Three things you've learned Round twenty-three 2021 V Port Adelaide

[Twodogs]

One more time before the finals. Three things.

[GVGjr]

Bump

[EasternWest]

Imagine how screwed we'd be without our back six.
Bailey Smith needs a spell. But I didn't really just learn that.
Imagine if we had a Boak.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

1. Sack Beveridge. Bont in the ruck? You're a *!*!*!*!ing idiot.

2. Trade Smith.

3. 20 weeks in the top 4, don't finish top 4. Last time that happened it was Port who were only in the top 4 for 11 weeks. Disgraceful.

[bulldogtragic]

1. We blew it against Geelong and blown it against Port. Went from 1st to 5th in 12 days.

2. Bevo rucking Bonts, coaches his 5th Elim Final and has only won one so far.

3. Sam Power needs to land players of need and exiting others.

4. I’m beyond gutted.

[azabob]

1. Why do the players and Beveridge look shattered clearly they couldn’t give a crap
2. Why ruck Bont when English is five meters away?
3. Why do we continue to let Jack Macrae get away with faux defensive efforts?

[Mantis]

Imagine how screwed we'd be without our back six.
Bailey Smith needs a spell. But I didn't really just learn that.
Imagine if we had a Boak.

Not quite back 6.. maybe back 4 or 5.

And Ports bad finishing covered lots of cracks down there.

[PedroArvy]

1. I'd rather be in lockdown for a year than have to watch that game again.
2. We really missed Bruce.
3. I can't believe we are so brittle, from No 1 to this. Is it just the absence of a few players?

[KT31]

1. I'd rather be in lockdown for a year than have to watch that game again.
2. We really missed Bruce.
3. I can't believe we are so brittle, from No 1 to this. Is it just the absence of a few players?

Careful what you wish for PA, Premier Dan’s listening.;)

[Ozza]

1. Sack Beveridge. Bont in the ruck? You're a *!*!*!*!ing idiot.

2. Trade Smith.

3. 20 weeks in the top 4, don't finish top 4. Last time that happened it was Port who were only in the top 4 for 11 weeks. Disgraceful.

Our treatment of the ruck is so embarrassing....of course Bont shouldn't ruck....but it was sadly the one time in the game we looked a chance to win it, and scored a goal following one of his ruck contests!!

Very sadly, I didn't 'learn' anything tonight. Once I saw the selected team, I didn't think we'd win....but it was heartbreaking that it took until the death to actually lose it.

[Mantis]

Our treatment of the ruck is so embarrassing....of course Bont shouldn't ruck....but it was sadly the one time in the game we looked a chance to win it, and scored a goal following one of his ruck contests!!

Very sadly, I didn't 'learn' anything tonight. Once I saw the selected team, I didn't think we'd win....but it was heartbreaking that it took until the death to actually lose it.

Point 1 - Bont was ok in the ruck and was more physical and combative than English has ever been, but is getting jumped into by the oppositions ruck the best use of Marcus when we have a finals campaign starting next week… and he’s clearly gassed?

Pint 2 - Why is it so clear to all us mugs at home, but not to our coaches? The selection integrity over the past 3 weeks has been deplorable. Just stubborn beyond belief and I seriously hope Bains & Grant are going to review and make changes as we’ve blown up what was looking to be an amazing opportunity to win another flag.

[Ozza]

Point 1 - Bont was ok in the ruck and was more physical and combative than English has ever been, but is getting jumped into by the oppositions ruck the best use of Marcus when we have a finals campaign starting next week… and he’s clearly gassed?
Pint 2 - Why is it so clear to all us mugs at home, but not to our coaches? The selection integrity over the past 3 weeks has been deplorable. Just stubborn beyond belief and I seriously hope Bains & Grant are going to review and make changes as we’ve blown up what was looking to be an amazing opportunity to win another flag.

Point 1 - of course its appalling and sad that Bont was in the ruck, and that he was more combative that any of our rucks have been in the last 3 weeks. We just keep flogging the bloke.


Point 2 - And we have gone through this every year since the premiership. We have periods during the year, each year, where all of us "idiot supporters" know that we're up against it on 6:30pm on a Thursday night and most of the time that correlates with us losing. Beyond frustrating that we are pissing an opportunity up against the wall, and along the way we've been picking up some unenviable records in recent years (ie. missing the finals after a premiership, missing the top 4 after being top with 3 games to go.....and now potentially eyeing off worse if we lose next week.).
Sadly, we will all have a fair idea on Thursday if we are giving ourselves our best chance to win.

[comrade]

Sadly, we will all have a fair idea on Thursday if we are giving ourselves our best chance to win.

Interested to know what you’d need to see to feel comfortable that we’re really giving it our best chance?

[Ozza]

Interested to know what you’d need to see to feel comfortable that we’re really giving it our best chance?

It depends who we end up playing.
Generally we just pick a team that we (Bevo) wants to pick and completely disregard the weapons that the opposition have.

Opposition has a tall forward line and we either just ignore it, or Bevo picks a tall defender and then does the bait and switch and they inexplicably play forward. Opposition has two genuine ruckman (like, say Port or Hawthorn for instance) and we don't play one.

If it does end up being Essendon, then we actually match up ok with them, with Keath being back. We probably want it to be Essendon to be honest. I think we've left our run too late from a selection point of view - to tinker with roles such as Wood, the ruck debacle, and having another marking target forward (rather than ALL of VDM, JJ, Weightman). On the ruck front - really hard to bring in Stef or Sweet now - it had to be last week for Sweet or tonight for Stef - to have any level of expectations on them next week. We spent nearly every game for the year picking Scott in a variety on roles (including sub) and never really landed on something for him, and now he's out. We picked him 20 times!

[Dancin' Douggy]

Bont in the ruck to me is an instant monstrous flaw in whatever ‘plan’ we have. That situation alone is enough for me to turn up with a removal van and ask Bevo to pack up his office and give him a gold watch. I have had enough. I feel utterly gutted.

[GVGjr]

1 - We showed up with better intent but lost our way in patches of the game which cost us.
2 - The tolerance from supporters for having mids in the ruck is waning in a big way. It might have been reluctantly accepted a few years back but it's become evident that in most instances it doesn't work.
3 - Calls for sacking Bevo and trading Bailey Smith are a bit over the top. I get the frustration though.

[SquirrelGrip]

1. The lockdown stopping VFL footy has impacted us more than anyone. Unable to have long term injured players have game time and work their way back in has meant we’ve been forced to play guys before they were ready so that they had enough game time by the finals (Dunkley, Treloar, VDM) or just can’t play them because they have no prep (Gardner, Stef). Then others on the fringe can’t get any form to return (Lipinksi, JUH, Richards, McNeill, Wally, Crozier).
2. We missed a beat a few weeks ago moving Richards from HBF to wing. He would provide so much more than Easton out of the back half. EW’s final year of his contract would best benefit the club captaining Footscray and growing our young players.
3. I was wrong about Roarke. He offers a point of difference.

[DOG GOD]

1. Bailey Smith should begin 2022 at Footscray and not be seen til about round 5-6 if we have legitimate coaches
2. Band aids work until someone rips them off.
3. I think we might just beat Essendon to give us false hope, but then get blown away the following game.
4. We don’t deserve to be in the top 4. We are so far off Geel, Melb and Port in general consensus.

[AshMac]

1. We win games when we either get our free flowing fast handballing game on, or our intense pressure take no prisoners game. Both of those have been absent the last 3 weeks and we look miles off it coming back

2. Player didn’t want to contest last night. Multiple moments of the ball hitting the deck and players expecting a team mate to go in. No intensity with tackling - they just cut straight through us

3. There is no comparison now with the team on top of the ladder. I’m sure intense restrictions for 4 days before the game didn’t help - but the spark isn’t there and the players look exhausted

—————————————

Couple of comments

Roarke Smiths best game, I think he has gotten better each outing this year and shows promise

Watching Bevo furious in the coaches box was frustrating when the only change we seemed to make was a premium mid into the ruck role

[SquirrelGrip]

Has Josh Dunkley had a smother since Coming back from injury?

[Grantysghost]

1. Libba is the barometer. Other teams have woken up to it.
2. We don't know how to protect tagged mids. Felt like Libba wasnt part of a team at all.
3. Bevo needs new ideas from a new senior assistant.

[SonofScray]

1. I am now steadfast in my belief that Bevo is not the man for us anymore. The absolute hubris attached to his ruck philosophy is a Greek tragedy. War time hero, blessed with gifts loses it all on one blind spot and subsequent sunk costs. I called for his sacking early, half heartedly in 2017 and genuinely, early in 2018. When he was extended I put my knives away, suspiciously accepted that we’d seen a shift this year with the recruitment of Martin and introduction of Cerebus the Three Headed Monster, but injuries opened the door for him to revert to type. Like the irresistible Siren song, his bat shit selections and ruck strategy that has failed us time and again could not be held at bay. And here we are. Most likely facing an Elimination final loss to Essendon.

I don’t have a Greek mythological reference point for brothers in arms falling apart and ending up on opposite sides of the battle field, but perhaps Stringer is like the spurned hunchback from 300 about to open the flood gates for hordes of mouth breathing Essendon folk to end our stubborn effort. I could probably massage an Achilles/Troy effort on these lines, but I haven’t had breakfast yet. Point being, I have learned that this is bloody horrific and we are on the wrong side of myths and legends at the moment.


2. I am resentful of how things have panned out post flag and though I thought that I had put it to bed, with this group now, I am only ever a few minutes of bad footy away from going ape shit. Three elements to that I suspect:

a) Lost sight in my left eye last year and have been anxious about going blind, a prick of a friend made a joke that I’ll never see us win another flag again around that time (before he knew about my health issue at least) but it’s made me very impatient.

b) The history repeating component of the flags that wagged. Players falling out, stuff ups etc. I don’t want my daughter’s story of following the dogs to be that of my parents, see a flag at a very young age and then wait your whole life to see another one with your adult children and grandchild. It was a glorious feeling, to break the Drought and I am grateful for it, but I just want this story to be different. I am worried it won’t be.

c) Our flag was one of the best efforts seen in Australian sport. Our efforts post flag have given credibility to the bullshit narrative that has been developed around us, free kick bulldogs, fluke, bye assisted etc. The footy world is trying to take that away from us and while the result wil never fade, the feeling of being there will never fade, we have let that happen without even a threat of shoving it back down people’s throats.

3. The club, players and staff are operating in the pandemic too, it’s a tough time which amplifies my reactions and mood. I am certain it is impacting them too, so I am happy to squish points 1 and 2 to the far recesses of my mind and appreciate their effort and intent. None of them woke up a month ago and said, I can’t wait to drive a dagger into the heart of our fans here. Just want them to have the rewards for their best footy, which is as good as you’ll ever see.

[EasternWest]

1. I am now steadfast in my belief that Bevo is not the man for us anymore. The absolute hubris attached to his ruck philosophy is a Greek tragedy. War time hero, blessed with gifts loses it all on one blind spot and subsequent sunk costs. I called for his sacking early, half heartedly in 2017 and genuinely, early in 2018. When he was extended I put my knives away, suspiciously accepted that we’d seen a shift this year with the recruitment of Martin and introduction of Cerebus the Three Headed Monster, but injuries opened the door for him to revert to type. Like the irresistible Siren song, his bat shit selections and ruck strategy that has failed us time and again could not be held at bay. And here we are. Most likely facing an Elimination final loss to Essendon.

I don’t have a Greek mythological reference point for brothers in arms falling apart and ending up on opposite sides of the battle field, but perhaps Stringer is like the spurned hunchback from 300 about to open the flood gates for hordes of mouth breathing Essendon folk to end our stubborn effort. I could probably massage an Achilles/Troy effort on these lines, but I haven’t had breakfast yet. Point being, I have learned that this is bloody horrific and we are on the wrong side of myths and legends at the moment.


2. I am resentful of how things have panned out post flag and though I thought that I had put it to bed, with this group now, I am only ever a few minutes of bad footy away from going ape shit. Three elements to that I suspect:

a) Lost sight in my left eye last year and have been anxious about going blind, a prick of a friend made a joke that I’ll never see us win another flag again around that time (before he knew about my health issue at least) but it’s made me very impatient.

b) The history repeating component of the flags that wagged. Players falling out, stuff ups etc. I don’t want my daughter’s story of following the dogs to be that of my parents, see a flag at a very young age and then wait your whole life to see another one with your adult children and grandchild. It was a glorious feeling, to break the Drought and I am grateful for it, but I just want this story to be different. I am worried it won’t be.

c) Our flag was one of the best efforts seen in Australian sport. Our efforts post flag have given credibility to the bullshit narrative that has been developed around us, free kick bulldogs, fluke, bye assisted etc. The footy world is trying to take that away from us and while the result wil never fade, the feeling of being there will never fade, we have let that happen without even a threat of shoving it back down people’s throats.

3. The club, players and staff are operating in the pandemic too, it’s a tough time which amplifies my reactions and mood. I am certain it is impacting them too, so I am happy to squish points 1 and 2 to the far recesses of my mind and appreciate their effort and intent. None of them woke up a month ago and said, I can’t wait to drive a dagger into the heart of our fans here. Just want them to have the rewards for their best footy, which is as good as you’ll ever see.

Love the passion SOS. I hope you're doing alright mate.

[bulldogtragic]

1. I am now steadfast in my belief that Bevo is not the man for us anymore. The absolute hubris attached to his ruck philosophy is a Greek tragedy. War time hero, blessed with gifts loses it all on one blind spot and subsequent sunk costs. I called for his sacking early, half heartedly in 2017 and genuinely, early in 2018. When he was extended I put my knives away, suspiciously accepted that we’d seen a shift this year with the recruitment of Martin and introduction of Cerebus the Three Headed Monster, but injuries opened the door for him to revert to type. Like the irresistible Siren song, his bat shit selections and ruck strategy that has failed us time and again could not be held at bay. And here we are. Most likely facing an Elimination final loss to Essendon.

I don’t have a Greek mythological reference point for brothers in arms falling apart and ending up on opposite sides of the battle field, but perhaps Stringer is like the spurned hunchback from 300 about to open the flood gates for hordes of mouth breathing Essendon folk to end our stubborn effort. I could probably massage an Achilles/Troy effort on these lines, but I haven’t had breakfast yet. Point being, I have learned that this is bloody horrific and we are on the wrong side of myths and legends at the moment.


2. I am resentful of how things have panned out post flag and though I thought that I had put it to bed, with this group now, I am only ever a few minutes of bad footy away from going ape shit. Three elements to that I suspect:

a) Lost sight in my left eye last year and have been anxious about going blind, a prick of a friend made a joke that I’ll never see us win another flag again around that time (before he knew about my health issue at least) but it’s made me very impatient.

b) The history repeating component of the flags that wagged. Players falling out, stuff ups etc. I don’t want my daughter’s story of following the dogs to be that of my parents, see a flag at a very young age and then wait your whole life to see another one with your adult children and grandchild. It was a glorious feeling, to break the Drought and I am grateful for it, but I just want this story to be different. I am worried it won’t be.

c) Our flag was one of the best efforts seen in Australian sport. Our efforts post flag have given credibility to the bullshit narrative that has been developed around us, free kick bulldogs, fluke, bye assisted etc. The footy world is trying to take that away from us and while the result wil never fade, the feeling of being there will never fade, we have let that happen without even a threat of shoving it back down people’s throats.

3. The club, players and staff are operating in the pandemic too, it’s a tough time which amplifies my reactions and mood. I am certain it is impacting them too, so I am happy to squish points 1 and 2 to the far recesses of my mind and appreciate their effort and intent. None of them woke up a month ago and said, I can’t wait to drive a dagger into the heart of our fans here. Just want them to have the rewards for their best footy, which is as good as you’ll ever see.

Great post SOStradamus. Hope things go well for you mate.

[bornadog]

1. Bevo was clever to try and come up with a new tactic with the rucks and it almost paid off with Tim in the goal square. No choice when Martin is injured.

2. Bont and Libba well down makes a big difference to how we go.

3. Need a plan when teams decide to play tempo footy, especially with the worst rule ever in play ie stand stand stand.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

1. Bevo was clever to try and come up with a new tactic with the rucks and it almost paid off with Tim in the goal square. No choice when Martin is injured.

2. Bont and Libba well down makes a big difference to how we go.

3. Need a plan when teams decide to play tempo footy, especially with the worst rule ever in play ie stand stand stand.

Surely you're not actually serious?

Hannan v Lycett/Ladhams was clever? Bont rucking late in the game while English stood 10m away was clever? Not sure I've seen English shark too many ground balls and kick them over his head.

[bornadog]

Surely you're not actually serious?

Hannan v Lycett/Ladhams was clever? Bont rucking late in the game while English stood 10m away was clever? Not sure I've seen English shark too many ground balls and kick them over his head.

I am talking about Playing Young as the key ruck and English in the goal square - no one thought of that (except MJP). How many times did Bont go in the ruck? Wasn't a big deal and didn't effect the outcome of the game.

[Mantis]

I am talking about Playing Young as the key ruck and English in the goal square - no one thought of that (except MJP). How many times did Bont go in the ruck? Wasn't a big deal and didn't effect the outcome of the game.

All hail mjp!

Not gloating (well maybe I am) but I posted the same thing. It was an obvious move given how poorly English was going as a ruckman.

[bornadog]

All hail mjp!

Not gloating (well maybe I am) but I posted the same thing. It was an obvious move given how poorly English was going as a ruckman.

Sorry Mantis, I forgot you said the same.

[westbulldog]

Having watched the last 1/4 of Eagles v Brisbane.... Brisbane simply gifted top 4 by home crowd decisions.

[bornadog]

Having watched the last 1/4 of Eagles v Brisbane.... Brisbane simply gifted top 4 by home crowd decisions.

Some incredible free kicks

[Danjul]

I am talking about Playing Young as the key ruck and English in the goal square - no one thought of that (except MJP). How many times did Bont go in the ruck? Wasn't a big deal and didn't effect the outcome of the game.

I thought it did in the last couple of minutes. We should have had English hitting the ball to Bont in the clear. English is the experienced ruckman.

[Scorlibo]

1. The Bont's form this season has been a big part of the reason for us doing well, but his form these past two weeks has been in equal part damaging to our season. His big game player status has taken a huge hit.

2. Our midfield isn't actually that good. It's very difficult to argue otherwise, at least. All who played were first-choice mids, Dunkley and Treloar each played multiple games in the lead up so you can't pin it on match practice. Bont and Libba (though I love them) are prone to going missing for huge chunks of games. Macrae is not consistently damaging, has recently been fumbling the ball. Treloar misses tackles. Baz overruns the ball, misses handballs more often than not. They're all consistently inconsistent in various ways. How could they possibly be a functional midfield if none of them know what to expect from each other? Hunter is the only one offering predictability to his teammates.

3. Alex Keath is our most important player.

[Dry Rot]

1. JJ has no place in the team. Drop him for Scott or McNeil. I was at the Swans game post GF when he shat the bed and he has been stuffed ever since.

2. We have very few true forwards, with forward craft and instincts: Bruce (long term injury); Weightman and JUH. Maybe Hannan, but not a great one.

The rest are not forwards, we have been forced to play them there.

3. English. I don't his true position. He's not really a ruckman, and plays forward because we lack lots of tall forwards. And yes, he is really tall and can clunk a mark. Has little forward craft or instincts, like Naughton. And little aggression.