thirty seconds please.

I agree with him... it’s farcical that players can use 30sec when they’re no chance of kicking the goal.

[Topdog]

Huge 3Q set us up, throwing Bruce in the middle was the catalyst. Not sure where that leaves English.

The move was to get Bruce away from the forward line.

[Stefcep]

I agree with him... it’s farcical that players can use 30sec when they’re no chance of kicking the goal.

Tell Malcolm Blight that.

[Topdog]

I agree with him... it’s farcical that players can use 30sec when they’re no chance of kicking the goal.

Well yes but would Lyon have said it if Melbourne was 20 up and wasting time

[G-Mo77]

That 3rd quarter is exactly how we want this team to play. Got to keep building now, some tough games to come.

[comrade]

The move was to get Bruce away from the forward line.

Bruce was more competitive than English in the ruck.

[merantau]

Excellent second half. Good first quarter. We had their measure and really worked hard. Had a few players down so plenty of scope for improvement.

[Rocket Science]

You love to see it.

https://i.ibb.co/SDkFR1t/Screen-Shot-2020-08-22-at-4-09-56-pm.png (https://ibb.co/nqXxzV7)

[Rocket Science]

Well yes but would Lyon have said it if Melbourne was 20 up and wasting time

"Smart play here from the Dees, eating up the clock..."

[comrade]

Are we playing Easton Wood on the opposition's dangerous small forward? Looked like he got Pickett today and blanketed him.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Makes for a pleasant trip back home to Brissie when we win.

[josie]

Benny....Benny....Benny. Seriously though how good are Bont and Wally. So professional and composed. I’m on the cheer squad for Wally for Vice Captain role.

[merantau]

I agree with him... it’s farcical that players can use 30sec when they’re no chance of kicking the goal.

Disagree to a point. Yes, if a player is 80 metres out it is time wasting. However, if a player is 60 mts out do we leave it up to the umpire to decide that player X is incapable of pulling a 65mt barrel out of his arse? That's a very difficult position to put an umpire in.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Wonderful team effort dogs. Public holiday for Monday. No homework for any kids in the western suburbs.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Makes for a pleasant trip back home to Brissie when we win.
Enjoy every km, were you the only Woofer there today?

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Benny....Benny....Benny. Seriously though how good are Bont and Wally. So professional and composed. I’m on the cheer squad for Wally for Vice Captain role.
Benny and the Jets!

[The bulldog tragician]

That was super enjoyable, I thought we were in trouble at half time. We played so much smarter, ball movement was a lot better even though that last kick often lets us down. Though Bont and Wally won it for us, there was some great footy from Bailey Williams and Vander that changed the energy up. Thought the maligned JJ was important and that Wood, whose early form is a worry, had a good game. And for the first time, saw at least something in Gardner - ok, some mistakes as you'd expect from a guy who's played so little, but his confidence grew.

I love beating the cocky and over-rated Dees!

[jeemak]

And here is what we look like against a half decent side. I was a little surprised with the midweek optimism. All the commentary in this thread mimics that of games against a side that has somewhat a clue on what they are doing. This is what we look like against half decent opposition. Adelaide are pathetic. This is the real bulldogs. Just not up to it I’m afraid.

So were we up to it or are Melbourne now a pathetic side?

FWIW I thought we were excellent at times, solid when we needed to be, and a little lucky that our opponents decided they'd out Bulldogs us in terms of converting.

Plenty to work with, and with a bit of continuity in who's playing each week I think we can build on that performance. However, I'm not jumping out of my skin and think if we have a slight drop in intensity from one week to the next we'll get beaten up as we're still a bit shaky in different areas of the ground.

[comrade]

Melbourne are similar to the Bulldogs in a lot of ways, but just worse overall. They're like Wario to our Mario.

[jeemak]

That was super enjoyable, I thought we were in trouble at half time. We played so much smarter, ball movement was a lot better even though that last kick often lets us down. Though Bont and Wally won it for us, there was some great footy from Bailey Williams and Vander that changed the energy up. Thought the maligned JJ was important and that Wood, whose early form is a worry, had a good game. And for the first time, saw at least something in Gardner - ok, some mistakes as you'd expect from a guy who's played so little, but his confidence grew.

I love beating the cocky and over-rated Dees!

Great summary Trag.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

When we have that collective desire and application, 2016 is more than a memory, it lives in the club.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

So were we up to it or are Melbourne now a pathetic side?

FWIW I thought we were excellent at times, solid when we needed to be, and a little lucky that our opponents decided they'd out Bulldogs us in terms of converting.

Plenty to work with, and with a bit of continuity in who's playing each week I think we can build on that performance. However, I'm not jumping out of my skin and think if we have a slight drop in intensity from one week to the next we'll get beaten up as we're still a bit shaky in different areas of the ground.

Well I’ll start with the positive. The passage of scoring play in this game went against the grain of all our games this season. We, for once, were able to put this game away with 15 minutes of dominance. That’s a good sign that we were able to score freely. Usually we’re dominating possession and inside 50s for no result only for it to turn the other way for 10 minutes and the games gone.

The negative was our last quarter. Right from the start we looked to be going into defence only which was too early. Fortunately for us if there is one side worse than us at butchering The ball and making poor decisions, it’s Melbourne. They dominated us in the last bit just stuffed up countless times that we got away with a severe lack of intensity. We might have lifted if it got close but I was disappointed with that last quarter.

On the whole we got a deserved win. Small improvements but still a lot to work on. I think we’ve got the right tools we just need to sharpen up (no pun intended) sooner rather than later.

[Eastdog]

Great to back up last weeks performance. We were very solid all game today. The 2nd quarter we did very well absorbing the pressure from the Demons despite those 2 goals in the end of the 2nd which is when we all thought this will be hard.

[kruder]

We were just so much better collectively without the ball today pressure across the board so much more consistent.

Love playing during the day, without the dew city conditions at night, it suits our game plan.

Mitch Wallis has finally accepted he is now a forward and isn't it showing. Well done Mitch thats what you call leadership mate.

Bailey Williams still the player of the year for mine, been so consistent, he has time with the footy, generally makes the right decision and has real penetration in his kicking.

The exciting thing is that, we have plenty of room for improvement, Bevo let's continue to build with a similar side for the rest of the year and go into round 1 next year using this foundation.

[jeemak]

Well I’ll start with the positive. The passage of scoring play in this game went against the grain of all our games this season. We, for once, were able to put this game away with 15 minutes of dominance. That’s a good sign that we were able to score freely. Usually we’re dominating possession and inside 50s for no result only for it to turn the other way for 10 minutes and the games gone.

The negative was our last quarter. Right from the start we looked to be going into defence only which was too early. Fortunately for us if there is one side worse than us at butchering The ball and making poor decisions, it’s Melbourne. They dominated us in the last bit just stuffed up countless times that we got away with a severe lack of intensity. We might have lifted if it got close but I was disappointed with that last quarter.

On the whole we got a deserved win. Small improvements but still a lot to work on. I think we’ve got the right tools we just need to sharpen up (no pun intended) sooner rather than later.

Couldn't agree more about the last quarter, thought the cue was put in the rack a little and we were let off the hook when a better team would have challenged us more thoroughly.

This team frustrates me and I'm sure they'd frustrate the coaching team as well because the down times in games are so often caused by lapses in intensity. It takes courage to keep taking it to the opposition and run hard both ways, going into a defencive mindset is the easier thing to do.

[Eastdog]

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/799243/bulldogs-box-on-with-crucial-win-over-melbourne


Bulldogs box on with crucial win over Melbourne
The Bulldogs have jumped into the top-eight on the back of a 28-point victory over Melbourne at Metricon Stadium on Saturday afternoon.


Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge used a 1950s boxing match to inspire his troops in a crucial Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash with Melbourne on Saturday.

Despite taking some blows late in the second term, the Bulldogs counter-punched with a brutal burst of attacking football in the third quarter to set up a 28-point victory at Metricon Stadium.

The Dogs kicked six goals from 10 inside 50s in the pivotal third quarter, keeping the Demons goalless, after trailing by seven points at half time.

Mitch Wallis kicked a career-high four goals (taking his season tally to 20), benefiting from another strong performance from the midfield group.

Captain Marcus Bontempelli was a star performer again with 22 touches (16 contested), a goal and five tackles, while Bailey Smith’s enormous season continued with 26 disposals and a goal.

Dashing defenders Jason Johannisen (21 possessions at 90% efficiency), Bailey Williams (19 disposals) and Caleb Daniel had a big say in the outcome, particularly in the defining third quarter.

The win was the Bulldogs’ second in a row, and seventh win of the year, ahead of a season-defining fortnight of games against Geelong and West Coast.

The Bulldogs started the game brightly and could have built a strong early lead if they capitalised on their inside 50 dominance in the first term (13-5).

The Demons were efficient when they went forward, as the teams went goal-for-goal in the second term, but the Dogs conceded the last two goals of the second quarter to trail by seven points at the long break as Melbourne got on top.

Bulldogs’ forward Josh Bruce was switched into the ruck during the second half and Tim English pushed forward, and English booted one of his team’s six majors from a strong contested mark as they surged to a match-winning lead.

Wallis’ fourth six-pointer, a brilliant mark and goal as Melbourne was mounting a charge in the fourth quarter, eased the nerves of Dogs’ fans as their team marched to victory.



MATCH DETAILS

Western Bulldogs 2.4 4.4 10.5 12.8 (80)

Melbourne 1.3 5.5 5.8 7.10 (52)



GOALS

Western Bulldogs: Wallis 4, McLean, Vandermeer, Liberatore, Bontempelli, Smith, Williams, English, Cavarra

Melbourne: Weideman 2, Melksham, Oliver, Fritsch, McDonald, Spargo



BEST
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Liberatore, Smith, Wallis, Macrae, Hunter

Melbourne: May, Viney, Petracca, Weideman

[MrMahatma]

Enjoy every km, were you the only Woofer there today?

I was there. Been to all the GC and the Gabba match this year. Best footy viewing year (by volume) I’ve had.

[GVGjr]

Credit to Bevo for revamping things after half time. We had a great 3rd quarter and it set up a comfortable win

[bornadog]

Credit to Bevo for revamping things after half time. We had a great 3rd quarter and it set up a comfortable win

Not cooked yet;)

[Stefcep]

Disagree to a point. Yes, if a player is 80 metres out it is time wasting. However, if a player is 60 mts out do we leave it up to the umpire to decide that player X is incapable of pulling a 65mt barrel out of his arse? That's a very difficult position to put an umpire in.

Can you imagine it?

Umpire: "TIME..unrealistic"

Player: "What? ! I can kick it."

Umpire: "No chance mate. You've never kicked over 50 in your life. You and I both know you're not up to it. And don't get me started on the last kick you butchered.."

Player: "WTF?"

Umpire: "Fifty..."

[SonofScray]

Good result and some promising signs.

1. For the 1st time in quite a while, it wasn't clear to me in the first 10 minutes or so what sort of team had presented for duty. Which was a good thing, I think because it probably meant we had a mixed bag against some decent opposition. What I observed was a team deal with a deadlock and wrestle a few small momentum swings back in our favour. We haven't really done that for a while.

2. It looked like we would struggle to get enough contributors and s oreboard pressure, but most in the squad got busy at some point, including a few who needed to step up getting involved after half time.

3 Laitham ran with some real aggressive intent, to mixed results, but in doing so added a dimension to our game that is exciting and difficult to deal with. Kept going all day too, which was brave for a young bloke.

4 Coaches made adjustments at half time. We got the response required from players who weren't getting near it. A relief to see a tangible change in how we went about it and who went where.

[GVGjr]

Not cooked yet;)

Have I ever said or implied that?

[The bulldog tragician]

I think the quality of the win is being underrated. We were much more physical and our intent and attack were always strong. We were clearly the best team in the first quarter in tricky conditions. The second qtr was an arm wrestle, they lifted, we didn’t though have that lapse of concentration that has been a problem. I wasn’t hopeful in the third qtr but I loved watching the number of 50/50 contests where in tight we got it out and then there were some great passages where we linked up where we for once made the most of our dominance. We are shaky with marking forwards but I’d like to know how many times when it hit the deck, we moved it out slickly under great pressure. I’d have liked to see us canter away but even a noted panic merchant such as myself never really felt we’d lose.

There are great contributions on this site but I felt recently the negativity was overwhelming. We played well in a crunch game, Bevo coached well, and just for today I’m celebrating some really great signs for us now and even more for us being a real threat in 2021.

[Eastdog]

Good post TBT. You are a great contributor to Woof. Yeah we can be negative on here at times but I’d say it is because we just love the Bulldogs so much :D

[bornadog]

Have I ever said or implied that?

No, sorry you thought it was directed at you. It was made in jest

[jeemak]

No, sorry you thought it was directed at you. It was made in jest

You are such an agitator and you need to pull your head in. ;)

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I think the quality of the win is being underrated. We were much more physical and our intent and attack were always strong. We were clearly the best team in the first quarter in tricky conditions. The second qtr was an arm wrestle, they lifted, we didn’t though have that lapse of concentration that has been a problem. I wasn’t hopeful in the third qtr but I loved watching the number of 50/50 contests where in tight we got it out and then there were some great passages where we linked up where we for once made the most of our dominance. We are shaky with marking forwards but I’d like to know how many times when it hit the deck, we moved it out slickly under great pressure. I’d have liked to see us canter away but even a noted panic merchant such as myself never really felt we’d lose.

There are great contributions on this site but I felt recently the negativity was overwhelming. We played well in a crunch game, Bevo coached well, and just for today I’m celebrating some really great signs for us now and even more for us being a real threat in 2021.

Well said.
If Bailey Williams' form holds is he a a sneaky for at least the AA squad?

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Geez, I'm 7 minutes in to watching the game.. now i understand how woeful the commentary is. Gary Lyon, what a bell end.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Can conversation please stop about Mitch Wallis' limitations? He's a fully fledged and deserving member of our forward line.
That's all.

[jeemak]

Can conversation please stop about Mitch Wallis' limitations? He's a fully fledged and deserving member of our forward line.
That's all.

Stop jumping at shadows you wino.

[bornadog]

You are such an agitator and you need to pull your head in. ;)

Well you did say WOOF went feral at one stage

[Remi Moses]

Mitch Wallis to the forward line has been a raging success
There goes those rose colored glasses of mine

[Remi Moses]

Well you did say WOOF went feral at one stage

BTT summed it up succinctly and perfectly

[Grantysghost]

Geez, I'm 7 minutes in to watching the game.. now i understand how woeful the commentary is. Gary Lyon, what a bell end.

He was basically coaching them from the sidelines. Actually it really felt like years of hope slowly dissipating from his Demon veins and he didn't want to comprehend the fact they aren't the second coming despite beating up on the poor sides.

[comrade]

Can conversation please stop about Mitch Wallis' limitations? He's a fully fledged and deserving member of our forward line.
That's all.

Absolutely. Kudos to Bevo for finding a role for Mitch, and even more so Mitch for adapting and making it a success. His output this year has been a definite bright spot of our season.

[Stefcep]

Absolutely. Kudos to Bevo for finding a role for Mitch, and even more so Mitch for adapting and making it a success. His output this year has been a definite bright spot of our season.


Earlier in the year he said something along the lines of : As a forward in his position as opposed to playing in the middle, he's not going to get many touches, but he's gotta make them count and if he kicks a couple he's done his job.

If the other five forwards took a leaf out of that book, we'd actually have a functioning forward set up

[Happy Days]

Absolutely. Kudos to Bevo for finding a role for Mitch, and even more so Mitch for adapting and making it a success. His output this year has been a definite bright spot of our season.

Not to dig too deep into semantics here but I reckon "a role" is a little dismissive of what Mitch is doing. To me a role is like a specific job with no room for variance or flair (i.e defensive forwards, taggers), whereas Mitch is being put into a position to use his skills to their maximum effect.

Agree with Bevo being tactile enough to consider it though, and frankly amazing given how natural he's looked in one on ones that it took his other coaches at all levels the better part of twenty years to do so.

[Mantis]

Can conversation please stop about Mitch Wallis' limitations? He's a fully fledged and deserving member of our forward line.
That's all.

So if we don’t talk about his limitations then we assume they aren’t there?

Mitch’s strengths are clear as he’s a bull around the ball, is very good in one on one marking contests and is an excellent finisher when inside 40m, but he still isn’t quick or mobile which limits the type of role he can play.

Having different players around him certainly helps to ensure the limitations he has are lessened.

[Happy Days]

FYI (@Rocket Science) Demonland is every bit as schadenfreudic (schadenfreudian?) as Bomberblitz. You know it's been a rough game when the Robert Muir thread gets bumped.

[soupman]

FYI (@Rocket Science) Demonland is every bit as schadenfreudic (schadenfreudian?) as Bomberblitz. You know it's been a rough game when the Robert Muir thread gets bumped.

Tbf that'd be due to the excellent and downright depressing ABC article written about him (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-23/persecution-of-robert-muir-story-football-doesnt-want-to-hear/12553554)

[Happy Days]

Tbf that'd be due to the excellent and downright depressing ABC article written about him (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-23/persecution-of-robert-muir-story-football-doesnt-want-to-hear/12553554)

It's Sunday morning my guy no one needs that. What a brutal read.

[Grantysghost]

Tbf that'd be due to the excellent and downright depressing ABC article written about him (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-23/persecution-of-robert-muir-story-football-doesnt-want-to-hear/12553554)

I read that this morning. I encourage all to do so it's such an interesting and very sad story of the game's recent past.

[bornadog]

I read that this morning. I encourage all to do so it's such an interesting and very sad story of the game's recent past.

I just read it now and thought about starting a thread about it. I think I will.

[Bulldog4life]

Good result and some promising signs.

1. For the 1st time in quite a while, it wasn't clear to me in the first 10 minutes or so what sort of team had presented for duty. Which was a good thing, I think because it probably meant we had a mixed bag against some decent opposition. What I observed was a team deal with a deadlock and wrestle a few small momentum swings back in our favour. We haven't really done that for a while.

2. It looked like we would struggle to get enough contributors and s oreboard pressure, but most in the squad got busy at some point, including a few who needed to step up getting involved after half time.

3 Laitham ran with some real aggressive intent, to mixed results, but in doing so added a dimension to our game that is exciting and difficult to deal with. Kept going all day too, which was brave for a young bloke.

4 Coaches made adjustments at half time. We got the response required from players who weren't getting near it. A relief to see a tangible change in how we went about it and who went where.

Good summation SOS. Although I would say coach not coaches. Bevo solely gets the flak when we lose so let's solely give him the accolades when we win.

[KT31]

I just read it now and thought about starting a thread about it. I think I will.

Cheers BAD,

https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?20141-The-persecution-of-Robert-Muir-is-the-story-football-doesn-t-want-to-hear

[bornadog]

Cheers BAD,

https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?20141-The-persecution-of-Robert-Muir-is-the-story-football-doesn-t-want-to-hear

Sorry KT, I didn't realise you had posted the article.

[GVGjr]

Absolutely. Kudos to Bevo for finding a role for Mitch, and even more so Mitch for adapting and making it a success. His output this year has been a definite bright spot of our season.

The real difference is that Wallis has been so good with his goal kicking accuracy.

I think Wallis has acknowledged his limitations and worked out ways to be productive. Good move all round

[merantau]

I just read it now and thought about starting a thread about it. I think I will.

At the time it was perfectly obvious what was being done to Robert Muir but the VFL, and his own club, turned away. Just shameful.
Btw, Ray Shaw is one of very few players who have been rubbed out for spitting. That's his legacy as far as I'm concerned.
This article deserves to be widely read and understood especially by the "get over it" brigade.

[merantau]

Just announced on tv news that St Kilda and the AFL will issue a formal apology to Robert Muir.

[jazzadogs]

Well said.
If Bailey Williams' form holds is he a a sneaky for at least the AA squad?

I'm not convinced that Williams will be recognised, but if Wallis keeps up his form for the last few rounds he is definitely in the conversation for a forward pocket. Butler, Cameron and Papley are his main opponents for the role, but his stats measure up against them all. He has been remarkably consistent for us.

[SonofScray]

Good summation SOS. Although I would say coach not coaches. Bevo solely gets the flak when we lose so let's solely give him the accolades when we win.

�� Thought I might get away with that one.

I think in another thread I specifically mentioned Bevo, but I must admit it's still a begrudging acknowledgment.

[Vred]

I'm not convinced that Williams will be recognised, but if Wallis keeps up his form for the last few rounds he is definitely in the conversation for a forward pocket. Butler, Cameron and Papley are his main opponents for the role, but his stats measure up against them all. He has been remarkably consistent for us.

I remember a thread from 2019 where we were debating what to do with Wallis and if he would be any good up forward.

Now his a sneaky chance of AA selection, leading goal kicker and one of our most reliable forwards we've had in awhile.

[Bulldog4life]

�� Thought I might get away with that one.

I think in another thread I specifically mentioned Bevo, but I must admit it's still a begrudging acknowledgment.

Made me smile. :)

[GVGjr]

Coaches votes are in

Western Bulldogs v Melbourne
9 – Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
5 – Mitch Wallis (WB)
5 – Lachie Hunter (WB)
4 – Tom Liberatore (WB)
3 – Bailey Smith (WB)
2 – Steven May (Melb)
1 – Jason Johannisen (WB)
1 – Jack Macrae (WB)

[Bulldog Joe]

Coaches votes are in

Western Bulldogs v Melbourne
9 – Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
5 – Mitch Wallis (WB)
5 – Lachie Hunter (WB)
4 – Tom Liberatore (WB)
3 – Bailey Smith (WB)
2 – Steven May (Melb)
1 – Jason Johannisen (WB)
1 – Jack Macrae (WB)

I would say that Bailey Williams might have deserved something.

Clearly 1 coach has given 5 to Wallis or Hunter and nothing else.

The breakdown
Coach A
Bont 5
Libba 4
Smith 3
Hunter 2
Johannisen 1

Coach B
Wallis 5
Bont 4
Hunter 3
May 2
Macrae 1

A few of those players are interchangeable

Bont definitely a 5 and 4
Hunter/ Wallis 5 and 0 or 3 and 2
Liberatore 4 and 0
Bailey Smith 3 and 0
Steven May 2 and 0
Macrae and Johannisen 1 from each coach.

[GVGjr]

I would say that Bailey Williams might have deserved something.

Didn't even get a vote by Bevo

[Axe Man]

I would say that Bailey Williams might have deserved something.

Williams could have easily been in the votes but I wouldn't say he was clearly better than anybody else there - they are all worthy.

I'm not sure why but I tend to view Williams a little more critically than most others seem to. I'm always surprised by his disposal efficiency at the end of the game being quite high because I tend to notice him kicking directly to the opposition most weeks. At least 3 times on Saturday Melbourne marked his kicks. Admittedly they are usually long kicks so not especially damaging to us. He is also a terrible one on one defender. He has an unacceptably high loss rate which he really needs to improve.

Don't get me wrong though - I think he has improved out of sight and played another good game on Saturday. The AA call I saw on here is a little premature though.

[Mantis]

Williams could have easily been in the votes but I wouldn't say he was clearly better than anybody else there - they are all worthy.

I'm not sure why but I tend to view Williams a little more critically than most others seem to. I'm always surprised by his disposal efficiency at the end of the game being quite high because I tend to notice him kicking directly to the opposition most weeks. At least 3 times on Saturday Melbourne marked his kicks. Admittedly they are usually long kicks so not especially damaging to us. He is also a terrible one on one defender. He has an unacceptably high loss rate which he really needs to improve.

Don't get me wrong though - I think he has improved out of sight and played another good game on Saturday. The AA call I saw on here is a little premature though.

Really?

I mustn't watch him too closely as I think he defends pretty well and think he's often beaten in 1 on 1 contests due to a miss-match in opponents rather than poor technique, but if you say so.

[1eyedog]

Williams could have easily been in the votes but I wouldn't say he was clearly better than anybody else there - they are all worthy.

I'm not sure why but I tend to view Williams a little more critically than most others seem to. I'm always surprised by his disposal efficiency at the end of the game being quite high because I tend to notice him kicking directly to the opposition most weeks. At least 3 times on Saturday Melbourne marked his kicks. Admittedly they are usually long kicks so not especially damaging to us. He is also a terrible one on one defender. He has an unacceptably high loss rate which he really needs to improve.

Don't get me wrong though - I think he has improved out of sight and played another good game on Saturday. The AA call I saw on here is a little premature though.

But you're looking at it the wrong way. He's not there for his hard defensive work, agreed he's not the greatest at ground level one on ones, but he is solid in the air imo, anyway, he has other defenders to cover for him in this way (Wood / Crozier). His gig is to provide rebound out of D50 because that is where we scored the heaviest. So no, he's not in AA calculations due to his ability to defend, he's in AA calculations because he's top 10 in the league for metres gained overall, metres gained per game (I know he kicks long), but he's also top 3 for rebound 50s which means he's a critical component for the way we score.

[Happy Days]

Really?

I mustn't watch him too closely as I think he defends pretty well and think he's often beaten in 1 on 1 contests due to a miss-match in opponents rather than poor technique, but if you say so.

Yeah it's not like he's noticeably getting monstered by his direct opponent week after week. I just had a quick look at the stats and all of the leaders in one on one defensive losses are pretty much also all the best intercept defenders, which is what Williams is developing into nicely.

[Axe Man]

Really?

I mustn't watch him too closely as I think he defends pretty well and think he's often beaten in 1 on 1 contests due to a miss-match in opponents rather than poor technique, but if you say so.

He's got one of the worst 1 on 1 loss rates in the league. Can't always be due to mismatches.


But you're looking at it the wrong way. He's not there for his hard defensive work, agreed he's not the greatest at ground level one on ones, but he is solid in the air imo, anyway, he has other defenders to cover for him in this way (Wood / Crozier). His gig is to provide rebound out of D50 because that is where we scored the heaviest. So no, he's not in AA calculations due to his ability to defend, he's in AA calculations because he's top 10 in the league for metres gained overall, metres gained per game (I know he kicks long), but he's also top 3 for rebound 50s which means he's a critical component for the way we score.

I think he's great in the air taking an intercept mark, not so much when he has to spoil. You make it sound like I was saying he's no good, I did the opposite, I think he's been great but he still has some room for improvement. I don't expect him to be Dale Morris on defence but I do expect him to pull his weight. Caleb Daniel is a competent defender, that's all Bailey needs to be. He doesn't get a free pass just be because he provides us drive off half back.

[bornadog]

Love this stuff:

Game Film: https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/video/800974/game-film-dogs-v-demons?videoId=800974&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1598258324001

[azabob]

Love this stuff:

Game Film: https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/video/800974/game-film-dogs-v-demons?videoId=800974&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1598258324001

Agree BAD. We are all guilty of criticizing the club on their lack of vision of scratch matches etc but this type of stuff is really really good.

[Eastdog]

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/800719/key-takeaways-round-13


Key Takeaways: Round 13
The key talking points from our 28-point win over Melbourne on Saturday.


1. Dogs find new gear

How about that third quarter?

The roles were reversed in the scheme of the Bulldogs’ season on Saturday afternoon.

At times, it’s been a one-quarter lapse that has cost them – think the Richmond, Port Adelaide and Brisbane Lions games.

But this time, against another finals contender in Melbourne, it was the Bulldogs who found that spark.

A six-goal-to-nil burst after half-time was the catalyst for an impressive win, led by none other than skipper Marcus Bontempelli.



2. Devastating dee-fensive transition

The Bulldogs’ back line has the capability to turn defence to attack in a matter of seconds.

And that’s exactly what they did, on multiple occasions, against the Dees.

The return of Jason Johannisen and Hayden Crozier offered the Bulldogs even more attacking power off half-back, alongside Caleb Daniel and Bailey Williams.

You could make a case for it being Johannisen’s most impactful game of 2020, with 21 disposals and some sizzling, line-breaking runs.

Bailey Williams continued his breakthrough season, generating almost 600 metres gained from 19 disposals, while Daniel’s precision passing and Crozier’s intercepting and rebound were also important.



3. Where there’s a Wall, there’s a way

With every week of 2020, Mitch Wallis the forward has gained more fans.

This time, he produced a career-best four goals to help lead the Bulldogs to victory – and with his daughter Charlotte in the stands for the first time.

Wallis has been one of the side’s most consistent players this year and leads the goal-kicking tally with 20 majors from 13 games.

The way he has settled into his new role has been outstanding.

His strength in the contest as a midfielder has transitioned to his forward play, and he sure knows how to make the most of his opportunities around the big sticks.