https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/m...IwMTA1ODU0MAS2
There was a share button on the video so I guess it can go to non members too.
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https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/m...IwMTA1ODU0MAS2
There was a share button on the video so I guess it can go to non members too.
Fairly reserved from Bevo. Doesn't seem particularly convinced by the 2 ruck setup and even suggested Hawks cut us open because of it.
Also seems like it'll be a while until we see Marra at the top level, with Bevo saying the kid's fitness levels are far from where they need to be.
He did mention Anthony Scott as a player who may put pressure on spots in the midfield, so there's that to get excited about!
Did I watch the same game?
Martin in the ruck, and English as a dominant forward, was the best part, in the first half it blew the Hawks away.
Then the rest of the game plan blew up as it often did in recent years. The running slowed them down in the second half. Then the handball emphasis was disastrous - I’m sure I saw a chain of 7 lead to a turnover and goal.
Why did Dale spend so much time in defence when he had a couple of goals earlier? The goal supply dried up.
And why was an undermanned Hawks forward line able to take so many marks and have set shots? Sorry, I forgot that we don’t believe in tall key position defenders. But we got another midfielder?
He actually said the ruck situation had been disconcerting from a coaching point of view. Essentially had to plan for being beaten.
English/ Martin - Ruck/ Forward
- Steph hopefully gives us peace of mind in there
- Hopefully takes pressure off Tim, frees his game/ mind up a little bit
- Whether we can sustain Martin, English, Bruce, Naughton and even Schache, there's more than one phase, we got opened up through some of those positions
- Time will tell what we can sustain, but he's a threat forward
I think from that he's not convinced by the overall talls set up, not just the ruck set up.
Bevo on SEN this morning. Listen here
Begs the question why Beveridge didn't push for a pressure, small and lively forward given this isn't anything new.
Bedendo looks talented, McNeil impressed .... but we have no small forwards of quality.
Teams need forwards who provide good defensive pressure. In our premiership finals run, we had Clay, Picko and I think Tory was probably the underrated in how good his defensive pressure was at his best. Zaine also was a big part of this at the time.
What do we have now? Naughton provides the best defensive pressure, Wally too (although without speed), maybe Laith. Jamarra looks like he will be elite at that in time too.
Does Vandermeer fit into the small forward category? I think the club has high hopes for Garcia who fits the mould so hopefully he has an injury free run..
Agree we are outliers in this area as pretty much all other good teams have multiple players who fit the atypical small forward position.
For me the greatest disappointment from that game was the foot skills, particularly going into the forward line. On many occasions it took a special effort from the forwards to get the ball.
This was also evident in general play, with 20m passes missing the target. As the game went on players started kicking backwards, almost into the opposition goal square, and handballing when a kick was a better option.
In the finals run in 2016 the emphasis was on kicking allowing fast movement and forwards to take marks. I was hoping to see a return to that.
Reading between the lines we are trying to turn Laith into that out of necessity, because we simply have no other quality options. I love what he brings, but surely his best asset is working up the ground and using his pace to break the lines and cut through defensive set-ups. He doesn't strike me as a natural crumbing, pressure forward who kicks goals...
Garcia seems a long shot based on his injury history, but hopefully he can have a smoother run at it.
It's odd why we've neglected certain positions (small forward / ruck / KPD) for a period of time. Not surprisingly, they are large reasons why it's hard to see us challenge the best teams - though Martin should help the ruck situation.
Another interesting Bevo interview today, played the hypeman in regards to Naughton and suggested he could be an AA defender or a Coleman medallist.
Also gave Dunks a slight whack by saying he's not in great form at the moment and once again reiterated how far off Marra is in terms of his tank. Hope we're not dealing with Veszpremi 2.0
So why our #1 pick languishes in the VFL, McNeil and Scott knocking down door for selection?
Thanks Comrade and Bornadog. Been out of the loop so haven’t heard or read any news on the new recruits, since the main draft. Appreciate the replies.
The Dunks whack. Very interesting he singled him out. I'm sure he was asked, however he would've expected the question which makes the response intriguing.
We've seen Bevo hold a grudge in the past, watch this space I guess to see if action meets rhetoric when it comes to "Team Dunkley".
Also made a point that it wasn't only Dunkley that had to chip in with ruck duties, noting that Bontempelli and Macrae had to lend a hand as well.
You're right, he was directly asked about the Dunkley situation and chose to put an arm around with the left and dish out a bit of a whack with the right! BAD posted the link to the interview if you're interested, it goes for about fifteen minutes.
I think you are writing off Cody Weightman a bit too quickly. Our first pick in the 2019 draft. The acknowledged best small forward available at that pick. Has been at the club for 1 year. Debuted in his first year and has played three games in total. He hasn't proven anything yet, but most players haven't at the end of their first year at AFL level.
So one draft ago the club clearly pushed for a pressure, small and lively forward, using their first pick on the best one available. The year before they picked up Ben Cavarra, a mature age, pressure, small and lively forward, with pick 45 and chased hard after Chad Wingard without success. So I think your criticism is a bit sharp and the jury is still out on just how many talented small forwards we currently have on the list.
I wonder why Bevo felt the need to say that Dunkley position in our best 22 was not secure? I get Bevo is indicating his form isn't at the best and that was evident in the Hawks game but I also tend to think a comment like that might be more of a de-motivator than a motivator
Intriguing comment
I'm thinking TBB was talking about a small & lively defensive minded forward which for all of Weightman's strengths is one of his key traits.. which was pointed out by all ''draft experts & key indicators'' when drafted.
Cavarra is probably the type we need, but seems a bit off the pace and Wingard is a more of an attacking player too.
We do need some pace & pressure focus up forward which has been rightly pointed out by others.
Didnt have to be Einstein to realise what the headline was going to be today.
“Beveridge turns up heat on struggling dog”.... not sure how it helps tbh but maybe I’m missing some master plan here.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...03-p577hh.html
I actually don't think it's a bad thing, and having heard the full interview Bevo was just as much pointing out how strong the relationship between he and Dunks was.
We should want the scrutiny and the honest feedback, especially our mids. Competition for those roles are fierce, and if they're off their game, especially more in intent rather than execution then the acid should be coming onto them.
I'd be more concerned if he was out of form, and the coach didn't directly respond to or brushed away media queries about it. I think most people here were disappointed with Bevo in that regard last year in addressing Josh Bruce's form.
Also, remember that Bevo was being interviewed by Tim Watson who on a daily basis even still talks down Josh Dunkley's relationships at the Dogs. The continued rubbish spread by the Essendon media which he leads suggesting that Dunks wanted to move for reasons other than the cash is wearing thin.
Bevo had to read the room and know any comments would be stretched to fit the narrative. He could have easily straight batted it and just said Dunks has settled back in and is set for a good year. He does that and any speculation would have been avoided. Now Dunks gets asked about it, Bont gets asked about it and it just drags on.