Where to from here?

[GVGjr]

Our form is down but we are still well placed so is it simply a time to regroup or should we be hiting the panic button?

What can be done to get us back on track?

What changes do you think will be made for next week?

[Go_Dogs]

Our form is down but we are still well placed so is it simply a time to regroup or should we be hiting the panic button?

What can be done to get us back on track?

What changes do you think will be made for next week?

We can still regroup and do Ok I think. Nothing drastic really needs to change, we just need to get back to basics. Contested ball, hard tackling and pressure, kicking to the space of leading forwards. We know we can do it.

Changes for next week? In: Williams, Out: Everitt.

If one of Callan or Higgins get up, I'd think we should rest a player like Aker who is struggling a bit with injury concerns.

[LostDoggy]

we can't really move on the ladder, give aker, jono and the coon a week off

[The Underdog]

Canberra...
Seriously though folks there is something afoot. The midfield intensity has dropped off markedly. Our decision making going into the forward 50 has been awful and our lack of forward movement and quick leading (Murphy aside) has contributed to this. Cooney is in and out of games, Griffen is lucky to hit a target and Akermanis hasn't played a decent game since the handstand. I actually think our backline was good today but got NO help from upfield after half time. Lake was good on Fev when the ball was coming in with pressure on, but he can't do much when Judd and Stevens are delivering it lace out on a platter. I just hope it isn't a deeper division in the ranks.

[Stevo]

Any chance we have dropped out of form in the coaches box as well? Today's effort didn't appear to be the most complete of plans. We shut down Waite after he run amok for the first quarter but we also didn't do much to curb Judd or Stevens. Just a thought but I know there is a tendency to solely blame the players but we might need to start looking a bit deeper.

[Rocket Science]

Agreed wholeheartedly re: Lake on Fevola...our boy rendered Fev a virtual non-factor for almost three quarters before the midfield floodgates opened.

Would be delighted to welcome Williams back at Everitt's expense, but it's anyones guess how bad the re-injury is.

Resting blokes aside (Aker, etc), appears we'll likely need a replacement for Addison...Callan would make sense if he's fit, but failing that who's next in line?...Ward?...or would his VFL form prohibit...or give Wighty or Tiller another crack on the merry-go-round perhaps?

Re: the cockroach...will be interesting to see if the non-tag on Judd prompts media talk and/or comment from Rocket this week.

[GVGjr]

Any chance we have dropped out of form in the coaches box as well? Today's effort didn't appear to be the most complete of plans. We shut down Waite after he run amok for the first quarter but we also didn't do much to curb Judd or Stevens. Just a thought but I know there is a tendency to solely blame the players but we might need to start looking a bit deeper.

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn't do a lot to stop him.

[whythelongface]

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn't do a lot to stop him.

According to some that was part of the game plan today.

[BulldogBelle]

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn;t do a lot to stop him.

Yes, I thought the same - the Blues midfield just ran amok, some of the coaching moves or lack thereof left me shaking my head a few times. Let's hope things turn around quick smart.

[The Underdog]

Fair point and question. Was anyone else surprised by the fact that the strong Blues midfield had an almost free run of things? Judd was very damaging today and we didn't do a lot to stop him.

Do we have anyone who is capable of stopping him though? One thing I'd say we lack in the midfield is a strong tagger. Boyd and Cross have done it before but they struggle to win the ball and keep a man quiet concurrently. Plus neither of them particularly have the pace to go with someone like Judd. With rotations too it's not often one player stays on another for the whole game. We gave Judd too much room but we could have helped ourselves by winning the ball and providing more intensity and pressure in the contest after half time.
We've gone from thinking we can win from anywhere to going into our shell pretty damn quick.

[LostDoggy]

According to some that was part of the game plan today.

It was specifically said on Fox that we were not going to tag either player. Was Rocket trying a few things out today? A few people have said that we are training for September??

[The Pie Man]

Canberra...
Seriously though folks there is something afoot. The midfield intensity has dropped off markedly. Our decision making going into the forward 50 has been awful and our lack of forward movement and quick leading (Murphy aside) has contributed to this. Cooney is in and out of games, Griffen is lucky to hit a target and Akermanis hasn't played a decent game since the handstand. I actually think our backline was good today but got NO help from upfield after half time. Lake was good on Fev when the ball was coming in with pressure on, but he can't do much when Judd and Stevens are delivering it lace out on a platter. I just hope it isn't a deeper division in the ranks.

Divisive as this may be, we haven't looked a unit since Darwin - read into that and Jason's antics there what you will; all I know is Jason Akermanis has hardly had a kick since, Brad Johnson seems to get over agitated at teamates, and we've been smashed in clearances. We put up the white flag today, completely fair for all Dogs fans to ask the club 'WHAT THE FARK IS GOING ON?' Don't tease us like this Dogs, I'm over it. We have pretenders written all over us.

[GVGjr]

Do we have anyone who is capable of stopping him though? One thing I'd say we lack in the midfield is a strong tagger. Boyd and Cross have done it before but they struggle to win the ball and keep a man quiet concurrently. Plus neither of them particularly have the pace to go with someone like Judd. With rotations too it's not often one player stays on another for the whole game. We gave Judd too much room but we could have helped ourselves by winning the ball and providing more intensity and pressure in the contest after half time.
We've gone from thinking we can win from anywhere to going into our shell pretty damn quick.

Perhaps not but I think Boyd could have curbed him to some extent.
The Blues have employed Gibbs as a run with or tagger over the last 6 weeks or so with great effect so could look at using a similar tactic ourselves.

[The Underdog]

Perhaps not but I think Boyd could have curbed him to some extent.
The Blues have employed Gibbs as a run with or tagger over the last 6 weeks or so with great effect so could look at using a similar tactic ourselves.

I actually think Ray may be worth a shot at this kind of job. He's developed a reasonably strong body and has good fitness and pace. I agree that we should have given someone the task of trying to curb Judd but winning the football would have been a pretty good start.
Todays game highlighted some deficiencies that became apparent last week. We are very much out of form also, perhaps including the coaches box.

[mjp]

Every season has a flat spot...ours has been going for a month or so now and to be perfectly honest Carlton are a bad match-up for us.

There might be another couple of losses ahead of us between now and the end of August.

[GVGjr]

I actually think Ray may be worth a shot at this kind of job. He's developed a reasonably strong body and has good fitness and pace. I agree that we should have given someone the task of trying to curb Judd but winning the football would have been a pretty good start.
Todays game highlighted some deficiencies that became apparent last week. We are very much out of form also, perhaps including the coaches box.

I nearly wrote the same thing about Ray but I'm just not sure that he would be as effective in the centre square.

[The Underdog]

I nearly wrote the same thing about Ray but I'm just not sure that he would be as effective in the centre square.

Maybe running off the square and picking a player up from there then following him.

[whythelongface]

Every season has a flat spot...ours has been going for a month or so now and to be perfectly honest Carlton are a bad match-up for us.

There might be another couple of losses ahead of us between now and the end of August.

I had previously thought that, but I am convinced that it is more than that. How can we lead a team, and an average one at best, by 37 points midway through the 3rd and yet still lose by over 20 points. That says more than a form slump. There is seriously something amiss with their mental state of mind.

[BulldogBelle]

Against Geelong were were in the game until the last quarter. Similar story today, except we fadded after half time. What was missing? Midfield intensity, pace, pressure, accountability and hardness.

Still today the team persisted in participating in a shoot out, when what they could have done was revert to the mark, pause, slow and find an option style that they player earlier this year.

The guys look flat, and slow...missing tackles and getting outrunned isnt the Dogs of 08...

Possible Rocket needs to try something a little left field for the midfield, which is our major problem. Not sure who the team could try in the middle to add some pace/intensity/pressure to the team.

[Rocket Science]

Rocket had Cooney running with Judd at one stage...not sure whether that was (a) a genuine attempt to account for Judd...(b) an attempt to break a tag on Cooney...or (c) an attempt to help Cooney find more of the pill.

Few teams boast a stopper with the pace to go with Judd on the burst, but would have thought Boyd could make a good fist of curbing Judd in traffic, preventing him getting some of those touches which end up being so damaging once he finds space in the first place.

[The Underdog]

Every season has a flat spot...ours has been going for a month or so now and to be perfectly honest Carlton are a bad match-up for us.

There might be another couple of losses ahead of us between now and the end of August.

Agree but the alarming thing is that when they had an ordinary one earlier in the season they had a real belief that they were still in it. Today they rolled over when it got hard. I always thought we'd drop a couple coming into the finals but the lack of fight in some of the Dogs and the apparent lack of team unity was the worrying part.
We aren't a perfect team, if we're going to take advantage of this opportunity then we need to be a completely focused unit come September.

[Dry Rot]

Paul Roos would be happy with what he saw today. If we don't radically improve our midfield pressure and clearances, they will smash us next Sunday.

[The Underdog]

Paul Roos would be happy with what he saw today. If we don't radically improve our midfield pressure and clearances, they will smash us next Sunday.

They're hardly setting the world on fire atm. I think Roosy's got his own problems.

[Rocket Science]

We've gone from thinking we can win from anywhere to going into our shell pretty damn quick.

That's the thing...of course all teams have their ups and downs over the course of a season but we're positively bipolar at the minute.

The ease and rapidity with which we swing from one extreme to the other is a real worry and speaks of more than a simple form slump. I thought we'd knocked this stuff on the head.

[whythelongface]

That's the thing...of course all teams have their ups and downs over the course of a season but we're positively bipolar at the minute.

The ease and rapidity with which we swing from one extreme to the other is a real worry and speaks of more than a simple form slump. I thought we'd knocked this stuff on the head.

Pretty much sums it up. We are mentally fragile. We need a witchdoctor to exorcise our demons.

[BulldogBelle]

Lack of attention to Judd was outstanding. Getting Ray or whoever to tag him would've been worth a go.

[mjp]

I had previously thought that, but I am convinced that it is more than that. How can we lead a team, and an average one at best, by 37 points midway through the 3rd and yet still lose by over 20 points. That says more than a form slump. There is seriously something amiss with their mental state of mind.

When Carlton had a run on in the second half, we never looked like slowing them down...that has not been 'us' all year. There is no need to panic because a side featuring Judd, Stevens, Murphy, Gibbs, Scotland, Simpson and Fevola got hold of us for a bit.

What is wrong with the mental state of mind is that they had set themselves for Geelong, and fell short. They have some doubts about themselves and whether or not they belong...they took those doubts into today, and when Carlton got a run-on they reacted by trying to do things individually to 'prove it' rather than trying to work as a group and consequently got done.

The coaches and the leading teams stuff will get it sorted...Geelong got beaten by Collingwood by 86 points...it happens every now and then.

[Madone]

I'd like to know what has happened with our forward structure? Too many times we just bombed it down there or turned the ball over with some serious inaccurate kicking that the only thing that was accomplished was a forward 50 stat. Carlton tonight were left to run in 3's & 4's which I thought was lazy checking by our guys

[1eyedog]

Sorry, should have put it here. Our forward line is struggling to work as a system, we were heralded as the most effective forward line in the competition six weeks ago now the ball comes into F50 and we look like a rabble. There appears to be only two sure moments forward lately the first is to Bob Murphy (who I think has lost a bit of touch personally) and the other is a long bomb to Will. The forward line with the most options six weeks ago has now turned into the most predictable in the competition.

Akermanis is running at 60% he is a liability out there. He is clearly injured and needs a week off. Young Everitt needs to go back to Willi and put his head over the ball. He also made some bad fumbles and cannot stick tackles. Why I don't blame a young player for not being able to make tackles the way he fumbled tonight clearly showed he is suspect under pressure and he is not ready. He is a liability in the back half and must make way for Wight until Williams is ready. I thought Welsh was a good player when moved down back and I gave him votes in the Marmo for it but it is a worrying sign that your forwards are sent back and then (with the rest of the back line tonight) are amongst your best players. I though Welsh should have gone to Everitt's match up and Everitt should have gone forward. Eade needed to try something but he seems to be out of ideas at present when the opposition gets and holds onto momentum. I think the coaching staff are as much to blame as the players for tonight's performance but I'm not going to bag any of them, I'm sure they don't want to lose and are doing their best as individuals, I think they need to start doing their best as a team again.

Our midfield is also obviously not as effective as it has been over the first 12 weeks. Carlton moved the ball so much better than us tonight I was almost jealous of it and this from a team in a re-building stage, at times it was embarrassing. Cooney and Griffen are well down on form and I do not like Gia in the middle, he does not apply enough pressure.

I am shattered after this loss and quite deflated when I look at the fixture for the next month, even though I think we play our best football away from the Dome (last week an exception). I am still confident we can turn our form around but we better do it sooner rather than later or the 5 teams on about 34 points below us may be biting on our heels by round 20.

[Sedat]

Canberra...
Seriously though folks there is something afoot. The midfield intensity has dropped off markedly. Our decision making going into the forward 50 has been awful and our lack of forward movement and quick leading (Murphy aside) has contributed to this. Cooney is in and out of games, Griffen is lucky to hit a target and Akermanis hasn't played a decent game since the handstand. I actually think our backline was good today but got NO help from upfield after half time. Lake was good on Fev when the ball was coming in with pressure on, but he can't do much when Judd and Stevens are delivering it lace out on a platter. I just hope it isn't a deeper division in the ranks.
Agree with all of this. Not time for panic stations just yet, but panic stations are fast apporaching if we cannot address the on-field regression in recent weeks. I'm hoping that the increased workload at training is a contributing factor, but nothing should really justify what we served up in the last 40 minutes today. Easily the worst performance by our miefield all season.

That Gibbs is going to be an outstanding player in the competition for many years to come.

[whythelongface]

When Carlton had a run on in the second half, we never looked like slowing them down...that has not been 'us' all year. There is no need to panic because a side featuring Judd, Stevens, Murphy, Gibbs, Scotland, Simpson and Fevola got hold of us for a bit..

What is wrong with the mental state of mind is that they had set themselves for Geelong, and fell short. They have some doubts about themselves and whether or not they belong...they took those doubts into today, and when Carlton got a run-on they reacted by trying to do things individually to 'prove it' rather than trying to work as a group and consequently got done.

The coaches and the leading teams stuff will get it sorted...Geelong got beaten by Collingwood by 86 points...it happens every now and then.

Some doubts - that is an understatement. I think they have major doubts about themselves. You can see it in their body language. It may not be panic stations yet, but the situation needs to be addressed before it festers into the capitulation of last season. They really need to sit down this week and take a long hard look at themselves and question why and how this happened.

There is no comparison with Geelong. They have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that they are not mentally fragile. A Flag pretty much guarantees that. We on the other hand have to fight the demons from last year. That will be playing heavily upon their mind. If it isn't addressed this week we will suffer another loss and this time to the understrength Swans.

I will again reiterate that you can't lead an average side by 37 points midway through the 3rd and show no resistance for the rest of the game without it being a major issue, based on last years 2nd half of the season.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I think we're in quite a bit of trouble.

I don't mind dropping a few games before September because at some point, it was always going to happen, but it's the extreme drop off that is very alarming. It's been getting worse each week and after tonight, I think the side needs to quickly figure out what's going wrong - and fast.

The forward half is a rabble; what happened to spotting up our leading targets? As stated, all we're doing is bombing long in hope that we 'arse' out a goal. We've been getting worse by the week with this, and it all started against Brisbane. Even though we played reasonably well and had a very comfortable win, we bombed away a lot, and since then it's been an obvious increase. I can't understand why? Why go away from what you were doing so well. It's as though our game plan has completely changed mid season.

The midfield has dropped right off, too. Constantly second to the ball, not working hard enough to provide team mates with adequate support and we're very, very un-accountable. The reason why our midfield was so deadly was our work rate; we had numbers at the contest, we ran the lines, we shared the ball around & we fought hard for the ball. For the last few weeks especially we've gone back to the way we played last year. Cooney has been incredibly poor; all he's doing is running around the back of Lake & co to receive cheap possessions in the back half. He's not damaging at all, I can't understand why he's changed the way he's playing? Cross, Boyd & Griffen haven't got that same 'fight' about them either. For the first half of the year, there was a purpose about the way the midfield played - they had something to prove. All that's gone out the window and we're simply playing second fiddle to the opposition. As for Eade not paying attention to Judd? Pathetic. What the hell was Rocket thinking? Cooney ended up on him and whilst he played poor, Judd put in a very solid performance.

The defense is strange too. Lake on Fevola? Why? Morris has done the job well the last few times we've played. Why bother changing that? It doesn't make sense. Everitt is a LONG way off AFL at the moment too. He's certainly not a defender by any stretch of the imagination. He's lacking serious awareness; he got caught just about every time with the ball. His decision making is either poor or very slow, and even his skills are second rate. He really does look a completely different player to the one we saw last year. It's not his fault though; he's out of form, he's very young & still has a lot to learn - including developing his body.

The last two weeks we've allowed the opposition spare man to murder us too; finally manned Waite up before it got too out of control, but it's another reason why the coaching staff need to be questioned too. They've made some strange moves (Lake up forward last week) and are coaching this football side completely different. At the moment, we're not prepared to run with the ball and share it around. We're too predictable; we're kicking the ball long aimlessly and because we have a lack of intensity, it looks even worse - we're getting hammered in the contests. Perhaps a few players are injured? I'm not sure, but I think bringing in Williams is a must if we want to get back on track. Higgins would have to be close too, and I hope West isn't far away - we really miss him.

Lastly, I want to ask about our team play - or lack of it. Ever since Akermanis' handstand up in Darwin, the side seems a little unsettled. A few of us have spotted arguments on the ground between players and amongst that, we have quite a few out of form since then too. Aker's words of "wanting to punch some of them out", referring to our team mates, really has to come into question now. Since Darwin we have played crap, individual football IDENTICAL to last year. Akermanis has played very poor; he looks dis-interested, and whilst he may be out of form, there's gotta be more to it. He's showing no intensity/desire to be out there. IMHO this whole saga is contributing to our severe downfall more than some may think.

I'm very worried about it, I've paid close attention to Aker & the team play (or lack of) since Darwin and it seems too much to simply be a 'coincidence'.

[whythelongface]

Excellent post TBB. I hate to say it but you are pretty much spot on, on your assessment of the team.

On another point it is really frustrating the ease with which the opposition are able to bring the ball back in from kick-ins after we have posted a behind. Time and time again there seem to be way to be many loose men across the oppositions half back line. Where is the forward defensive pressure.

[LostDoggy]

Sorry, should have put it here. Our forward line is struggling to work as a system, we were heralded as the most effective forward line in the competition six weeks ago now the ball comes into F50 and we look like a rabble. There appears to be only two sure moments forward lately the first is to Bob Murphy (who I think has lost a bit of touch personally) and the other is a long bomb to Will. The forward line with the most options six weeks ago has now turned into the most predictable in the competition.
Our forward line struggled when we can't get the ball there or we fail to deliver it well. When you can't run the game out, its not just your leg speed that goes, its also your disposal.

[Mantis]

As with mjp I think it was expected that we would go through a flat patch at some point.

We don't have the depth of talent as say Geelong across the field and it only takes 2 or 3 players not performing and it makes us look poor. At the moment we have 5 or 6 players not playing to there potential and yesterday is the result.

Where to from here? Who knows. It will be a huge test of character for this group over the remaining 5 games + final's. We will learn a lot about where we are headed and which player's will take us there.

[Sedat]

The forward half is a rabble; what happened to spotting up our leading targets? As stated, all we're doing is bombing long in hope that we 'arse' out a goal. We've been getting worse by the week with this, and it all started against Brisbane. Even though we played reasonably well and had a very comfortable win, we bombed away a lot, and since then it's been an obvious increase. I can't understand why? Why go away from what you were doing so well. It's as though our game plan has completely changed mid season.
Was the forward half not functioning in the first 2 1/2 quarters? Looked to be functioning alright from where I was sitting. We spotted up targets with relative ease, even had big Will clunking a couple. The forward half struggled the minute our midfield stopped supplying the ball in there - the midfield was the fundamental problem late yesterday.

Against the Cats agreed we had a dysfunctional forward line. But yesterday's loss can only be attributed to a complete and utter breakdown in the midfield. I thought we were matching their midfield in contested possessions and clearances up until the last 40 minutes but we were systematically blown apart from then on.

[SonofScray]

Was the forward half not functioning in the first 2 1/2 quarters? Looked to be functioning alright from where I was sitting. We spotted up targets with relative ease, even had big Will clunking a couple. The forward half struggled the minute our midfield stopped supplying the ball in there - the midfield was the fundamental problem late yesterday.

Against the Cats agreed we had a dysfunctional forward line. But yesterday's loss can only be attributed to a complete and utter breakdown in the midfield. I thought we were matching their midfield in contested possessions and clearances up until the last 40 minutes but we were systematically blown apart from then on.

Forward line in the first quarter was just about non existent, it seemed as though we were flooding a bit. Trying to run Carlton off their legs really early, unfortunately, we struggled to find the player to put a few goals away and they stayed with us early. The second quarter we got on top in most parts of the ground but then we shut up shop.

Goal for goal in the 3rd essentially and then a last quarter fade out leaving us all gutted. I want to put it down to something other than it all falling to pieces but this is really concerning.