Dockers V Bulldogs - Round 7, 27/4/24 Optus Stadium, Perth 7:30PM AEST

[angelopetraglia]

Caleb Serong breaks the Fremantle all time record for clearances. Surely that doesn't happen if Libba plays.

[JanLorMill]

And while potting Khamis for struggling at the level is fine, who ya got in relief?

Our list depth in critical roles like the one he's been shoehorned into is putrid.
Busslinger or cleary.

[angelopetraglia]

And while potting Khamis for struggling at the level is fine, who ya got in relief?

Our list depth in critical roles like the one he's been shoehorned into is putrid.

The cupboard is bare. Keath and Gardner if fit, would compete better.

[bornadog]

And while potting Khamis for struggling at the level is fine, who ya got in relief?

Our list depth in critical roles like the one he's been shoehorned into is putrid.

Yes I was worried about the CHB role from preseason reports. Keath is cooked, Gardner struggling, JOD inexperienced as is Buku, Buss hasn't played a game yet

[angelopetraglia]

Fyfe had not had 37 touches since 2019. We have knack for playing people into form.

[Grantysghost]

And while potting Khamis for struggling at the level is fine, who ya got in relief?

Our list depth in critical roles like the one he's been shoehorned into is putrid.
Add to that we pretty much tripped over and found Jones and JOD so our defensive planning has been pretty diabolical.

Currently a VFL forward, a kid no one wanted, and a guy who sat out 18 months and was a risk (one thats paid off).

[JanLorMill]

West a chance to be suspended?

[Rocket Science]

Busslinger or cleary.

Yes but I'm concerned replacing the guy we delisted last year with guys who've played zero and five games respectively may not be the master stroke it seems.

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-Without the clearances going in our favour we were haning in there and we had enough momentum to get over the top, but we had two or three critical moments where we lost the handle on it

-the most dissapointing thing in the end was in an arm wreste, ultimatley we need to measure ourselves against these moments

[Rocket Science]

The cupboard is bare. Keath and Gardner if fit, would compete better.

Look we all know Gardner tries but it'd be more helpful if every contest didn't pan out like a football was the last thing he was expecting to see.

And that Buku's been favoured over a very rickety Keath tells you how much faith the MC has in the latter.

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-It was another one that got away from us as far as the close ones go

-Libba came across healthy and sometime between dinner and going to be bed last night he got ill

-The 22 was unchanged from last week, Caleb went into the sub role, Garica would have been the sub

-They got well on top in the midfield battle

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-It is not all doom and gloom, we gave ourselves a chance

-Cody will need to have another look at that shoulder, we may need to take a long term view at this injury, he is a tough bugger Cody, he has worked through it in the past, he has stayed out there which has been remarkable in the past

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Bevo

-It was another one that got away from us as far as the close ones go

-Libba came across healthy and sometime between dinner and going to be bed last night he got ill

-The 22 was unchanged from last week, Caleb went into the sub role, Garica would have been the sub

-They got well on top in the midfield battle

Garcia as sub?

Crikey. Just play the kid and play him as a mid.

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-That third quarter we had some chances and squandered a few

-The momentum in the last quarter, we were coming, in hostile territory, we had a twinkle in an our eye that we were coming over the top, even though they were on top in the game, we came at them and had a chance to come over the top, it is just the margin in the end

-We pressed hard late to force the issue very late and they got us over the top

-But they deserved to win

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-We need to continue to look optimisitc this week and into the future and forge a new identity

-We didn't help ourselves as we didn't get the win tonight, but we will learn from that and not just our younger players

-We will prepare well and look forward to the Hawks game

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-Darcy lunges at everything. He has a lot of courage. There was some exciting moments in the game from him.

-Both teams fell over a lot, but it happens everywhere, it happens at Marvel

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-Did you weigh up doing anything with Fyfe and Serong doing so well? We did something. You may not have noticed. When Caleb came on we sent him to Serong and he curbed his influence for periods (Bevo laughs), in the third quarter we got some dividends from that and Caleb was quite diligent in the task. But you can't shut them all down. But ultimately it stemmed from some coughs up from close and some outside hits they could chain from, but before your know it they have not had one but two and three posessions in a row. But their midfield was strong, but we didn't win that battle tonight.

[angelopetraglia]

Bevo

-We hope that Marra will be available next week. He trained this morning and trained strongly. He is likely to come into the team.

[angelopetraglia]

Richards attended more centre bounces than any other player on the ground. He had one centre clearance and 23 touches. Only his second week as a mid. Still learning. Get it. But we were destroyed in there tonight.

But are we robbing Peter to pay Paul? I like we are trying something different. But he is one of leading defensive interceptors in the last 12 months in the entire league and probably prevents some of those easy contested marks we conceded tonight.

[The bulldog tragician]

A lot of pile on for Buku. He is raw and yep he had a shocker. But Freo had a clear and well executed plan to isolate him and exploit his inexperience. He has played just 17 matches, remember.

Our defence as a group weren’t cohesive. He didn’t get the usual support and was one out far too often with Duryea strangely invisible. Freo played through him. JOD is a long way off it too at present.

It was depressing to see how much space Freo were able to create in their forward line compared to ours. We constantly bombed. It’s our default when under pressure. It’s a sign of Darcy’s talent that he was pack markng against his own teammates.

Gee our recruiting in has been very average too. lobb has been a bust and Harmes looks like going the same way even at this early stage. Bramble and Baker are honest triers and that’s about what you can expect from them.

[Mantis]

Garcia as sub?

Crikey. Just play the kid and play him as a mid.

Bevo loves to back in the same players who have let us down consistently over the journey.

He?s loyal if nothing else.

[Mantis]

Richards attended more centre bounces than any other player on the ground. He had one centre clearance and 23 touches. Only his second week as a mid. Still learning. Get it. But we were destroyed in there tonight.

But are we robbing Peter to pay Paul? I like we are trying something different. But he is one of leading defensive interceptors in the last 12 months in the entire league and probably prevents some of those easy contested marks we conceded tonight.

Agree with that.

If Richards plays as a defender and Garcia as the mid we probably win the game.

[JanLorMill]

Yes but I'm concerned replacing the guy we delisted last year with guys who've played zero and five games respectively may not be the master stroke it seems.
You asked who can replace Khamis. On last night?s effort either could do just as well. We are developing not contending.

[SonofScray]

Yes I was worried about the CHB role from preseason reports. Keath is cooked, Gardner struggling, JOD inexperienced as is Buku, Buss hasn't played a game yet

Just have to wear it for a bit. Inexperience in key defensive posts gets torched. Khamis probably mismanaged in that he hasn?t been developed for the task earlier. JOD it?s all about minutes against their best now. Medium to long term I think both will go well in the role and Buss wouldn?t be too far behind once he gets going.

[Hotdog60]

One thing I've noticed and I don't know if it's a case of having so many talls is the fact that players up the field when under a little pressure will bomb it long for an easy out. There was a case last night Lobb had lead up the middle and I forget who had the ball but it was an easy 30/40 metre pass to Lobb on his own instead sent the long one into Naughton covered by two.
We also hang onto the ball to long going forward which I suppose is the case our forwards go too far up the ground.
Our forward line always looks more congested than just about any team in the league.
I have my doubts on Spangher.

[angelopetraglia]

Bramble. 18 touches. 6 Turnovers (most on the ground). That just kills you. Every third time he gets it, he hands it back to the opposition.

[G-Mo77]

Bramble. 18 touches. 6 Turnovers (most on the ground). That just kills you. Every third time he gets it, he hands it back to the opposition.

There is a reason why he was delisted but we've managed to make him a best 22. Another list clogger.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Bevo loves to back in the same players who have let us down consistently over the journey.

He?s loyal if nothing else.

It's decisions like this that make me think he needs to go.

Our mid group is desperate for something different. Names on a paper don't win games of footy. Garcia has everything we lack - pace and defensive intent. He has dominated VFL as a mid. We bring him in and want to play him as a HFF and then sub...

I'll be filthy if he leaves and goes on to become a solid and regular player elsewhere.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Bramble. 18 touches. 6 Turnovers (most on the ground). That just kills you. Every third time he gets it, he hands it back to the opposition.

Should have been dropped weeks ago.

This isn't even his biggest flaw.

He has no physicality to his game. He can't defend and he can't tackle.

[bulldogtragic]

Should have been dropped weeks ago.

This isn't even his biggest flaw.

He has no physicality to his game. He can't defend and he can't tackle.

He’s a defensive Hannan. Not happening for 3 years.

[merantau]

It was obvious from the off that we looked slow and moved the ball slowly. We were off the pace and played catch up for the entire game until they got out of reach in the last four minutes.

I thought the effort was there most of the time but it has to be there ALL THE TIME because minus Libba, Cody Jamarra and Bailey Smith we are down on quality players.

Missed tackles and poor decisions killed us. What was Cody doing flying for that mark when Lobb was in position to go for it. That is NOT his role.

Major problem. We simply cannot kick goals at the psychological moment. Bont? He mixed the brilliant with the abysmal. Treloar in the third missed two snaps in quick succession then Garcia hit the post. English missed two set shots at important junctures. You just cannot do that and not expect to be burnt.

Finally, they always seemed to have acres of space. Why? Is man up not part of the game plan? It was sickening to see them sashay the ball out of defence after a behind. It got worse as the
game progressed

I really needed a win last night as I fell off a ladder about 5.00 pm onto concrete, ripped the skin from elbow to wrist and have a very sore elbow.I am currently in Emergency waiting to be X-rayed.
A win last night would have been just the tonic I needed.

But hey, look on the bright side. I could have fractured my skull - or worse. I count my blessings every day. I have led a charmed life and it's not over yet! Go Dogs!

[EasternWest]

Ladders. Unbelievably unassuming killers. I'm glad your injuries aren't as bad as they could have been!

[Go_Dogs]

Should have been dropped weeks ago.

This isn't even his biggest flaw.

He has no physicality to his game. He can't defend and he can't tackle.

He’s a handball receive player who should really be occupying a wing spot if he’s in our best 22 or a good option to be used as a sub given his pace and ability to cover a few roles. There are plenty of decent outside players where physicality isn’t a strength - we don’t need everyone to be elite in this area - however he needs to be elite with ball in hand and generating run and overlap, along with closing down space and applying pressure.

[angelopetraglia]

He’s a handball receive player who should really be occupying a wing spot if he’s in our best 22 or a good option to be used as a sub given his pace and ability to cover a few roles. There are plenty of decent outside players where physicality isn’t a strength - we don’t need everyone to be elite in this area - however he needs to be elite with ball in hand and generating run and overlap, along with closing down space and applying pressure.

Agree. But he is far from elite by foot. He turned the ball over six times last night. There is a reason he didn't make it at Hawthorn.

[Go_Dogs]

Agree. But he is far from elite by foot. He turned the ball over six times last night. There is a reason he didn't make it at Hawthorn.

I haven’t found his field kicking to be too bad on balance but last night wasn’t a good one. I wonder if he’s trying to bite off more than he should to add some dare on instruction or if it’s just his decision making combined with inconsistent execution. I haven’t really got a good handle on him to be honest but if he can’t do what I said I think he needs to be doing, then we should be prioritising someone else.

[merantau]

Aĺl good mate. No fracture. Arm in sling for a while. Good result. Cheers.

[azabob]

Aĺl good mate. No fracture. Arm in sling for a while. Good result. Cheers.

More clues please.

[jazzadogs]

It was obvious from the off that we looked slow and moved the ball slowly. We were off the pace and played catch up for the entire game until they got out of reach in the last four minutes.

I thought the effort was there most of the time but it has to be there ALL THE TIME because minus Libba, Cody Jamarra and Bailey Smith we are down on quality players.

Missed tackles and poor decisions killed us. What was Cody doing flying for that mark when Lobb was in position to go for it. That is NOT his role.

Major problem. We simply cannot kick goals at the psychological moment. Bont? He mixed the brilliant with the abysmal. Treloar in the third missed two snaps in quick succession then Garcia hit the post. English missed two set shots at important junctures. You just cannot do that and not expect to be burnt.

Finally, they always seemed to have acres of space. Why? Is man up not part of the game plan? It was sickening to see them sashay the ball out of defence after a behind. It got worse as the
game progressed

I really needed a win last night as I fell off a ladder about 5.00 pm onto concrete, ripped the skin from elbow to wrist and have a very sore elbow.I am currently in Emergency waiting to be X-rayed.
A win last night would have been just the tonic I needed.

But hey, look on the bright side. I could have fractured my skull - or worse. I count my blessings every day. I have led a charmed life and it's not over yet! Go Dogs!

You and Cody Weightman can do rehab together.

Get well Merantau!

[josie]

Speedy recovery Merantau.

[Bullies]

I have been a vocal critic of the decision to recruit Harmes, and yet again he shows that he is EXACTLY what we knew we were getting. He's been washed since 2021.

I wonder if somebody will make the same mistake with Caleb and Macrae... Our List Management team obviously don't watch any VFL. Harmes was in the VFL the second half of last year and was dreadful. I watch a bit of VFL and was astounded we signed him. I first thought we sigend him for the Foostcray VFL team. Someone must be held accountable for this fraud.

[bornadog]

AFLCA Champion Player of the Year votes
Round 7 v Fremantle


9 – Caleb Serong
9 – Nat Fyfe
5 – Bailey Dale
3 – Andrew Brayshaw
3 – James Aish
1 – Liam Jones

[merantau]

You and Cody Weightman can do rehab together.

Get well Merantau!

Thanks. And thanks for the belly laugh!

[merantau]

More clues please.

See above for source of your confusion.

[merantau]

Speedy recovery Merantau.

Thanks Josie. I am rocketing along with the rehab. Should be 100% recovered in another week.