Player review at the half way mark.

[LostDoggy]

I know we have had 12 games but given the break I thought I would start a mid season review on the players.

1 - Farren Ray - I have been impressed with Ray this season. He hasn't been as consistent as I would like but has bounced back well after a week with Werribee and he seems to have improved in a few areas particularly his marking. Overall Ray has done enough.

Prediction - Ray will be considered as trade bait for any WA team willing to let go of a tallish quality player. Someone like Brent Staker could be a target for a trade although it would have to be a sweetened offer.

2 - Robert Murphy - Bobby has struggled to overcome the knee injury and has had two hamstrings injuries that have slowed his progress. I'm not expecting Murph to play a huge role for us for the balance of the season and he will continue to roam around half forward causing headaches for the opposition teams.

3 - Chris Grant - Had to have an operation which sidelined him for 8 weeks. Is now getting some miles back into his legs while playing for Werribee. Looms as a player that can really come back into the side and make us into a genuine contender again. Can play forward or back but opposition teams will try to exploit any lack of fitness or mobility much like Hunter did last year. Should not be rushed back.

Question? Is this really his last season?

4 - Daniel Cross - I think he has been our best player this season which really does make the injury to his knee last week a big blow for the club. He has worked very hard around the midfield and is almost as strong in a marking contest as Johnson. He is a great tackler and his game keeps improving. It will be interesting to see if he can slot back into the team near the same level as he was before getting injured.

5 - Matthew Boyd - Looms as a key midfielder for us now that Cross will not be available for a number of weeks. Boyd has been a solid ball winner all season and done some creditable lock down roles. His performance against Kerr was simply outstanding. He certainly is not the most talented of players but his dedication and hard work compliments his team mates.

6 - Brad Johnson - Started the season with a terrific 8 goal effort against the Cats and virtually won us the game of his own boot. He was quiet for a couple of weeks after that but lifted his tempo again and has been a key player for us. One criticism is that he seems to be staging for free kicks more than he should but he has still been a brilliant player.

I'll do the next six later. Thoughts?

[bornadog]

I am a little dissapointed with Ray as after his big game in the first final last year, I really thought he would kick on. I suppose Eade has him playing a different role this year, ie a run with player and trying to make him more accountable. If he can fix his disposal and some of his decision making, he is going to be a good player for us as he knows how to position himself and get the ball.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I know we have had 12 games but given the break I thought I would start a mid season review on the players.

1 - Farren Ray - I have been impressed with Ray this season. He hasn't been as consistent as I would like but has bounced back well after a week with Werribee and he seems to have improved in a few areas particularly his marking. Overall Ray has done enough.

Prediction - Ray will be considered as trade bait for any WA team willing to let go of a tallish quality player. Someone like Brent Staker could be a target for a trade although it would have to be a sweetened offer.

Thoughts?

I think Farren is a step behind Cooney but still on the way to becoming one of the competitions elite. I acknowledge his decision making and kicking lets him down at times still but I think both have improved. I think he has taken his running to the next level and its this that creates so many shots on goal. His defensive work has improved markedly. Against Collingwood a majorly in-form Tarkyn Lockyer struggled to find space against him for much of the day and I thought it was sign of Rays maturing.

West Coast would have to sweeten that significantly - a player like Staker has a few issues similar to Ray in that he is a great athlete but perhaps has issues with decision making. I dont see us looking to trade Ray - I think we've now put 50+ games of development into him over 4 years and I think he is too tight with Coon, Griff, Tommy Wil and the gang and we want that group to push us to a premiership.

[Go_Dogs]

I don't think Ray will ever be in the same ball park as Cooney, but Ray will certainly go down as one of the better outside players. My prediction at the start of the season was that we'd trade Ray for Hurn, or perhaps Ray for Mitch Johnson from Freo. Either trade I think would benefit us as a club, however at the same time, Ray is starting to grow on me and I'm more than happy for him to continue to play in Dogs colours.

Good work on the reviews.

[LostDoggy]

7 - Scott West - Has had a slightly reduced on ground role this year but will once again be asked to setp up for significant minutes to cover the loss of Cross, Griffen, Murphy and now Eagleton. He has still been a great ball winner for us and I think he has even improved some of the defensive aspects of his game. I can see West playing on for a couple of seasons yet.

8 - Mitch Hahn - Started the season slowly after coming back from a knee reconstruction. Over the last couple of weeks he is starting to show signs that he he is returning to some good form. Hahn is an important player for us and we need him back at somewhere near his best.

9 - Lindsay Gilbee - Has been very impressive in a number of games and down a little in others. His kicking has once again been super impressive and his ability to match up on taller opponents and then run off them and create play is exactly what we need. He has copped the occasional hiding especially against the Crows but Gilbee is a very important player in our line-up.

10 - Nathan Eagleton - Has age slowed one of our veteran players? In my opinion Eagleton has been very good value albeit not as effective as last year. He still provides plenty of run and has kicked some long and important goals. Eagleton will be missed over the next couple of weeks while he serves a suspension.

11 - Peter Street - Street experienced a calf injury just prior to the start of the season and took a long while to overcome it. His form has been patchy with the occasional good game but 2007 has not been a great season for him and the question mark on his long term value remains. Street needs to become a consistent performer for us given Minson is also struggling.

12 - Tom Williams - Finally the legend of Williams commences after what seemed like an eternity. I have watched Williams play a number of games for Werribee and after a slow start and I can see why we have been so patient. He is tall, quick and a surprisinlgy effective with his kicking. He is also decent in the air and strong in a contest. What he lacks in experience will occasionally hurt him but he appears to be a quick leaner and should develop into a key defender or forward in the coming years. Very much looking forward to seeing how he performs for the balance of the season.

[Bulldog Revolution]

4 - Daniel Cross - I think he has been our best player this season which really does make the injury to his knee last week a big blow for the club. He has worked very hard around the midfield and is almost as strong in a marking contest as Johnson. He is a great tackler and his game keeps improving. It will be interesting to see if he can slot back into the team near the same level as he was before getting injured.

5 - Matthew Boyd - Looms as a key midfielder for us now that Cross will not be available for a number of weeks. Boyd has been a solid ball winner all season and done some creditable lock down roles. His performance against Kerr was simply outstanding. He certainly is not the most talented of players but his dedication and hard work compliments his team mates.

6 - Brad Johnson - Started the season with a terrific 8 goal effort against the Cats and virtually won us the game of his own boot. He was quiet for a couple of weeks after that but lifted his tempo again and has been a key player for us. One criticism is that he seems to be staging for free kicks more than he should but he has still been a brilliant player.

I'll do the next six later. Thoughts?

Billy - wanting to show you the respect these reviews deserve so here goes:

Cross has been his usual consistent self - if we had a whole team that performed so consistently I have no doubt we would win back to back premierships. I've been impressed by his work but I think the first two months of the season we weren't as good at the centre square breaks as I was hoping we would be.

Boyd has continued his rise and is now within view of the competitions elite (he aint that far off) - theres hardly a better story on the list than the boy from Frankston seconds. His ability to cover the ground, tackle, go head to head with a gun opposition midfielder whilst winning his own ball and generate shots on goal is a true highlight of the season. Before 2006 posters on BF were thinking he was not in the best 22 - I think they'd seriously misjudged the situation but it shows how far he has come. Has been close to as consistent as Cross and West which is really saying something.

Johnson started the season in sparkling touch by torching Geelong for 8 goals in a utterly stunning display. He then proceeded to play some footy below his usual standard and looked injured and in poor touch on a few occasions. His last two against Brisbane and Freo have been scintilating stuff and hes looked injury free and moved well.

[Bulldog Revolution]

7 - Scott West - Has had a slightly reduced on ground role this year but will once again be asked to setp up for significant minutes to cover the loss of Cross, Griffen, Murphy and now Eagleton. He has still been a great ball winner for us and I think he has even improved some of the defensive aspects of his game. I can see West playing on for a couple of seasons yet.

8 - Mitch Hahn - Started the season slowly after coming back from a knee reconstruction. Over the last couple of weeks he is starting to show signs that he he is returning to some good form. Hahn is an important player for us and we need him back at somewhere near his best.



West has been his usual consistent self and is a fabulous on field leader. You might be right about his defensive efforts: His tackling against Freo when the game was on the line was superb - watching I felt he just exerted his desire to win over the whole side, I thought he did the same against Collingwood in the second half of that game. The fact that he has shared the load a bit more this year should enable him to step up now when depth is tested and at crunch time. He is the best player to play for the club in my lifetime - his prolonged level of excellence

Hahn has really only just begun to look like getting back into form over the past fortnight after doing his knee midseason 2006. Along with a fit Murphy he really could give the forward line a multidimensional feel it didn't have late in 2006. Its his ability to create goals out of nothing with his body strength that seperates him from our other forwards.

[Mantis]

10 - Nathan Eagleton - Has age slowed one of our veteran players? In my opinion Eagleton has been very good value albeit not as effective as last year. He still provides plenty of run and has kicked some long and important goals. Eagleton will be missed over the next couple of weeks while he serves a suspension.


I am not so sure about this, 2007 has not been the best of years for the Eagle. His major asset, his pace, has dropped a little which is something he needs to be effective in our team. I think this suspension comes at the worst possible time for Eagleton. I think his place is in the team is no certainity as the season evolves. With the introduction of Harbrow and Lynch into the team as well as the development of several other younger players I believe Eagleton's long term future is in doubt. With Cross and Griffen out for an extended period I thought the next month was really make or break for Eagleton, he had the chance to secure his position in the side. If suspended he will give someone else an opportunity to take his place, if they play well will Nathan be an automatic selection when he is available? I'm not sure he will be.

[Go_Dogs]

Eagleton has been an important player for us again this year IMO. He is continually underrated as people see him as a front runner, but his defensive efforts and backing into packs and other marking situations has been great this year. He is still providing plenty of run and carry and his pace doesn't seem to have dropped much to me. He's still got a couple of years left at least.

[southerncross]

I've been pretty happy with Eagleton's season although it might have dropped a bit from 2006. Like McMahon #23 said, a lot of the things Eagleton does goes largely unnoticed. He is tougher in a contest than he is given credit for as well. I think he is an automatic selection for the balance of the year providing his current form holds but with the emergence of a few youngsters he will have additional pressure on him in 2008.

I'd rate his input so far this as greater than Akermanis.

[Mantis]

Both SC and McM#23 make some relevant points regarding Eagleton, but I think his output is a fair way down on what would be expected of him. He has still averaged 20 poss. a game which is quite good, but the quality hasn't been there this year. His pace has dropped off, the run down of him by Warnock on Sat. night was evidence of this. His defensive run-downs would also be well down on past years, the game evolves very quickly and it takes down the outside player firstly as they are the ones who get readily exposed. Not saying he is gone yet just that I think his worth to the team is dropping, at the beginning of the year if I had to rate the players he would have been somewhere between 10-15, now it is more like 16-22 and steadily dropping.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Both SC and McM#23 make some relevant points regarding Eagleton, but I think his output is a fair way down on what would be expected of him. He has still averaged 20 poss. a game which is quite good, but the quality hasn't been there this year. His pace has dropped off, the run down of him by Warnock on Sat. night was evidence of this. His defensive run-downs would also be well down on past years, the game evolves very quickly and it takes down the outside player firstly as they are the ones who get readily exposed. Not saying he is gone yet just that I think his worth to the team is dropping, at the beginning of the year if I had to rate the players he would have been somewhere between 10-15, now it is more like 16-22 and steadily dropping.

I think Eagle has been good, I haven't really seen any evidence of him slowing down, he always gets caught a bit because he is instructed to take guys on and does it a lot. His take on of Warnock was ambitious at best, but it was well worth a shot. He's getting lots of the ball, I think he defensive work has improved and he tackles more and better than previously.

The main difference seems to be he is probably kicking less goals, he kicked 20.8 in 2006, 28.17 in 2005 and has kicked 7.6 in 2007. Part of that is probably he passes more than he used to and also the depth of players across half forward in Higgins, Akermanis, Hahn, Murphy and Robbins when selected.

[mjp]

I'd rate his input so far this as greater than Akermanis.

OK.

On a total output basis, yes.
On a 'influence the game' basis, No. Aker was magnificent in the last quarter against Melbourne when it really counted, sliced Collingwood up in the 3rd quarter especially when the game was on the line, kicked two early against the Lions to shut them up and two late against the Dorkers to put any thought of a comeback out of their tiny minds.

I think Aker has been good at important times, though average in the main. I think Eagle has been OK, and has not reached any great heights at all.

He does not deserve the flack he is copping from some supporters though - he remains in our best 22, and it isn't even close.

[Mantis]

He does not deserve the flack he is copping from some supporters though - he remains in our best 22, and it isn't even close.


I dont know if you are referring to me with regards to your comments, but I think the output from Eagleton is far less than in previous years. We have introduced quite a few mid sized players into our team this year, when it gets down to the business end when we hopefully have a full list to pick from I think there will be some pretty tough competition for a spot. Eagleton needs to improve his from in the 2nd half of the year to be assured a spot and a couple of week holiday (perhaps?) wont help him.

[mjp]

I dont know if you are referring to me with regards to your comments, but I think the output from Eagleton is far less than in previous years. We have introduced quite a few mid sized players into our team this year, when it gets down to the business end when we hopefully have a full list to pick from I think there will be some pretty tough competition for a spot. Eagleton needs to improve his from in the 2nd half of the year to be assured a spot and a couple of week holiday (perhaps?) wont help him.

No. Not at all to be honest. Unless you are one of the people who will never forgive Eagleton for being part of the Montgomery trade...there are some of those around you know!

I actually said Eagle had been 'OK', and 'Had't reached any great heights'. I certainly agree that his output is down. I disagree that his spot is under immediate threat though - when we have a full list to pick we have a lot of players who have yet to prove very much at all.

If Ray improves, Harbrow continues on and Lynch manages to string half-a-dozen or so together, he might be under a bit of pressure...but who else is he fighting for a spot with? Akermanis I guess, though he seems to be playing more as a deep forward/back that I thought he would. Pre-season I suggested the coming of Aker would mean the demise of Eagle, but Aker has not shown an ability to run and carry the ball yet this year, hence I think Eagle is safe...after all, Aker is not going to be dropped (or at least I would be shocked if he was!) and I think Eagle has a few more credits than someone like Lynch in particular. Griff comes back, Crossy comes back. Apart from those two, we were pretty close to full strength (in terms of runners) vs Freo. I would see Addison and Lynch as outs before Eagleton, and perhaps even Ray as well.

What can I say - the season hasn't unfolded in terms of Ray's form and Aker's run in the way I thought it would!

[Raw Toast]

OK.

On a total output basis, yes.
On a 'influence the game' basis, No. Aker was magnificent in the last quarter against Melbourne when it really counted, sliced Collingwood up in the 3rd quarter especially when the game was on the line, kicked two early against the Lions to shut them up and two late against the Dorkers to put any thought of a comeback out of their tiny minds.

I think Aker has been good at important times, though average in the main. I think Eagle has been OK, and has not reached any great heights at all.

He does not deserve the flack he is copping from some supporters though - he remains in our best 22, and it isn't even close.

Good call on Aker for mine. Lots of experts have been saying he's done nothing, but if Walls was right in saying he was got for the close games he could shape when the pressure was on, then he's been fairly decent. He's helped us win 4 games when the heat was on, which is an ok return given his injuries and time away from the game. (Perhaps you could make an argument for his Hawthorn game as well, where it sounded like he sliced them up early to help establish our lead.)

Is a chance to be better next year given some luck, and still has a bit to learn about his team-mates and vice-versa. Depends a bit on whether he can put a few quarters together.

I think Eagleton has made more of an effort on his defensive side of his game this year but has struggled to make an impact. Might take him a bit of time to adjust or might be the start of a decline, but like you I can't see who is going to take his place atm.

[Go_Dogs]

Eagleton kicked crucial goals in the Melbourne game, and has done some important things for mine this season at important times.

[LostDoggy]

13 - Daniel Giansiracusa - Started the season slowly but has become more consistent over the last few weeks. I haven't been unhappy with his performance but I haven't been thrilled either. Gia is supposed to be entering his prime but unfortunately he just hasn't reached anywhere near his ability or promise. I think the balance of the season, with Cross and Griffen out of the side, will dictate if Gia is to ever really be regarded as a truly quality player in the AFL.

14 - Luke Darcy - It's been a difficult season for Darcy after returning from two years in the wilderness recovering from consecutive knee reconstructions but deep down I think we all knew it would be. Just when it looked like Darcy would be relegated to the Werribee team, putting a big his career in jeopardy, Darcy has shown that he is slowly returning to the type of form we know he is capable of. Not sure how the balance of the season will play out for Darcy but if we can keep him somewhere near his best he will be an invaluable player for us.

15 - Sam Power - Power played some good footy throughout 2006 however his 2007 season has been well short of the mark. Power is still yet to find his true position in the team and unless something drastic happens he could well find himself as fringe player who covers injuries and suspensions. That scenario would really be waste of his ability.
Power needs to make the most of any opportunities that present themselves for the balance of the season.

16 - Ryan Griffen - After two sensational seasons in the AFL the expectations on Griffen having another stellar season were very high amongst the Bulldog faithful.
His form through the off season only enforced that view. Griffen has hit the training track hard and was clearly the form player in the team and his move into he midfield seemed nothing more than a formality. Griffen however copped an injury which slowed down his pre-season and his move into the midfield really didn't go to the plan. To make matters worse he copped a knee injury which will sideline him for a number of weeks. Not sure if he can come back and add much value for us for the balance of 2007 but Griffen is a barnstorming defender who can really ignite the team.

17 - Adam Cooney - Cooney's pre-season was also hampered but another bout of OP but after a slow start to the season he has shown some very good form. At times he has struggled with a tag but he has been working through the extra attention opposition clubs place him under and is playing more consistent football. He has also kicked some nice goals this year. It goes without saying that Cooney's work in the midfield and up forward will be critical for us.

18 - Cameron Faulkner - Faulkner must be a very frustrated footballer. His form with Werribee has been very good and consistent however it has not translated into any real opportunities in the senior side. Not sure if he is out of favour with the coaches, but on form he should be in the team. Like Power, Faulkner has yet to establish himself a true position in the team and I guess he is now just seen as a depth player.