Rate Our Preseason

[boydogs]

With just the North game to go, we have pretty much completed our pre-season now, with round 1 against the Bombers 2 weeks from Sunday.

So, how did we go during the pre-season? Did we get the required miles into the group, or were too many on modified programs? Have the younger players developed? Are our skills and fitness looking the goods? Did we have the sort of preseason that premiership years are built on the back of?

For anyone that wants to have a go at it, I would love to read a player by player analysis too, possibly with a score to show how well they have each done over the summer.

I look forward to reading your thoughts :)

[bornadog]

I would say overall the preseason has been good for us particulary with Ward and Higgins fit. Lake and Cooney had a distrupted preseason with Lake not getting any game time and probably the major worry. The biggest injury is to Hargrave, but overall, we are fitter than last year and well preapared for the season.

We have trialled a few of the younger guys in different positions and looks like we may have some depth.

I would say this has been our best preason preparation for a long time.

[Before I Die]

My only concern is whether we have seen any real development in our game plan. I am not too sure how obvious Collingwood's new style was during the 2010 pre-season, perhaps innovation is kept under wraps until the season proper begins. I don't think we lack for quality cattle, but have we got the structures and game plans to get the job done?

[Mofra]

Our two most important players (Cooney & Lake) have had interrupted pre-seasons so that is a negative, but our formerly injury prone types (Williams & Higgins) seem to be flying, and Ward looks over his injury troubles.

Ayce getting some decent minutes in will do his development wonders too. I am a bit worried about the quality of opposition we've faced - after the NAB Cup, we get Brisbane (poo), Freo with a couple of their runners out and now North again who are injury hit and not at our level of class. I just hope we don't get shocked in round 1 by a quick & confident Essendon.

[bornadog]

My only concern is whether we have seen any real development in our game plan. I am not too sure how obvious Collingwood's new style was during the 2010 pre-season, perhaps innovation is kept under wraps until the season proper begins. I don't think we lack for quality cattle, but have we got the structures and game plans to get the job done?

I think you will find that Rocket has been working on some game plans to counter the Collingwood and Saints types. A lot more clubs will start to copy Collingwood so defense is going to be under pressure from all clubs this year. In any case, defense is always important, but you have to kick goals to win games, something the Saints struggle to do, particlulary in the finals.

[Doc26]

Always concerning coming out of a pre season having had so many delays to players returning due injury interruptions; and this year would seem more concentrated to our back half with the irony being that Tom has come close to being the last man standing.

[Cyberdoggie]

In terms of personnel, squad depth and injury i'd say we are travelling nicely.

Results wise i would also say it has been perfect. I didn't want to progress through the nab cup as i think it distracts from your preparation for round 1.
For instance last week we got to rest all our top players and basically play our B side, and we won!. That would not of been the case if we were in the nab cup semi finals.

I think we will get far more out of that B side win on the road than any nab cup semi final win.

[Murphy'sLore]

I think we will get far more out of that B side win on the road than any nab cup semi final win.

Agree, that should have given some of the youngsters a real confidence boost.

[LostDoggy]

Our two most important players (Cooney & Lake) have had interrupted pre-seasons so that is a negative, but our formerly injury prone types (Williams & Higgins) seem to be flying, and Ward looks over his injury troubles.

Ayce getting some decent minutes in will do his development wonders too. I am a bit worried about the quality of opposition we've faced - after the NAB Cup, we get Brisbane (poo), Freo with a couple of their runners out and now North again who are injury hit and not at our level of class. I just hope we don't get shocked in round 1 by a quick & confident Essendon.

Definitely a worry.


In terms of personnel, squad depth and injury i'd say we are travelling nicely.

Results wise i would also say it has been perfect. I didn't want to progress through the nab cup as i think it distracts from your preparation for round 1.
For instance last week we got to rest all our top players and basically play our B side, and we won!. That would not of been the case if we were in the nab cup semi finals.

I think we will get far more out of that B side win on the road than any nab cup semi final win.

Great post.

[LostDoggy]

Let's wait till we see what transpires round 1. That should show what our preseason was really like. I don't want last year again

[LostDoggy]

I'm sure we would all agree we don't want 2010 again. It seems, apart from the injuries to Lake & Shaggy, most of our personnel are fit and firing. I am personally looking forward to some of our young guns (Libba etc) getting some game time this year. IMO, we appear to have a bit more depth this year, some of the younger players are into their third season, and hopefully will start hitting their straps against the bigger bodies. As someone else has posted, we haven't had very good opposition the last couple of weeks, but a great chance to play the B team and see what they produce! All in all, I'm excited (always am at this time of the year), and in a positive state of mind! Bring it on....

[Pedro Sanchez]

Will reserve my judgement until after the last Saturday in September 2011. Only then we can really tell...

[LostDoggy]

I'm not fussed about 2010. It was last year, literally and spiritually.

I know we've all felt that pain, and it makes you want to perhaps be a bit cautious before blowing the lid apart, but stuff that! I'm gonna go full fire on all cylinders from Round 1, let's have confidence in them, let's just show some faith and one day, when that faith is repaid, all that pain can be joyfully unleashed on some poor Footscray publican. :-)

[Ghost Dog]

I'm not fussed about 2010. It was last year, literally and spiritually.

I know we've all felt that pain, and it makes you want to perhaps be a bit cautious before blowing the lid apart, but stuff that! I'm gonna go full fire on all cylinders from Round 1, let's have confidence in them, let's just show some faith and one day, when that faith is repaid, all that pain can be joyfully unleashed on some poor Footscray publican. :-)

^^Like

[alwaysadog]

I was raised on the timeless bulldog supporters cry of "This year will be our year", so I'm hopeful but yet to be convinced. Mind you some Wallace coached teams looked awful preseason and then bolted once the season proper began.

The intro to the 2011 year has not been smooth, and for those hoping bad habits and weaknesses will be overcome then the jury is still out in those cases.

Lets start by looking at the individuals.

A significant number of our better to best players had ops and interrupted preseasons. Whether this will impact or whether we can manage that through improved science and other conditioning we'll have to wait to see.

We have a range of trades and none have set the world on fire but they seem to have something to offer, speed being amongst the qualities they add.

We have a group of new players, two are familiar names and won't alter the course of games immediately, a couple of the others have shown things, Zephaniah having made the biggest impact, but he too will need time.

The group of second and third year players look to be making progress but while many have had the odd good game none yet puts in consistent top level performances that says I'm ready to track to the elite level.

A couple of very skilled players in Higgins and Ward look to be in better health, though not yet showing game breaking form.

What we seem to have is much greater depth but whether we have greater talent / ability in the best 25 is open to question at this stage.

Now to a collective assessment.

The team has been up and down as it has been for several seasons. It accounted for North first NAB Cup outing, didn't really threaten the cats next up, made Brisbane look second rate, took a very young team to success in the West and today showed we still know how to lose from a winning position .

So I'm asking myself can we put in the consistent high intensity performance that builds to a premiership... and finding that I don't yet have the evidence. In fact the trend line is again up and down.

So my advice to those with heart problems is that they should make appointments with their specialists at regular intervals during the season and those for whom disappointments are an increasing problem should also make preparations; increased medication, extended meditation or further psycho therapy might prove useful.

About the only thing most Bulldog supporters agree with Malcolm Fraser on is that life was not meant to be easy. This year might be our year, but have we yet seen anything that suggests it might not?

[boydogs]

The intro to the 2011 year has not been smooth, and for those hoping bad habits and weaknesses will be overcome then the jury is still out in those cases

Nice post AAD. What did you mean by this part?

[stefoid]

My concerns are mainly quality of disposal under pressure and the quality of the forward line in general.

I think the forward line will be better this year.

Disposal under pressure, Im not so sure.

[alwaysadog]

Nice post AAD. What did you mean by this part?

By bad habits and weaknesses I'm not so much referring to skill issues, but to our inability to play consistently at the level of intensity required.

We frequently let teams jump out in front and then play catch up, at other times when we've got teams beaten, or are on a par with a really good side, we suddenly drop off. (I'm not talking here about yesterday, Eade spun the wheel and made some positional moves to see what would happen and it didn't appear to work; that's what practice matches are about.) As well teams a lot less capable than ours always think they they have a chance.

IMO we still don't show self belief against the really good sides. We do well for a while but when they say "How much do you want it cause we are about to go up a gear", we fold. A rocket sometimes works but that strategy has a limited life and relies on extrinsic or outside influence whereas the real key is what's called intrinsic motivation, something that gets built into players and is part of the overall club culture.

Some call this a lack of toughness but it's much more complex than that and difficult to achieve. I've wondered if we might focus a bit too much on player skill faults and errors made during games at the expense of achieving the determination that says you're not going to get the better of me.

[LostDoggy]

For our games, we looked real good at times. And also real bad at times. Hopefully the latter was only becuase it was our first couple of hit outs

[LostDoggy]

By bad habits and weaknesses I'm not so much referring to skill issues, but to our inability to play consistently at the level of intensity required. We frequently let teams jump out in front and then play catch up, at other times when we've got teams beaten, or are on a par with a really good side, we suddenly drop off. .

IMO we still don't show self belief against the really good sides. We do well for a while but when they say "How much do you want it cause we are about to go up a gear", we fold. Some call this a lack of toughness but it's much more complex than that and difficult to achieve. I've wondered if we might focus a bit too much on player skill faults and errors made during games at the expense of achieving the determination that says you're not going to get the better of me.

What you say is so true alwaysadog, it has seemed to be our problem for some time now. It is mental toughness, is it self-belief - I wish I had the answer and then I could let the WB know what I think!

I hope 2011 proves to be the year this all turns around for us, but hey, I'm the eternal optimist and I've been following the dogs for more years than most of you have been alive! You've gotta keep the faith and hope, otherwise, what is the point, really?

[LostDoggy]

By bad habits and weaknesses I'm not so much referring to skill issues, but to our inability to play consistently at the level of intensity required.

We frequently let teams jump out in front and then play catch up, at other times when we've got teams beaten, or are on a par with a really good side, we suddenly drop off. (I'm not talking here about yesterday, Eade spun the wheel and made some positional moves to see what would happen and it didn't appear to work; that's what practice matches are about.) As well teams a lot less capable than ours always think they they have a chance.

IMO we still don't show self belief against the really good sides. We do well for a while but when they say "How much do you want it cause we are about to go up a gear", we fold. A rocket sometimes works but that strategy has a limited life and relies on extrinsic or outside influence whereas the real key is what's called intrinsic motivation, something that gets built into players and is part of the overall club culture.

Some call this a lack of toughness but it's much more complex than that and difficult to achieve. I've wondered if we might focus a bit too much on player skill faults and errors made during games at the expense of achieving the determination that says you're not going to get the better of me.

AAD ya hit the nail on the head.
Yesterday proved that they aren't ready to step up. 28 points up and then allow a 41 point turnaround.
The boys Say they want to reach the ultimate level, but then we see yesterday's effort against a far inferior team.
They frustrate the crap outta me sometimes :confused:

[ledge]

Why are people taking a practice match so serious?
When it was a game against them with a tiny little bit on the line we smashed them in the NAB.
Practice matches are exactly thsat, try out things, experiment.
Remember Nth need to look good and play well in these games to attract members etc.
From what I am gathering we took foot off pedal and tried different things in the last quarter.
Would you rather we went hard in the last that means zilch , copped a few injuries or just played it safely and be ready for first round?

[comrade]

AAD ya hit the nail on the head.
Yesterday proved that they aren't ready to step up. 28 points up and then allow a 41 point turnaround.
The boys Say they want to reach the ultimate level, but then we see yesterday's effort against a far inferior team.
They frustrate the crap outta me sometimes :confused:

Dude, I think you need to have a lie down. How many premiership points were at stake yesterday?

[Desipura]

Whilst it was only a practice match, there are some backline issues that we have yet to address.
Even with Lake in the side, we need more leadership shown back there when we are under the pump and the ball is coming in quickly (midfield pressure will also assist)

Collingwood have played well against us in recent times due to the way they have been able to negate Lake's influence.
Rather than bomb it long and enable like to out mark his opponent, whoever plays on Lake is directed to lead out and at best create a contest thus making Lake more accountable.

A bit more physicality back there would be handy. We need someone back there to say "you better watch over your shoulder cos I am going to hurt you if it is a 50/50 contest", Wood has the physique to be that player whilst providing plenty of run as well.

Whilst he is not that type of player we need the likes of Williams to really step up and start taking more responsibility rather than just relying on Lake to steady the flow of ball coming in.
Tommy is yet to show he can match it with the best, we need him to step up now!

[SlimPickens]

Dude, I think you need to have a lie down. How many premiership points were at stake yesterday?

Agree, yesterday we got some good game time into Cooney, no-one got hurt (apart from minor niggles) and we had a few kids getting game time at senior level. Nothing to worry about at all. Need to focus on Essendon round one, not some meaningless game in Ballarat against Norf.

[Go_Dogs]

Need to focus on Essendon round one, not some meaningless game in Ballarat against Norf.

Exactly.

As much as I dislike Norf, I think we should just leave them alone - they aren't going to cause us any problems - we should be focusing our hatred on Collingwood and St Kilda. We're way ahead of North in a lot of things, and it's a waste of our time/breath to bother with them. Onto bigger and better things...

[Greystache]

Agree, yesterday we got some good game time into Cooney, no-one got hurt (apart from minor niggles) and we had a few kids getting game time at senior level. Nothing to worry about at all. Need to focus on Essendon round one, not some meaningless game in Ballarat against Norf.

That was the real positive for me, Cooney showed some really positive signs and you'd think by round 5 he'll be at full flight. I like the idea of him playing more time as a forward while he builds his match fitness, he's a real handful in the forward line.

[chef]

Bit of a worry that our best 3 players are all under fitness or injury clouds.

[chef]

AAD ya hit the nail on the head.
Yesterday proved that they aren't ready to step up. 28 points up and then allow a 41 point turnaround.
The boys Say they want to reach the ultimate level, but then we see yesterday's effort against a far inferior team.
They frustrate the crap outta me sometimes :confused:

It was just a practice game. Chill out mate.

[boydogs]

Bit of a worry that our best 3 players are all under fitness or injury clouds.

Cooney, Lake, who is the third? Gia?

The first two finished last year in worse nick than they are in now.

[boydogs]

Whilst it was only a practice match, there are some backline issues that we have yet to address.
Even with Lake in the side, we need more leadership shown back there when we are under the pump and the ball is coming in quickly (midfield pressure will also assist)

Collingwood have played well against us in recent times due to the way they have been able to negate Lake's influence.
Rather than bomb it long and enable like to out mark his opponent, whoever plays on Lake is directed to lead out and at best create a contest thus making Lake more accountable.

A bit more physicality back there would be handy. We need someone back there to say "you better watch over your shoulder cos I am going to hurt you if it is a 50/50 contest", Wood has the physique to be that player whilst providing plenty of run as well.

Whilst he is not that type of player we need the likes of Williams to really step up and start taking more responsibility rather than just relying on Lake to steady the flow of ball coming in.
Tommy is yet to show he can match it with the best, we need him to step up now!

Williams has shown signs of backline leadership during the pre-season. Sounds like he just had his hands full with Petrie yesterday. He was also taken away into the ruck for the last quarter when we were over-run, so it's hard to draw a line through that and say he's not up to delivering on what we need from him this year.

[Desipura]

Williams has shown signs of backline leadership during the pre-season. Sounds like he just had his hands full with Petrie yesterday. He was also taken away into the ruck for the last quarter when we were over-run, so it's hard to draw a line through that and say he's not up to delivering on what we need from him this year.

Petrie is coming back from injury, Williams should have him covered fitness wise. I never said Tommy is not up to delivering, rather that he needs to deliver this year or at least show some more improvement

[chef]

Cooney, Lake, who is the third? Gia?

The first two finished last year in worse nick than they are in now.

Griffen, his shoulder sounds like a bit of a worry.

[LostDoggy]

I'm no AFL coach but I'd think a pre season would be used to find out what doesn't work as well as what does work?????
You have to know you own limitations, so you try stuff till the bubble bursts.

[Before I Die]

Petrie is coming back from injury, Williams should have him covered fitness wise. I never said Tommy is not up to delivering, rather that he needs to deliver this year or at least show some more improvement

Petrie kicked 4 with 2 or 3 of them being against Williams. Tom was beaten but he didn't have his pants pulled down and he wasn't any worse than any other member of the backline on Saturday. He was also required to take on rucking duties in the final quarter. It wasn't his best ever game, but there was absolutely nothing about his game on Saturday that should cause any concerns amongst supporters.

[LostDoggy]

Another point. We looked really good last year in NAB cup. And where'd it get us?
Hopeufully taking a more laxed attitude we will do better in the season proper

[Mantis]

Another point. We looked really good last year in NAB cup. And where'd it get us?
Hopeufully taking a more laxed attitude we will do better in the season proper

Our form in the NAB Cup was completely over-stated, but gained focus becuase we kept winning.

We played good in the first half against Hawthorn in week 2 and in the 2nd half against St.Kilda in the final... the rest wasn't great.

[chef]

Our form in the NAB Cup was completely over-stated, but gained focus becuase we kept winning.

We played good in the first half against Hawthorn in week 2 and in the 2nd half against St.Kilda in the final... the rest wasn't great.

Yep, we were lucky to just beat both Brisbane and Port.

[LostDoggy]

Our form in the NAB Cup was completely over-stated, but gained focus becuase we kept winning.

We played good in the first half against Hawthorn in week 2 and in the 2nd half against St.Kilda in the final... the rest wasn't great.

True. But winning makes most of us look past actual form.

[bornadog]

True. But winning makes most of us look past actual form.

The pre-season is a time for players to get some touch with the footy, for coaches to experiment with positions, tactics, game plans etc. You really can't read too much into it.

If you are rating the preseason you really have to look at individual players and how they are travelling ie coming back from injury, fitness levels, form etc.

Our biggest concern with the pre-season is the backline with Lake, Morris, Murphy, Hargrave all sustaining, or coming back from injury. The only one left standing is ironically Tommy.