It's just a sense of relief.

[Sedat]

I get the sentiment of the thread & the post, but I'm still pissed off.

We had more to give this year... and for reasons that the MC & playing group continue to ignore we find ourselves on holidays already.

We lost like we always do, and I think we've all had enough of that.

Yep, I'm very agitated with the unexpected (yet familiar) manner of our demise this season. This is an open season and premierships don't come around easily or often. That's why 2021 pisses me off more now than it did on the night - you need to nail your chance when it comes, which conversely is why I love 2016 so much aside from the obvious.

[kruder]

Do we yet know who was theoretically on Sicily? I?m still if anyone was on him.

He started on Caleb Daniel, obviously the plan from their prospective was to have him on of of the least dangerous forwards, I reckon he even lined up on McNeil at stages.

[Sedat]

Friday night wasn't a sense of relief for me in any form. Some Bulldog friends and I had even inquired about reserving a plane for the trip to SA so I certainly wanted and expected us to go further.

I agree that the Bont move forward and the lack of effort to curb Sicily were concerning parts of a terrible night and unfortunately an all too common theme to our efforts over the years.

Hard to know why we are falling short so often when it gets to the pointy end and while I'm a believer in Bevo I just wonder if the way he shields, protects and supports the players is creating a bit of a softer underbelly to our list. They might at times need a bit of a healthy level of anxiety to balance things out and get a better outcome.

The soft underbelly started with the 2019 EF. Quite a few of the players from then are now key senior members of the team. How you perform in big games is how the opposition judge you, and if you fail you are targeted/challenged in the future. That's why what we did in 2021 was brilliant and undersold, and winning tough in hostile environments like Brisbane and Adelaide redressed the soft underbelly tag (until 16 goals in 35 minutes showed up of course). And because of that late 2021 capitulation and our inability to properly and forensically review it straight after and make immediate changes that off-season, it opened up the soft underbelly once again so that we cough up a 40 point lead in the next final we play and then miss finals altogether in 2023 when in the box seat to qualify with 3 weeks to go.

Friday night will expose the soft underbelly even more, whether we like it or not. We have to get ruthless as a club from the top down and simply nail our chance next time we make finals.

[Happy Days]

If we had snuck in again like in 2022 and got belted, then maybe, but we didn’t. We earned our way in and were the comfortable favourites, and we looked so much steelier and resolute than the last two years. The runs of goals against had stopped, the defence was stronger, the forward line more dangerous, and the midfield quicker. Yet we lost in the exact same way as we always lose, and looked completely helpless in doing it.

It’s not a relief to be stuck in purgatory again and I don’t know how anyone could think otherwise.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

If we had snuck in again like in 2022 and got belted, then maybe, but we didn’t. We earned our way in and were the comfortable favourites, and we looked so much steelier and resolute than the last two years. The runs of goals against had stopped, the defence was stronger, the forward line more dangerous, and the midfield quicker. Yet we lost in the exact same way as we always lose, and looked completely helpless in doing it.

It’s not a relief to be stuck in purgatory again and I don’t know how anyone could think otherwise.

Spot on. We looked to have finally turned the corner. The ghosts of 2021, 2022 and 2023 finally put to bed. Yet we lost the exact same way when the heat was turned up.

I've been a big critic of this group and they even had me fooled. Again.

Another year pissed away. Bont turns 30 next year.

[Topdog]

I hate to say this but, we played to expectations on Friday night, and I am sure all of us had that spectre of dread going into the game. .

Exactly this, I went into the game dreading a raygun performance

[Ozza]

I get the sentiment of the thread & the post, but I'm still pissed off.

We had more to give this year... and for reasons that the MC & playing group continue to ignore we find ourselves on holidays already.

We lost like we always do, and I think we've all had enough of that.

Yeah I'm completely pissed off with the way that this era is being wasted.
We've had many many seasons in my life where we didn't have the talent and were far lower on the ladder, when I was more engaged as a fan because I had faith in what we were trying to do.

Premierships simply don't come much more 'winnable' than the last two seasons where there haven't been any great sides. We were stiff in 2008-2010 that Rocket's teams ran into some extraordinarily good sides such as Geelong, Collingwood, Hawthorn and a St Kilda side that was their absolute best chance of winning a second.

I don't think anyone is looking back on Collingwood last year, and whoever wins this year and seeing a great side. So, with this in mind it is incredibly frustrating to still have not finished top 4 for the 14th year straight and give ourselves a chance. Imagine the Cats win again this year! They just keep finishing top 4 and peppering away at it.

[mjp]

I get the sentiment of the thread & the post, but I'm still pissed off.

That's why it's a relief mate. I don't have to be agitated or pissed off anymore.

This team wasn't winning unless everything went right. When does everything go right??

[The Bulldogs Bite]

That's why it's a relief mate. I don't have to be agitated or pissed off anymore.

This team wasn't winning unless everything went right. When does everything go right??

It's actually a good question. For us to have a chance, 'everything' has to go right. We simply cannot WILL our way like 2016, or like Sydney did v GWS, or how Geelong do for top 4 on a yearly basis.

We point out the fixture, injuries, and every other excuse for why we haven't made top 4 every year, or why we drop every EF we've been in, and why we continually underperform. Why is it for THIS group, EVERYTHING has to go right? Why are they incapable of swimming against the tide!?

The thing that pisses us off is that we beat ourselves. We do it every time. We do it either at the selection table, in the box, on the ground or as a combination.

Like many, I had started to believe. I thought we could win the flag this year. Despite Hawthorns good form, I thought we'd make it incredibly difficult for them.

We ROLLED over. We looked absolutely helpless. We couldn't win the ball, we couldn't move the ball, we couldn't restrict them, we couldn't do anything but be a footnote in this BS Hok love affair and days after the final, it still enrages me.

24 hours after the game and Weigtman posted 'ya win some ya lose some'. Excuse me, what? You just embarrassed yourself in another final and that's how you're looking at it? You wasted ANOTHER opportunity and less than a day after it, all you can tell me is you win some and lose some? I get you're paid well and have other interests but that's a ****ing loser mentality.

Cody, much like the rest of this group, need to get serious or get out.

[GVGjr]

24 hours after the game and Weigtman posted 'ya win some ya lose some'. Excuse me, what? You just embarrassed yourself in another final and that's how you're looking at it? You wasted ANOTHER opportunity and less than a day after it, all you can tell me is you win some and lose some? I get you're paid well and have other interests but that's a ****ing loser mentality.

Cody, much like the rest of this group, need to get serious or get out.

Until recently I was of the impression that Weightman potentially needs to be moved to the back line but I've changed my mind on that (more about that later) but they are disappointing comments and highlights that the harmonious environment that Bevo has fostered might be a breeding ground for a level of complacency. I'm not seeing that at training but it's hard to not draw that conclusion given our frequently weaker efforts late in the season.

[bulldogtragic]

Whatever happened to you win some, you get hungry to keep on winning?

Such an odd thing for an elite sportsman to say.

[bulldogtragic]

Until recently I was of the impression that Weightman potentially needs to be moved to the back line but I've changed my mind on that (more about that later) but they are disappointing comments and highlights that the harmonious environment that Bevo has fostered might be a breeding ground for a level of complacency. I'm not seeing that at training but it's hard to not draw that conclusion given our frequently weaker efforts late in the season.

I mean… imagine Rocket was coach and your Monday review was Rocket saying ‘what happened Cody, you barely touched it?’.

‘Well Rocket. You win some. You lose some.’

The paint would striped off the walls.

[jeemak]

It's actually a good question. For us to have a chance, 'everything' has to go right. We simply cannot WILL our way like 2016, or like Sydney did v GWS, or how Geelong do for top 4 on a yearly basis.

We point out the fixture, injuries, and every other excuse for why we haven't made top 4 every year, or why we drop every EF we've been in, and why we continually underperform. Why is it for THIS group, EVERYTHING has to go right? Why are they incapable of swimming against the tide!?

.

What can you say about 2021 then? Not sure everything went right in the lead up to the GF, but the group found a way.

To me this particular group of players is inconsistent, but isn't laden with the quality the outside punditry claims, so I kind of expect it.

Defence - had to rob Peter to pay Paul by moving Richards into the midfield. Bramble and Duryea held up in the regular season, got found out a bit Friday as did Jones. Lobb was excellent

Midfield - the wings are inconsistent, overall the area would be rated as slow which kills you in finals. Our ruck seems incapable again of imposing himself on a finals outcome for whatever reason. Can dominate a game due to sheer quality of a few very good players, but if they don't perform the team struggles (honestly, like most teams do if the midfield doesn't yelp) and did I mention, they are slow?

Forwards - three talls, two of which are developing albeit extremely talented. Weightman the only dangerous small, the remainders battlers who can fill space but lack polish meaning we have to rely on ludicrous supply to kick a commanding score

What about that profile says consistent in-season and likely finals dominator? Not a lot to me, unless a LOT goes right at the right time.


Anyway, am I relieved or otherwise? Not really sure. I love footy, and while the team frustrates me sometimes I prefer to be watching them playing than not. I guess I don't have the same expectations on the group others do, because history is a great predictor of the future.

[whythelongface]

I mean… imagine Rocket was coach and your Monday review was Rocket saying ‘what happened Cody, you barely touched it?’.

‘Well Rocket. You win some. You lose some.’

The paint would striped off the walls.

Times have changed and for the better. I don?t think that anyone has to put up with that kind of crap in a workplace no matter how well you are paid.

[SonofScray]

Whatever happened to you win some, you get hungry to keep on winning?

Such an odd thing for an elite sportsman to say.

I’ve supported Cody through thin and thin.