Ok? so what?s your best 22 for week 1 of finals?

[Go_Dogs]

I promise I?m not putting the moz on us by asking.

Interested in how you think we?d best line up. I know we may change a few things subject to opponent etc. but all things being equal, who makes it, who doesn?t, who do / don?t you trust or who do you want to give some finals experience to?

I?ve been thinking about it and currently have the following:

B: Gardner, Jones, Richards
HB: Dale, JOD, JJ
C: Williams, Libba, Poulter
HF: Smith, Naughton, Macrae
F: Weightman, Lobb, Marra
R: English, Bont, Treloar
I/C: Daniel, Duryea, Scott, VDM, West

I really liked our run with only 2 key defenders on Friday, but think we?ll likely play 3 and from a TOG and rotations perspective probably prefer that on balance. Gardner is still my next cab off the rank for key defenders.

Richards, Dale, JJ, Duryea and VDM is a group I like in the back half. Enough pace, ability in the air, toughness to cover most forward lines and create.

Williams and Poulter have locked down the wings IMO and are our safest bets.

Smith, Macrae and Daniel to play those high forward, extra mid, type of roles. Whatever they are called.

Three key forwards I think is now set with form starting to take shape at the right time, with Weightman the medium sized forward.

West, Scott able to play forward and plug other holes too.

The core midfield will remain as it has most of the year, however happy to throw some different looks throughout the game.

[bulldogtragic]

This is going to come back hard.

[MrMahatma]

Oh no…

[jeemak]

I promise I?m not putting the moz on us by asking.

Interested in how you think we?d best line up. I know we may change a few things subject to opponent etc. but all things being equal, who makes it, who doesn?t, who do / don?t you trust or who do you want to give some finals experience to?

I?ve been thinking about it and currently have the following:

B: Gardner, Jones, Richards
HB: Dale, JOD, JJ
C: Williams, Libba, Poulter
HF: Smith, Naughton, Macrae
F: Weightman, Lobb, Marra
R: English, Bont, Treloar
I/C: Daniel, Duryea, Scott, VDM, West

I really liked our run with only 2 key defenders on Friday, but think we?ll likely play 3 and from a TOG and rotations perspective probably prefer that on balance. Gardner is still my next cab off the rank for key defenders.

Richards, Dale, JJ, Duryea and VDM is a group I like in the back half. Enough pace, ability in the air, toughness to cover most forward lines and create.

Williams and Poulter have locked down the wings IMO and are our safest bets.

Smith, Macrae and Daniel to play those high forward, extra mid, type of roles. Whatever they are called.

Three key forwards I think is now set with form starting to take shape at the right time, with Weightman the medium sized forward.

West, Scott able to play forward and plug other holes too.

The core midfield will remain as it has most of the year, however happy to throw some different looks throughout the game.

Good post.....possibly a bit early.....but good post and sound reasoning.

Without Prejudice:


It's hard to know whether we'll go defensive by JJ starting on the bench and Duryea in the starting eighteen. Poulter has been a good pick up to this point, having him and Baker fight it out has added a bit of depth which we needed in the wing position.

Anyway, this is what I'd do:

B: Gardner, Jones, Duryea
HB: Dale, Keath, Richards
C: Williams, Libba, Daniel
HF: Smith, Naughton, Macrae
F: Weightman, Lobb, Marra
R: English, Bont, Treloar
I/C: Poulter, JJ, Scott, VDM, West

Daniel has one of the best tanks going around - well at least for our guys. He's proved us all wrong in not being tall enough in most positions but he's never been tried as a true winger. I think it's time to give him a go at that - outside of Williams it might be a case of the obvious answer staring us in the face.

As a winger I mean he just plays wing. Run up and down the ground, keep to his side, use the angles to get it forward. Sometimes a guy getting kicks up and down the ground and dominating a side of the ground works out.

We're going to need all three of our talls in defence to play out of their skins. Continuity is king in there and it's really down to whether Gardner or JOD gets in for me, because no matter how frustrating Keath can be he's actually pretty safe compared to the other two - even coughing up a goal a week.

The front half speaks for itself.

[Go_Dogs]

Thanks Jee for putting it on the line.

Keath for JOD the one difference between our 23’s. could well be the case as he has been a preferred player all year. I have some reservations on his durability in-game and also his decision making / getting the basics right. Personally I remain comfortable with JOD ahead (at this stage) however understand the pull towards a more experienced player for finals.

[ledge]

Could you have at least waited until after the Hawks game before posting this!
We love throwing away games that matter .

[bulldogtragic]

I hope this thread isn’t “the moment” this week.

[Danny the snakeman]

Kath and Kim post, look at me look at me.

[bulldogtragic]

This is going to come back hard.

Yep…

[bulldogtragic]

Dunkley, Hunter, Cordy, Lipinski, Ward & Young maybe. Schache outside chance. Definitely in the mix.

[1eyedog]

This aged well.

[Grantysghost]

This aged well.

We are still there.

Might come down to Swans v Demons in the last round.

[bulldogtragic]

We are still there.

Might come down to Swans v Demons in the last round.

It’s up there with getting served with an intervention order and divorce papers and thinking maybe by the time court comes you now ex will change their minds.

It’s over.

[Grantysghost]

It’s up there with getting served with an intervention order and divorce papers and thinking maybe by the time court comes you now ex will change their minds.

It’s over.

We've only had two home finals under Bevo if my memory serves.

Crows 15
Dons 21(although in tas).

So 1 in Vic.

Giants don't want our spot getting smashed

[bulldogtragic]

We've only had two home finals under Bevo if my memory serves.

Crows 15
Dons 21(although in tas).

So 1 in Vic.

Giants don't want our spot getting smashed

Never top 4 either.

We had our many chances this year. We blew ‘‘em all. It was ours to lose and we boy did we choke some horrible losses.

[Grantysghost]

Never top 4 either.

We had our many chances this year. We blew ‘‘em all. It was ours to lose and we boy did we choke some horrible losses.

I don't think we've hit any great heights all year.

We get some false dawns, then reality.

[bulldogtragic]

I don't think we've hit any great heights all year.

We get some false dawns, then reality.

We led 3-6 goals vs GCS, SYD, GWS, PORT & HAWKS. Then lost them ALL.

That’s shithouse and unacceptable. Win these games from winning positions and I think we’d be feeling a bit better about this fragile, untrustworthy playing group and coach.

[DOG GOD]

I did a ladder predictor. If all goes to plan, we will sit 8th going into last round.
Win we should make 8
Lose, we will probably still be in the 8 after our game.

However, all it takes is syd to beat Melb OR gws to beat Carlton and we are out.

We have to beat WC first ofcourse ;)

[DOG GOD]

We led 3-6 goals vs GCS, SYD, GWS, PORT & HAWKS. Then lost them ALL.

That’s shithouse and unacceptable. Win these games from winning positions and I think we’d be feeling a bit better about this fragile, untrustworthy playing group and coach.

Our players as a group are mentally weak. Have been since 2016.

[Grantysghost]

I did a ladder predictor. If all goes to plan, we will sit 8th going into last round.
Win we should make 8
Lose, we will probably still be in the 8 after our game.

However, all it takes is syd to beat Melb OR gws to beat Carlton and we are out.

We have to beat WC first ofcourse ;)

We are in DG :)

I'll need to pick a team

[angelopetraglia]

We led 3-6 goals vs GCS, SYD, GWS, PORT & HAWKS. Then lost them ALL.

That?s shithouse and unacceptable. Win these games from winning positions and I think we?d be feeling a bit better about this fragile, untrustworthy playing group and coach.

This has been the story of the season. It is the good old fashioned thing you learn when you start playing this game in Under 10s. It is a four quarter game boys. We need a consistent effort and not let up for the entire game. Don't drop the intensity for a quarter and all the other cliches.

We just lack the ability to concentrate and put in a sustained effort for four quarters. It is just absolute basics. You can blame the coaches. You can blame lots of things. But the players have been in winning positions for almost every single game after round #2 and we have just not got the job done. Simple as that.

We have not lost a single game by more than 22 points since round #2. We have been in every single game. There is a lot of positives in that. There is a lot of negatives in that when you consider how many games we have dropped where we have had leads.

[bulldogtragic]

This has been the story of the season. It is the good old fashioned thing you learn when you start playing this game in Under 10s. It is a four quarter game boys. We need a consistent effort and not let up for the entire game. Don't drop the intensity for a quarter and all the other cliches.

We just lack the ability to concentrate and put in a sustained effort for four quarters. It is just absolute basics. You can blame the coaches. You can blame lots of things. But the players have been in winning positions for almost every single game after round #2 and we have just not got the job done. Simple as that.

We have not lost a single game by more than 22 points since round #2. We have been in every single game. There is a lot of positives in that. There is a lot of negatives in that when you consider how many games we have dropped where we have had leads.

If you spend the first two days only just missing your putts, you still don’t get to make the cut.

Not being super shit isn’t much of a silver lining to me, when that wraps around choking/losing from the front all year.

[angelopetraglia]

If you spend the first two days only just missing your putts, you still don’t get to make the cut.

Not being super shit isn’t much of a silver lining to me, when that wraps around choking/losing from the front all year.

Yes. Not disputing any of that. Probably my point. We are good enough, we just can't hold the three foot puts when we need to. Drive for show. Putt for dough.

[bulldogtragic]

Yes. Not disputing any of that. Probably my point. We are good enough, we just can't hold the three foot puts when we need to. Drive for show. Putt for dough.

Time to get a new caddy.

[EasternWest]

Dunkley, Hunter, Cordy, Lipinski, Ward & Young maybe. Schache outside chance. Definitely in the mix.

Don't forget Vez. He's still a chance to come good.

[bulldogtragic]

Don't forget Vez. He's still a chance to come good.

Just needs a chance and some luck.

[bulldogtragic]

This thread will go down in WOOF folklore.

[MrMahatma]

Close it.

[macca]

We won’t make the finals after todays effort to the WC

[Go_Dogs]

This thread will go down in WOOF folklore.

I meant in 2024 BT.