Effort

[bornadog]

Over the years there have been odd comments on WOOF about player effort during a match and even this season it was brought up by MJP and GVGjr. I know MJP has commented on effort a lot over the years. It is an interesting topic and one worth discussing.

If you go back to 2016, the men of mayhem was all about putting in that extra effort to get to the next contest.
Guys like Dahl were incredible pushing themselves from one contest to another. I don't think Dahl had many great skills but what made him back then was his effort. Same can be said about Libba Senior for those that saw him. However, it was not sustainable for the 2016 team. The motivation, the willingness, the effort is hard to sustain.

Then you get guys like Schache, Lew Young, who look lethargic and seemingly don't put that extra effort in. L Young was very disappointing last Thursday when he should have killed the ball when Lynch marked and goaled to level the scores. He stood back and did a half hearted attempt, instead of throwing himself into the pack.

I switched on AFL360 the other day flicking channels (I don't really watch it), but it was at the moment Lachie Neale was talking about Brisbane's loss. He said that he was very disappointed with his own game and he felt that the effort wasn't there. His energy levels were down and he hopes to turn that around.

So, can effort be taught through motivation by the coach to get that extra effort?

How do players maintain that energy level, like Neale?

Do we have players that you see, really put that effort in and do everything to get their hands on the ball?

Should recruitment be looking out for these type of players, or just skills get you through so doesn't matter.

Is effort something the on field leaders can show and lead others to lift?

[Mofra]

Adding a young kid to the squad?
Some players (e.g. Weightman) just "bring their own energy" too.

Who of last week's team does that? Richards perhaps?

[lemmon]

I think the other thing that's missing from the mix, and goes hand-in-hand with effort, is aggression.

The side we put out in round 1 felt too nice. Pickett went outside the rules of the game, but even putting aside his hit on Smith, his game was full of aggression at the ball and at the man. He's the kind of guy that you'd absolutely hate playing against because you know you're in for a war and he's going to thrive on that. I can't think of anyone in our side who brings that to their play, outside of Libba.

Compared that to the side we put out in 2016 - Clay Smith was a terrier, Jake Stringer hit to hurt and let you know about it, Libba was Libba, Picken went as hard as anyone - the side was filtered with guys who brought hostility to their game.

[GVGjr]

I think the other thing that's missing from the mix, and goes hand-in-hand with effort, is aggression.

The side we put out in round 1 felt too nice. Pickett went outside the rules of the game, but even putting aside his hit on Smith, his game was full of aggression at the ball and at the man. He's the kind of guy that you'd absolutely hate playing against because you know you're in for a war and he's going to thrive on that. I can't think of anyone in our side who brings that to their play, outside of Libba.

Compared that to the side we put out in 2016 - Clay Smith was a terrier, Jake Stringer hit to hurt and let you know about it, Libba was Libba, Picken went as hard as anyone - the side was filtered with guys who brought hostility to their game.

There is something in that. Nothing lifts the effort of players is defending a team mate that is getting under the opposition and they're targeting.
Sometimes just starting a push and shove melee can lift the work rate of team mates.

[bulldogtragic]

Wall of Biggs too?

I?d like to see Arty, Clarke & Weightman in with the three talls when fit and in form. There?s an excitement and energy that feeds into others like Marra and Darcy, and let Naughty be the big dog for the pups. Excitement has been infectious since Bevo got here. Time to find it again. Young pups on a mission together did hope will at least bring the effort, and set the tone.

Plus, natural forwards playing as forwards.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Wall of Biggs too?

I?d like to see Arty, Clarke & Weightman in with the three talls when fit and in form. There?s an excitement and energy that feeds into others like Marra and Darcy, and let Naughty be the big dog for the pups. Excitement has been infectious since Bevo got here. Time to find it again. Young pups on a mission together did hope will at least bring the effort, and set the tone.

Plus, natural forwards playing as forwards.

Agree with this.

The side looks a little stale and from the outside looking in we just haven't recovered our energy or spirit to the levels needed since that GF loss.

I mentioned it in another thread but I think much of it is personnel based. Adding players who BRING energy (Arty, Weightman, Clarke) is part of the solution, but we're hamstrung given those three are either injured or very raw.

[1eyedog]

Whenever I think of effort I think there needs to be a reason why the effort needs to be made. Coaches can talk about Premierships, playing for your team mates, playing for the jumper, or break it down to 4pts etc. but for many (all) players football is first and foremost a living, and I'm sure there are many players in the AFL who do enough each week to get picked but perhaps only run at 90-95% effort. I believe it's that 5-10% that matters. I'm purely speculating though.

How as a coaching group do you squeeze that extra 5-10% of effort out of a player when it doesn't come naturally? I don't know the answer to this because I'm not smart enough but I believe it has to come from a bigger picture and it needs to come from the head coach. But you also need strong leaders. I think that extra effort comes from a buy in principle that the head coach needs to drive. He / she needs to form a whole bunch of different individual relationships with support staff and players, create an environment with clear on-field and off-field rules / guidelines and make each and every member of the club feel valuable and be held accountable for their actions. He / she needs to create a product and then ask his / her players to help him / her sell it. That's a good starting point. I'm sure that all clubs strive to do this but I just think there is no one size that fits all and that's why we get relatively high coach turnovers in the AFL. It's something that coaches need to 'crack'.

Having players naturally disposed to a strong work ethic helps. I think it's impossible to put together an entire team of highly skilled players with a strong work ethic but you don't need to, you just need enough key players who are prepared to buy in and do it to make that 5-10% of difference. Others will always follow.

[bulldogtragic]

Agree with this.

The side looks a little stale and from the outside looking in we just haven't recovered our energy or spirit to the levels needed since that GF loss.

I mentioned it in another thread but I think much of it is personnel based. Adding players who BRING energy (Arty, Weightman, Clarke) is part of the solution, but we're hamstrung given those three are either injured or very raw.

But we are also playing defenders and mids as forwards to little effect, so I don’t see us losing much. Seeing 17 players rush guys kicking their first goals is a Good reminder of things. Clarke will have have haters from the get go from opposition, and love from our supporters. Let him create some ‘us and them’ with his in your face brand of forward pocket. Let’s see what happens?

[bornadog]

Whenever I think of effort I think there needs to be a reason why the effort needs to be made. Coaches can talk about Premierships, playing for your team mates, playing for the jumper, or break it down to 4pts etc. but for many (all) players football is first and foremost a living, and I'm sure there are many players in the AFL who do enough each week to get picked but perhaps only run at 90-95% effort. I believe it's that 5-10% that matters. I'm purely speculating though.

How as a coaching group do you squeeze that extra 5-10% of effort out of a player when it doesn't come naturally? I don't know the answer to this because I'm not smart enough but I believe it has to come from a bigger picture and it needs to come from the head coach. I think that extra effort comes from a buy in principle that the head coach needs to drive. He / she needs to form a whole bunch of different individual relationships with support staff and players, create an environment with clear on-field and off-field rules / guidelines and make each and every member of the club feel valuable and be held accountable for their actions. He / she needs to create a product and then ask his / her players to help him / her sell it. That's a good starting point. I'm sure that all clubs strive to do this but I just think there is no one size that fits all and that's why we get relatively high coach turnovers in the AFL. It's something that coaches need to 'crack'.

Having players naturally disposed to a strong work ethic helps. I think it's impossible to put together an entire team of highly skilled players with a strong work ethic but you don't need to, you just need enough key players who are prepared to buy in and do it to make that 5-10% of difference. Others will always follow.

Totally agree with this.

A good example is one I mentioned more than ten years ago.

My daughter was part of the Kayak Club at her school. When she joined up with two friends, they soon made an impact. They were only 13 years old and the older girls were very stale and just muddling along. Their enthusiasm and want to be winners was infectious and suddenly the older girls thought - we won't be beaten by these up starts. The whole club followed and soon they were winning many races.

We need the club leaders, and the young upstarts as mentioned by other posters to inject that enthusiasm and make it happen.

Bring back the three amigos.

[bornadog]

Jake Stringer hit to hurt

Can't agree with this. Stringer does not like body contact.

[Grantysghost]

Feel like the team - especially the midfield looks a bit stale and habitual.

As Mofra said I'd love to see some fresh players going through there like Garcia and West and even Daniel.

Considering they are such an important driver of performance I see this as one of our biggest issues currently and an area that could really lift effort by example.

Have we still got a good reason why West and Mclean weren't in the side?

[bornadog]

Feel like the team - especially the midfield looks a bit stale and habitual.

As Mofra said I'd love to see some fresh players going through there like Garcia and West and even Daniel.

Considering they are such an important driver of performance I see this as one of our biggest issues currently and an area that could really lift effort by example.

Have we still got a good reason why West and Mclean weren't in the side?

I would like to see Smith and Libba play the bad boys - play on the edge. Smith has it in him, we have seen him before get aggro.

[EasternWest]

Over the years there have been odd comments on WOOF about player effort during a match and even this season it was brought up by MJP and GVGjr. I know MJP has commented on effort a lot over the years. It is an interesting topic and one worth discussing.

If you go back to 2016, the men of mayhem was all about putting in that extra effort to get to the next contest.
Guys like Dahl were incredible pushing themselves from one contest to another. I don't think Dahl had many great skills but what made him back then was his effort. Same can be said about Libba Senior for those that saw him. However, it was not sustainable for the 2016 team. The motivation, the willingness, the effort is hard to sustain.

Then you get guys like Schache, Lew Young, who look lethargic and seemingly don't put that extra effort in. L Young was very disappointing last Thursday when he should have killed the ball when Lynch marked and goaled to level the scores. He stood back and did a half hearted attempt, instead of throwing himself into the pack.

I switched on AFL360 the other day flicking channels (I don't really watch it), but it was at the moment Lachie Neale was talking about Brisbane's loss. He said that he was very disappointed with his own game and he felt that the effort wasn't there. His energy levels were down and he hopes to turn that around.

So, can effort be taught through motivation by the coach to get that extra effort?

How do players maintain that energy level, like Neale?

Do we have players that you see, really put that effort in and do everything to get their hands on the ball?

Should recruitment be looking out for these type of players, or just skills get you through so doesn't matter.

Is effort something the on field leaders can show and lead others to lift?

It's a great post, but I'd add to it (and it's been said by plenty before) is that outside of Libba I don't think we have any enforcers in our current team. Nobody that makes their teammates walk taller in their presence.

[bornadog]

It's a great post, but I'd add to it (and it's been said by plenty before) is that outside of Libba I don't think we have any enforcers in our current team. Nobody that makes their teammates walk taller in their presence.

Whilst that is true, the post is more about players putting in effort from one contest to another, for the whole game.

[mjp]

I will maintain forever that what is acceptable in terms of effort is determined by the players.

Pushing up to the oppo ball carrier is hard - and pushing up to 'replace' your mate who has pushed up to the oppo ball carrier is even harder....and pushing up to replace your mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to the oppo ball carrier is even harder. And sliding from the fatside to replace your mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to pressure the oppo ball carrier is harder still...

But you have to do it instinctively and - importantly - with intent. If you go through the motions and leave that 3m cushion then the whole deck of cards collapses...and out the back / over the top they go and an easy goal is the result.

But the players need to be demanding this of one another. Feedback from the coaches about who is doing what and whose 'fault' it is? Seriously, no-one cares...no-one. What matters is being made to feel like your efforts to work are being supported/rewarded by your on-field mates...and being desperate not to let them down. Coaches set strategy and help to 'guide' culture...but the nuts and bolts of how a team works together comes from the players and there is genuinely only so much Bevo (in this case) can do.

It's the whole "you can present the material but you can't make me care" element of being in a team that can be such a challenge for coaches...the leadership group (or whoever the leaders are whether they are in a formal 'group' or not) need to be driving this stuff...

[bornadog]

I will maintain forever that what is acceptable in terms of effort is determined by the players.

Pushing up to the oppo ball carrier is hard - and pushing up to 'replace' your mate who has pushed up to the oppo ball carrier is even harder....and pushing up to replace your mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to the oppo ball carrier is even harder. And sliding from the fatside to replace your mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to pressure the oppo ball carrier is harder still...

But you have to do it instinctively and - importantly - with intent. If you go through the motions and leave that 3m cushion then the whole deck of cards collapses...and out the back / over the top they go and an easy goal is the result.

But the players need to be demanding this of one another. Feedback from the coaches about who is doing what and whose 'fault' it is? Seriously, no-one cares...no-one. What matters is being made to feel like your efforts to work are being supported/rewarded by your on-field mates...and being desperate not to let them down. Coaches set strategy and help to 'guide' culture...but the nuts and bolts of how a team works together comes from the players and there is genuinely only so much Bevo (in this case) can do.

It's the whole "you can present the material but you can't make me care" element of being in a team that can be such a challenge for coaches...the leadership group (or whoever the leaders are whether they are in a formal 'group' or not) need to be driving this stuff...

Lachie Neal admitting he didn't put in the effort and taking personal responsibility was refreshing to hear.

[Bulldog4life]

Lachie Neal admitting he didn't put in the effort and taking personal responsibility was refreshing to hear.

Did he say why he didn't put in the effort? That is the key to it.

[The bulldog tragician]

I have always felt effort has to go hand in hand with a compelling story and narrative from the coach. A reason to take that extra step, to run when you don t think you can, to feel you were part of something unique and special. That was where Bevo was brilliant in 2015-2016 with a why not us story which almost embraced our history of disappointment. Watching those finals again recently the levels of desperation and commitment were astounding, and surely why not us was the reason the team found something extra after losing the lead and facing another chapter of our finals failures.

Last year he began the season with stories about our team becoming revolutionaries, drawing on the spirit of Che Guevara etc. The team lost to Melb in round one in a mirror image of our GF defeat, Bevo engaged in a silly, embarrassing and unnecessary battle with a journo, and the revolutionary theme was never mentioned again.

[Mantis]

If effort is defined by Jack Macrae trying to stop Petracca from busting through a tackle then it was piss poor.

Seriously... my 7yo tackles with more vigour.

[mjp]

I have always felt effort has to go hand in hand with a compelling story and narrative from the coach.

Not as meaningful as a 'Thanks mate' and a pat on the back from your team-mate.

I DO agree that if there is a narrative then that narrative should be consistent and the example you use from 2022 is compelling...again though, that is all cream on the cake stuff...

Remember, the players don't 'belong' to the coach - rather (in 2023 more than ever), the players ALLOW the coach to coach them. And you have to earn that right every day.

[The bulldog tragician]

Not as meaningful as a 'Thanks mate' and a pat on the back from your team-mate.

I DO agree that if there is a narrative then that narrative should be consistent and the example you use from 2022 is compelling...again though, that is all cream on the cake stuff...

Remember, the players don't 'belong' to the coach - rather (in 2023 more than ever), the players ALLOW the coach to coach them. And you have to earn that right every day.

Does that mean we would have won a flag with BMac (genuine question)? Do coaches harvest/bring to the fore something that’s already there?

[Grantysghost]

I will maintain forever that what is acceptable in terms of effort is determined by the players.

Pushing up to the oppo ball carrier is hard - and pushing up to 'replace' your mate who has pushed up to the oppo ball carrier is even harder....and pushing up to replace your mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to the oppo ball carrier is even harder. And sliding from the fatside to replace your mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to replace your other mate who has pushed up to pressure the oppo ball carrier is harder still...

But you have to do it instinctively and - importantly - with intent. If you go through the motions and leave that 3m cushion then the whole deck of cards collapses...and out the back / over the top they go and an easy goal is the result.

But the players need to be demanding this of one another. Feedback from the coaches about who is doing what and whose 'fault' it is? Seriously, no-one cares...no-one. What matters is being made to feel like your efforts to work are being supported/rewarded by your on-field mates...and being desperate not to let them down. Coaches set strategy and help to 'guide' culture...but the nuts and bolts of how a team works together comes from the players and there is genuinely only so much Bevo (in this case) can do.

It's the whole "you can present the material but you can't make me care" element of being in a team that can be such a challenge for coaches...the leadership group (or whoever the leaders are whether they are in a formal 'group' or not) need to be driving this stuff...

So true. That's what I mean by being a little bit stale. Do Bont and Macrae still work as hard for each other as they did in 2016? Or have they become stale. They really do not inspire as leaders on the field IMO.

We need players who play on the edge and drive others to be better. Think Boyd, think Clay Smith etc..

I'm not sure if Bevo likes to recruit nice people only and that's part of our problem? I can't answer that however we really do seem to like good citizens first over other personality traits. (which is ok).

For me guys like West, Garcia, Smith, Weightman, Vandermeer have that edge I like. They may not be as talented, but man they aren't going to die wondering.

I'd like to see more of these guys getting time over JJ, Duryea, Hannan etc.

Garcia and West as the small forwards gives me more confidence than Hannan and JJ.

Lets play the kids.

[bornadog]

Did he say why he didn't put in the effort? That is the key to it.

He said he didn't seem to have the energy levels.

[Rocco Jones]

I find our lack of 'effort' so hard to judge.

How much is work rate? How much is not sacrificing aspects of your game for the team (whilst still working 'hard' in terms of individual performance? How much is structural/tactical? How much is Bevo not getting them up/'buy in'?

A guy who stands out in our team to me is Ed Richards. He is worth more than the sum of his parts guy. Killing it in a specific role that adds value to the side. So different to basically every player we have.

[Bulldog4life]

He said he didn't seem to have the energy levels.

Thanks BAD.

[bornadog]

So true. That's what I mean by being a little bit stale. Do Bont and Macrae still work as hard for each other as they did in 2016? Or have they become stale. They really do not inspire as leaders on the field IMO.

We need players who play on the edge and drive others to be better. Think Boyd, think Clay Smith etc..

I'm not sure if Bevo likes to recruit nice people only and that's part of our problem? I can't answer that however we really do seem to like good citizens first over other personality traits. (which is ok).

For me guys like West, Garcia, Smith, Weightman, Vandermeer have that edge I like. They may not be as talented, but man they aren't going to die wondering.

I'd like to see more of these guys getting time over JJ, Duryea, Hannan etc.

Garcia and West as the small forwards gives me more confidence than Hannan and JJ.

Lets play the kids.

Don't agree with your comments re Bont not being a leader. When you see him out there, you can see his work rate is incredible. He leads by example.

[Grantysghost]

Don't agree with your comments re Bont not being a leader. When you see him out there, you can see his work rate is incredible. He leads by example.

I don't know, he's been out there for those massive run ons so not sure if that's setting much of an example.

He's not been the same since the GF from an output point of view.

Hopefully just injuries, although our team was broken because of Dunks and Hunter so I'm not sure anymore what's true.

Leadership to me is sensing the game situation, calling a play to mitigate damage and influencing the team to instruct them to carry it out.

Haven't seen enough of it personally.

Also he's the greatest player ever so there's that.

I'm backing him to have a yuuuuge game this week.

[Rocket Science]

Can't help but wonder whether being exalted as the best midfield going 'round for half your career is particularly helpful when you're inevitably tapped on the shoulder and asked to play a more selfless game for the greater good.

[mjp]

If effort is defined by Jack Macrae trying to stop Petracca from busting through a tackle then it was piss poor.


I don't like the 7yo reference because, well - tackling a 7 yo vs tackling possibly the best player in the AFL are not really related to each other in any way...but OF COURSE broken tackles are a great measure of effort and a stat used by coaches everywhere to assess whether your teams effort is in the green zone or the red zone.

Most sides have a series of indicators for effort just like they do for game-plan...broken tackles, tackle per oppo possession, loose ball gets, 2v1 contests (both for as a positive and against as a negative) are all things that go into that 'bucket'.

Here's the key point though. With that tackle - there is NOTHING that the coaches can do about it. If Jack was a repeat offender with this sort of thing, sure - they can leave him out...but that doesn't help on game-day. I'm pretty sure Jack doesn't feel great about that particular contest and will have a point to prove with his tackling this weekend - but is there anything anyone really wanted/expected Bevo to actually DO about it in the moment??

[SonofScray]

I don’t know about effort. I don’t see it as an issue for this squad, we’d have to settle on some mechanisms and measurements, but my eye tells me that we put in as much as the next team.

If it was as simple as try harder, I reckon there’d be 18 premiers every year.

But I suspect we could broaden the definition and pick out where we aren’t getting the required buy in, or there is a clear break down in expectations and execution.

I’d have thought a psychological mastermind and supreme motivator like Bevo wouldn’t have trouble on this front.

[mjp]

Does that mean we would have won a flag with BMac (genuine question)? Do coaches harvest/bring to the fore something that’s already there?

Well...for me, it goes like this. Coaches coach, players play. But there's (of course) a massive interdependence.

Coach - Brings plans, strategies, leadership around 'all things'.
Players - Bring adherence to the plan, a willingness to 'follow', a sense of 'TEAM'.

- This is all simplistic crap of course.

If the coach doesn't bring a suitable plan (aka a plan not suitable for the players) then the side can't be successful. So I would suggest on that basis alone, we could not have won the flag under B-Mac. Players also need to collectively BUY IN to the plan and hold one another accountable for so doing. The coach(es) are also responsible for putting the players into situations from which they can be successful!

Team dynamics are hard at the best of times and every company out there is battling with them...the difference in a footy environment of course is that the belief of the 'team' in the vision of the leaders (and their adherence to that vision and the behaviours associated with it) is challenged on live tv every week...

[GVGjr]

Here's the key point though. With that tackle - there is NOTHING that the coaches can do about it. If Jack was a repeat offender with this sort of thing, sure - they can leave him out...but that doesn't help on game-day. I'm pretty sure Jack doesn't feel great about that particular contest and will have a point to prove with his tackling this weekend - but is there anything anyone really wanted/expected Bevo to actually DO about it in the moment??

Clubs collect a lot of vision and even our training sessions often have 2 cherry pickers up in the air with a couple of people in each of them recording the session. How much time during the week do you think might be dedicated to reviewing match day or training vision pointing out when players are in the wrong spot or where their effort might not have measured up?
Or would they focus more on the positives throughout the game with some general comments about missed opportunities thrown in?

Regarding leaving a player out and how that impacts game day I still believe if the player is reluctant to make the changes coaches expect them to then this is really the only option to spark the player into a rethink.

I was surprised the other day when one of our assistants were laying out some yellow cones and threw a slightly discolored one back. The reason he gave is that if gave instructions for the players to run outside of the yellow cones it wasn't worth the argument with those who would want to point out that that cone isn't quite yellow. If all true it gives the indication that some are difficult to work with.

[mjp]

Clubs collect a lot of vision and even our training sessions often have 2 cherry pickers up in the air with a couple of people in each of them recording the session. How much time during the week do you think might be dedicated to reviewing match day or training vision pointing out when players are in the wrong spot or where their effort might not have measured up?
Or would they focus more on the positives throughout the game with some general comments about missed opportunities thrown in?

Regarding leaving a player out and how that impacts game day I still believe if the player is reluctant to make the changes coaches expect them to then this is really the only option to spark the player into a rethink.

I was surprised the other day when one of our assistants were laying out some yellow cones and threw a slightly discolored one back. The reason he gave is that if gave instructions for the players to run outside of the yellow cones it wasn't worth the argument with those who would want to point out that that cone isn't quite yellow. If all true it gives the indication that some are difficult to work with.

The coaches will 100% rewatch training after it's done - looking to assess the drills, the players and cut vision to show...you have to provide feedback of some sort and - as you identified with the 'colour of the cones' story, in 2023 players simply aren't going to say "yeah, I remember that passage of play where I received it from Johnno....". They are going to say - "I don't remember getting the ball from Johnno - are you saying I should have given the first option handball to Smithy after that? I don't remember...".

10 years ago everyone remembered. Now no-one remembers. It is just one of the many way people have changed.

With the cones, I used to have a picture on my wall of Freo doing pre-season training and every player had their foot going over a line except for one - former WAFL star (Claremont) Ian Richardson who kicked millions of goals at State level and somehow never got his way onto a list...I used to keep it up there to remind me and everyone who saw it not to take short cuts. As I have gotten older I have realised that maybe he was the only smart one out there and if noone was going to challenge him he should do whatever he wanted....

Or something.

[SonofScray]

I was surprised the other day when one of our assistants were laying out some yellow cones and threw a slightly discolored one back. The reason he gave is that if gave instructions for the players to run outside of the yellow cones it wasn't worth the argument with those who would want to point out that that cone isn't quite yellow. If all true it gives the indication that some are difficult to work with.
That doesn’t sound good at all if that’s the attitude from both parties.

[GVGjr]

That doesn’t sound good at all if that’s the attitude from both parties.

Who knows if it was just a joke but for whatever reason it intrigued me. They have 4 or 5 sets of different colored cones and this one still looked yellow to me but not perfectly yellow like the ones he grabbed. He threw it back much like a fisherman might with an undersized catch. I'd have a low tolerance if a player wanted to nitpick with me over exactly what color it was and would probably see if a week at Footscray would sharpen his vision going forward but I guess it's a young persons world now :).

[Grantysghost]

Who knows if it was just a joke but for whatever reason it intrigued me. They have 4 or 5 sets of different colored cones and this one still looked yellow to me but not perfectly yellow like the ones he grabbed. He threw it back much like a fisherman might with an undersized catch. I'd have a low tolerance if a player wanted to nitpick with me over exactly what color it was and would probably see if a week at Footscray would sharpen his vision going forward but I guess it's a young persons world now :).

Bailey Smith would’ve noticed that for sure.

[SonofScray]

Perhaps the cone was bleached by the glare from the gaffers new chompers.

[merantau]

Effort is something that has to start early in a person's development. There has to be a desire to be the best you can possibly be and a willingness to put in the effort to reach that goal.

We share our house with a former Karen refugee couple and their two Aussie born sons. The older boy is 4 1/2 years. He's been developing his skills for two years and he loves it. For the last 3 weeks we've taken him down to the local oval for a kick. All he wants to do is join in training with the U/12s but we won't let him because, although he's big for his age, he's still small compared to 10 and 11 year old.

Anyway, last night one of the Dad's was having a kick after training with his son and 4 or 5 other kids so we asked him if the little fella could join in. "Yeah, no problem."

Well he was right into it. For 30 minutes he chased every ball, went for every pack mark even though he had no hope against the bigger kids. But when the ball hit the ground he was in and under, lightning quick and he got his share of kicks and took a great slips catch mark.

The point I'm making is that he never gave up, he never stopped running, he never stopped trying. His Dad has instilled that in him from the outset. He loves riding his bike and running. He went on a 12km bike ride when he had just turned 4. He has incredible stamina for a kid and eats man sized meals.

His Dad had a very tough childhood and fled Burma when he was just 15 to avoid being dragooned into the Burmese Army. He knows that if you want to get something out of life you have to work hard and he is making sure his son takes this life lesson on board.

Oh, need I mention the family are rusted on Bulldogs supporters!

[macca]

I was going to do a time breakdown of the great tackles, 1% and repeat efforts in the 2016 grand final run, but I couldn't be bothered in putting the effort....

...........I was only kidding .

I have too much passion for this team to give up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaUzjl7R738

@3.36 great tackle
@3.50 dickson tackle and second effort
@4.41 hard running from backline by Clay smith
@5.05 team putting in effort to put forward pressure, dickson again with amazing agility to keep in touch with the ball
@6.20 team effort goal to keep possession on the wing

@10.05 1st goal of GF , Cody great tackle

@11.50 Smother by Moz on Kennedy, then repeat effort. Kennedy was on fire up until that moment.
@12.45 Key Moz smother on Franklin, and then second effort tackle on Franklin when ball spills free, Doggies scope and Boyd kicks the winning goal that broke the swans. MCClean Riding on the back of Boyd

[bornadog]

Effort is something that has to start early in a person's development. There has to be a desire to be the best you can possibly be and a willingness to put in the effort to reach that goal.

We share our house with a former Karen refugee couple and their two Aussie born sons. The older boy is 4 1/2 years. He's been developing his skills for two years and he loves it. For the last 3 weeks we've taken him down to the local oval for a kick. All he wants to do is join in training with the U/12s but we won't let him because, although he's big for his age, he's still small compared to 10 and 11 year old.

Anyway, last night one of the Dad's was having a kick after training with his son and 4 or 5 other kids so we asked him if the little fella could join in. "Yeah, no problem."

Well he was right into it. For 30 minutes he chased every ball, went for every pack mark even though he had no hope against the bigger kids. But when the ball hit the ground he was in and under, lightning quick and he got his share of kicks and took a great slips catch mark.

The point I'm making is that he never gave up, he never stopped running, he never stopped trying. His Dad has instilled that in him from the outset. He loves riding his bike and running. He went on a 12km bike ride when he had just turned 4. He has incredible stamina for a kid and eats man sized meals.

His Dad had a very tough childhood and fled Burma when he was just 15 to avoid being dragooned into the Burmese Army. He knows that if you want to get something out of life you have to work hard and he is making sure his son takes this life lesson on board.

Oh, need I mention the family are rusted on Bulldogs supporters!

Great story

[azabob]

No effort tonight.

[Jeanette54]

No effort tonight.

I suspect (with the exception of Bont who tried desperately to lift the team) they will put more effort into fronting up to the pay office to collect and lift their fat pay packets, than they did in last night's game.

If you can't be winners I suggest you should at least appear to be good blokes, and gift your unearned gains to some worthy charity.

[jazzadogs]

An interesting gauge of our effort

Last night
Average speed in attack:
Bulldogs 9.0km/hr
Saints 8.3km/hr

Average speed in defence
Bulldogs 8.0
Saints 9.2

Total sprints
Dogs 229
Saints 288

For comparison, from yesterday (attack/defence)
Pies 6.9/8.3
Port 8.5/7.0

And last week
Port 7.1/7.7
Lions 7.6/6.6

We were lazy, particularly in defensive transition, and got outworked. Average speed in attack of 9.0 shows its not necessarily genuine pace - it's desire and effort.