Review Round 12, 2015 - Bulldogs vs Brisbane Lions

[POBT]

It really, REALLY pisses me off when people call others soft because of how things affect them.

How frustrated were YOU when McBurney screwed up our chance to get in the finals? How livid were you when the go-home 5 left? How devastated were you when we had a poor 2014? How sad were you when injuries started to mount up? I can tell you from personal experience that LITTLE THINGS ADD UP. It's easy for us to brush these things off, because footy isn't our life. We can go to work and we have our own lives away from the game. These guys don't. These things might not be in the forefront of these guys minds, but I'll bet each time some new drama happens, the boys feel a little more dejected. Add to that the fact that we have the shittiest facilities in the league and I reckon anyone would be performing poorly.

If our boys are soft, then I must be the biggest marshmallow alive and should give up now.

I think you are searching for excuses Kezz and, quite frankly, drawing a very long bow in the process.

Resilience is a non-negotiable in professional sport. If players are not resilient, then they will not be successful. Things will not always go your way and if you only do well when the circumstances are perfect, then success will elude you. That's a fact of life but it is magnified in professional sport where ultimate success is so rare.

As much as our premiership sides were renowned for skill, they were also mentally the strongest group in the comp. Our players do not cope with pressure or change or adversity. They need to learn that or the club is never going to rise above mediocrity. And the more excuses they make, or have made for them, the more the lack of resilience will be perpetuated.

As far as how those on field events you mention affect me or my life, they don't.

 

[Football Pope]

I thought Bourke did well for a boy ! Shows promise

Yes, loved his and McStay's game... especially loved the spray McStay gave Green for not passing the pill to either him or Cutler who were both by themselves and just blasting away and spraying it for a point half way through the 3rd Quarter.we were within 15 points....Young Beasely looked completely out of his depth at this level...but he wasn't alone on the night... Bourke gave his all...which for a s**t night for lions supporters was a positive.. Carlton called Silvagni "SoS" (Son of Sergio) ...Decided to put up the nomination for Bourkey as "SoD" (Son of Damien)..

 

[Lace Out]

Beams shoulder scans

 

[Ceebee]

Beams shoulder scans

That's all we need.
Been carrying a heavy load on his shoulders.
Hope he is ok.

 

[Sausages]

I have this weird feeling that the issues we have affecting our team have been around for years and the club puts forward the same old lines. Be it form, injuries, finances, facilities, recruiting....

I don't think the club has made ANY advance on addressing ANY issues whatsoever. And I use our football as evidence.

 

[Albi_Mangler]

Any news on Robertson injury?

 

[POBT]

Would love for this to be our mantra for the rest of the year.

 

[Sausages]

Would love for this to be our mantra for the rest of the year.

Oh, it can easily be our mantra - just another thing to not actually do.

 

[Skoob]

Any news on Robertson injury?

 

[Big Sauce 21]

What did bourke do wrong in others eyes. I voted him in my top 5

 

[POBT]

Oh, it can easily be our mantra - just another thing to not actually do.

At least if they say it, then we know what to judge them on.

The more I think about it, the more I just want them to compete for the footy. I'll live with shitty ball movement and skill errors. But win the footy....please.

 

[jackess]

What did bourke do wrong in others eyes. I voted him in my top 5

I only voted for 2 this week but I agree it's very strange. On what planet did MRobbo play better than Bourke?

 

[jackess]

At least if they say it, then we know what to judge them on.

The more I think about it, the more I just want them to compete for the footy. I'll live with shitty ball movement and skill errors. But win the footy....please.

I think we usually get first hands to the footy but fumble or lose it under pressure. Hopefully they're working on how to extract the footy better from clearances.

 

[SizeMatters]

Would love for this to be our mantra for the rest of the year.

Look at the games we have won in the past few seasons. I'd wager 90% of them we won the CP and clearance count. I have no idea why we seemingly haven't been focusing more on this area as it is pretty darn crucial to us winning. Is it the coaches or the personnel?

 

[POBT]

We don't have to be league leading at contested possessions but being a clear last pretty much rules us out from being able to compete in most games.

I think "being a contested footy side" also creates a mindset around effort, courage and discipline that can be valuable. It becomes almost a value by which everyone is primarily judged. I wouldn't mind betting most of the sides with good contested footy stats also tackle well and run defensively.

 

[Cockliff38]

Look at the games we have won in the past few seasons. I'd wager 90% of them we won the CP and clearance count. I have no idea why we seemingly haven't been focusing more on this area as it is pretty darn crucial to us winning. Is it the coaches or the personnel?

We've won contested possessions four times in the last 33 games

 

[SizeMatters]

We don't have to be league leading at contested possessions but being a clear last pretty much rules us out from being able to compete in most games.

I think "being a contested footy side" also creates a mindset around effort, courage and discipline that can be valuable. It becomes almost a value by which everyone is primarily judged. I wouldn't mind betting most of the sides with good contested footy stats also tackle well and run defensively.

Exactly. You hit the nail on the head.

 

[Sausages]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...e-brisbane-lions/story-fnp04d70-1227310684409

After Round 4. Nothing has changed. That report could be from 2010 as well.

 

[BigCat2]

We don't have to be league leading at contested possessions but being a clear last pretty much rules us out from being able to compete in most games.

I think "being a contested footy side" also creates a mindset around effort, courage and discipline that can be valuable. It becomes almost a value by which everyone is primarily judged. I wouldn't mind betting most of the sides with good contested footy stats also tackle well and run defensively.

Spot on. We know hat when Leppa was hired, he mentioned there was a very specific way he wanted us to run so that when we are in attack, we would also be in the position to defend if the ball was turned over. If you like - this was in contrast with Vossy's style of trying to move quickly down the middle and get opened up the other way.

I think that's fine - but running pattern or defensive set up mean stuff all if we can't win the ball, tackle, show basic skills like 20m passes with minimal pressure. I feel like we're in the trap of trying to play a particular style of footy, but are unable to execute the basics and have consistent effort, so are unable to get any results from any game plan. This then drains confidence in each other/the game plan/themselves, and the vicious cycle continues.

It's time to get back to basics. Consistent effort, win the ball, stick tackles. It's amazing how much better a team or a gameplan looks if you do the basics right.

 

[SizeMatters]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...e-brisbane-lions/story-fnp04d70-1227310684409

After Round 4. Nothing has changed. That report could be from 2010 as well.

This line really stood out to me, "When the Lions take the foot off the pedal, they grind to a screeching halt. They collapse like a house of cards."

Every Tom, Dick and Harry could see this. Yet Leppa still orders the blokes to slow the ball down. That Essendon or Saints game was a classic when Rocky was interviewed at Half Time and he said that they were told to slow the ball down or something along those lines. We ended up getting losing the game from that point onwards after being competitive.

 

[pOleK]

This has been going on for ages though mate. I remember us playing geelong in geelong last season. The commentary wank off to very experienced geelong players was prutride. Commentators getting our players names wrong, the only thing they commented on Brisbane wise, was I think Darcy gardener got falconed by one of our team mates.

Just on this, did anyone else pick up on one of the commentators calling Rich, Dennis

 

[Nuggo]

They'll get their names right once they starting playing footy.

The transition from offense to defense is to slow. Forward pressure is non existent. Our players don't enjoy the contest. There is very little body contact. Our midfielders don't trust our forwards. Our forwards know the transition from offense to defense is to slow so don't for go as many contested marks as they should for fear of not taking the mark which results in a goal for the opposition. McStay likes to crash the pack. Let him do that to soften them up but everybody should be ready for a rebound as he hasn't quite got the glue on the mitts yet. Its little things like this.

The ball is kicked by the opposition to a two one situation in our favour. What do we do - nothing. Where is the training for this situation - who does what when this occurs.

Hand balling into somebodies back when they are running towards goal. What the hell.

The biggest of all - no noise from the players - no communication. Somebody getting run down with three of our players within blocking distant, certainly within voice distance. Speak up lads for God sake speak up.

Anyway I am off to put another coat of vanish on the spoon for that rabble up the road. Ha Ha.

 

[Toffee Lion]

Anyway I am off to put another coat of vanish on the spoon for that rabble up the road. Ha Ha.

Might not even have to take it up the road the way we are going

 

[lionshine]

My major frustration was with the kick outs. Sitting at the game live I could not believe they kicked to the same half back flank time and time again for the same result(a turnover and several times a Bulldogs goal). Absolutely ridiculous and a sign of their lack of confidence that they weren't willing to pull the trigger and try something else. It got so predictable after the 5th-6th time that the Bulldogs outnumbered us over there and left other Lions players free knowing precisely where the Lions player would kick it out to. I liked Martin's game overall but he missed 3-4 opportunities to clunk one of those marks which didn't help the cause.

 

[carnthemlions]

My major frustration was with the kick outs. Sitting at the game live I could not believe they kicked to the same half back flank time and time again for the same result(a turnover and several times a Bulldogs goal). Absolutely ridiculous and a sign of their lack of confidence that they weren't willing to pull the trigger and try something else. It got so predictable after the 5th-6th time that the Bulldogs outnumbered us over there and left other Lions players free knowing precisely where the Lions player would kick it out to. I liked Martin's game overall but he missed 3-4 opportunities to clunk one of those marks which didn't help the cause.

I distinctly remember one kick out from Paparone that went straight onto the chest of a Bulldogs player. It was a pretty nice kick, but none of our players in the vicinity seemed to realise that they could've taken an uncontested mark if they'd lead toward the boundary line. I'm not sure what went wrong there, it was quite mystifying.
I wasn't alone either. BT seemed even more confused than usual, I could've sworn he said it was a beautiful kick. Took about 30 seconds for him to realise the other team had the ball