Welcome to the Bulldogs: Bailey Smith

[josie]

I’d take Treloar over Dunkley all day, everyday. Dunks is good thought (grrrr).

[chef]

I'd take Dunkley, Treloar may be a better player but Dunks make us a better team. No one else us does the dirty stuff.

[Happy Days]

Dunkley is awesome what are you guys talking about. Just because he’s a milquetoast loser with a weird family and no mates doesn’t mean he’s not a gun.

[Sedat]

I don't think he is what we need. We don't need inside mids, we have too many slow mids. We need some pace out of the centre and around the ground.

I'd much rather an accountable midfielder who prevents the oppo from tearing it out of the front of stoppage, than a quick mid who does not have the same defensive mindset (it would also help having an assertive ruckman at stoppage who doesn't get so easily and consistently pushed aside, but that's another story)

Brisbane does not have a quick midfield at all, but they have an elite and well-rounded midfield that understands when to attack and also when to lock onto the oppo mids - Dunkley has been massively influential with the latter.

So Dunkley finished 4th in the B&F in 2023. He finished 3rd in the B&F in 2024. He has not been even in the AA squad in the last two years.

When Dunley left, Treloar then went inside mid. Treloar was AA. So is Treloar an upgrade on Dunkley? Slightly different players but playing in a similar position.

Dunley is a solid, high quality, defensive mid. He has played mainly a run with or tagging role at the Lions. Was he prepared to play that role a thte Bulldogs?

I'd say they are significantly different. Treloar is an elite ball-winner but he does not lock onto his direct opponent - none of our mids really do (which was an obvious problem from the 20 minute mark of the 2021 GF 3rd qtr to the end of the 2023 season). Dunkley does and he can also hurt his direct opponent going the other way.

They are both awesome but very different IMO.

[Grantysghost]

He was our 2nd best player when he left. We miss him badly.

Dunkley does all the stuff that glues it together.
He's a brilliant player, he finished third in their B and F in premiership year.

[bornadog]

Dunkley does all the stuff that glues it together.
He's a brilliant player, he finished third in their B and F in premiership year.

No one has said he is not a good player, but he is not an A grader (IMO)

[Doc26]

I'd take Dunkley, Treloar may be a better player but Dunks make us a better team. No one else us does the dirty stuff.

Dunkley is a fabric player like Moz and Picko. He?s a huge loss to our squad, and generally underrated by those outside the four walls.

Since leaving us, he?s now the Lion?s back to back recipient of their “Players player” award for 2023 and 2024.

I can?t recall there being a more important player leaving us since the days of Dempsey.

Players Player of the Year
Josh Dunkley has won this year?s Player?s Player Award. Each week, players were asked to vote on who they felt best reflected the values they strive for as a group, with great emphasis placed on acts that benefitted the team as a whole and not necessarily the individual.
“Dunks” was deemed such, with the popular midfielder and vice-captain now a two-time winner of the award in succession.

[bornadog]

"He is worth much closer to 10 than he is to 20 in my view, but the fact that if the Bulldogs can't negotiate a deal, they will get nothing for him..,

You have to choose between two evils, do I die on the stake making my point and get nothing, but maybe sending the message to the next guy who might try and do it - or do I just accept that we lost the bargaining power, weren't able to extend his contract earlier enough."

- Mark Bickley on the Bailey Smith negotiation

[Grantysghost]

"He is worth much closer to 10 than he is to 20 in my view, but the fact that if the Bulldogs can't negotiate a deal, they will get nothing for him..,

You have to choose between two evils, do I die on the stake making my point and get nothing, but maybe sending the message to the next guy who might try and do it - or do I just accept that we lost the bargaining power, weren't able to extend his contract earlier enough."

- Mark Bickley on the Bailey Smith negotiation

Someone with half a brain.

[jazzadogs]

Someone with half a brain.

It's incredible that most media commentators have just said "ah well Geelong only have pick 21 so that's just what he's worth" rather than using a tiny bit of analysis like Bickley has done.

There's so much difference in the narrative of 'if Geelong get him for 17 (21) alone they're getting a bargain' to 'the dogs are holding out on the Cats'.

[Happy Days]

I feel like our position is being misinterpreted. We shouldn’t be refusing to trade him to “send a message” or whatever, we should be not trading him because we don’t like him and want to screw him over because it’s funny. Strange that no one is picking up on this.

[GVGjr]

"He is worth much closer to 10 than he is to 20 in my view, but the fact that if the Bulldogs can't negotiate a deal, they will get nothing for him..,

You have to choose between two evils, do I die on the stake making my point and get nothing, but maybe sending the message to the next guy who might try and do it - or do I just accept that we lost the bargaining power, weren't able to extend his contract earlier enough."

- Mark Bickley on the Bailey Smith negotiation

I had to read that twice as I initially thought you were talking about his maturity levels

[Doc26]

It's incredible that most media commentators have just said "ah well Geelong only have pick 21 so that's just what he's worth" rather than using a tiny bit of analysis like Bickley has done.

There's so much difference in the narrative of 'if Geelong get him for 17 (21) alone they're getting a bargain' to 'the dogs are holding out on the Cats'.

It?s all rinse and repeat with these AFL media nuffies.
Which of course we all know how it ends with the same old “Geelong wins trade week” diatribe.

Petracca did his ACL in year one. It?s hardly stopped him from going on to be an elite of the league, and yet Mackie and his media cronies are doing their utmost to drive down Smith?s trade value because he?s coming off an ACL. Well walk away if he?s not worth the risk to his upside.

[angelopetraglia]

Ashcroft did his ACL in year #1 and won the Norm Smith in year #2

[azabob]

If Smith has to go through the draft it will play havoc with his mental state.