Do players really play for the club nowadays?

[always right]

I'm probably naive on this topic but I've always liked to think that beyond the individual rewards, there is a strong underlying principle of playing for the club. Everyone's pretty emotional after yesterday's debacle but it's made me question what sort of pride our blokes have in the jumper, the club and the constant effort of all those associated to survive and succeed.

Is it really only about the money? I expect my team to play for the people behind the scenes who work tirelessly. I expect them to play for me and the thousands of members who have stuck by the club through decade upon decade of disappointment. Do they really the understand the character it takes to back up every year with our hard earned hoping that this will be our year. They can mouth all the platitudes they like but losses like yesterday should never happen if they truly care about the club and it's band of loyal supporters.

We simply don't deserve this shit.

[bornadog]

I believe that a good team plays for each other and the operative word is team. I don't believe they really care about the club itself but rather playing together with mates and mateship.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I believe that a good team plays for each other and the operative word is team. I don't believe they really care about the club itself but rather playing together with mates and mateship.

Mostly this.

However, if you look at a side like Richmond (and even Essendon), they are passionate about their club. I enjoy watching Richmond play because there's raw emotion for the jumper, fans and players. I think Collingwood and Geelong are similar, and Hawthorn to a lesser degree.

Clubs like ours, North Melbourne, Melbourne etc. I'm not so sure.

[bornadog]

Mostly this.

However, if you look at a side like Richmond (and even Essendon), they are passionate about their club. I enjoy watching Richmond play because there's raw emotion for the jumper, fans and players. I think Collingwood and Geelong are similar, and Hawthorn to a lesser degree.

Clubs like ours, North Melbourne, Melbourne etc. I'm not so sure.

Do you think the fans help this. Our fans are very quiet during a game and the only time you hear them is when we lose and they whinge on forums and radio talk back

[Mantis]

Do you think the fans help this. Our fans are very quiet during a game and the only time you hear them is when we lose and they whinge on forums and radio talk back

Most other teams fans have periods of success or even eras of success to hang their hats on.

We have??

Performances like yesterday don't help the cause.

[always right]

Do you ever feel guilty for making your children barrack for this club. Must admit I did yesterday. I could never walk away but I can't say I'd blame my children if they decided to follow another club. I'd be shattered but could understand.

Been a shitty Monday. My staff are walking on egg shells.

[The Pie Man]

Do you ever feel guilty for making your children barrack for this club. Must admit I did yesterday. I could never walk away but I can't say I'd blame my children if they decided to follow another club. I'd be shattered but could understand.

Been a shitty Monday. My staff are walking on egg shells.

Bad news gets around - people at work have been gagging to have a chat to me about yesterday :(

[Daughter of the West]

Bad news gets around - people at work have been gagging to have a chat to me about yesterday :(

After copping it off one person too many at work, I've spent the rest of the day with my ipod glued into my ears. I really gets my goat that I personally don't give anyone lip when their team is doing badly, but I cop back off everyone regardless! :mad:

[Ozza]

Do you ever feel guilty for making your children barrack for this club. Must admit I did yesterday. I could never walk away but I can't say I'd blame my children if they decided to follow another club. I'd be shattered but could understand.

Been a shitty Monday. My staff are walking on egg shells.

Must say, we had a laugh about just that last night. My little bloke is 7 months old - and he doesn't know what he is in for!

His team just got belted by 120 points - And his Mum's team is on top of the ladder!

[soupman]

After copping it off one person too many at work, I've spent the rest of the day with my ipod glued into my ears. I really gets my goat that I personally don't give anyone lip when their team is doing badly, but I cop back off everyone regardless! :mad:

It's the worst when those people who bag you are the least interested, most bandwagon jumping supporters going around. I'm talking about the guys that follow Essendon, think Lloydy is still at full forward, go to a match once every two years and wouldn't even know who they're playing and yet they still manage to get in your face with all the usual crap. There needs to be a law implemented that states that you cannot bag someone over sporting results unless your emotional investment to said sport is of a comparable or higher level.

[always right]

Today I had a Fremantle supporter consoling me........a bloody Fremantle supporter:eek:

We are living in dark times indeed.

[mjp]

Bad news gets around - people at work have been gagging to have a chat to me about yesterday :(


No-one believes me that any game against West Coast is the most important game of the year!

[KT31]

My father-in-law is staying with me this week, and he has not let up.(finally did after a few home truths)
Could be worse though he is a Hawks supporter and he could be staying next week.

[AndrewP6]

Good question in the OP... I think that players do still play for the club, but that in this era of big money, exorbitant concessions to establish new teams, and upcoming free agency, it's lessened the loyalty somewhat. After all, money talks.

[AndrewP6]

On the ribbing from others, I got into a bit last night with some mates on FB, but not too much at work today. Of course, the kids sure let me know about it, and the guy next door is a Weagles fan. I have ONE Dogs supporter in my class.

[LostDoggy]

Bad news gets around - people at work have been gagging to have a chat to me about yesterday :(

I know what you mean Pie Man, people at work couldn't wait to get to me today! And, we have an office in Perth and the manager their rang me to ask me about my weekend? He has never mentioned footy to me before.......... I didn't even think he was interested! I gave him my "well, I woke up this morning, and the world is still here, so life goes on" statement to show I wasn't shattered! (I am but I don't want to let him know that!)

[chef]

No, IMO they play for a wage. Football is a business nowadays.

[SonofScray]

Yeah, I don't think much of that emotion around The Club as we see it plays too much of a part in the player's thinking. More and more guys who really embrace the Club for hat it represents are the minority.

Bob Murphy is one who you can tell has been enamoured with what Footscray is about and really gets the fans but he wouldn't have too many mates I reckon.

Sydney seemed to really establish 'the bloods' culture within the playing group on the back of some terrific leadership, players like Kirk etc. They had a bit of that interstate, backs to the wall vibe going on as well which seems to help things along.

[Rocco Jones]

I believe that a good team plays for each other and the operative word is team. I don't believe they really care about the club itself but rather playing together with mates and mateship.

Totally agree with this.


Do you think the fans help this. Our fans are very quiet during a game and the only time you hear them is when we lose and they whinge on forums and radio talk back


Most other teams fans have periods of success or even eras of success to hang their hats on.

We have??

Performances like yesterday don't help the cause.

I'm with Mantis here.

As a teacher (or person I guess) I try to see the reasons for a behaviour rather than labeling people as the behaviour.

You're right bornadog, our fans are whingers/negative/cynical but do we blame them considering what the club has put them through? We all love the club but we have a strong losing history. One flag and won that 57 years ago.

Then, when we are actually good, we turn into the biggest tease of all time. 97, 09 and a stack of other prelims. We can't even get to a granny. I think to an extent the club has been a victim of it's own success in the recent few years, with our current crop copping it with extra hot due to our history. Our recent 'oh so close' attempts along with our overall poor history has been as close to trauma as it gets as a footy fan.

It's not our fans, it's the conditions of following our club. It's been so bloody cruel to our fans. Older guys can harp on about how shit it was in the 70s and the modern Dogs fans soft if they think this is bad but it's like a guy sleeping on the street telling off a guy who lives in a cardboard box for being down on life.

Sure, us uber hardcore fans will stick through this and probably another few decades of depression but normal people won't. Actually we have probably lost the normals along way back and are now the plain hardcore are going as well.

[bornadog]

I'm with Mantis here.

As a teacher (or person I guess) I try to see the reasons for a behaviour rather than labeling people as the behaviour.

You're right bornadog, our fans are whingers/negative/cynical but do we blame them considering what the club has put them through? We all love the club but we have a strong losing history. One flag and won that 57 years ago.

Then, when we are actually good, we turn into the biggest tease of all time. 97, 09 and a stack of other prelims. We can't even get to a granny. I think to an extent the club has been a victim of it's own success in the recent few years, with our current crop copping it with extra hot due to our history. Our recent 'oh so close' attempts along with our overall poor history has been as close to trauma as it gets as a footy fan.

It's not our fans, it's the conditions of following our club. It's been so bloody cruel to our fans. Older guys can harp on about how shit it was in the 70s and the modern Dogs fans soft if they think this is bad but it's like a guy sleeping on the street telling off a guy who lives in a cardboard box for being down on life.

Sure, us uber hardcore fans will stick through this and probably another few decades of depression but normal people won't. Actually we have probably lost the normals along way back and are now the plain hardcore are going as well.

I agree with what you are saying.

I just turned 55 last month and I wonder will I ever see a doggies play in a granny let alone win one. Yes there were some dark days in the early 70's and early 80's but you can only take so much after following them for so long. Very depressing.

However, as ever the optimist, I will stick by the boys and will be there next Sunday.

[Desipura]

I agree with what you are saying.

I just turned 55 last month and I wonder will I ever see a doggies play in a granny let alone win one. Yes there were some dark days in the early 70's and early 80's but you can only take so much after following them for so long. Very depressing.

However, as ever the optimist, I will stick by the boys and will be there next Sunday.
Im running out of patience, 29 years as a member and nothing to show for it can be taxing.

[The Pie Man]

Im running out of patience, 29 years as a member and nothing to show for it can be taxing.

It can be - though bear with me on this ramble

Say we lose the next two weeks, and we put the metaphorical cue in the rack - I try to be philosophical about footy (operative word there is 'try') and imagine what a couple of new early draft picks can add to the current squad, especially with a fair 28+ YO contigent on the list sure to depart in the next 3-15 months.

Sure we may bottom out a bit, but it can be strangely exciting to think we might pick up players with the potential to be like Franklin, Selwood, a fit and focused Cooney for example and re-build for another crack.

Internally, Cordy still hasn't played, Howard & Tutt might deliver at some point, Skinner may convert sizzle to sausage (to borrow/alter SS' phrase)

[soupman]

On the ribbing from others, I got into a bit last night with some mates on FB, but not too much at work today. Of course, the kids sure let me know about it, and the guy next door is a Weagles fan. I have ONE Dogs supporter in my class.

We had 6 in my entire primary school. My family made up 3 of those numbers.

[Greystache]

We had 6 in my entire primary school. My family made up 3 of those numbers.

I didn't have a single dogs supporter in my class in my entire schooling life. Outside of the kids who inherited their parents team (about 50%), all the kids supported the team who'd won the premiership in the year they first started getting in to football. Virtually every kid barracked for Essendon, Hawthorn, Carlton, and Collingwood, and I lived in the Western Suburbs.

[soupman]

I didn't have a single dogs supporter in my class in my entire schooling life. Outside of the kids who inherited their parents team (about 50%), all the kids supported the team who'd won the premiership in the year they first started getting in to football. Virtually every kid barracked for Essendon, Hawthorn, Carlton, and Collingwood, and I lived in the Western Suburbs.

Essendon was dominant with my school, especially with the year this was measured being 2000. Followed up by Richmond, Collingwood, Carlton in that order. I was Eastern suburbs so obviously at a geographical disadvantage, but Freo almost had as many supporters as us. Freo!!!

[Desipura]

It can be - though bear with me on this ramble

Say we lose the next two weeks, and we put the metaphorical cue in the rack - I try to be philosophical about footy (operative word there is 'try') and imagine what a couple of new early draft picks can add to the current squad, especially with a fair 28+ YO contigent on the list sure to depart in the next 3-15 months.

Sure we may bottom out a bit, but it can be strangely exciting to think we might pick up players with the potential to be like Franklin, Selwood, a fit and focused Cooney for example and re-build for another crack.

Internally, Cordy still hasn't played, Howard & Tutt might deliver at some point, Skinner may convert sizzle to sausage (to borrow/alter SS' phrase)
The problem is we pick up a Griffen instead of a Franklin (I wanted him with the Griffen pick badly after watching him at u18's). Thats no disrespect to Griffen, it just how good Buddy is.
That said, there is no gurantee Buddy would have made it as an AFL player with us.

We missed out on Dawes who I thought even with a knee injury he copped at u18 level was a player that would fit our needs.
What I am trying to say is that when we have an opportunity to pick up a potentially exciting player like Buddy, we take the conservative approach. I think sometimes you need to take a risk even with a first rounder, I guess we did that with Williams and it has not yet reaped great benefits (not sure it ever will)

[LostDoggy]

We don't bottom out. A little look at the last 20 seasons. There is only one extended period in there wher we performed porrly for an extended time but hardly bottomed out (from 2001-2004 but only the latter two season were we at the bottom of the table).

Our early 'reward' for finishing low on the table in those seasons.

2004 - Ryan Griffen @ Pick 3 (Priority) and Tom Williams @ Pick 6
2003 - Adam Cooney @ Pick 1 (Priority) and Farren Ray @ Pick 4
2002 - Tim Walsh @ Pick 4 and Cameron Faulkner @ Pick 17
2001 - Sam Power @ Pick 10

2010 4
2009 3
2008 3
2007 13
2006 8
2005 9
2004 14
2003 16
2002 12
2001 10
2000 7
1999 4
1998 2
1997 3
1996 15
1995 7
1994 5
1993 9
1992 2
1991 10
1990 7

[The Pie Man]

The problem is we pick up a Griffen instead of a Franklin (I wanted him with the Griffen pick badly after watching him at u18's). Thats no disrespect to Griffen, it just how good Buddy is.
That said, there is no gurantee Buddy would have made it as an AFL player with us.

We missed out on Dawes who I thought even with a knee injury he copped at u18 level was a player that would fit our needs.
What I am trying to say is that when we have an opportunity to pick up a potentially exciting player like Buddy, we take the conservative approach. I think sometimes you need to take a risk even with a first rounder, I guess we did that with Williams and it has not yet reaped great benefits (not sure it ever will)

We haven't quite had the rub of the green (thinking Tim Walsh/Farren Ray/Sam Power - to a lesser extent Williams) with some of our early picks have we?

Dwayne Russell made mentin of the 'couldabeen' moment of taking Griffen instead of Franklin on Sunday - I was a little critical of Griffen a few years ago, but he's been outstanding for the past 2 years. I've heard we rated him the best in that draft at the time (as in if we had pick 1 we would've taken him)

It's an unexact science - would you rather Hurley or Watts from their draft? I'm getting this off track aren't I?

[bornadog]

It can be - though bear with me on this ramble

Say we lose the next two weeks, and we put the metaphorical cue in the rack - I try to be philosophical about footy (operative word there is 'try') and imagine what a couple of new early draft picks can add to the current squad, especially with a fair 28+ YO contigent on the list sure to depart in the next 3-15 months.

Sure we may bottom out a bit, but it can be strangely exciting to think we might pick up players with the potential to be like Franklin, Selwood, a fit and focused Cooney for example and re-build for another crack.

Internally, Cordy still hasn't played, Howard & Tutt might deliver at some point, Skinner may convert sizzle to sausage (to borrow/alter SS' phrase)

The trouble is with the comprimised drafts over the next two years we will not pick up early drfat picks, so timing is all wrong.

[Greystache]

The trouble is with the comprimised drafts over the next two years we will not pick up early drfat picks, so timing is all wrong.

Yep, drafting is a lottery to a degree. It's just having a good recruiting team and earlier draft picks give you more tickets. Not a good year to finish down the bottom and hope to pick up gun kids.

We were very lucky last year with our F&S's, in particular to get Libba at a late 2nd rounder. It's just a pitty they weren't both outside mids which is what we really needed this year.

[The Pie Man]

The trouble is with the comprimised drafts over the next two years we will not pick up early drfat picks, so timing is all wrong.

Yeeeeeahhhhhhh completely forgot about that one.

:(

[always right]

What I am trying to say is that when we have an opportunity to pick up a potentially exciting player like Buddy, we take the conservative approach. I think sometimes you need to take a risk even with a first rounder, I guess we did that with Williams and it has not yet reaped great benefits (not sure it ever will)

So are we too conservative or do we take too many risks? I'm confused.

[Desipura]

So are we too conservative or do we take too many risks? I'm confused.

Too conservative

[Rocco Jones]

However, as ever the optimist, I will stick by the boys and will be there next Sunday.

F bomb the boys. I'll be there next Sunday to stick by my club.

Agree with your sentiments though.

[Rocco Jones]

I didn't have a single dogs supporter in my class in my entire schooling life. Outside of the kids who inherited their parents team (about 50%), all the kids supported the team who'd won the premiership in the year they first started getting in to football.

I teach a Grade 1/2 class. At the end of last term (a couple of rounds in), my class was split between the doggies (due to love for me) and Collingwood (premiership).

Our poor form (and perhaps their love for me lapsing) has now seen the Pies with the lion's share of fans with Cats as a clear 2nd. :(