Under the Pump for 2021

[bornadog]

Which depth player/fringe player is under the pump for 2021.

For me:

* Jong - must remain injury free

* Schache - must show something in the VFL and prove he should be on the list

* Lew Young - see Schache

* Gardner

* Lloyd - probably his last year

* Lipinski and Richards - 2021 "It's Time"

[Mofra]

Depth/fringe players by nature are under the pump.

I love the guy, but I'd suggest Wood has to show enough to prove he deserved a two year deal rather than a 1 + 1.
I'd be looking for an improvement in Bruce too - to be honest, I'm expecting it.

[SquirrelGrip]

All new experienced recruits are under the pump - so Martin, Treloar, Hannan. And Bruce more so than 2020.

[Rocket Science]

All new experienced recruits are under the pump - so Martin, Treloar, Hannan. And Bruce more so than 2020.

Yeah, hard to imagine anyone's under a bigger pump than this bloke.

You'd have to try pretty hard to produce a less glowing season of footy but I reel at the pressure he'd be under if we're say, six rounds in and there's no discernible improvement on his 2020 output.

[comrade]

Yeah, hard to imagine anyone's under a bigger pump than this bloke.

You'd have to try pretty hard to produce a less glowing season of footy but I reel at the pressure he'd be under if we're say, six rounds in and there's no discernible improvement on his 2020 output.

I reckon even Brucey would be begging Bevo to play him at Footscray by that point.

[azabob]

I reckon even Brucey would be begging Bevo to play him at Footscray by that point.

I think you are giving Bruce too much credit.

[soupman]

Bruce is the most disappointing recruit i think we have ever had and by some margin, so him. I guess he isn't under the pump in that he has 3 more years contracted on what must be decent dollars, so from his pov as long as he meets his obligations of turning up to Footscray games he could probably make $1m+ for minimal effort, but if he wants to actually justify his spot on the list he needs to be more than just a big bloke who occasionally crashes the pack.

-----------------

Aside from him though I'm gonna nominate Josh Dunkley. Clearly rates himself as a very talented player, thinks he can be the main man and thinks he is deserving of the big dollars. Add that to an off season where he has tried to engineer a move away from a playing group that seems tight knit, blindsided a coach that is super loyal to his playing group and has been ruthless in the past with players that have crossed him and on top of that disenchanted a supporter base that almost universally loved him and already considered him a Bulldog for life.

He now is seemingly one spot further back in the queue for the midfield minutes he craves and if he does struggle to perform then I reckon the critics will come calling. I think he is absolutely under the pump unless he can come out with some seriously good form and force his way into our midfield.

[jeemak]

Yep I agree soup, Dunkley is well and truly under the pump. He's placed a massive target on himself.

I'm going to nominate both JJ and Crozier as potential candidates who would both know that they were a bit disappointing in 2020 and need to bounce back with better seasons next year.

Bruce is an obvious one.

[hujsh]

In a way Treloar is in that he'd want to be proving that all the mud slung at him this offseason was just that.

[GVGjr]

Yeah, hard to imagine anyone's under a bigger pump than this bloke.

You'd have to try pretty hard to produce a less glowing season of footy but I reel at the pressure he'd be under if we're say, six rounds in and there's no discernible improvement on his 2020 output.

He needs to make sure the next 3 years are as close to 100% output just to balance things from his 2020 effort

[Bumper Bulldogs]

Juicy then Dunkley for mine. Both think themselves as superstars but for different reasons have targets on them. Bruce will need to come vs k in ripping nick after Christmas. And Dunkley will need to keep his head down and let his footy do the talking.

[merantau]

I'm going to nominate JJ. I think he has been inconsistent for the last four years. His good games have often been followed by a string of mediocre performances. And he has been responsible for some shocking clangers that have been really costly. From a senior player - simply not good enough.

[FrediKanoute]

Dale....surely Bailey Dale gets on this list....I am a fan, but gee he has had about 5 good games and none of them were 2020.

[dog town]

Surely most of the list is under pressure in one way or another? Even the captain had a pretty poor year by his standards and will want to make amends. Lots of under performers last year if you break it down player by player.

I think Cordy is the one to watch. I just think he has been really poor for a while now and we need more from him.

[SquirrelGrip]

Dale....surely Bailey Dale gets on this list....I am a fan, but gee he has had about 5 good games and none of them were 2020.

Daley Bail has never NOT been under the pump. This will be his last year with us I’d have thought.

[Axe Man]

Daley Bail has never NOT been under the pump. This will be his last year with us I’d have thought.

Possibly, but he does still have 2 years to run on his contract so even if he has another poor year he could still be on the list in 2022.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Surely most of the list is under pressure in one way or another? Even the captain had a pretty poor year by his standards and will want to make amends. Lots of under performers last year if you break it down player by player.

I think Cordy is the one to watch. I just think he has been really poor for a while now and we need more from him.

Absolutely this.

The entire club is under pressure, coaching team included.

Who has improved in the last 12 months? Williams, English, Daniel, VDM and maybe one or two others. You can easily mount a case for the rest of the list to be under the pump.

Bruce leads this by some margin but there's plenty of others too (Cordy, L Young, JJ, Lipinski, Richards to name a few).

[westbulldog]

I think the form of these players will be under scrutiny in 2021 : Bruce, LLoyd, B Dale, Cordy, Gardner, Wood, Schache and Richards

[Axe Man]

Surely most of the list is under pressure in one way or another? Even the captain had a pretty poor year by his standards and will want to make amends. Lots of under performers last year if you break it down player by player.

Bont wasn't at his best early in the season but I can't describe a season where he achieved the following as "pretty poor" by anyone's standards:

All Australian
6th in the AFL coaches votes
2nd in the Best and Fairest
2nd best captain as voted by the players

[comrade]

Bont from around round 10 was close to the best player in the competition.

[dog town]

Bont wasn't at his best early in the season but I can't describe a season where he achieved the following as "pretty poor" by anyone's standards:

All Australian
6th in the AFL coaches votes
2nd in the Best and Fairest
2nd best captain as voted by the players
By his standards he was poor and he really cashed in late against some of the poorer teams. I want more from him and he will want more too, I fully expect him to bounce back this year.

[Axe Man]

By his standards he was poor and he really cashed in late against some of the poorer teams. I want more from him and he will want more too, I fully expect him to bounce back this year.

In your opinion, but I respectfully disagree.

Just because he wasn't at his best it doesn't make it a poor season. Does he have to win the Brownlow for the season to be classified as good or above?

Maybe I am just getting bogged down down in semantics but there is no way in hell that was a poor season by Bont.

[Sedat]

By his standards he was poor and he really cashed in late against some of the poorer teams. I want more from him and he will want more too, I fully expect him to bounce back this year.
I wanted a lot more from him mid season (after the Richmond debacle), and to be fair to him he absolutely delivered on that for the rest of the year - I reckon he was best player in the comp from that moment on for the remainder of the season. I expect that and more from the start of next season, and I expect him to have that internal competitive drive to want to get even better and more destructive as a player for the remainder of his career. For different reasons, but Dusty was almost on the trade scrapheap at a similar age to Bont, and that particular movie has turned out quite well for both player and club.

[Happy Days]

For different reasons, but Dusty was almost on the trade scrapheap at a similar age to Bont, and that particular movie has turned out quite well for both player and club.

And he only wasn’t traded because GWS wussed out. Never forget that this Richmond team is only good by accident, their captain is a coward and whoever you throw a dart at to call their sixth best player probably sucks.

[1eyedog]

Bevo. Gotta win a final in 2021.

[bornadog]

Bevo. Gotta win a final in 2021.

Must get to top 4

[soupman]

Bevo. Gotta win a final in 2021.


Must get to top 4

I think winning a final is more important.

Top four is great but if we don't win a final that'll make three consecutive years we have bombed out of the finals and only one of Bevo's 7 seasons with any finals wins.

If we finish seventh and win a final at least that feels like a more important step forward to me than finishing higher but failing to perform in finals yet again.

[jeemak]

I get the importance of winning a final, because that shows definite improvement from the previous two years. However, I also want us to be more dependable and consistent with our effort throughout the season and for that to show with a top four or five finish (15-16 wins).

That's on Bevo, the MC and the playing group combined. The conditional effort needs to go. I guess the entire club is under the pump.

[GVGjr]

I think winning a final is more important.

Top four is great but if we don't win a final that'll make three consecutive years we have bombed out of the finals and only one of Bevo's 7 seasons with any finals wins.

If we finish seventh and win a final at least that feels like a more important step forward to me than finishing higher but failing to perform in finals yet again.

While I want a flag, I could accept either outcome. Wining a final is still my preference though

[kruder]

Bevo's comments on SEN during the week give me comfort that we know where we are at. He wasn't fooled by the last quarter comeback against the Saints, it was a poor effort in what was a disappointing season. We have a lot to work with though, I'm really confident that we can improve significantly next year.

[bornadog]

Bevo's comments on SEN during the week give me comfort that we know where we are at. He wasn't fooled by the last quarter comeback against the Saints, it was a poor effort in what was a disappointing season. We have a lot to work with though, I'm really confident that we can improve significantly next year.

Kruder I am disappointed you didn't nominate Wood. :D:D

[dog town]

I wanted a lot more from him mid season (after the Richmond debacle), and to be fair to him he absolutely delivered on that for the rest of the year - I reckon he was best player in the comp from that moment on for the remainder of the season. I expect that and more from the start of next season, and I expect him to have that internal competitive drive to want to get even better and more destructive as a player for the remainder of his career. For different reasons, but Dusty was almost on the trade scrapheap at a similar age to Bont, and that particular movie has turned out quite well for both player and club. I would agree with that to be honest also worth noting Richmond was around half way. I enjoyed his leadership and selfless acts but his disposal was beyond ordinary even when he started impacting games at his previous level.

I may not have expressed myself very well but to clarify

1- he had a good season but it was a level below the standard he has set. We have few match winners and we need him making a difference.
2- His disposal was concerning all season. He appeared to be trying to kick the eyes out of it every time and often around corners needlessly.
3- Some games he has good numbers but we were collectively waltzed around in the centre square. Not solely on him but the Brisbane game stands out where we needed some presence and accountability.
4- He seemed to lack the clean touch below his knees particularly in night games. I’m tipping being back at Marvel will help with this. He uses his long levers to control the ball into a path he can run onto BUT teams plan for this now and conditions also worked against him. Teams are not letting him get a clean run at the ball so he played more team roles...we still need his impact.

[jeemak]

I would agree with that to be honest also worth noting Richmond was around half way. I enjoyed his leadership and selfless acts but his disposal was beyond ordinary even when he started impacting games at his previous level.

I may not have expressed myself very well but to clarify

1- he had a good season but it was a level below the standard he has set. We have few match winners and we need him making a difference.
2- His disposal was concerning all season. He appeared to be trying to kick the eyes out of it every time and often around corners needlessly.
3- Some games he has good numbers but we were collectively waltzed around in the centre square. Not solely on him but the Brisbane game stands out where we needed some presence and accountability.
4- He seemed to lack the clean touch below his knees particularly in night games. I’m tipping being back at Marvel will help with this. He uses his long levers to control the ball into a path he can run onto BUT teams plan for this now and conditions also worked against him. Teams are not letting him get a clean run at the ball so he played more team roles...we still need his impact.

That's pretty reasonable. He looked well off his food early, and as for the ground balls and the kicking around corners perhaps he was a little bit hampered by his hip (which I really hope isn't a degenerative issue - but fear it might be).

[Eastdog]

Bevo. Gotta win a final in 2021.

Yep for sure. We have made it the past 2 seasons but haven't advanced further than week 1. hopefully make it again and go further. Finish top 4 also we massively help with that. Top 4 would be a first for Bevo.

[Eastdog]

I think the form of these players will be under scrutiny in 2021 : Bruce, LLoyd, B Dale, Cordy, Gardner, Wood, Schache and Richards

Yep that is pretty much right westbulldog. All these players need to be better in 2021.

[josie]

Tim English needs to stand up and not be rag dolled at ruck contests and around the ground. No doubt he is talented however I think we need to see significant improvement next year - especially with throw ins. If his improvement starts to flatten then I think club need to start thinking about him more as a 2nd ruck/forward who can also float into backline when needed.

Regarding Westbulldog’s list I agree with all those players. I’d add in Lewis Young. We’ve just got to give him more chances to play in backline and possibly as ruck relief in seniors. Really hope he makes it given the promising glimpses he showed a few years ago.

[Go_Dogs]

Plenty of players who will be expecting improved years performance wise. As far as who is under the pump, well the players who are out of contract and have not yet established themselves as consistent best 22 performers (or may have slipped over the past 12 months) and have had at least 3 years on the list:

Cordy
Jong
Lipinski
Richards
Young

Being the standouts. Richards is just about safe for me - he’s consistently picked, has traits we need, and I’m pretty confident he’s going to be able to make the improvements to his game. We just need to find him the right role and define what his contribution needs to be week in week out. I actually suspect we will see him wing/forward long term and an 17-22 possession player who can kick a goal most weeks.

Cordy probably has enough versatility to go around again, but if any of Naughton going back (unlikely), Wood being a consistent player for 2 more years (possible), Gardner developing a little more offensive ability (plausible) or another under the pump player in Young commanding a key defensive post (who knows, hopefully) then Cordy may be in trouble.

Jong is best 22, his durability is not at this stage.

Lipinski is close, but needs to do better defensively and he’s got to have the best motor in our side to play as a high forward (some mid rotation) who covers ground and impacts the scoreboard. He may get there as an inside mid, but probably not with us in the shorter to medium term due to our depth there.


Haven’t included Lloyd or Doc - they’re winding down. Not under the pump per se.

[Happy Days]

Am I alone I need thinking Cordy was really good last season? He played with the confidence of a much better player and it did his game wonders.

[EasternWest]

Am I alone I need thinking Cordy was really good last season? He played with the confidence of a much better player and it did his game wonders.

I thought he was mostly pretty good too.