Game day - Bulldogs vs Eagles

[GVGjr]

This is the discussion thread for tonights game.

Who's you tip to kick the first goal for us? I'll go for a long shot and select Skipper

For match-ups I'd have Harris on Hansen and Williams on Lynch. Wight to pick up Staker and this might free up Hargrave to play as a forward.

Boyd to run with Kerr and Giansiracusa on Cousins.

[Bulldog Revolution]

This is the discussion thread for tonights game.

Who's you tip to kick the first goal for us? I'll go for a long shot and select Skipper

For match-ups I'd have Harris on Hansen and Williams on Lynch. Wight to pick up Staker and this might free up Hargrave to play as a forward.

Boyd to run with Kerr and Giansiracusa on Cousins.

Id had the matchups the other way Williams on Hansen and Harris on Lynch. Wight or Hargraves for Staker - Id thought Hargraves initially. I am thinking Wight, Skipper and Tiller will all get chances to play forward.

Tiller to start at full forward and kick the first goal

[Topdog]

Is Grant playing?

I think our most important match up will be Hansen. Gotta stop that wanker who always seems to have a field day against us.

I'd like to see Boyd and Morris in lockdown midfield roles this week too.

[LostDoggy]

Cooney to kick the first goal (I've got 'em right the last couple of weeks). That's as far as my predicitions go.

[Go_Dogs]

I think Williams could potentially go with Hansen, or perhaps Wight. Hansen will spend the majority of his time leading up from about 35-40M out to the wings, so we need someone with the athleticism to go with him. I feel Harris is better suited a bit deeper on Lynch.

I hope Boyd tags Kerr again, and I'd quite like to see perhaps Hahn play a bit of a run with role through the midfield too, at least for patches of the game. A few heavy hits on Judd or Cousins, and help create a bit of space for a few of our guys.

I tipped us to win by 19 points this morning, I have no idea why and I'm not really confident at all...but we have to bounce back this week and make a statement. I'm not going to be able to watch the game live, I've got an old scholars function, hopefully the replay will be worth watching when I get home drunk in the early morning.

Ray to kick our first.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Boyd would seem likely to go to Kerr again, maybe Morris to Cousins, Cooney to Judd - although maybe Power will get a run with role on one of the key players

Ray is another option on Kerr if we want to use Boyd elsewhere

[LostDoggy]

McMahon#23 - I would like to see Hanh in the midfield a bit too, but it aint going to happen tonight or any other time this year :(

[Go_Dogs]

McMahon#23 - I would like to see Hanh in the midfield a bit too, but it aint going to happen tonight or any other time this year :(


Haha, wow what a brain-fade on my behalf! I guess I'll put it down to wishful thinking.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Haha, wow what a brain-fade on my behalf! I guess I'll put it down to wishful thinking.

dont worry about it, Id really like to see Beasley up forward

[Go_Dogs]

Longest Friday afternoon ever! Are people's spirits starting to lift for the game yet?

[GVGjr]

Longest Friday afternoon ever! Are people's spirits starting to lift for the game yet?

I have been dragged into a late meeting at work and I'm mighty annoyed. :)

I'm looking forward to tonight but then I'm always a bit optimistic before the game.

[aker39]

I'm as toey as a Roman sandal

I plan to get there very early to wet my tonsils. I need them lubricated for my Ben Cousins booing.

[bornadog]

Expect Wight to play in the ruck sometimes. Morris will go to the middle to tag a player, not sure who. Williams to Hansen and Harris to Lynch, Hargarve or Wight on Staker/Hunter

Johnno, first goal.

[Go_Dogs]

If he plays.

Is there some doubt?

[aker39]

Is there some doubt?


There have been reports since yesterday that he pulled up VERY sore after last weeks game.

[LostDoggy]

Longest Friday afternoon ever! Are people's spirits starting to lift for the game yet?
No. I fear the worst and I'm annoying myself for feeling so negative. Normally I always feel confident against the Weagles (we usually give a good account of ourselves against them). I think I read to much grizzling on BF this week and it's affected my psyche.

I am excited to see another young player debut, but am nervous about more senior players not pulling their fingers out. Last week really was a poor effort.

I am only a block away from the TD and walk down after a few Friday night wines at work. I hope the team is super competitive.

[southerncross]

Id had the matchups the other way Williams on Hansen and Harris on Lynch. Wight or Hargraves for Staker - Id thought Hargraves initially. I am thinking Wight, Skipper and Tiller will all get chances to play forward.

Tiller to start at full forward and kick the first goal

You got most of the defensive match-ups right and we had Skipper and Tiller up forward. Gia got the first goal.

Wasn't it a struggle? We really only had 6 effective players and a number of passengers. Apparently Rocket and Co read the riot act to the players last week but they haven't backed up and responded to the challenge.

[Bulldog Revolution]

You got most of the defensive match-ups right and we had Skipper and Tiller up forward. Gia got the first goal.

Wasn't it a struggle? We really only had 6 effective players and a number of passengers. Apparently Rocket and Co read the riot act to the players last week but they haven't backed up and responded to the challenge.

Little consolation indeed

Whatever was done certainly didn't work, we didn't have anywhere near enough guys prepared/or capable of playing with the intensity required for long enough. Our inexperience showed in the number of mistakes we made.

I never expected us to win tonight - with Hill, Tiller debuting plus Everitt, Williams, Harbrow, Higgins, Wight in the side BUT I hoped for a better display than I got.

We just dont have enough guys who can run, and use the footy with the class of the Eagles, nor do we have an army of players prepared to chase, block, smother and tackle -and when we did tackle we were brushed aside.

[LostDoggy]

Obviously a shocking effort that really has dispelled a few myths that I had about the club and team for the 2007 season.

* I had confidence in the playing list however, in reality the playing list is nowhere near as good as I thought it was. The balance isn't right and there is far too much emphasis on speed. Sure we lost a number of quality guys but the list fell away all too quickly.
* Despite all the positive spin I have heard about our fitness crew a large number of players are still physcially undeveloped even after being in the system for a number of years.
* I thought this this season would be one where we really established ourselves as a successful Victorian team however, we have missed a tremendous opportunity to display our ablities on the premium Friday night games and this will hurt our image and mareketability with sponsors and supporters next year.
* After a loss it's easy to say "Lets play some youngsters" rather than a couple of the more marginally performing senior players however, unless the youngsters are actually in form it rarely works. Tiller and Hill were a fair way off the mark last night.
* Higgins is not a complete player and infact he is almost passive on the defensive side of his game.
* We are not likely to be a serious threat to the Flag anytime soon.

I don't think Eade has all the answers at the moment but I'm definitely sure he is still the right man for us.
There are some positives but right at this moment I think it's more important to call out what's going wrong.

[LostDoggy]

Just a question for everyone

Was the booing of Cousins by our supporters acceptable last night? I can't ever recall booing anyone at a game of footy and whilst I think Cousins got let off all too easily (once again) I couldn't bring myself to ever trash him in the same manner so many did last night.

[southerncross]

Best intentions don't stop massacre (http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/best-intentions-dont-stop-massacre/2007/07/27/1185339266882.html)


LAST week, one of Rodney Eade's former mentors, Hawthorn premiership coach Allan Jeans, made the trip out to Whitten Oval to address the Bulldogs in the lead up to last night's match against the reigning premier.
Of the many points he touched on in what the players regarded as a stirring presentation, he was obviously aware of how undermanned the Doggies were when he told them it didn't matter who was out on the field, if every player did their bit, then you never knew just what might happen.
In other words, sometimes in football, sheer endeavour will get you over the line against the odds.
It's a theory that sounds so sweet in the lecture room. But against the might of a resurgent West Coast, all the "rah rah" in the world will go only so far when you simply haven't got the cattle to match them.
There have been questions for most of the season that even with their best side on the field the Bulldogs, while they have the runners, don't have the structure, the size at either end of the ground, or dominant ruckmen, to be a serious premiership contender.
Yet when half your side is watching from the stands and your key midfielder Scott West is a late withdrawal with a groin problem that has been plaguing him for some time, the straits are looking particularly dire.
Here's the list: West, Mitch Hahn, Lindsay Gilbee, Daniel Cross, Chris Grant, Peter Street, Will Minson and Ryan Griffen.
With no Grant, out with a hamstring, the Bulldogs started with Wayde Skipper a surprise forward. But he's hardly a noted goal kicker and hardly an imposing physique and Adam Hunter manned him up initially.
Brad Johnson, as usual, was the primary target in the first half, but with a lack of delivery with his side's midfield being given a clinic by the likes of Chris Judd, Daniel Kerr and Ben Cousins, he moved into the centre after half time.
But it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul. The run and possession he gave resulted in only two goals in the third while West Coast went further ahead with four, pushing the lead out to 53 points.
He was back up forward in the last but after the Eagles had kicked their seventh on the trot in the 11th minute, the Bulldogs' forward line consisted of only two players, him and first-gamer Stephen Tiller.
The Eagles aren't the most dominant forward side in the competition, but their set-up is looking more threatening each week.
With Ashley Hansen back in the side as a lead-up centre half-forward, his work across half-forward leaves a big space for the massive Quinten Lynch to work into. It's a combination that works well, and with Hansen in the side the Eagles have won 21 of the past 23 games he has played in.
With Brent Staker, the third tall forward at a mere 195 centimetres, switching with Dean Cox when he wasn't dominating the centre bounces, the mountain to climb for the likes of Ryan Hargrave, Brian Harris and the inexperienced Tom Williams was always going to be insurmountable.
But having said that, it was between the arcs where the game was won — and lost.
West was a massive loss, but his presence wouldn't have made a huge difference. Griffen is an emerging star and would have been handy. The Eagle midfield was simply awesome.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Obviously a shocking effort that really has dispelled a few myths that I had about the club and team for the 2007 season.

* I had confidence in the playing list however, in reality the playing list is nowhere near as good as I thought it was. The balance isn't right and there is far too much emphasis on speed. Sure we lost a number of quality guys but the list fell away all too quickly.
* Despite all the positive spin I have heard about our fitness crew a large number of players are still physcially undeveloped even after being in the system for a number of years.
* I thought this this season would be one where we really established ourselves as a successful Victorian team however, we have missed a tremendous opportunity to display our ablities on the premium Friday night games and this will hurt our image and mareketability with sponsors and supporters next year.
* After a loss it's easy to say "Lets play some youngsters" rather than a couple of the more marginally performing senior players however, unless the youngsters are actually in form it rarely works. Tiller and Hill were a fair way off the mark last night.
* Higgins is not a complete player and infact he is almost passive on the defensive side of his game.
* We are not likely to be a serious threat to the Flag anytime soon.

I don't think Eade has all the answers at the moment but I'm definitely sure he is still the right man for us.
There are some positives but right at this moment I think it's more important to call out what's going wrong.

All good points - the lists abilities have been overestimated - fitness has appeared to be an issue

I agree with your thoughts on Eade

[bornadog]

Just a question for everyone

Was the booing of Cousins by our supporters acceptable last night? I can't ever recall booing anyone at a game of footy and whilst I think Cousins got let off all too easily (once again) I couldn't bring myself to ever trash him in the same manner so many did last night.

I don't ever boo players like I did in the 80's, and then, it was when a gutless act like whacking a player when he is not looking happended. I think the booing of Cousins was to just let him know that his off field behaviour isnot acceptable.

[Twodogs]

I don't ever boo players like I did in the 80's, and then, it was when a gutless act like whacking a player when he is not looking happended. I think the booing of Cousins was to just let him know that his off field behaviour isnot acceptable.




The last time I remember going out of my way to boo a player was Leigh Matthews at Whitten Oval in 1985. It was his first match back after king hitting Neville Bruns that time, we won and gave it to Lethal all day.




Happy times.



Dont really understand the booing of Cousins-especially when he gets it 30 times in a game. You just end up looking a bit of a goose.

[bornadog]

nor do we have an army of players prepared to chase, block, smother and tackle -and when we did tackle we were brushed aside.

Not sure the final tally, but we had more tackles than they did, but as you say, we are brushed aside when we did tackle.

Statistics lie so much. I noticed at 3/4 time, we had more tackles, more centre clearances and almost the same hard ball gets, but WC seem to have much cleaner ones. Our centre bounce clearances often did not hit a target and were merly banged out of the centre, whereas WC seem to come out of the centre bouncing the ball and hitting their targets up forward.

[bornadog]

The last time I remember going out of my way to boo a player was Leigh Matthews at Whitten Oval in 1985. It was his first match back after king hitting Neville Bruns that time, we won and gave it to Lethal all day.




Happy times.



Dont really understand the booing of Cousins-especially when he gets it 30 times in a game. You just end up looking a bit of a goose.

yes, I was there

[Go_Dogs]

Last year, we seemed to run out the second half of games really well - I used to not worry if we were down by 20 points at half time because I knew we'd run harder than our opposition in the second half. This season our running has been nowhere near the same level. Are we seeing the results of a more game-simulated-running pre-season?

As far as clearances and hard ball gets, the stats are all good and well, but we have struggled to get any clean possession from them. We're constantly under pressure and being chased and harassed, making bad decisions and disposing of the ball poorly. In the last qtr last night, WC pierced the field with a string of handballs that players ran onto, all perfectly. On the flip side, we missed target after target and we're continually handballing to a stationary target, or forcing the receiver to be stationary.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Last year, we seemed to run out the second half of games really well - I used to not worry if we were down by 20 points at half time because I knew we'd run harder than our opposition in the second half. This season our running has been nowhere near the same level. Are we seeing the results of a more game-simulated-running pre-season?

It might be a result of getting Geelong's discarded fitness bloke. Seems a dumb employment, and a bit of a coincidence that now we're the team that just can't seem to run. Players like Gia often look spent at half time. They commented on 7 that Gia just doesn't look like he has any energy, and has lost weight or something. As we learnt with Rohde; pay peanuts and you'll get peanuts.

[BulldogBelle]

Our game wasn't too flash and our losing margin was woeful ....but what does that say for Collingwood they have just lost by 92 points to Brisbane hopefully they will cop media spotlight more than us during the week.

[LostDoggy]

Our game wasn't too flash and our losing margin was woeful ....but what does that say for Collingwood they have just lost by 92 points to Brisbane hopefully they will cop media spotlight more than us during the week.
Yes, it's a funny game isn't it. Both teams we beat comfortably earlier in the year.

[bornadog]

Our game wasn't too flash and our losing margin was woeful ....but what does that say for Collingwood they have just lost by 92 points to Brisbane hopefully they will cop media spotlight more than us during the week.

Just goes to show, young teams just can't last the season out. I wonder if Collingwood will drop off now as we probably all suspected??

[BulldogBelle]

Just goes to show, young teams just can't last the season out. I wonder if Collingwood will drop off now as we probably all suspected??

Collingwood have had their fair share of injuries and have been playing 'the kids' for awhile now, as to be expected 'the kids' will start to have their down periods and this is where their 'experienced players' are very much missed...to a degree they are in much of a similar position to us at this stage. I just love watching that Dale Thomas play he is just everywhere.

[BulldogBelle]

Yes, it's a funny game isn't it. Both teams we beat comfortably earlier in the year.

Yep, every week in footy is like a chapter in a new book - don't know what it contains in it till you read the chapter and the story unravels. :)

EEk, this is something that Malthouse would say in reply to a question. :D

[LostDoggy]

Evidence has shown were overated but the Pies are much more overated than us.

[LostDoggy]

Yep, every week in footy is like a chapter in a new book - don't know what it contains in it till you read the chapter and the story unravels. :)

EEk, this is something that Malthouse would say in reply to a question. :D
Ha! We may very well hear that at a coach's press conference one day.