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Swoop
30-12-2008, 03:19 PM
After a disappointing end to the 2007 season that promised so much the Western Bulldogs highlighted 3 key areas in order to improve on the playing field. As a club they targeted;

A small defensive backman, someone who could play a purely defensive role on the elusive small forwards.

A big bodied ruckman, someone who could compete both at centre bounces as well as around the grounds in order to improve stoppages and also nullify opposition ruckmen.

A goal kicking forward, someone who is capable of kicking multiple goals on quality defenders in order to alleviate the pressure placed on Brad Johnson. The player would provide an alternate avenue to goals allowing for a greater shared workload and therefore being less predictable going forward.

After acknowledging their needs the club was pro-active in searching for players who could successfully fulfil the roles required. Unfortunately goal kicking forwards are a rare commodity and the club was very keen to pursue quality despite size as opposed to size despite quality as they’ve been guilty of in the past. Russell Robertson headed the short list as a player who met all the criteria as well as someone who appeared to be a realistic target as he was out of contract. Despite discussions with Robertson nothing eventuated and the focus eventually moved onto Adelaide’s 4-time leading goal kicker Scott Welsh. The Bulldogs were able to capitalise on Adelaide’s youth policy, while Adelaide refused to offer anything longer than a 1-year contract the Bulldogs were able obtain the services of both Hudson & Welsh by offering longer-term security.

Opinions are varied on Scott Welshs first season at the Western Bulldogs and depending on who you speak with opinions vary further regarding his upcoming second season.

I thought I would provide an in depth review on his season and open to discuss his role if any in the side for 2009.

Scott Welsh is very much a product of delivery, if you give him the ball than more than likely he will kick goals. For the first time in his career however he was asked to play a number of varying roles opposed to what he is used to which is lead, mark & kick goal. Immediately by coming to the Bulldogs he went from attracting the 2nd – 3rd best defender to many times attracting the likes of Rutten, Glass, Barry & Scarlett. However some of the very matches where he attracted the best defenders were the same matches he was asked to sacrifice his game for the team. He was asked to lead up the ground in order to move his opponent out of inside 50, he was asked to play decoy to allow players like Johnson, Murphy & Hahn to wreck havoc on their lesser opponents and finally he allowed players like Murphy, Johnson & Hahn to have lesser opponents simply by playing and drawing the better defender. While many armchair critics would look at these games and argue that his influence and contribution to the match was minimal from a coaching perspective the role he played was invaluable by taking a strong presence out of the offensive hot spot and freeing up space for his teammates. Lance Franklin displayed another example of this role on Grand Final day, while Scarlett had the better of the duel he still attracted the best defender and by playing his role he allowed his teammates do the damage for the greater good of the side.

Another aspect that you don’t truly appreciate until you watch him was his defensive pressure and it was evident to see it was an aspect of his game that he really worked on. It was always noticeable that whenever the opposition were running the ball out of defence he made an effort to chase and pressure regardless of how realistic he was of chasing them down. Besides Harbrow he really set the standard in regards to endeavour in chasing and it’s no doubt it is something the match committee had discussed with him.

Having said all of this, he still managed to kick 43 goals for the season from 24 games. If you were to look at the 2008 season and judge the sides best game based purely on ball use and skill execution than the Hawthorn game in Launceston certainly stands out and it’s no coincidence to see Welsh on the goal kickers list that day with 5 majors. Although at times throughout the season his accuracy may have deserted him he certainly still possesses all the weapons required to hurt opposition sides on the scoreboard.

While many critics would argue that his impact would lessen next season there are many reasons for us to believe he will continue to maintain his form if not improve further. Certainly an injury free & fit Brad Johnson would attract a lot more attention and free Welsh up and with the likes of Griffen & Higgins to improve their output through the midfield it would appear the quality of delivery should also benefit Welsh further.

Having focussed on the positives he brings to the team, like all of us he also has weaknesses & flaws. His major flaw seems to be the lack of positions he can play, despite Eade using Welsh as a loose man in defence at different times throughout the season he essentially is a forward and if he is struggling on any given day there aren’t too many other roles you can give him to work his way into a match. Eade loves versatility and that unfortunately is one thing that Welsh does not posses. Consistency would also seem to be another weakness in his game, while one week he can come out with an impressive display, he is just as likely to come out the next week and have minimal impact on the game. As stated previously there were many games where his role was sacrificed in order to draw his opponent away but there were also many games where he was a focal point and struggled to influence games. It is probably no coincidence that in the second half of the season when the side struggled he also appeared to struggle for form.

While many detractors look at the Geelong preliminary final as evidence to suggest that Welsh wasn’t up to it especially in a finals game, it does need to be highlighted that it was a tough low scoring finals affair. Geelong as a winning side only managed 12 goals of which their full forward & centre half forward only managed 1 goal each. While Welsh didn’t trouble the scoreboard neither did Murphy or Hahn and Johnson only added 1 for the night and they didn’t have Scarlett hanging off their arm.

In time I will add my review on both Hudson & Callans seasons as well. Please feel free to add your comments or thoughts on Scott Welsh, was his drafting a success? How will his 2009 season play out?

Mantis
30-12-2008, 03:38 PM
Nice first up post.

I also thought Welsh was pretty handy this past season. He was pretty selfless with much of his work and impressed me with his work ethic. No doubt he will be under pressure to retain his spot with the expected improvement of our young talls, but I still think he will be a handy player next season.

Look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

The Coon Dog
30-12-2008, 03:38 PM
Firstly Swoop, welcome to WOOF, keep posting this sort of stuff please.

I agree with your prognosis, particularly where Welsh was required to sacrifice his own game for the teams betterment. That was how I saw his role v Scarlett in the Prelim Final.

He's a bit like the girl with the curl; when he's good he's very very good & when he's bad he's very very bad.

For someone who cost us a PSD selection he paid handsome dividends & I expect 2009 to be similar to be honest. I can't see to great an improvement, but there is scope for a drop off, hopefully that doesn't occur.

Go_Dogs
30-12-2008, 03:40 PM
Another aspect that you don’t truly appreciate until you watch him was his defensive pressure and it was evident to see it was an aspect of his game that he really worked on.

I agree. Being an Adelaide resident I'd seen a lot of Welsh over the years, but had never paid attention to his defensive efforts. It was one of the first thing I noticed when he jumped across to the Dogs, because he really led from the front with chasing and tackling pressure in our F50.


I think Welsh had a pretty ok season - I'd have been happy with 40 goals at the start of the year. The problem with him is still that his best and worst are miles apart, and he does still struggle with consistency.

I think he'll still play a lot of football this year unless one of the younger talls can really step up. He can mark, kick goals and he chases hard than the majority of our other forwards. As you also mentioned he does sometimes get the best defender too, opening up Murph, Hahn or Johnson etc.

Good (if not long :D ) first post. Welcome aboard the site.

GetDimmaBack
30-12-2008, 06:19 PM
Some insightful comments here, Swoop.

I also liked Welsh's defensive efforts, something not lost on a few in the media this season. Defensive pressure inside 50 has not been the side's strong point in recent times, but Scotty led by example.
His unpredictability must be acknowledged, but this is precisely why he will always get one of the better defenders. Dismiss him and he may cut you up. Man him up, keep him quiet and someone else could be roaming free, doing some damage as a result of having a 4th or 5th backman on them.
I really came to appreciate his effort in taking Scarlett away from the action in the Prelim. A few straighter kicks for goal in the 3rd quarter and we may have heard Rocket praising Welsh's work as a key factor.

IMO there's plenty left in him yet, given his experience and marking ability. Could he be something of an on-field mentor for J. Grant next season? Might he occasionally get a lesser backman and then cut loose?
Also, was he carrying a bit of soreness later in the season? If so, there's a possible upside to him in this regard...

Considering what he cost us, he's been a good pick up and may yet prove to be an important player for us. Well worth a 2 year contract.

BulldogBelle
30-12-2008, 08:01 PM
Swoop, firstly Welcome aboard to WOOF and secondly wow what a pearler of a first post - excellent reading!

Welsh as you so cleanly described in your post has sacrificed his game a few times for the good of the team and has developed his defensive pressure skills whilst he has been at the club.

I think Welsh will do ok in season 2009 - he has had a few niggly injuries which weren't documented that he has worked through last season and he really wants to impress in season 2009.

lemmon
30-12-2008, 11:00 PM
I was pleasantly surprised with Welshy's season, when he was recruited I thought he would sit deep at full forward but his work ethic was fantastic and he found a lot of the footy just outside the 50, not only did he kick them but he contributed to setting them up as well. Im not sure how his 09 season will go, he is an inconsistent player already and this maybe magnified by his age and hopefully pressure from our young talls coming through.

LostDoggy
31-12-2008, 12:37 AM
Good opening post Swoop. :)

I have just watched the Hawthorn game in Tassie again today, and I really noticed Welshy's efforts around the ground. I think he, like the rest of the team got a bit sore and a bit tired towards the end of the season and there was a noticeable drop off.

However, I think he has added another dimension on the forward line to balance Johno, we didn't really see it played to plan, due to Johno having his own share of injuries this year. However, with a fit Johno and 12 months under Welshy's belt playing for the dogs, will see him consolidate and capitalise on that this year.

Sockeye Salmon
31-12-2008, 09:51 AM
Let's not forget that because he had to wait until the PSD to get picked up he started proper pre-season training a month late.

LostDoggy
31-12-2008, 10:51 AM
He doesn't have the frame to physically impose himself on a contest. In tight games with quick kicks into the forward 50, Welsh struggles as he is more of a lead up, lace out player.

It's usually in these tight shutdown games that you will see Welsh sacrifice his game to take out an attacking opposition defender, like the game against Geelong. Had he not copped the yips mid season, he could of easily finished with 60+ goals.

I rate his year highly, I watched closely enough to notice that when he has a quiet game it's not always because he is out of form.

aker39
31-12-2008, 11:16 AM
I think he, like the rest of the team got a bit sore and a bit tired towards the end of the season and there was a noticeable drop off.



I have no doubt that Welsh was playing with a very injured finger from after the Darwin game,

Twodogs
31-12-2008, 11:32 AM
I have know doubt that Welsh was playing with a very injured finger from after the Darwin game,



That injury was a lot worse than anyone let on at the time. He was in serious doubt for the rest of the season.

Dogs 24/7
31-12-2008, 01:20 PM
Great read Swoop, between you and DexterT we have added two great contributors to woof.

For what its worth I think you have summed up Welsh accurately and I'm looking forward to your review on Hudson and Callans seasons.

LostDoggy
31-12-2008, 02:34 PM
Well done on the post, great read. I was happy with his year just if he could narrow the difference between his good and bad would be nice though

ledge
31-12-2008, 03:30 PM
Imagine Welsh if we have a good tall FF, what a headache for the opposition backman he would be.
Im very very happy with his year, great pick up.

Bulldog Revolution
31-12-2008, 03:51 PM
Nice first up post Swoop

You've hit the nail on the head for me. He had a solid year, was far better with ground level pressure than I'd expect but his season did fall away a bit and he
did not quite convert as clinically in front of goal as I'd hoped for.

He was a good addition in 08 and the pressure will be on from the start of 2009 to perform or be gone.

alwaysadog
01-01-2009, 06:29 PM
Welcome Swoop, keep up the analytical posts, you'll do well here, we like you already, you’re a good fit.

Welsh is neither an outstanding player nor a traditional FF, just to state the bleeding obvious at the beginning. That said he is a quality player and he made a sizeable contribution to our season. When Johnno got injured he became more the focus of opposition defences than was good for us or him.

When I used to watch my kids playing junior basketball I used to hate the coaches and the spectators who only valued a player for the number of points he scored and did not watch the whole game and see who did the grunt work, who did the defending and setting up, making the chances that other people benefited from. Last season Welsh was often a victim of this mentality. Now for the knockers I’m not blind to his weaknesses, but a lot of what has been said negatively is more an attempt to compare him to a stereotype that fits neither his game nor what was asked of him.

Because he played a focal role one week and scored well doesn't mean he was asked to play the same role the following week. In fact to do so would be to commit one of Rocket's cardinal football sins; becoming predictable. So his supposed good and bad games are often a matter of who saw what. My view is that his bad games were those when he got a number of shots on goal but his conversion rate was low.

While I agree that Welsh is not the most versatile player we have he did things that surprised me. He was, prior to my watching him and giving careful scrutiny, a stereotypical quick lead, mark and straight kick player. I knew little about the quality of his marking under pressure… or of his persistence.

We were told by habitual Crows watchers not to expect to see him chasing back, when the reality is that he made this a feature of his game and what was more, and often went unremarked, he read the game well and made several telling interceptions around the centre of the ground as the ball was coming out of our forward line.

I think the crows had him stereotyped and we gave him more rounded roles to play, and we both benefited.

The question on all our lips at this stage is next season. Assuming he does a full preseason I can see no reason that he will not again be in the forward line rotation as Rocket shuffles the deck of cards to produce a winning hand that no one expects.

The Coon Dog
05-01-2009, 04:27 PM
Old Dog's desire grows (http://westernbulldogs.com.au/tabid/4112/Default.aspx?newsid=71148)

http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/AFL%20U-Z/Welsh_train_246a.jpg

HAVING turned 30 last December Scott Welsh knows he doesn't have a lot of AFL seasons in front of him, but the realisation that he is a lot closer to the end than the start of his career has stoked the Bulldog forward's desire for success.

Welsh played all but one game for the Dogs in 2008 - contributing 43 goals in his first season at the club after crossing from Adelaide - and is determined to play a large role in the push for the 2009 flag.

"As players get older they know that their time is nearing (an end) and you want to get as much as you can out of footy. I'm a realist and I've probably only got one more year, maybe two years, left and I just want to enjoy it and get the most out of it," Welsh says.

"You've got to put so much hard work and effort into it and you do sacrifice a lot and if you don't enjoy it there's no point being in it – you're just going to be miserable.

"Your body definitely feels it more as you get older, but I'm still feeling okay and think I can make a strong contribution this season."

By his own admission, Welsh did not finish last year off as well as he would have liked, but feels his cause wasn't helped by a less than ideal preparation as he tried to train while trying to engineer a path to Whitten Oval via the pre-season draft.

Welsh, who has played 189 games, is confident the work he put in before Christmas will give him a better fitness base in ’09, but it hasn't all been clear sailing.

A back strain suffered in the days before he and his teammates were due to fly out to America ruled him out of the high-altitude training camp.

"It was disappointing not to get to go," he admits.

"We raised a lot of money during the year for it and to not go was disappointing because everyone seemed to learn a bit while they were over there. But at the stage I'm at in my career and with my back it was probably best not to make the long plane trip.

"I've had disc problems my whole career, but this other issue was unrelated.

"I'm on track at the moment. It wasn't a major injury, it was just something that I had to manage, so I'm confident that I'll have a good pre-season and get stuck into it this year."

After coming close to that elusive grand final berth last year, Welsh is confident the Dogs have the firepower to mount another strong challenge for the flag this season.

Brad Johnson led the way with 50 goals in 2008 followed by Jason Akermanis with 49 in an attack that finished the year with more points than eventual premiers Hawthorn.

Welsh maintains the Bullies don't necessarily need to uncover their own version of centurion Lance Franklin to achieve their premiership goal.

"We have a strong forward line and the players that we've got down there are all quality players with some guys who can turn a game upside down," he says.

"Every team needs a focal point around centre half-forward to help get the ball into the forward line, but if everyone does their bit you don’t need to have a forward kicking 80 goals. You can cover those goals with a few players. If you make yourself too dependant on one player then you can find yourself in trouble if he gets injured or has a quiet game.
"There are a lot of match winners in our forward line so if we can all stick together and make sure we're all on the same page we're going to make it hard for a lot of back lines in the competition in 2009."

bornadog
05-01-2009, 05:05 PM
Hope he can still show something in 2009 as time is not on his side at age 30.