Where does JJ fit into the 2021 Bulldogs team?

[Dry Rot]

Backline? Not with Williams (when fit), Crozier, Duryea, Danial and Dale. Maybe Richards.

Midfield? We have quite a few handy players for that position.

Forward line?

Medical sub?

Footscray VFL team?

[Scraggers]

I would love to see him on the wing. His pace and ability to read the play makes him an important cog. If he can start showing some leadership to the younger generation, he would be integral. I think the Bevo flexibility clause means you have to be able to play anywhere, anytime. He’s not the best player in our list, but his ability to play back and forward make him pivotal.

[jeemak]

Perhaps with Dunkley being out for an extended period this paves the way for Bailey Smith to move inside and JJ to settle on a wing.

[FrediKanoute]

Perhaps with Dunkley being out for an extended period this paves the way for Bailey Smith to move inside and JJ to settle on a wing.

That was my thought. Everyone assumes that we'll replace Dunks with a Lippa or a West, but I think Smith is a better option. The wing opens up and that means JJ or Hunter assumes that role. Left field is Hannan. He was trialled there in the pre-season.

[Air Naughton]

Defender for mine, starts on the bench or misses out when everyone is fit but a handy backup, which is quite a drop for a Norm Smith medallist

[Dry Rot]

Defender for mine, starts on the bench or misses out when everyone is fit but a handy backup, which is quite a drop for a Norm Smith medallist

Agreed, that's how I see it. Dunno JJ is able to win contests any more.

And welcome to WOOF.

[divvydan]

Honestly, I don't know where he fits right now. Not sure if it's confidence, or something else, but as it currently stands, he's a 20-28 in the rotation, sometimes playing, sometimes not. If i had to pick a spot for him, wing makes the most sense but he has to work hard both ways. Currently, given his contract and his output, we really should be looking at options at the end of the year for him to find another club, there's no doubt he's on a fair bit of money and frankly, he's offering about what I would expect from a 2nd-3rd year player on the minimum wage.

[Vred]

Backline? Not with Williams (when fit), Crozier, Duryea, Danial and Dale. Maybe Richards.

Midfield? We have quite a few handy players for that position.

Forward line?

Medical sub?

Footscray VFL team?

Traded for a key tall down back.

I don't see where he fits anymore, and honestly I feel his one of the biggest downhill skiers in our team, where multiple players do his job better.

His not a forward, his not a midfielder, we have better wing and defensive players who do his job better, I don't see what he brings to us anymore other than a large bloated contract.

[comrade]

Would be great for him to replicate the role Langdon is playing for Melbourne but not sure the work rate is at the same level. He’s not really being utilised in this half forward role.

[Bumper Bulldogs]

Trade bait for mine. Clearly at the start of the season he was overlooked and left out. He has come back in but really not done enough. As a senior player that’s been around you need to lead and set a example of what make us great. I’m not sure Jak is on the same page as the others. Right now I have a lot more confidence in addle playing in the side and by all accounts we have Khamis come in for games soon. I don’t see him covering the ground like a Hunter Trelor or Smith

Not saying he can’t be very handy but the way o look at it. With the money he is on we are not getting that kind of value from him. I would think that Power would be quite excited about going shopping with that money in his back pocket and I’m more than confident that the side would be far better placed with Powers performance getting players onto the list.

[Mofra]

Defensive forward pushing up to the wing. The role we've tried to get McLean and Ed Richards to play.
He is still a very good inside 50 kick and in the second half last week I though he started to find his rhythm again.

[DOG GOD]

Would love to see him wing/hf and be one of the few players who can run through inside 50 and kick a goal. Like Treloar, he’s got the pace and he’s got the penetration in his kicking. I feel he could be a very good weapon if used correctly, and he plays to his ability.

[bornadog]

Would love to see him wing/hf and be one of the few players who can run through inside 50 and kick a goal. Like Treloar, he’s got the pace and he’s got the penetration in his kicking. I feel he could be a very good weapon if used correctly, and he plays to his ability.

Did a couple of nice things v GWS playing that HFF role.

[FrediKanoute]

Wing/HF for mine. Agree though I have him as a tradeable player. Will interest a couple of teams that lack pace.

[bulldogtragic]

Wing/HF for mine. Agree though I have him as a tradeable player. Will interest a couple of teams that lack pace.

I just had a quick look at JJ vs Saad. They’re very similar career numbers. They could bank the top 10 pick for Saad and replace him with JJ for far less. Could be a smart move, so rule Dodoro out. Is JJ still best buds with Stringer?

[macca]

Last Friday vs gws, JJ lost his footing a few times and caused turn over . He was beaten in the air by Hill and then fell over running backwards . It was a terrible look and made him look like a diver. I just hope he does not have a tendency to just go to ground

He also got crunched in a kick in at 50 m arc in gws fwd line and spilled the ball over . It was a poor kick but he had to be a bit better defensively

[jeemak]

He's being judged really harshly because he's playing outside of his natural role for the benefit of the team. Same goes with Hunter.

Not saying he's not able to be criticised, but if he's playing forward and contributing like he did last week he's fine. And if we end up someone down in the back half we have a Norm Smith quality player ready to go back and fill the spot.

Our team has changed, we don't need every good player we have to dominate.

[jeemak]

Last Friday vs gws, JJ lost his footing a few times and caused turn over . He was beaten in the air by Hill and then fell over running backwards . It was a terrible look and made him look like a diver. I just hope he does not have a tendency to just go to ground

He also got crunched in a kick in at 50 m arc in gws fwd line and spilled the ball over . It was a poor kick but he had to be a bit better defensively

Three things out of how many he was involved in.....?

[The Bulldogs Bite]

He's being judged really harshly because he's playing outside of his natural role for the benefit of the team. Same goes with Hunter.

Not saying he's not able to be criticised, but if he's playing forward and contributing like he did last week he's fine. And if we end up someone down in the back half we have a Norm Smith quality player ready to go back and fill the spot.

Our team has changed, we don't need every good player we have to dominate.

This.

I've been riding JJ hard since about 2018 but when judging his performance in 2021, we need some context. He isn't playing as that running half back so he isn't going to be running/carrying the ball and taking ground.

I've seen more enthusiasm from JJ to do the team things i.e. running down Charlie Cameron/locking the ball in v Brisbane.

The question I have, is how can we best maximise his ability? Is it as as a newly created HFF who can get up to the wings then use his pace running back to goal? Does he have the forward craft for it? Or do we still see him as a HBF and we're just trying to expand his game at the moment?

If we could get the 2016 JJ back, we'd be more lethal than we are. Whilst he's contributing and doing fine at the moment, he was one of the most destructive players in the comp for a while. How do we get that JJ back?

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

This.

I've been riding JJ hard since about 2018 but when judging his performance in 2021, we need some context. He isn't playing as that running half back so he isn't going to be running/carrying the ball and taking ground.

I've seen more enthusiasm from JJ to do the team things i.e. running down Charlie Cameron/locking the ball in v Brisbane.

The question I have, is how can we best maximise his ability? Is it as as a newly created HFF who can get up to the wings then use his pace running back to goal? Does he have the forward craft for it? Or do we still see him as a HBF and we're just trying to expand his game at the moment?

If we could get the 2016 JJ back, we'd be more lethal than we are. Whilst he's contributing and doing fine at the moment, he was one of the most destructive players in the comp for a while. How do we get that JJ back?

JJ other than playing at half back has struggled to adjust further afield. He has effectively lost his defence role because of the good form of Bailey Dale, Duryea and Daniel. Is now finding it difficult to be in our best 22

[DOG GOD]

Dale has pretty much taken his running role. He HAS to reinvent or find himself playing VFL. Only way he’s getting back to the backline is if there’s injuries.

I’m still hopeful he can be a lethal wing/hhf. I like him running towards goal, breaking thru the 50 barrier, and kicking running goals, much like Treloar has brought to the club.

At the moment JJ is hanging by a thread, but surely he is more dangerous/valuable to the team than Scott/McNeil.

[bulldogtragic]

$600,000 a year.

2 kicks tonight. No marks.
6 kicks last week. 4 marks.
6 kicks the week before. 1 Mark.
5 kicks the week before that. No marks.

1.1 in four weeks forward.

I get sacrificing himself for the team. But can’t Roark or Hayes do similar?

[whythelongface]

Where does JJ fit in the team? I don’t think he fits into the team. Not sure what role he plays.

[1eyedog]

$600,000 a year.

2 kicks tonight. No marks.
6 kicks last week. 4 marks.
6 kicks the week before. 1 Mark.
5 kicks the week before that. No marks.

1.1 in four weeks forward.

I get sacrificing himself for the team. But can’t Roark or Hayes do similar?

Either would provide more. He played one ok game 4 weeks ago (maybe his comeback game), and was harping on in an article about how much he'd learnt being left out of the team and about how he'd found his mojo. And then the next four weeks happened.

[EasternWest]

Where does JJ fit in the team? I don’t think he fits into the team. Not sure what role he plays.

Finished.

[whythelongface]

Finished.

Sadly I think you are right

[bulldogtragic]

Finished.

Got another $600,000 next year here.

[DOG GOD]

I think the MC live in hope his glory days can come back, but sadly he’s a shadow of the player from 2016.
The only games he should play going forward are if Dale is injured.

[chef]

Fits in at Footscray

[macca]

He cannot play any other role than half back
He is a terrible mark
Does not hold his feet enough
And his reading of the play as a fwd is ordinary
Maybe on the wing ? But his tackling is probably not high enough intensity

[bornadog]

Being played out of position

[Rocket Science]

Perhaps Dodo might spy a cheap Saad replacement likely to create splashy headlines provided we foot 50%.

What a dismal fall from grace.

[Scraggers]

Being played out of position

100% agree he should be running it out from the backline. But (and this hurts to say coz I’m a big JJ fan) does he have a place in the half-backline with the likes of Crozier, Dale and Daniel. Can JJ play as a high backpocket??

[bornadog]

100% agree he should be running it out from the backline. But (and this hurts to say coz I’m a big JJ fan) does he have a place in the half-backline with the likes of Crozier, Dale and Daniel. Can JJ play as a high backpocket??

He should at least be on the wing

[soupman]

100% agree he should be running it out from the backline. But (and this hurts to say coz I’m a big JJ fan) does he have a place in the half-backline with the likes of Crozier, Dale and Daniel. Can JJ play as a high backpocket??

No he does not.

He is really competing with Dale and Daniel as our main ball movers. Duryea, Wood and Crozier are more the general defender type and not sure JJ is good enough defensively to be in that group, but i guess you could make it work.

He needs to be behind the ball so he can use his run o create space for himself. I'd be putting him back at Footscry and give him 3 weeks to run himself into form off halfback. He then needs to take his chance when one of those other guys misses a game, and hope Richards doesn't surpass him when he tries to do the same thing.

[SonofScray]

He’s finished. The dribblekick tonight was from a guy who doesn’t have anything left in his bag of tricks.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I've defended him earlier but tonight was bad. 5 possessions is a pitiful night.

It's a really significant fall from grace for a Norm Smith Medallist.

Not too sure where to from here.

[macca]

I've defended him earlier but tonight was bad. 5 possessions is a pitiful night.

It's a really significant fall from grace for a Norm Smith Medallist.

Not too sure where to from here.

5 possessions: 2 kicks, 3 handballs
zero marks
zero tackles

cmon JJ lift!

[EasternWest]

Being played out of position

Sure, but the backline has gone past him.

I know you can't do anything but defend Bulldogs players, and your loyalty is as always admirable, but it's past time that Johannisen was held to account.

If he can't play anywhere but the backline, and there's no spot for him there, then he can't play.

[comrade]

Worrying about JJ’s performance last night is like worrying about a door knob on the Titanic as it was going down.

The iceberg (our midfields soft underbelly) is what worries me.

[bulldogtragic]

Worrying about JJ’s performance last night is like worrying about a door knob on the Titanic as it was going down.

The iceberg (our midfields soft underbelly) is what worries me.

It would be nice to lock down the forward line and pressure teams into repeat entries to our forwards. JJ has had 6 tackles in a month. If he can’t use his speed and experience to lay more than 1.5 tackles a game then the ball can come out quicker and place more pressure on our mids. He’s not get anything like passable touches, marks, tackles or goals - as our small pressure forward type. Everyone of the 22 needs to perform for us to beat good sides. A $600,000 senior player should be much better than this, he should drive standards of performance. We can’t carry him any more. We need someone with speed willing to tackle, marks and kicks goals. That Jamarra at this stage. If JJ is the benchmark, Jamarra has him covered.

2020 JJ Averages:

Kicks - 7.0
Marks - 2.0
Goals - 0.2
Behinds - 0.2
Tackles - 1.5

[Mantis]

Worrying about JJ’s performance last night is like worrying about a door knob on the Titanic as it was going down.

The iceberg (our midfields soft underbelly) is what worries me.

Yeah, our mids got badly beaten in the 3rd qtr, but we probably had 8-10 players who didn’t really contribute at all of which JJ was one. A player of his standing in terms of experience and how he is compensated needs to do much more than what he’s showing and as such it’s time to try someone else.

[The bulldog tragician]

Worrying about JJ’s performance last night is like worrying about a door knob on the Titanic as it was going down.

The iceberg (our midfields soft underbelly) is what worries me.
I get what you’re saying but it IS the thread to discuss JJ’s place in the team. :)

[Testekill]

The kindest way of putting it is that he doesn't; Dale & Daniel have him covered as a distributer out of defence and for defensive efforts so he's not pushing either of them out, let alone with Williams due back after the bye. You'd think that a wing or as a high half forward would work for him but he's not willing to run hard enough or work hard enough to apply pressure.

We'd probably be better off playing Roarke Smith in his role, that's how bad JJ has been. We'd at least get some energy out there

[angelopetraglia]

So disappointed in JJ last night. Went missing. Shirked contests. Panicked with the ball in hand (the rare times he had it). He looks shot.

[EasternWest]

Worrying about JJ’s performance last night is like worrying about a door knob on the Titanic as it was going down.

The iceberg (our midfields soft underbelly) is what worries me.

You're right we should definitely only talk about what you think we should talk about.

[comrade]

You're right we should definitely only talk about what you think we should talk about.

Ok mate.

[EasternWest]

Ok mate.

Top response.

I'm amazed you don't think the performance of one of our highest paid senior player doesn't rate a mention.

[merantau]

JJ is a player in "no man's land" at the moment. I would leave him in the VFL to get his mojo back. He is a shadow of his former self and has shown very little since coming back in.

[MrMahatma]

Why is he playing fwd? Who would do a better job? What’s expected of him?

When VDM is fit, you’d say JJ is out.

Is McNeil really any better?

[bornadog]

Is McNeil really any better?

19 year old still learning - but has potential

[Sedat]

McNeil has forward instincts and also defensive pressure instincts. He's also very quick. He's by no means the finished article but he is a far better contributor in that specialised role than JJ has been and ever will be.

If JJ cannot demand selection as a rebounding half back or a two-way gut-running wingman, there isn't a spot for him in the senior team IMO. He clearly has the tools and the ability in either role but he is horribly out of form and bereft of confidence at the moment. He's not scrapheap material and will be important at some stage this season but not right now.

[Happy Days]

I don’t buy him being miscast as a forward. He’s played some excellent games as a forward in the past.

I really think his confidence has been wrecked ever since that Port game last year and he hasn’t mentally recovered.

[bulldogtragic]

I don’t buy him being miscast as a forward. He’s played some excellent games as a forward in the past.

I really think his confidence has been wrecked ever since that Port game last year and he hasn’t mentally recovered.

What happened?

[comrade]

McNeil has forward instincts and also defensive pressure instincts. He's also very quick. He's by no means the finished article but he is a far better contributor in that specialised role than JJ has been and ever will be.

If JJ cannot demand selection as a rebounding half back or a two-way gut-running wingman, there isn't a spot for him in the senior team IMO. He clearly has the tools and the ability in either role but he is horribly out of form and bereft of confidence at the moment. He's not scrapheap material and will be important at some stage this season but not right now.

JJ should be capable of playing that role Ed Langdon is playing at Melbourne, just streaming up and down the wings and keeping width to break through the zone. Mentally he’s no where near it.

[Sedat]

What happened?
A couple of howlers that cost goals in a tight game. They were poor errors when we had control of the ball.

I actually see some merit in HD's suggestion that this match has ruined his confidence. He was visibly shattered after that game.

[Cyberdoggie]

I don’t buy him being miscast as a forward. He’s played some excellent games as a forward in the past.

I really think his confidence has been wrecked ever since that Port game last year and he hasn’t mentally recovered.

If you look at his history he has been prone to ups and downs before.

Early on he just started to impress when he got smashed in a tackle against GWS in canberra i believe. Even after recovering it took him some time to get confidence back.

Seems to be a thing with him, although this latest form slump has been dragging on for a few years, basically ever since Caleb Daniel and Crozier took over the kick in duties, he looks out of place.

[Ozza]

JJ looks lost playing multiple roles at the moment.

For me, if he isn't getting selected as one of the 7 defenders, then you can't play him. Agree with the comments on the kick ins. I've been unsure why he hasn't been taking the kick outs over the past few years.

[AshMac]

Was it 2017 JJ was being lured to Freo? What would our compo have been?

[Ghost Dog]

Remind me why JJ is not playing half-back?

[Axe Man]

Remind me why JJ is not playing half-back?

Daniel, Williams, Dale, Duryea, Crozier, Wood.

[Ghost Dog]

Daniel, Williams, Dale, Duryea, Crozier, Wood.

Is he that much worse than Duryea?
If so, then trade?

[Axe Man]

Is he that much worse than Duryea?

He has Duryea for speed, and that's about it. Duryea has been doing a pretty good job on dangerous small forwards this year and is a far better defender than JJ. He is also a more reliable kick.

Daniel, Dale and Williams have all gone past JJ as rebounding defenders.

[1eyedog]

He has Duryea for speed, and that's about it. Duryea has been doing a pretty good job on dangerous small forwards this year and is a far better defender than JJ. He is also a more reliable kick.

Daniel, Dale and Williams have all gone past JJ as rebounding defenders.

Far superior decision maker.

[MrMahatma]

Far superior decision maker.

Who is?

[jeemak]

I haven't been as enamoured with Duryea as others have, to be honest. He's definitely a better one on one defender than JJ, though that's not to say he's offering much more than JJ could in the position.

With Williams out I think we're missing a bit of dash off the half back line and I think that's something JJ can help with providing his head is in it. He featured highly in our best and fairest two years and won a Norm Smith playing that role, and it's not as if he didn't have to defend then like he does now.

[SquirrelGrip]

With Williams out I think we're missing a bit of dash off the half back line and I think that's something JJ can help with providing his head is in it. He featured highly in our best and fairest two years and won a Norm Smith playing that role, and it's not as if he didn't have to defend then like he does now.

Williams and Dale are different to JJ in that they can also play as the third tall and are more competent in the air. Once Caleb sewed up half-back, that was really the end of JJ.

[EasternWest]

Who is?

Duryea without question.

[EasternWest]

Is he that much worse than Duryea?
If so, then trade?

It's not that he's worse than Duryea, it's that the role he plays has been taken by Dale, Daniel and Williams.

[1eyedog]

Who is?

Doc is