Game Day - R5 Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide

[BulldogBelle]

This is the discussion thread for this Friday night's game at ES against Adelaide.

My predictions are:

The Dogs by 37 points
BOG : Adam Cooney
Shaun Higgins to kick the first goal.

[AndrewP6]

Dogs by 33
BOG Griff
First goal BAZZA!

[LostDoggy]

Dogs by 65
BOG Everitt
First goal Grant

[Max469]

Dogs by 29 pts

BOG: Murphy

1st Goal : Higgins

[LostDoggy]

Am keen to get to Etihad tomorrow night and watch the match..
Last week was the first match i missed since we played the Hawks in the NAB Cup!
Dogs by 95
Higgins First Goal
Griff BOG

[LostDoggy]

Anyone think we can get 35,000 tomorrow night?

[LostDoggy]

Dos by 15
BOG Cooney
First goal Grant

[LostDoggy]

Anyone think we can get 35,000 tomorrow night?

Im guessing between 30,000 and 35,000.

[bornadog]

Dogs by 47

BOG Cooney

Ist Goal Higgins

[The Adelaide Connection]

Im guessing between 30,000 and 35,000.

The club would be disappointed this game wasn't played a week earlier, school holidays would have seen quite a few more come over for it.

[Scorlibo]

Dogs by 84
BOG Higgins
First Goal Cooney

[boydogs]

Dogs by 17
First Goal Brad Johnson
BOG Ben Hudson

[comrade]

I think it's going to be a tight contest.

Adelaide have some genuine quality players and they have to play well at some stage. We're not exactly setting the world alight, but it was almost this time last year that we met the Crows on the back of some poor performances and got a win that kick started our season.

Let's hope it happens again.

Dogs by 13 points
BOG: Griffen
1st Goal: Hahn

[MrMahatma]

Dogs by 115.

First goal Hall - inside 2 mins.

Hall - 6
Aker - 4
Cooney - 5

BOG - Cooney
Roughead rising star.

[Go_Dogs]

Dogs by 27 points.
BOG - Ryan Griffen
First Goal - Brad Johnson




Roughead rising star.

Grant is also still eligible, based on my understanding, correct?

[Hot_Doggies]

Massive danger game!

Dogs by 7pts
Higgins first goal
Cooney BOG

[KT31]

Dogs by plenty.
Hall first goal.
Cooney BOG.

[mighty_west]

Dogs by 2 points
first goal - Hall
B.O.G - Cross

[LostDoggy]

Dogs by 43
First Goal - Akermanis
BOG - Hudson

[Scraggers]

Dogs by heaps
first goal Brad Johnson
BOG Barry Hall with 12 goals

[The Pie Man]

Dogs by 8 points (I think this will be close)
BOG Cooney
First goal Gia

[Sedat]

I like the confidence on this thread but I have a feeling tonight's match will be tighter than a fish's backside.

Dogs by 11 points
First Goal - Higgins
BOG - Griffen

[The Underdog]

Dogs by 7 points
First goal Jason Akermanis
BOG Ryan Griffen

Worried about our lack of midfield depth, Coons and Griff need to play well.
Don't expect too much out of Roughy. He's going to be good, but he's a young ruckman in his first game, which is not from whence Supercoach points come.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Dogs by 13 points
First goal to Barry Hall
BOG to Griffen

I'm expecting a bit of an ugly, scrappy affair tonight.

[Ozza]

Dogs by 25 points.
Hahn - first goal.
BOG - Has to be Cooney.

[Doggy]

Dogs by 122 points.
First goal - Loaf
BOG - Super

[Mantis]

^^ Smoking dope all day Doggy??

Dogs by 27pts
1st goal - Johnson
BOG - Griffen

[samr]

The final teams have been announced, Hargrave is out and Moles in. There is a bit more strength in the midfield but I wonder why Hargrave is out.

[chef]

Dogs by 36
BOG Cooney
First Goal Hall

[FrediKanoute]

The final teams have been announced, Hargrave is out and Moles in. There is a bit more strength in the midfield but I wonder why Hargrave is out.

AFL.com ia saying Hill is in not Moles

[comrade]

AFL.com ia saying Hill is in not Moles

Moles is in.

[MrMahatma]

Dogs give away the first goal again...

[w3design]

Akermanisalenko! You beauty!

[KT31]

Apparently a forward can push a player in the back and put his hands around his neck prior to taking a mark.
If the umpire did not see that he should stand down and take up blind cricket.
At least Acker showed him how to do it.

[KT31]

Murphy following on from last week and dropping everything that comes his way.

[w3design]

Roughie gets a soft free and goals, then takes a great mark and misses the easeir shot. Damn.

[EasternWest]

Apparently a forward can push a player in the back and put his hands around his neck prior to taking a mark.
If the umpire did not see that he should stand down and take up blind cricket.
At least Acker showed him how to do it.

Who is this Acker person?

[w3design]

Lot to like about Roughead. Lot to like, indeed.

[EasternWest]

I've thought that Grant's willingness to chase and get to contests has been good so far.

[w3design]

Some good kicks too, that last one to Hall was a nice pass.

[KT31]

Lot to like about Roughead. Lot to like, indeed.

Totally agree.
If he continues the same way he did tonight I think Big Will may have a longer than anticipated stint for the Seagulls.

[Hotdog60]

A good effort by the boys, still a bit sloppy at times but much improved. Griffen BOG I think. It looks as Gia likes the mid field, very good tonight also.

[chef]

I've thought that Grant's willingness to chase and get to contests has been good so far.

Yep, I like his 2nd and 3rd efforts. Just needs some more meat on his bones.

[LostDoggy]

Biggest disappointment was the crowd. Absolutely abysmal. What crowds are we going to get when we aren't a top 8 side anymore?

[lemmon]

Just a thought but arguably our biggest hole is the lack of a small forward, could Grant play this role? He willingly chases and tackles, is a more then capable crumber and for a man of his size he is quite quick. Perhaps he can fill this role, as well as being able to take the big grabs.

[Rance Fan]

Big one next week. Hope Murph holds a few more marks, Johnno and Aker continue to improve and need Cooney to fire up.
Great effort tonight by Gia, Griff, Moles in the midfield. Good to see Harbrow back to his dominant best.
Will need someone to shut down Goddard. (Everitt????)

[w3design]

Another positive- didn't have any moments where Barry looked like he was about to snap.

[GVGjr]

I thought a number of our younger players were the real positive of the night.

Everitt probably had his best game.
Harbrow was on fire and provided plenty of dash.
Roughead did well but he should have nailed that goal. Can be a threat up forward in years to come.
Grant did well after a slowish start. It works bringing them into the side when they have a few runs under their belt.


Some of the lesser lights were solid particularly Tom Williams who took another decent step forward tonight in my opinion. Moles made the most of his chance.

The veterans of Johnson, Akermanis, Eagleton and Hall more than did their job.

A good blend of players performed well.

[Mantis]

Some of the lesser lights were solid particularly Tom Williams who took another decent step forward tonight in my opinion. Moles made the most of his chance.



I thought his disposal was quite poor and something he needs to rectify. He certainly did some good things to win the ball, but let himself down with poor execution.

[LostDoggy]

Going by Eade's press conference it sounds like Roughead and Grant will keep their spots next week. He was also very pleased with Moles game so I doubt he'd be dropped.

[LostDoggy]

I thought a number of our younger players were the real positive of the night.

Everitt probably had his best game.
Harbrow was on fire and provided plenty of dash.
Roughead did well but he should have nailed that goal. Can be a threat up forward in years to come.
Grant did well after a slowish start. It works bringing them into the side when they have a few runs under their belt.


Some of the lesser lights were solid particularly Tom Williams who took another decent step forward tonight in my opinion. Moles made the most of his chance.

The veterans of Johnson, Akermanis, Eagleton and Hall more than did their job.

A good blend of players performed well.

Have to agree, good mix of young and old contributors and those under some pressure to perform, Gia's best game in a while, may have enjoyed the different role and losing the captains armband... Great signs from Roughy and Grant, both made very strong cases to hold their spot.
Can Johnno's presence be ignored? Not just his hard work and class but his influence on the playing group.
Good games by Everitt and Williams, at least a step forward for them.
Griff was awesome, simply awesome.
Overall, probably the best performance this year, I still want to see more people around the packs for Hall but a big step in the right direction considering Murph and Cooney didnt play to their standard. Eagle did some good things.
The least influential, maybe Hahn and Addison, maybe Grant and Hahn are fighting for a spot.

[comrade]

I thought Addison did a good job on the dangerous, but mentally weak Knights and got under his skin from the outset.

[LostDoggy]

Let me add that Aker had a great game too.

[Mantis]

I thought Addison did a good job on the dangerous, but mentally weak Knights and got under his skin from the outset.

He did, but he is a deadset worry when the ball is in his hands.

[The Coon Dog]

Most of what others have mentioned, but tonight I thought Tom Williams looked assured with the ball in his hands. His deliver by foot was very good (unlike a certain full back who wears #36).

Disappointed with the amount of times Murph dropped chest marks!

[Sedat]

Our pressure skills across the ground, especially in our forward 50, was by far the best aspect of our performance tonight. When we were getting beaten in the middle early on (and Adelaide's midfield really owned the corridor in the first 30 minutes), our pressure skills created 3 goals in the first qtr to keep us in it, and Adelaide eventually wilted under our pressuring of their ball carriers. Easily the best around-ground defensive effort by the club so far this H&A season.

[comrade]

He did, but he is a deadset worry when the ball is in his hands.

I didn't notice any glaring skill errors from him, but I'm watching a replay now so I'll keep an eye out.

I'd still like to see him tried up forward at some stage - the Saints' defensive structure could lend itself well to a purely negating forward. Maybe stick him on Blake.

[Rance Fan]

Thought Hahn and Addison did their job well. Addison minmized his opponents effect on the game, and Hahn showed some good run and tackling which hes required to do. He kicked a couple and missed a few goals.
Murphy is the one whos struggle a bit the last 2 weeks but he is too classy, and is likely to dominate against the saints. Cooney seems to have struggled a bit the last 2 weeks also.(well not his dominate self)...is he injured??

[G-Mo77]

Most of what others have mentioned, but tonight I thought Tom Williams looked assured with the ball in his hands. His deliver by foot was very good (unlike a certain full back who wears #36).

Tommy looks a lot more settled. He had a real stinker in Round 1 and credit to him for putting that game behind him. He's gaining more and more confidence each week.

[LostDoggy]

BIg game next week, could well send a message if we get a good win.

[lemmon]

Murph is in desperate need of some form, seems to drop regulation marks when away on the lead. With Grant in the side perhaps Murph could spend a bit of time down back to rediscover some touch

[Doc26]

Everitt probably had his best game.

Dre's intensity has stepped up noticeably. Really pleased with his progression since the end of 2009.



Roughead did well but he should have nailed that goal. Can be a threat up forward in years to come.

Agree. Can see Roughead doing a lot of damage to oppositions in a key forward position in years to come. Will develop into a strong pack marker. Future looks very exciting with him.

Griffen, Gia, Harbrow, Eagleton, Barry, Gilbee and Hudson were all excellent for us tonight. Gia's first half in particular was great.

Mitch fought hard to play a part tonight and did present albeit against terrible opposition. His days must still remain numbered with the pace of the game having passed him by

Moles is worth persevering with, offering good run and carry. His disposal is letting him down currently and will need to improve in this area to be able to hold down a position in the longer term.

Murph 'early' was terrible again, dropping sitters combined with poor disposal, although pleasingly did start to find his feet as the game went on.

Addison is a battler but can do a job when asked of him and did so in Hargrave's absence tonight. Still not in our best 22 but will get continue to get opportunities as they present.

[macca]

Adelaide just don't look fit, and look tired without a game B, C. They have a lot of soul searching.

- Griffen reading of play off the pack , x3 was sensational. His long penetrating 60 kicks, especially to hall in the 3rd quarter fantastic. Burst of spead and kicking over the zone. Probably BOG.
- Roughead, did not realise how mobile, and boy can he take a mark. Minson has some competition at last!
- Gia was fantastic in first half, in 2nd quarter breaking a couple of tackles and palm the ball off. Great stuff.
- Hall, his reading of the play, is amazing, 3rd qtr leading and then slowlying down to wait for the kick to arrive was good. Adds so much to the team. Frees up Mitch, and allows him to play his bullocking, lock blocking game. If only Mitch could improve his leading.
- Johnson was handy added much strength.
- Everitt did some good hard running all night, and he filled out that half back, winger role. Very good game, and showed how desparate he was to want to be in the 22. last quarter effort was good, chasing tackling, and moving still with 2mins left in the game. Went hard for the ball a couple of times and really put his body in.
- Eagleton, he just keeps finding the ball and knows where to run.
- DFA, knows where to get position, but boy is he clumsy. 2nd quarter ball literally dropped into his lap, and he stilled spilled it!
- Moles needs to back his judgement and keep persisting. His last quarter effort to push ball fwd from Johnson crumb was good. His strong and can break tackles
- Williams filling out in his role and another confident game from him.
- AKer , great mark!

[AndrewP6]

Biggest disappointment was the crowd. Absolutely abysmal. What crowds are we going to get when we aren't a top 8 side anymore?

For me the disappointment was for a number of Bulldog fans near me. Right through the game, they were on our player's backs, even as the lead got out past 50! Comments like "Go to ground like you always do Johnno!" and "Come on Cooney, get in the game for Christ's sake". The icing on the cake was "Earn one of your goals Hall, don't just wait for them!"

I thought for sure they were Crows staffers in disguise. Pathetic form from our "supporters".

[LostDoggy]

For me the disappointment was for a number of Bulldog fans near me. Right through the game, they were on our player's backs, even as the lead got out past 50! Comments like "Go to ground like you always do Johnno!" and "Come on Cooney, get in the game for Christ's sake". The icing on the cake was "Earn one of your goals Hall, don't just wait for them!"

I thought for sure they were Crows staffers in disguise. Pathetic form from our "supporters".

Yeah I was having the same experience, I just turned the volume up on my radio so I could block out all the people that really don't understand the game. I still hate it when the crowd gets upset when we were switching the ball through defence trying to cut through the Adelaide zone. Sometimes I wish I could have my own corporate box every week. It would be bliss. :cool:

[LostDoggy]

Yes, that's annoying with the ball being switched over through defence and people from both sides getting upset and booing and the likes.

[G-Mo77]

For me the disappointment was for a number of Bulldog fans near me. Right through the game, they were on our player's backs, even as the lead got out past 50! Comments like "Go to ground like you always do Johnno!" and "Come on Cooney, get in the game for Christ's sake". The icing on the cake was "Earn one of your goals Hall, don't just wait for them!"

I thought for sure they were Crows staffers in disguise. Pathetic form from our "supporters".

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had to put up with this. I had one guy absolutely giving it to Gia after his "shocking" first quarter. I cracked and had a go at him, probably should have kept my yap shut but it shits me to tears.


I still hate it when the crowd gets upset when we were switching the ball through defence trying to cut through the Adelaide zone. Sometimes I wish I could have my own corporate box every week. It would be bliss. :cool:

One of my pet hates also. What would they rather happen kick it long and turn it over?

[The Bulldogs Bite]

The contrast between Everitt's game of 2010 to 08/09 is phenomenal. Never backs out ofa contest, he goes in very hard and low for a guy his size. Love his hard running - always trying to provide an option. Some really clever passing too which is a reason we want to get the ball in his hands 60-70m out from goal.

Griffen was BOG for mine. His work rate has improved dramatically. Skills were very good and we know he's really good in tight situations. Following up his work well. No doubt our best performed player so far this season.

Gia had his best game for a long, long time. I've been critical of him this season but in Boyd's absence he really stood up. First half was first class. He ran really hard, he hit the contest hard, won the difficult balls, set-up other players and used his footy nous to separate himself from a lot of other players tonight.

Hall is in great form. Leading and marking well. Kicking goals. However, his presence and defensive pressure is enormous. How many times do opposition players fumble/turn over the ball because they know Hall is close? Happens 2-3 times each game. Loving Hall's work.

Pleased with Eagleton. Ran very hard and used the ball fairly well. 3.2 for a midfielder is a great return. He's an important player if he can bring this kind of form to the table a) more regularly and b) against Cats/Saints/Pies.

Hudson was terrific all night, really plays like another midfielder with the way he throws his body into a contest after the ruck duels. Sets the precedent for Roughead who played well and should hold his spot.

Thought Johnson was important too. Turned it over a few times but overall a really good performance. His leadership showed tonight and after watching our dysfunctional forward line for the first 4 weeks, it was nice to see Johnno back.

Still think we're quite a bit off where we need to be. Fumbling too much and our disposal (particularly by hand) isn't great. We'll need to really improve for St. Kilda but I am very happy with the players endeavour tonight. They wanted to atone for last week - and they did.

[LostDoggy]

Does anyone else think that Eagleton is very important to the structure of our side? I loved how he was able to find a lot of space tonight, hit targets etc...

[dog town]

Griffen is doing some of the simple things better. A criticism I have had of him in the past is that he rarely gets front and square to a contest. He would generaly run down the side of a contest whether off a marking contest or even to recieve a handball. Last night he was making that extra running effort to get across the front of the pack. It gives him far more chance of getting the ball. Squibs and idiots run down the side of contests. He has also simplified a bit of his kicking and we are not seeing as many of the pretty stab passes that do not find the intended player. Easily in career best form.

I agree Everitt was pretty good but not to the extent of some others. I thought he hesitated in a few contests. Generally did his job though and provided a bit of run. Heaps to improve on for him though.

Jarrad Grant did some very nice first option stuff. Does anyone know whether he played much basketball as a kid? He has those passing instincts where he gathers the ball and already knows where he is passing it. Sometimes it is a very good thing and sometimes it can look like panic but its not. Most guys who have played a bit of basketball are very good with this sort of thing even at a local level you can pick this up. I didnt mind Grants game. I would like to see him get in more contests that are sort of typical of a forward rather than getting little gathers on the outside of packs. We didnt really get to see him in many marking contests or leading up at the ball to often. When we did you can clearly see he has the ability and almost pulled down a nice contested mark. His defensive effort was good but just needs a bigger frame to help stick those 50/50 tackles.

Great leaders game from Guido. Certainly put his hand up for more permanent time in the midfield. Him and Johnson really set the tone of the game for us.

I am not overly concerned about Murphy. He has always had the habit of making some annoying mistakes. His work rate was very good last night and he gave that lead up option we need all night.

Loved Hall and his work ethic last night. His bullocking and contesting was very good. Really liked the passage of play out near the boundary line at half forward when he won the ball back off 3 adelaide players. The commentators on the replay have tried to play it down bu the crows players clearly knew it was Hall and wanted nothing to do with it.

Thought our pressure skills when we didnt have the footy were probably the biggest highlight of the night for us. We still didnt use the ball as well as we need to. We had some really bad mistakes with the footy in our hands especially running through the middle of the ground.

[LostDoggy]

Loved Hall and his work ethic last night. His bullocking and contesting was very good. Really liked the passage of play out near the boundary line at half forward when he won the ball back off 3 adelaide players. The commentators on the replay have tried to play it down bu the crows players clearly knew it was Hall and wanted nothing to do with it.


They did seem very wary of Barry, fun to watch.:eek:

[BulldogBelle]

Murphy following on from last week and dropping everything that comes his way.

My thoughts exactly.
It was very frustrating but hed did start holding them later in the game.

[GVGjr]

Does anyone else think that Eagleton is very important to the structure of our side? I loved how he was able to find a lot of space tonight, hit targets etc...

If we had Boyd, Ward and Picken available I'm not sure how important Eagleton is to the side but he's certainly a handy player. He was good last night and used the ball a lot better than some games last year.

[BulldogBelle]

Most of what others have mentioned, but tonight I thought Tom Williams looked assured with the ball in his hands. His deliver by foot was very good (unlike a certain full back who wears #36).

Disappointed with the amount of times Murph dropped chest marks!

Good point about Tom and Lake.

Tom looked pretty good and Brian was not at his best.

[BulldogBelle]

Yeah I was having the same experience, I just turned the volume up on my radio so I could block out all the people that really don't understand the game. I still hate it when the crowd gets upset when we were switching the ball through defence trying to cut through the Adelaide zone. Sometimes I wish I could have my own corporate box every week. It would be bliss. :cool:

This is so true! l am always explaining to people the switch in defence.

But the next time it happens l am back where l started from and trying to explain it again.

l should just give up....

[Go_Dogs]

I thought a number of our younger players were the real positive of the night.

Agreed. You have always been a big advocate for playing youngsters when they are in form and their confidence was up, and tonight was another demonstration of why that works.

Grant was not outstanding, but he got on the end of a few chances and that is probably enough at this stage. Not sure he retains his spot for next week though.


I thought his disposal was quite poor and something he needs to rectify. He certainly did some good things to win the ball, but let himself down with poor execution.

I agree on Moles. Thought he was better last night than the previous 2 weeks, but he hasn't turned me around yet. His disposal is a bit loose and panicking, and he needs to take the first option more often.

I know he likes to take the game on, but I recall one or two incidents across his 4 games where he has taken someone on, and got though. He hasn't been penalised for HTB often though.


I didn't notice any glaring skill errors from him, but I'm watching a replay now so I'll keep an eye out.

Yeah, didn't think he made any terrible errors last night. He needs an extended run to continue to get his confidence up, and I think he's shown enough over the past couple of weeks that we persist with him a while longer.

Geez him and Griff looks similar on the telecast at times.






And how much have we missed Brad Johnson? He was so influential with his touches. He's just a very smart footballer. He's going to be a huge inclusion for us, and is still in our top 5 or so players based on last night.


Murphy played another stinker. Not sure what is going on with Murph, but he just can't hold his marks. Did a few good things, but should be playing better than he is.

[Go_Dogs]

If we had Boyd, Ward and Picken available I'm not sure how important Eagleton is to the side but he's certainly a handy player. He was good last night and used the ball a lot better than some games last year.

I tend to agree with arkie on this one.

Thought Eagleton was in our best handful last night, and his ability to work hard to create an option is very important. Missed a few goals he should've kicked, so easily could've ended up with 5 goals. Think he improves us quite a bit when he's up and running as we don't really have another player with his skill set.

[Stefcep]

BIg game next week, could well send a message if we get a good win.

At the siren and afterwards in the rooms the players didn't seem to get carried away with the win, very professional, seemed to be looking ahead to the bigger challenge coming up.

Best match I've seen from Everett.

Roughhead has huge potential. Grant needs a pre-season with a lot of weights work.

Sorry, missed the line-ups and first quarter. Didn't notice Hill not being on the ground till this morning. Was he dropped. (IMO deserved it if he was)
\

[bornadog]

I thought Aker was fantastic last night, he chased and tackled and chased all night. He was absolutely stuffed by the last quarter.

[Desipura]

If we had Boyd, Ward and Picken available I'm not sure how important Eagleton is to the side but he's certainly a handy player. He was good last night and used the ball a lot better than some games last year.

When he is left alone to run on his own, he will play like he did last night. Unfortunately he is not afforded this luxury against more accountable teams.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Question; why didn't we get the tribute (the last post) to the Anzacs last night at the football? I'd forgot about it until now watching Sydney and West Coast. Very strange.

[Rocco Jones]

Question; why didn't we get the tribute (the last post) to the Anzacs last night at the football? I'd forgot about it until now watching Sydney and West Coast. Very strange.

Perhaps it's due to it being on a Friday night as opposed to the actual weekend. Not sure though, would think all games this round would have had the tribute.

[LostDoggy]

Perhaps it's due to it being on a Friday night as opposed to the actual weekend. Not sure though, would think all games this round would have had the tribute.

I would of thought the same thing!
It's ANZAC Round!

[LostDoggy]

For me the disappointment was for a number of Bulldog fans near me. Right through the game, they were on our player's backs, even as the lead got out past 50! Comments like "Go to ground like you always do Johnno!" and "Come on Cooney, get in the game for Christ's sake". The icing on the cake was "Earn one of your goals Hall, don't just wait for them!"

I thought for sure they were Crows staffers in disguise. Pathetic form from our "supporters".

I am on holiday in northern NSW at the moment, so didn't get to see the game (on too late on the TV) but I had the same experience when we played Hawthorn. Not really sure what goes on in people's heads - seems to happen alot around my seat at Doglands. I get so frustrated :( with that kind of attitude. It is normal to get upset at times, but not when the side is up and obviously giving their all.

[Sockeye Salmon]

This is so true! l am always explaining to people the switch in defence.

But the next time it happens l am back where l started from and trying to explain it again.

l should just give up....

Kick it! KICK IT!!!

Why did you kick it to him?

[EasternWest]

Playing Geelong one day, I had a woman in front of me screaming "Run at him, run at him!" every time Ablett had the ball and our players tried to corral him. Then one of our players did charge at him. In the biggest surprise since Greedo shooting first, Ablett sidestepped the would be tackler and slotted a goal. Her response "At least he ran at him".

Nothing against this woman as a fan because she loved our team and was there supporting, but some people just don't get it.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

For me the disappointment was for a number of Bulldog fans near me. Right through the game, they were on our player's backs, even as the lead got out past 50! Comments like "Go to ground like you always do Johnno!" and "Come on Cooney, get in the game for Christ's sake". The icing on the cake was "Earn one of your goals Hall, don't just wait for them!"

I thought for sure they were Crows staffers in disguise. Pathetic form from our "supporters".

Whinging supporters are a challenge to understand and can spoil going to the game. Knockers of Eagle especially. The guy next to me in our reserved seats is tortured by Will Minson (ironically he is the size of Will Minson). His favourite thing to call out is "get rid of Minson" with the volume of a jet engine. He never yells out anything positive.
It clashes violently with my sense of what a supporter is. If you are regularly yelling out negative things about your own team, you are not a supporter and are a liability to the club and for the sake of the club and especially those around you stay home and take a look at yourself. Accept the reality of the team and vocalise the things that give you pleasure at the game not your inability to accept human (including your own) error.

[The Coon Dog]

He never yells out anything positive.


Reminds me of one poster on here who starts threads left, right & centre when we lose, but surprise, surprise, we won on Friday night I haven't heard a peep from him!

[The Pie Man]

Most of what others have mentioned, but tonight I thought Tom Williams looked assured with the ball in his hands. His deliver by foot was very good (unlike a certain full back who wears #36).

Disappointed with the amount of times Murph dropped chest marks!

Was wondering aloud if Brian was going to cop another bake quarter time after letting Tippet kick 2 on him, the second in the goal square disappointingly easy - was funny watching the replay when I got home, Brian's face was priceless...couldn'tve been more filthy at himself!

Played better from then on.

Both Johnson's and Murphy's touch in the first half looked really off, but both worked their way into it in the second half. We'll need more of the second half Murph next week against St Kilda

Tom playing 5 senior games consecutively - record? He was, and has been good this year. Starting to see reward for patience.

Love for Jordan Roughead's debut, really excitng - happy for Jarrad Grant to slot his first set shot as well.

[Hot_Doggies]

Tom playing 5 senior games consecutively - record? He was, and has been good this year. Starting to see reward for patience.



Still not convinced with Tom. He looks uncomfortable one on one. Looks around for his opponent when the ball is in the air, instead of focusing on the pill and marking/punching.

For a big guy he is very easily pushed off the ball and gets rag dolled in tackles.

[Desipura]

Still not convinced with Tom. He looks uncomfortable one on one. Looks around for his opponent when the ball is in the air, instead of focusing on the pill and marking/punching.

For a big guy he is very easily pushed off the ball and gets rag dolled in tackles.
I must say I totally agree with everything you say.

[BulldogBelle]

Whinging supporters are a challenge to understand and can spoil going to the game. Knockers of Eagle especially. The guy next to me in our reserved seats is tortured by Will Minson (ironically he is the size of Will Minson). His favourite thing to call out is "get rid of Minson" with the volume of a jet engine. He never yells out anything positive.
It clashes violently with my sense of what a supporter is. If you are regularly yelling out negative things about your own team, you are not a supporter and are a liability to the club and for the sake of the club and especially those around you stay home and take a look at yourself. Accept the reality of the team and vocalise the things that give you pleasure at the game not your inability to accept human (including your own) error.

That is pretty stupid. Lucky I haven't had that experience but would be hard to take.

[hujsh]

Whinging supporters are a challenge to understand and can spoil going to the game. Knockers of Eagle especially. The guy next to me in our reserved seats is tortured by Will Minson (ironically he is the size of Will Minson). His favourite thing to call out is "get rid of Minson" with the volume of a jet engine. He never yells out anything positive.
It clashes violently with my sense of what a supporter is. If you are regularly yelling out negative things about your own team, you are not a supporter and are a liability to the club and for the sake of the club and especially those around you stay home and take a look at yourself. Accept the reality of the team and vocalise the things that give you pleasure at the game not your inability to accept human (including your own) error.

Apparently against Collingwood at least 7 goals were directly attributable to Will Minson. Good thing the guys near me were able to complain loudly enough for the entire game about him so I could learn this.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Apparently against Collingwood at least 7 goals were directly attributable to Will Minson. Good thing the guys near me were able to complain loudly enough for the entire game about him so I could learn this.

They expect him to have the agility of Harbrow. Of course he is going to look awkward at times. He is a giant.

[comrade]

Still not convinced with Tom. He looks uncomfortable one on one. Looks around for his opponent when the ball is in the air, instead of focusing on the pill and marking/punching.

For a big guy he is very easily pushed off the ball and gets rag dolled in tackles.

He will only get better - he's played less than 50 games of AFL - in total. Of course there are going to be areas of his game that need developing due to the time he's lost to injuries, and I'm sure the coaches are working hard with him to improve in his awareness/body checking.

Also, having him fit and able to play a role means Morris and Shaggy both get better match ups.

[Bulldog4life]

Reminds me of one poster on here who starts threads left, right & centre when we lose, but surprise, surprise, we won on Friday night I haven't heard a peep from him!

That reminds me, where is Jerry?:)

[The Bulldogs Bite]

He will only get better - he's played less than 50 games of AFL - in total. Of course there are going to be areas of his game that need developing due to the time he's lost to injuries, and I'm sure the coaches are working hard with him to improve in his awareness/body checking.

Also, having him fit and able to play a role means Morris and Shaggy both get better match ups.

In theory it does, but Morris still gets the second best tall so Williams playing certainly hasn't taken any pressure off him. Perhaps Hargrave.

I'd like to see Williams play a little more often on the bigger forwards, especially when Morris is getting beaten and he has a few times this season.

[divvydan]

Question; why didn't we get the tribute (the last post) to the Anzacs last night at the football? I'd forgot about it until now watching Sydney and West Coast. Very strange.

The last post and ANZAC Tribute is only done once per state. For Victoria that was Coll v Ess. That's why it was played for Syd v WCE, Port v Stk and Fre v Rich. Didn't see the Haw v Nth game so I can't confirm but I assume it was played there as well.

[hujsh]

The last post and ANZAC Tribute is only done once per state. For Victoria that was Coll v Ess. That's why it was played for Syd v WCE, Port v Stk and Fre v Rich. Didn't see the Haw v Nth game so I can't confirm but I assume it was played there as well.

That's better than how it was when it was done before each game.

[Mantis]

In theory it does, but Morris still gets the second best tall so Williams playing certainly hasn't taken any pressure off him. Perhaps Hargrave.

I'd like to see Williams play a little more often on the bigger forwards, especially when Morris is getting beaten and he has a few times this season.

Refresh my memory, to which players should Williams have replaced Morris as our match-up?

[Rance Fan]

Thinking back on fridays game...i thought Murphy and Cooney had fairly quiet and somewhat poor performances on friday. Looked in the herald sun on saturday i think it was and Scott Gullen reported on the game and he gave Cooney a vote??!!
I thought he was lucky to be in the top 10 players on the night?
I wonder do these reporter go to the game??
Am i the only one who thought Cooney was below his usual?
Even against Lions he (and Murph)was only ok....does anyone know if he/both are injured?

[G-Mo77]

Cooney was OK Rancefan not quiet but OK. You're right though there were more deserving people of votes but I guess some people see things differently.

[bornadog]

Thinking back on fridays game...i thought Murphy and Cooney had fairly quiet and somewhat poor performances on friday. Looked in the herald sun on saturday i think it was and Scott Gullen reported on the game and he gave Cooney a vote??!!
I thought he was lucky to be in the top 10 players on the night?
I wonder do these reporter go to the game??
Am i the only one who thought Cooney was below his usual?
Even against Lions he (and Murph)was only ok....does anyone know if he/both are injured?

I thought Cooney had a very good second half. Cooney always surprises with the number of disposals he gets. He gets a lot of the ball himself and fires out handpasses that fans don't often see. We always expect Cooney to be flashy and bursting out of packs with a turn of speed. the reality is he doesn't do that very often.

[Sedat]

I thought Cooney had a very good second half. Cooney always surprises with the number of disposals he gets. He gets a lot of the ball himself and fires out handpasses that fans don't often see.
Agreed, he gets marked harshly for being such a talented player. I actually snuck him in for a vote on the strength of his 2nd half, in particular his work at the stoppages as you alluded to Bornadog. Really helped to bust the game open in the 3rd qtr.

[Murphy'sLore]

Re the negativity of (some) of our supporters: this may be slightly off topic, but I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of people who have been going to the football a lot longer than me, is this a particularly Bulldog trait or do supporters of other teams bag their players, too?

From what I've noticed, the Bulldog fans do seem to vocalise their despair a lot more swiftly and readily. It's as if, even when we're on top, our supporters expect the team to crumble. Is this the legacy of years of heart-breaking defeat?

Once heard a Pies supporter say, 'No matter how badly they're playing, I always expect Collingwood to win.' It seems that no matter how well the Dogs are playing, a certain section of the supporters always expect them to lose! Is it a cultural thing??

Anyone got any thoughts?

[Twodogs]

Re the negativity of (some) of our supporters: this may be slightly off topic, but I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of people who have been going to the football a lot longer than me, is this a particularly Bulldog trait or do supporters of other teams bag their players, too?




It's always been a trait of ours that we eat our own. If you want to read about a particularly vicious episode in our club history try and find some information about the social club lockout back in the mid seventies.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19770127&id=j1kQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R5IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4054,5563514


If it had happened to another club it would have been hilarious.

[The Pie Man]

It's always been a trait of ours that we eat our own. If you want to read about a particularly vicious episode in our club history try and find some information about the social club lockout back in the mid seventies.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19770127&id=j1kQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R5IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4054,5563514


If it had happened to another club it would have been hilarious.

Sheahan at The Age? Interesting (well before my time)

[Murphy'sLore]

"Membership up 50% to 4500"???

Gulp! Dark days indeed...

Thanks for the link, Twodogs, interesting reading.

[LostDoggy]

Thinking back on fridays game...i thought Murphy and Cooney had fairly quiet and somewhat poor performances on friday. Looked in the herald sun on saturday i think it was and Scott Gullen reported on the game and he gave Cooney a vote??!!
I thought he was lucky to be in the top 10 players on the night?
I wonder do these reporter go to the game??
Am i the only one who thought Cooney was below his usual?
Even against Lions he (and Murph)was only ok....does anyone know if he/both are injured?

I saw that as well and thought the same thing, Cooney was not terrible but not in the top 5 players