Training 2024 Pre-season training

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

He actually did have a few spells in the middle last season (not much though).

Not at centre bounces I don't think? Happy to be wrong but I don't remember seeing him in any of the midfield stats.

 

[doggies ftw]

Not at centre bounces I don't think? Happy to be wrong but I don't remember seeing him in any of the midfield stats.

He didn’t take many CBs maybe one or two from memory. He definitely played much higher up the ground as an extra at stoppages at times, much more than he has in previous years IMO - I think his heat maps would show this if someone had access to them

 

[Libbaaaa]

Not at centre bounces I don't think? Happy to be wrong but I don't remember seeing him in any of the midfield stats.

Cody attended 3% of the CBA's in the fateful Eagles game, which is probably 1 all game.

CBAs - DFS Australia

Centre Bounce Attendances are available from the 2020 season. Average refers to the percentage of CBAs each player has attended for the season (considering only those games they have played). Each round is denoted as percentage of CBAs attended for that round. Centre Bounce Attendance Percentage...

dfsaustralia.com

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

He didn’t take many CBs maybe one or two from memory. He definitely played much higher up the ground as an extra at stoppages at times, much more than he has in previous years IMO - I think his heat maps would show this if someone had access to them

Cody attended 3% of the CBA's in the fateful Eagles game, which is probably 1 all game.

CBAs - DFS Australia

Centre Bounce Attendances are available from the 2020 season. Average refers to the percentage of CBAs each player has attended for the season (considering only those games they have played). Each round is denoted as percentage of CBAs attended for that round. Centre Bounce Attendance Percentage...

dfsaustralia.com

Thanks, maybe I was too busy crying to notice this centre bounce.

I don't think it markedly changes my point, though. It was a big component of preseason that was not a factor in the season. There are many reasons to give a player a run in a different position (especially midfield) early in the year. I don't see it as a reliable indicator of game day tactics.

I do recall Weightman playing as the +1 a handful of times, but our extra exclusively comes from the forwards. I don't think Richards will play there at all.

 

[dardog]

Really strange the reluctance to switch the magnets around, no reason why Richards can't be used for spells through the guts.
Our current set-up didn't work, the game has changed and our gameplan is becoming quickly obsolete in an era of speed.
As another poster highlighted, look at collingwoods CBA throughout the squad, flexibillity is important but having guys such as Richards, West and Harmes utilised throughout the midfield rotation in my opinion should be strongly encouraged.

 

[dogwatch]

The Richards debate is getting a bit repetitive so I don't want to buy into the is/is-not side of it.

I just want to point out that our recruiting in recent years suggests we are trying to come up with different backline options and greater versatility. In the last two years we have recruited:

Talls - Busslinger, Croft, O'Donnell, LJones
Mediums - Coffield, Harmes
Smalls - Gallagher, Bramble

Add to that

• we tried out Vandermeer in defence in 2023
• JJ is seemingly 100% fit again - availability has been an issue for the last couple of years with only 19 games since 2021.
• Cleary has been used exclusively as a HB and is steadily maturing
• we have recruited more wing options (meaning players like Williams and Bedendo could also be tried in defence)
• and of course we still have stalwarts like Dale and Duryea on the list

Now we know that not all of these will end up being used as defenders and some won't even make the grade but they do have the capability to play as defenders (and in most cases have some history there). And there are some pacy options on that list.

It means there are more options for the coaches to try out. It doesn't automatically mean that Richards will be shipped into the midfield but it does suggest he might be less an indispensable part of the defence than he was in 2023.

As long as Ed stays fit and wears the RW&B I don't mind where he plays. I certainly have no problems if Bevo wants to give him a few runs through the guts to see how he goes. The match sims against Hawthorn might tell us if that is really in Bevo's thinking.

 

[Bulldogs2017]

Really strange the reluctance to switch the magnets around, no reason why Richards can't be used for spells through the guts.
Our current set-up didn't work, the game has changed and our gameplan is becoming quickly obsolete in an era of speed.
As another poster highlighted, look at collingwoods CBA throughout the squad, flexibillity is important but having guys such as Richards, West and Harmes utilised throughout the midfield rotation in my opinion should be strongly encouraged.

It's because he has broken out as a half back. Yes our current set up didn't work but that's not because of Richards he was on track for AA if he didn't get Injured. One of the biggest frustrations people have had with Bevo post 2016 is playing players in the wrong positions.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

Not sure what issues he had but he looked out of it for a few years now. 2021 I started to notice Macrae wasn't his usual self. He was barely covering the ground as well as he used to.

He was All Australian starting midfielder in 2021, he can't have been going too badly.
He also made the 2022 squad

 

[grassman75]

Not sure if people have seen the club video from after training yesterday Where they doorstopped the players

One thing I took from this is how serious and focussed Ed is. He is going to have a massive year wherever they play him

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

To my way of thinking, our midfield rotations seem pretty straight forward.

Ideally, we have 2 of Bont, Libba, Macrae in the guts at all times, with a 3rd in as the burst player (mostly Treloar/Sanders).

Given most mids play around 80% gametime, I'd say a predicted breakdown wouldn't be far from :

Bont - 60% inside mid, 20% i50, 20% bench
Libba - 80 inside mid, 20 bench
Macrae - 60 inside mid, 20 high hf/extra mid to contest, 20 bench
Treloar - 40 Inside mid, 40 high hf, 20 bench
Sanders - 40 Inside mid, 40 high hf, 20 bench

With the odd run through for a mix of Cody, Naughts, West, Daniel etc

Early in 2022 (i think) the mids basically operated in pairs. One of the pair would be at each centre bounce but there was often a different mix. The pairs were Bont / Macrae, Libba / Dunkley and Treloar / Smith. i think Treloar might have gotten injured early in the year and we went away from that plan and never went back to it

 

[grassman75]

I didn’t add the other day that Bailey Smith

6

Bailey Smith

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

is apparently joiNing the camp today…someone asked on Tuesday where he was.

Gotta go to Brisbane today so I won’t get to watch the session, hope someone else can

 

[VitalDread]

Not sure if people have seen the club video from after training yesterday Where they doorstopped the players

One thing I took from this is how serious and focussed Ed is. He is going to have a massive year wherever they play him

From the limited amount of match sims I have watched
I honestly feel like this could be Richards AA year

 

[Bulldogs85]

Today’s match sim highlights

Bulldogs Media | Western Bulldogs

Watch the latest videos from the Western Bulldogs

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

 

[Doggies7]

A few really interesting potential break out guys that are getting me excited. Gallagher, Bedendo, maybe Clarke, then a Darcy or Busslinger as a regular tall? Not counting JOD as I think he is a locked in best 22 and plays 20 games this year.

 

[doggies ftw]

A few really interesting potential break out guys that are getting me excited. Gallagher, Bedendo, maybe Clarke, then a Darcy or Busslinger as a regular tall? Not counting JOD as I think he is a locked in best 22 and plays 20 games this year.

And Sanders too - there’s a lot of potential out of our side currently, of course they won’t all come on but even a couple would make a big difference. We have a very good young list IMO and our older core still very good - it’s our middle bracket which has probably held us back but we’ve tried to address that with Harmes & Coffield, and now a few guys are moving into that age range like Naughty, Ed, Cody

 

[JTCWBFC]

Are buku and coffield fighting for the same spot?

 

[doggies ftw]

Seems like now we’re getting closer to the season match sim has moved to the best forward line vs best defence phase over the past couple of weeks

If there’s anything to take out of that it seems like our starting defence right now is Jones, JOD, Buku, Coffield, Richards, Dale.

That’d be a bloody interesting set up, hell of a lot of athleticism, height and marking ability there. Would be a far cry from some of the defences we put out this year. Exciting stuff

 

[mattwa]

Seems like now we’re getting closer to the season match sim has moved to the best forward line vs best defence phase over the past couple of weeks

If there’s anything to take out of that it seems like our starting defence right now is Jones, JOD, Buku, Coffield, Richards, Dale.

That’d be a bloody interesting set up, hell of a lot of athleticism, height and marking ability there. Would be a far cry from some of the defences we put out this year. Exciting stuff

Love that back 6. Looks like we want to intercept more and move the ball quicker. JJ rolling through with Gags and Buss hopefully getting some games.

 

[Doggies7]

And Sanders too - there’s a lot of potential out of our side currently, of course they won’t all come on but even a couple would make a big difference. We have a very good young list IMO and our older core still very good - it’s our middle bracket which has probably held us back but we’ve tried to address that with Harmes & Coffield, and now a few guys are moving into that age range like Naughty, Ed, Cody

Oh Sanders is another that I expect to just be a lock, play a ton of games and challenge for the rising star. I'm more thinking of guys we may have counted out or come from nowhere to really improve our best 18 and move into that top tier of value for us. We seemed to not really get much of that last year.

 

[adogsfan5]

Gallaghers arms are HUGE. Genuinely ripped.

 

[glenashley]

Interesting that there's probably half a dozen players not in our best 22 last year who are genuinely knocking down the door (Sanders, Darcy then the likes of Gallagher, Buslinger and Bendendo, to name a few).

Gonna be an interesting round 1 team.

 

[doggies ftw]

Gallaghers arms are HUGE. Genuinely ripped.

Yeah he’s pretty built, does some great things inside the contest too, so clean, which I just didn’t expect from him at all when drafted where I thought he was an outside flanker. Didn’t see this move coming at all but if he can genuinely step in and add some speed on the inside that would be huge for us. He does seem to have a really big role in the match sims.

 

[doggies ftw]

Love that back 6. Looks like we want to intercept more and move the ball quicker. JJ rolling through with Gags and Buss hopefully getting some games.

Yeah that seems like the plan which I love too, there’s honestly a bit to work with I hope Pratt can really make something out of our backline this year.

Jones is just an animal too, he is just dominant at training and the way he plays. If he stays fit this year I reckon he’s odds on for his first AA at 33!

 

[dergert]

Harmes is in our best 22.

 

[Mojorisin]

Yeah that seems like the plan which I love too, there’s honestly a bit to work with I hope Pratt can really make something out of our backline this year.

Jones is just an animal too, he is just dominant at training and the way he plays. If he stays fit this year I reckon he’s odds on for his first AA at 33!

If it weren't for being punted in the arm I think he wouldve been in 2023.