I prefer heartbreak to whatever this is.

[mjp]

Right now, I find myself looking somewhere for hope.

In the last two finals series, we have not had super performances in the qualifying round - much like last night. What we have had is genuine hope that we will turn it around.

What we heard a few weeks ago (after the Geelong loss) was that the 'real' Bulldogs would show up against Sydney. Smashed again.

The next week, careers were on the line. I wonder if that is the same line we fell across against a bottom-4 side missing 12 first 22 players.

All week, we heard about our renewed commitment and unique tactics against Collingwood - they would see us through or at least have us in the game.

Aside from playing Harbrow forward and trying to replicate the 2008 Higgins vs Milburn preliminary final match-up with O'Brien playing the role of Milburn...what exactly did we do? The effort was embarrassing and no-one is even sledging me about the result - they all feel sorry for us.

I hate this. Is anyone at the club going to start doing what they say they will? Am I going to read another Bob Murphy article about the bounce of the ball and nothing going right? I just wish everyone at the club would SHUT UP and start doing things. I am a strong believer in the leading teams program and feedback etc, but something is broken at the moment and strong, immediate action is required.

[Rocco Jones]

I hate this. Is anyone at the club going to start doing what they say they will? Am I going to read another Bob Murphy article about the bounce of the ball and nothing going right? I just wish everyone at the club would SHUT UP and start doing things. I am a strong believer in the leading teams program and feedback etc, but something is broken at the moment and strong, immediate action is required.

Totally agree with this.

We don't have any genuine all-rounder leaders and have to make a decision about whether we go with pure sayers or pure doers to lead the club.

Gia might rip it up at a team meeting but I would prefer someone with less talk and more action. I am sounding very political sound bit here but 'do as I do' > 'do as I say'.

[westdog54]

I don't know why, but I forced myself to watch until full time, painful as it was.

I'm usually about as optimistic as they come when it comes to this club, but the next 2 weeks frighten the hell out of me. They really do. Even if we get over the winner of todays match, and that's a big if, only a monu-bloody-mental disaster is going to stop StKilda sweeping us aside.

I can handle losing to teams that are clearly better than us, as long as its a fighting defeat.

Against Geelong and Collingwood, we've barely put up a fight. Collingwood should have put another 6 or 7 goals onto that margin last night.

I'll watch over the next week (or two if we're good enough next week), but I'm not looking forward to it.

[bornadog]

Is anyone at the club going to start doing what they say they will? .

Lets hope at the year end review they do.

[Sedat]

Dogs had 49% kicking efficiency last night - worst recorded in finals. Pies had 68 inside 50's - 2nd highest recorded in finals. And the contested possession differential was +30 in Collingwood's favour. So we were 2nd to the ball more often than not, on the odd occasion when we got our hands on the ball we coughed it up, and when we didn't have the ball we gave precious little resistence and showed scant regard to the opposition. Real statement time from our 'leaders'.

I almost think straight sets will be more beneficial to us in the big picture scheme of things.

[LostDoggy]

Right now, I find myself looking somewhere for hope.

In the last two finals series, we have not had super performances in the qualifying round - much like last night. What we have had is genuine hope that we will turn it around.

What we heard a few weeks ago (after the Geelong loss) was that the 'real' Bulldogs would show up against Sydney. Smashed again.

The next week, careers were on the line. I wonder if that is the same line we fell across against a bottom-4 side missing 12 first 22 players.

All week, we heard about our renewed commitment and unique tactics against Collingwood - they would see us through or at least have us in the game.

Aside from playing Harbrow forward and trying to replicate the 2008 Higgins vs Milburn preliminary final match-up with O'Brien playing the role of Milburn...what exactly did we do? The effort was embarrassing and no-one is even sledging me about the result - they all feel sorry for us.

I hate this. Is anyone at the club going to start doing what they say they will? Am I going to read another Bob Murphy article about the bounce of the ball and nothing going right? I just wish everyone at the club would SHUT UP and start doing things. I am a strong believer in the leading teams program and feedback etc, but something is broken at the moment and strong, immediate action is required.

Yep MJP Im looking for hope and looking everywhere. Once again last night we showed little fight and thats what scares me. We desperately need to get our confidence back and get it back now. If I was Rocket I would pick the 25 players that I wanted and take us out of Melbourne, just go bush, no Assistants no Medicos or Fitness guys just me and them. Sit them down around a fire and with no yelling or giving any sprays just tell them that Im backing ya just give me everythin ya got and if we go down then we go down TOGETHER.

I truly believe we can get over the swans all this team needs is a good win, get our touch back, fire up the confidence then we face the Saints and anythin can happen!

Im clinging onto the hope Ive got left, but my faith will not falter :)

[The Underdog]

I walked out of last year's prelim, massively disappointed but massively proud of the effort and intensity of the group.
I walked out last night knowing we weren't good enough in both playing stocks and intensity and just couldn't bring myself to feel much at all. I can't see how we turn this around and to be honest I can't see us being much more than a fringe top 8 team next year.

[DOG GOD]

I expect us to have a bit of a fall down from the ladder grace next year. I hope i'm wrong, but unless something drastically changes in mindset, then i feel that once again we will do well against avge opposition but really struggle with the intensity against the top teams. Other teams will improve, and i always thought our best chance of a flag was when the interstate teams were down as that took away the interstate finals problem.

I'm not expecting too much against Sydney and expect to lose by around the 4 gls mark. We will get killed around the stoppages and Goodes will have a field day.

[cambo]

Great post agree 100%
why is there no intensity, no belive, no heart, no speed in the legs etc etc etc so unlike the Bulldog spirit!!!!

[SonofScray]

Agree with the sentiments here. The reality is that this finals series, pending some sort of miracle will haunt me more than even '97. Why? Because it is the third year we've been good enough in my eyes, the third year we've finished with the double chance and the third year featuring a group of players we all had faith in who should be at the peak of their powers. What do we get instead? Insipid leadership and a battery of words instead of deeds!

I will be surprised if we make a Prelim. Part of me hopes we don't and the Club is forced to take action, because despite the talk of pain at PF losses and the glaring issues of effort and leadership at times over the journey, no one has addressed it. No one has put in a performance that justifies what was said, or defies what outsiders all think - that this group is weak.

Seeing other teams like the Blues, the Pies, Freo, potentially Essendon all go above us and go onto win another flag before we even get to a Grand Final is going to really hurt. I said it at 1/2 time v the Saints PF last year when we missed a few chances early, that this may be as close as we ever get. I will always support the Dogs and go into each year with high hopes but I have a feeling this mob has just fluffed it.

[Scorlibo]

It's 2008 all over again, beaten by Geelong towards the end of the season, nowhere near it after that, convincingly smashed in the QF and playing Sydney for a spot in the PF that we'll never win.

2009 was the year, there can be no doubt about it, that's when we peaked and it's just a pity that St Kilda and Geelong did at the same time, and a pity that things went the way of St Kilda in last year's PF.

If we are to have another prosperous period it will have to be on the back of a big rebuilding phase, I no longer have faith in the current group.

[LostDoggy]

It's 2008 all over again, beaten by Geelong towards the end of the season, nowhere near it after that, convincingly smashed in the QF and playing Sydney for a spot in the PF that we'll never win.

2009 was the year, there can be no doubt about it, that's when we peaked and it's just a pity that St Kilda and Geelong did at the same time, and a pity that things went the way of St Kilda in last year's PF.

If we are to have another prosperous period it will have to be on the back of a big rebuilding phase, I no longer have faith in the current group.

Have Sydney had a big rebuilding? Why can't we avoid this ever happening by good list management and drafting? I really don't want to be on the bottom of the ladder again. Sydney seem to avoid it.

[LostDoggy]

Have Sydney had a big rebuilding? Why can't we avoid this ever happening by good list management and drafting? I really don't want to be on the bottom of the ladder again. Sydney seem to avoid it.

So does Collingwood.

[Bumper Bulldogs]

I think we all can see hope but we just cant understand the sub-level of performance over the last month.

I can honestly see us beating the swans next Saturday night and I'm hoping that Wood comes in and has corker. The week after we may see Cooney back and look out saints.

[AndrewP6]

I think we all can see hope but we just cant understand the sub-level of performance over the last month.

I can honestly see us beating the swans next Saturday night and I'm hoping that Wood comes in and has corker. The week after we may see Cooney back and look out saints.

Has he made a miracle recovery?

[Go_Dogs]

good post mjp.

[Topdog]

It was really odd not caring that we lost a final but I walked away from the match last night without a care in the World. I suppose that's what happens when you have been expecting something for 3 weeks and it played out exactly as you expected.

[AndrewP6]

It was really odd not caring that we lost a final but I walked away from the match last night without a care in the World. I suppose that's what happens when you have been expecting something for 3 weeks and it played out exactly as you expected.

Yep, kind of summed it up for me...

[Greystache]

It was really odd not caring that we lost a final but I walked away from the match last night without a care in the World. I suppose that's what happens when you have been expecting something for 3 weeks and it played out exactly as you expected.

So did I. What I can't understand is, we all knew taking a group of injured players mixed with other senior players who can't perform in big finals was always going to end in a 10 goal loss, yet our match committee couldn't. Surely we could've thrown caution to the wind and tried a group of young players, if it comes off perhaps we're a chance of an upset, if it doesn't we lose by 10-15 goals and it's no different.

[Rocco Jones]

It was really odd not caring that we lost a final but I walked away from the match last night without a care in the World. I suppose that's what happens when you have been expecting something for 3 weeks and it played out exactly as you expected.

Exactly the same for me.

[mighty_west]

Exactly the same for me.

I was over it [the loss] 10 minutes after the game, how bad is that!

[Rocco Jones]

I was over it [the loss] 10 minutes after the game, how bad is that!

I was over the loss 20 minutes into the game!

[mjp]

I was over the loss 20 minutes into the game!

Yep - me too.

Resignation is far, far worse than heartbreak.

[1eyedog]

So did I. What I can't understand is, we all knew taking a group of injured players mixed with other senior players who can't perform in big finals was always going to end in a 10 goal loss, yet our match committee couldn't. Surely we could've thrown caution to the wind and tried a group of young players, if it comes off perhaps we're a chance of an upset, if it doesn't we lose by 10-15 goals and it's no different.

100% agree with this

[jazzadogs]

So did I. What I can't understand is, we all knew taking a group of injured players mixed with other senior players who can't perform in big finals was always going to end in a 10 goal loss, yet our match committee couldn't. Surely we could've thrown caution to the wind and tried a group of young players, if it comes off perhaps we're a chance of an upset, if it doesn't we lose by 10-15 goals and it's no different.
With you all the way Greystache.

I haven't felt such a sense of resignation going into a Bulldogs game, of any form, for so so long, and it sucks that it came in a final.

[Stefcep]

Totally agree with this.

We don't have any genuine all-rounder leaders and have to make a decision about whether we go with pure sayers or pure doers to lead the club.

Gia might rip it up at a team meeting but I would prefer someone with less talk and more action. I am sounding very political sound bit here but 'do as I do' > 'do as I say'.

Eade looked and sounded as if he'd conceded before the bounce.

[Dry Rot]

Earlier in the season I posted that I reckoned there was something pretty sick with this team and similar comments.

No surprise to me, especially after we just rolled over to the Lions. The signs have been there for a while, IMO.

[Desipura]

I was emabarrassed by how we performed on the weekend. I expected to lose, I did not expect us to lie down and cop it up the $%$.
I think it takes a special group of leaders that wins big games, we do not have that quality of leadership.
Which of our leaders has a good finals record? No one. Morris and Griffen aside.

[LostDoggy]

Great OP mjp.

Some of us said after Akergate that we would see if the 'leaders' of the club would back up all their tough off-field talking on the field, or if it would just be a swagger smokescreen to compensate for the lack of on-field leadership. Since Akergate, it's been one disaster after another -- the flu, the belting, the injuries...

It's like we lost our cajones, our mojo, when we decided that we just couldn't handle arseholes in-house anymore. Something, something cracked, and we thought that throwing a hissy fit and coming out with strong words was going to be enough. Maybe that was our Grand Final (see how we sang the song when we won that week!) Maybe we're emotionally done for the season, like that top 50 player who drains so much of themselves beating the top seed at a Grand Slam and can't back it up.

We have one last chance to salvage something from what is quickly turning out to be a trainwreck of a season, backs to the wall and all that.

[ratsmac]

Expecting to lose when going into a final is really bad, I know this from a supporters view, but I believe that this is the case with a good part of the players too. This has to be the case. Something definately happened that night we were smashed by the cats. We lost more than just the game, we lost half the teams belief in themselves. They are a shadow of the team that grinded out that win against Adelaide in the wet. I hate to say it, but I think we are done and dusted for 2010. The timing of Johnno's retirement announcement is only to try stir up some emotion IMO. This is the last pitch attemped to try revive what seems to be a wasted dead season.