Barry

[Twodogs]

Has a player ever kicked 80 goals in a year without kicking more than 7 in a game? Usually a total like that would be made up of a bag of at leat one 10+ and a couple of 8 goal performances. but from memory Barry's best effort was a bag of 7 goals. What an ultra consistant year he's had.


Also is he the first player to kick 50 goals in a year at 3 different clubs? I cant think of another.

[bornadog]

Has been the recruit of the year, what a difference he has made up forward.

[GVGjr]

Has been the recruit of the year, what a difference he has made up forward.

I agree that his recruitment has been a success but are we actually a better side than we were 12 months back because we have him?

[KT31]

Has a player ever kicked 80 goals in a year without kicking more than 7 in a game? Usually a total like that would be made up of a bag of at leat one 10+ and a couple of 8 goal performances. but from memory Barry's best effort was a bag of 7 goals. What an ultra consistant year he's had.


Also is he the first player to kick 50 goals in a year at 3 different clubs? I cant think of another.

Can't think of one in my time.
Agree with bornadog with recruit of the year.
Must be the most unselfish fullforward of all time.
Could have kicked a couple of bags but brought other players into the game.

[bornadog]

I agree that his recruitment has been a success but are we actually a better side than we were 12 months back because we have him?

The biggest criticsm of the team was that we didn't have a big forward that is required in finals. The previous years under Eade ie 2005 to 2009, we have been in the top three scoring sides, yet in finals we didn't have a big forward to take a grab. Well now we do and he showed his value to the side last night and lets hope next week.

[Rocco Jones]

Hall has kicked more goals this season than any other Bulldog has in a season for 22 years.

[Doc26]

I agree that his recruitment has been a success but are we actually a better side than we were 12 months back because we have him?

I could'nt have seen us entering a Prelim. without him. We have had many this year way below par for various reasons, injury one of them, eg Johnson, Higgins, Ward, Gilbee, Hargrave, Akermanis, Hahn, Hill and a number of others that haven't performed well when we've needed them to. Barry has done his bit whereas others have fallen off.

[GVGjr]

I could'nt have seen us entering a Prelim. without him. We have had many this year way below par for various reasons, injury one of them, eg Johnson, Higgins, Ward, Gilbee, Hargrave, Akermanis, Hahn, Hill and a number of others that haven't performed well when we've needed them to. Barry has done his bit whereas others have fallen off.

To me he has hidden the true extent of our decline.

[jazzadogs]

I could'nt have seen us entering a Prelim. without him. We have had many this year way below par for various reasons, injury one of them, eg Johnson, Higgins, Ward, Gilbee, Hargrave, Akermanis, Hahn, Hill and a number of others that haven't performed well when we've needed them to. Barry has done his bit whereas others have fallen off.
Yep. He hasn't necessarily made us a better team, but he has stopped us from becoming a worse team.

[mjp]

I agree that his recruitment has been a success but are we actually a better side than we were 12 months back because we have him?

No, we are a worse side now. He has kept us in the top 4, but his addition and our focus on delivering him the ball has cost us.

It is difficult to say recruiting Hall was a mistake - his efforts and individual stats have been outstanding - but our team has struggled to a point (preliminary final) to which we cruised in each of the past two seasons. Further, his great mark on the boundary late in the game last night was one of the few 'pack' marks he has taken all year - he still wins the most of his footy on the lead.

To me, our recruitment of Barry Hall has been great for Barry Hall and great for the membership numbers/pre-season excitement level at the Western Bulldogs. From a winning footy games perspective though I don't think it has been a great result in anything except the immediate short-term.

Of course, if Barry ramps up his goal-kicking rate in the next two weeks and kicks us into a GF then onto a premiership with bags of 10 and 10, I will be deleting every syllable in the preceding three paragraphs.

[lemmon]

We'd be in massive trouble without him. At the start of the year I hoped he'd be the cream on the cake, but with injury/slide of form he has been the real meat of the team. Without him I doubt we would have made the top 6.

[stefoid]

Weve struggled for a lot of reasons all over the ground, but up forward Hall seems to be the only target because... he is!

no johnson, no acker, no hahn, no hill, no murph! grant doesnt yet demand the ball.


No, we are a worse side now. He has kept us in the top 4, but his addition and our focus on delivering him the ball has cost us.

It is difficult to say recruiting Hall was a mistake - his efforts and individual stats have been outstanding - but our team has struggled to a point (preliminary final) to which we cruised in each of the past two seasons. Further, his great mark on the boundary late in the game last night was one of the few 'pack' marks he has taken all year - he still wins the most of his footy on the lead.

To me, our recruitment of Barry Hall has been great for Barry Hall and great for the membership numbers/pre-season excitement level at the Western Bulldogs. From a winning footy games perspective though I don't think it has been a great result in anything except the immediate short-term.

Of course, if Barry ramps up his goal-kicking rate in the next two weeks and kicks us into a GF then onto a premiership with bags of 10 and 10, I will be deleting every syllable in the preceding three paragraphs.

[Bumper Bulldogs]

My view is a little different as he has been very good on the field. It is a shame that things haven't fallen in place for the likes of Minson, Higgins, Johnson, Hahn, Ward and Aker. if these guys had of been able to do a full pre season what might have been.

I look to Hall now and say that I'm very happy he came and his done a good job.

What I pose back at you is he really doing enough with the young blokes to bring them on as he will only have one more year left. I would like to think his brought them under his wing and helped them with the demands and riggers of AFL football.

Time will tell.

[AndrewP6]

b.

What I pose back at you is he really doing enough with the young blokes to bring them on as he will only have one more year left. I would like to think his brought them under his wing and helped them with the demands and riggers of AFL football.

Time will tell.

Grant in particular has mentioned how good it's been to have Baz to learn from. I could be mistaken, but I think I read Jones saying something similar.

[AndrewP6]

I agree that his recruitment has been a success but are we actually a better side than we were 12 months back because we have him?

I'd probably say no, but that we should be. I think he's been sensational for us, and the fact that we've struggled is more of an indictment of others rather than a by-product of his presence. He's more than done his bit, and others have failed to lift their performances. As others have said, we'd be in a world of trouble if he wasn't there.

[Dry Rot]

I agree that his recruitment has been a success but are we actually a better side than we were 12 months back because we have him?


To me he has hidden the true extent of our decline.

Absolutely agree. He has covered for at least half our 2009 forwardline which is stuffed or gone (Aker, Johnno, Hahn and Higgins) and arguably made a declining midfield look better.

[IrememberChocco]

We are a stronger side on paper with him, and i believe a stronger side on field.

The catch is in the past few seasons we had 8 dangerous players pushing up the ground kicking goals... sharing the load.

We still push forward though the pushes arent as dangerous.. expect with conney and Aker out\gone,

[Dancin' Douggy]

It's a real catch 22.
Yes Baz has had a great year. And last night he was f%#@*ing inspiring.
Has he cost the team though, in over all scoring, spread of goal scorers and predictability?

It's possible to say yes. But............

Players we were expecting goals out of this year included Johnson, Aker, Hahn, Hill, Higgins, Murphy and Eagle.

Aker gone, Hill a real real disappointment this year. Murph missed a lot of games and has been played mainly in defense, Johnno struggled with injury all year and missed a huge chunk of the season, Ditto Hahn, Higgins and Eagle. Gia and Grant have bagged a few but who else is there putting up their hand to consistently kick goals for us this year?

Hall has made us more predictable, but has HE created the lack of multiple goal scorers or has he saved us from it?

[EasternWest]

No, we are a worse side now. He has kept us in the top 4, but his addition and our focus on delivering him the ball has cost us.

It is difficult to say recruiting Hall was a mistake - his efforts and individual stats have been outstanding - but our team has struggled to a point (preliminary final) to which we cruised in each of the past two seasons. Further, his great mark on the boundary late in the game last night was one of the few 'pack' marks he has taken all year - he still wins the most of his footy on the lead.

To me, our recruitment of Barry Hall has been great for Barry Hall and great for the membership numbers/pre-season excitement level at the Western Bulldogs. From a winning footy games perspective though I don't think it has been a great result in anything except the immediate short-term.

Of course, if Barry ramps up his goal-kicking rate in the next two weeks and kicks us into a GF then onto a premiership with bags of 10 and 10, I will be deleting every syllable in the preceding three paragraphs.

But that was the entire purpose of recruiting Hall wasn't it? It was pretty widely accepted that with a big forward we would have the final piece for the squad that was primed to go now.

Our form has been below what we would have hoped and expected and injuries have hurt us, but it's no fault of Barry and as far as I'm concerned recruiting him was absolutely the right move.

[Rocco Jones]

While I agree that Hall has made us a bit more predictable and we have struggled at times with being too Hall conscious I think that mjp's post largely assumes that all other things are equal when comparing this year's team to last season.

Aker look an AA monty last year at around Round 14-15 and had a quality QF.

Johnno also had a decent year, finishing 4th in our B & F.

In different ways the pair have both had the 'one year too many' type of seasons. Fair drops for the pair and it has really hurt our goal scoring depth.

Hahn has also go down a cog or two.

Hill is out of the side, as he was last year.

Gia is pretty much the same standard as last season.

The only player in the forward line who has really added value other than Hall is Grant. His improvement definitely does not match the decline/end of Johnno and Aker.

[Mofra]

Also is he the first player to kick 50 goals in a year at 3 different clubs? I cant think of another.
Not sure, but did Simon Minton-Connell go close?
Richard Osborne would be the other that springs to mind.

[mjp]

It was pretty widely accepted that with a big forward we would have the final piece for the squad that was primed to go now.


Now, you know I did not subscribe to this.



Our form has been below what we would have hoped and expected and injuries have hurt us, but it's no fault of Barry and as far as I'm concerned recruiting him was absolutely the right move.

I agree it isn't the fault of Hall, and said he has played very, very well - exceeding expectations. I still say it is simplistic to suggest that poor form by everyone else has been the problem. Adding Hall changed our forward line, which compromised Hahn, cost Minson a place in the team, took opportunities away from Hill (who couldn't find a way to work alongside him effectively), pushed Johnson up the ground (when he played) etc etc.

We are where we are now because of Hall's form. But to me we really are no better off.

[EasternWest]

But that was the entire purpose of recruiting Hall wasn't it? It was pretty widely accepted that with a big forward we would have the final piece for the squad that was primed to go now.

Our form has been below what we would have hoped and expected and injuries have hurt us, but it's no fault of Barry and as far as I'm concerned recruiting him was absolutely the right move.

[QUOTE=mjp;178621]Now, you know I did not subscribe to this.

Sorry, poor choice of words on my half. A lot of people viewed a big forward as the "missing piece" that would be the panacea. Of course there's more to it than that.

[LostDoggy]

We'd be in massive trouble without him. At the start of the year I hoped he'd be the cream on the cake, but with injury/slide of form he has been the real meat of the team. Without him I doubt we would have made the top 6.

You hungry?

[Dancin' Douggy]

Cummings?

[Ghost Dog]

Now, you know I did not subscribe to this.



I agree it isn't the fault of Hall, and said he has played very, very well - exceeding expectations. I still say it is simplistic to suggest that poor form by everyone else has been the problem. Adding Hall changed our forward line, which compromised Hahn, cost Minson a place in the team, took opportunities away from Hill (who couldn't find a way to work alongside him effectively), pushed Johnson up the ground (when he played) etc etc.

We are where we are now because of Hall's form. But to me we really are no better off.


The option of being able to bomb it in long with any confidence is now an option for us which was never there before.
Example: Nab Cup game against Port. Barry got us over the line and the same thing could happen in a final.

Compromised Hahn?? Mitch has had a pretty flat year in areas that have nothing to do with Barry. Can't see Barry being responsible for Will being dropped earlier in the season either. Josh, well, I watched the VFL game against Bullants on the weekend.
His tackling has much improved but still needs to work on the defensive side. He really has improved. With or without Hally, I am not sure he would be in our team either way.

Barry has a 70% kicking accuracy stat and draws defenders in ways that the three above can't do. In short, my view is the opposite to the above quote. But, IMO.

[Twodogs]

Not sure, but did Simon Minton-Connell go close?
Richard Osborne would be the other that springs to mind.


I dont think Loaf ever kicked 50 in a year at Carlton and Ossie copped that sickening crunch at the SCG when he was playing at Sydney which cost him a fair chunk of the season he spent there.

[Twodogs]

I agree it isn't the fault of Hall, and said he has played very, very well - exceeding expectations. I still say it is simplistic to suggest that poor form by everyone else has been the problem. Adding Hall changed our forward line, which compromised Hahn

Hahn's shoulders are ****ed. That's what is wrong with his footy. He cant raise his arms in a marking contest and cant stick a tackle. If you take away a payers two main strengths then he is going to struggle, and Hahn's great strengths were his overhead marking and tackling




cost Minson a place in the team

I reckon Roughead has had more to do with Minson's absence from the team than Hall.


took opportunities away from Hill (who couldn't find a way to work alongside him effectively),

That's a problem that only Hill can rectify. He knows what's required of him, hopefully this is the preseason when the penny drops.


pushed Johnson up the ground (when he played) etc etc.


I dont know about that. I saw plenty of them in the same forward line this year when Johnno played.