What They're Saying - The Bulldogs Media Thread - Part 2

[X_box_X]

Please elaborate...

There was a topic created on the Bulldogs page that referenced Boyd retiring to become an Air Guitarist. Norm's photo was added to the topic. It was gaining momentum before being removed, assumably by the administrator/moderator of the forum.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

There was a topic created on the Bulldogs page that referenced Boyd retiring to become an Air Guitarist. Norm's photo was added to the topic. It was gaining momentum before being removed, assumably by the administrator/moderator of the forum.

Wasn't me, which means a scoundrel from here used my work without attribution. Is nothing sacred on the internet?

 

[Fossie 32]

Bev coming on 7 news

 

[RWnBluey]

oops

 

[Norm De Guerre]

oops

View attachment 317566

Go home bulldogs Facebook page you're drunk!

 

[cleveland]

Go home bulldogs Facebook page you're drunk!

Libba had controk6

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Geelong Jon Ralph is an absolute muppet. We literally just drafted 5 athletes as opposed to natural footballers and he has no idea.

If Lewis Young isn't an athlete as opposed to being a natural footballer then I don't know who is. Ralph - absolutely clueless.

 

[bobby2]

Geelong Jon Ralph is an absolute muppet. We literally just drafted 5 athletes as opposed to natural footballers and he has no idea.

If Lewis Young isn't an athlete as opposed to being a natural footballer then I don't know who is. Ralph - absolutely clueless.

He's absolutely clueless, but I'd still call English and Lipinski natural footballers.

 

[TiAn_]

The funny thing is McLean is a good athlete; huge leap. I don't think Ralph is actually wrong though, we've been drafting footballers first for a long time.

 

[Golden_6]

The funny thing is McLean is a good athlete; huge leap. I don't think Ralph is actually wrong though, we've been drafting footballers first for a long time.

I think the two biggest myth's with regards to Dalrymple is that he drafts footballers first and those with late birthdays. I think people find a couple of examples of either and assume it's his strategy. If you look through our draft history over the past couple of years, there isn't really a definitive pattern.

Although I do agree that he favours those that show a high rate of development in their draft year.

 

[maddog37]

I think the two biggest myth's with regards to Dalrymple is that he drafts footballers first and those with late birthdays. I think people find a couple of examples of either and assume it's his strategy. If you look through our draft history over the past couple of years, there isn't really a definitive pattern.

Although I do agree that he favours those that show a high rate of development in their draft year.

They all seem well spoken, polite and good character types from what I have seen.

 

[Testekill]

I think the two biggest myth's with regards to Dalrymple is that he drafts footballers first and those with late birthdays. I think people find a couple of examples of either and assume it's his strategy. If you look through our draft history over the past couple of years, there isn't really a definitive pattern.

Although I do agree that he favours those that show a high rate of development in their draft year.

Dallas likes to recruit players that have elite attributes who aren't one trick ponies, players that improve late in the year and kids with a good head of their shoulders.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Dal picks players who are good at playing football.

That's his style.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

Ha! an amusing response by the club to yesterdays faux pas

 

[The Inbetweener]

Interesting read on Koby Stevens on the HS website

A few little digs at the club

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Tom Boyd says winning the Grand Final made his tough 2017 season all worth it

GLENN McFARLANE, Herald Sun
December 10, 2016 8:00pm
Subscriber only

AS strange as it may sound, Tom Boyd is thankful for it now.

He’s not talking about the premiership medal that came earlier than expected, or the game-defining goal he kicked with only five minutes of play left in the Grand Final, or even his highly-rated performance that had some suggesting he was stiff in the Norm Smith Medal voting.

He’s referring to the cacophony of criticism that has followed him ever since he signed a speculative $6 million seven-year-deal with Western Bulldogs in late 2014.

That external heat was more searing this year than it had been in his first year at the club. The source of it was his modest pre-finals form, an off-field altercation with teammate Zaine Cordy in June that saw the Bulldogs impose a suspension on him, and as the headline fodder focused on him, calls from Cameron Mooney and others for him to consider taking a pay cut.

“Perhaps it wouldn’t have turned out anywhere near like it did if that sort of thing (the criticism) didn’t happen,” a reflective Boyd suggested.

Tom Boyd his game changing goal on Grand Final day. Picture: Getty Images
As Luke Darcy might have pondered ... Say that again?

Is Boyd partly crediting the criticism for the turnaround in his on-field fortunes? In a sense, he is, saying facing those obstacles made him more resilient to everything else he had to encounter.

“Looking back, the main thing I took out of the situation was that it was an extremely humbling experience not only playing in a successful team, but also having to learn from mistakes that I have made,” he said.

“All I was thinking about throughout the back end of the year was to try and help make the team better. From that aspect, I think it was a turning point in my mindset.

“In terms of learning from it, and sort of owning the situation, it was a great moment for me.

“It was less to do with any specific incident; it was more to do with myself as a person, and maturing into a man and a footballer. I hadn’t even turned 21 until the middle of the year.

“I learnt as much as I ever have last year, and that was evident with a lot of the guys throughout the year and the way they displayed resilience and their ability to deal with adversity.”

At no stage did Boyd feel compelled to bite back at the critics, or use the premiership podium to yell “You were wrong” as Port Adelaide’s Mark Williams famously did back in 2004.

That’s never been his style. He lets his football do the talking, and in the last two weeks of the AFL season, his performances were every bit as audible as the crowd noise in both games.

There was his stand-alone ruck role against Greater Western Sydney’s Shane Mumford, after Jordan Roughead was benched with an eye injury, and then his Grand Final heroics when he kicked three goals, took six contested marks and came of age on the biggest stage.

None of the critics called him to say they were wrong ... he doesn’t expect them to, and says that’s the furthest thing from his mind.

Tom Boyd celebrates with his premiership medal. Picture: Getty Images
He’s a premiership player and well regarded internally at the Bulldogs, and that’s all that matters.

The only thing that he found frustrating was when people questioned his character, particularly after the incident with Cordy midyear.

“The hardest thing for me to reconcile with was all the questions about my character that people were throwing out there,” he said. “A lot of people knew they weren’t true.

“It is their prerogative what they want to report. But ultimately I had a good record in the way my parents have brought me up to be polite and humble. I try sort of envisage that at every turn.“The only thing you can do is turn to your family and your friends and the footy club in general, and really sort of internalise your inner circle. You have to try to put everything that is happening around you into context and understand the perspective other people have without letting it get you down.”

Given what Boyd has been through in his three seasons of AFL football — the journey the one-time No.1 draft pick has had from Eastern Ranges to Greater Western Sydney and onto the Western Bulldogs — it is easy to forget he is still 21 for another eight months, and has played only 38 AFL games.

Whatever he does in the future will never alter his importance in helping the Bulldogs break a 62-year premiership drought, particularly one of the clutch moments of the match.

It came at the 21-minute-mark of the last term as he pounced on a ball that had spilt from Dale Morris’ big tackle on Lance Franklin. Boyd didn’t hear the whistle signalling a free kick, pounced and then pounded a long goal from well outside 50m to give his team a 15-point lead.

Tom Boyd in the middle of the circle after his first win with the Bulldogs. Picture: Michael Klein
“I didn’t find out until Mad Monday that it was actually holding the ball (free kick to Morris),” Boyd laughed. “I had no idea, as it was so loud out there.

“At the time I looked up and there was an open goal square. People have asked me if I was surprised that it went through. I was surprised that it bounced vertically, as I kicked it that hard, I thought it was going go straight through, making me wait and adding to the suspense.

“It was the highlight of my career and I was happy I could put a goal through in a game when it was necessary and really needed.”

Liam Picken ran to him seconds after the goal, to tell him to stay focused.

“I spoke to Picko about it after the game, and he said ‘Look, we had just worked too hard and come too far to let anything slip’,” Boyd said. “That was just the attitude we showed all day.”

The fact Boyd got to end a year that had so many highs and a few lows celebrating a premiership with his family made everything worthwhile.

“Mum and Dad ride the emotions of footy like I do, but they take everything more personally,” he said. “That’s the nature of parenthood. They have been a terrific support network for forever and a day, and I was so happy that I could pinch a few moments of real bliss and enjoyment after the Grand Final.”

Now he has his sights on more success, mindful that nothing is ever certain, and it will take even more hard work to make it happen again.

Dale Morris and Tom Boyd with the premiership cup. Picture: Getty Images

Tom Boyd and Toby McLean celebrate. Picture: Getty Images
The addition of Travis Cloke and the return of Stewart Crameri in attack only strengthens the Dogs’ forward line, and Boyd is looking forward to working with both.

“I had some big steps forward in my development, playing that ruck-forward role and really sharing a strong partnership with ‘Roughy’,” Boyd said.

“That’s the place where I feel most comfortable and that’s probably where I can add the most value for the team.”

Boyd knows he has set a new benchmark of performance, and realises the critics will be back for more if he can’t deliver on that.

But that just makes him “super excited” and hungrier to tackle the challenges undoubtedly ahead.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Interesting read on Koby Stevens on the HS website

A few little digs at the club

Here it is for those that can't access...

St Kilda recruit Koby Stevens says the pain of missing out on a premiership will never go away

JON RALPH, Herald Sun
December 10, 2016 7:00pm
Subscriber only

KOBY Stevens had already experienced the pain of missing the Western Bulldogs’ premiership surge.

Sidelined by debilitating groin tendinitis, he was dropped for the Dogs’ elimination final victory against West Coast and knew the writing was on the wall.

Then, as the last minutes of the trade period ticked down, he was in the US as his football future was being decided.

Speaking for the first time since moving from the Bulldogs to St Kilda, the 25-year-old has revealed the trade came close to falling through.

Stevens had already had to deal with months of uncertainty after a new contract with the Dogs was withdrawn mid-season.

And as his groin injury worsened and negotiations faltered, he knew it was time to move.
Stevens was eventually swapped for a clutch of late draft picks, but he says the last-gasp trade was just the final drama of one of his toughest years.

“It was pretty stressful. The Dogs and St Kilda had agreed on a deal the day before, but it fell through. I messaged my manager Ned Guy with 20 minutes to go and he said, ‘We are struggling’,’’ Stevens told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“It scared me a little bit, but all credit to him. He told me it would get done and I was just sitting in my Airbnb in New York waiting for it to happen at 11pm at night, and then the text came through that it was all done.

“Halfway through the year, if you asked me about leaving I would have said, ‘No’. But towards the second half of the year, I was pretty disappointed with the way things had been handled.

“I had tendinitis in my groin and lost a lot of fitness and wasn’t playing at the level I wanted to and negotiations stalled and I made the decision in my best interests. At the end of the day, I was pretty happy to make the move.”

Stevens crossed to the Western Bulldogs from West Coast at the end of 2012 and quickly established himself as a hard-charging, tough midfielder.

But he says just as he could sense something special happening with the Dogs’ list, he broke down with injury for the second consecutive year.
He missed five weeks with his groin issue and, despite returning for a handful of senior games, was dropped at the start of September for the elimination final against his old side.

“I was playing my best footy at the start of the year and then I got the tendinitis and couldn’t get up and going again. I didn’t run at all for five weeks and then came back into the senior side but couldn’t catch up,” he said.

“I was so far behind and, knowing where my body was, I saw the writing on the wall.

“It was pretty tough (to miss the premiership). It still hurts and it’s always going to hurt. I was happy for the boys in that team, they are some of my best mates, but it does hurt and drives me.

“It has driven me to seek a lot of different opinions on my body and the way I can keep on the field for 23 weeks and finals.”

That research has included seeking out more information on pilates and specialised yoga in concert with working with St Kilda’s medicos.

As his body faltered and negotiations broke down with the Dogs, Stevens kept thinking about how keen St Kilda had been to recruit him when he left the Eagles.

Koby Stevens playing against St Kilda in 2015. Picture: Getty Images.
“I had talked to St Kilda a few years ago and the communication (with the Dogs) wasn’t the greatest and at the end I was pretty happy to make the move across,” he said.

“There was a contract on the table and I was ready to take that up and it wasn’t until I got injured the negotiations stalled.

“Everyone knows what a good young side St Kilda has got, it’s a little like the Dogs’ list of a couple of years ago, and I was inclined to move.

“There were a few clubs interested but I wasn’t keen on leaving Melbourne and it wasn’t anything to do with money or contracts. I wanted to go to a club that was on the up.”

Stevens says off-season rest has fixed his groin issues, the onballer bonding with teammates in New Zealand this week at a training camp full of adventure.

“It was pretty tough. We rocked up in New Zealand and weren’t told much, they kept everything quiet and we would just rock up at places to train,’’ he said.

“We rowed for five hours down a river and then had to hike 20km up a mountain. It was a tough experience but it was good for the young group and great for me coming in to meet new players.”

 

[Dav1d]

Here it is for those that can't access...

St Kilda recruit Koby Stevens says the pain of missing out on a premiership will never go away

JON RALPH, Herald Sun
December 10, 2016 7:00pm
Subscriber only

KOBY Stevens had already experienced the pain of missing the Western Bulldogs’ premiership surge.

Sidelined by debilitating groin tendinitis, he was dropped for the Dogs’ elimination final victory against West Coast and knew the writing was on the wall.

Then, as the last minutes of the trade period ticked down, he was in the US as his football future was being decided.

Speaking for the first time since moving from the Bulldogs to St Kilda, the 25-year-old has revealed the trade came close to falling through.

Stevens had already had to deal with months of uncertainty after a new contract with the Dogs was withdrawn mid-season.

And as his groin injury worsened and negotiations faltered, he knew it was time to move.
Stevens was eventually swapped for a clutch of late draft picks, but he says the last-gasp trade was just the final drama of one of his toughest years.

“It was pretty stressful. The Dogs and St Kilda had agreed on a deal the day before, but it fell through. I messaged my manager Ned Guy with 20 minutes to go and he said, ‘We are struggling’,’’ Stevens told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“It scared me a little bit, but all credit to him. He told me it would get done and I was just sitting in my Airbnb in New York waiting for it to happen at 11pm at night, and then the text came through that it was all done.

“Halfway through the year, if you asked me about leaving I would have said, ‘No’. But towards the second half of the year, I was pretty disappointed with the way things had been handled.

“I had tendinitis in my groin and lost a lot of fitness and wasn’t playing at the level I wanted to and negotiations stalled and I made the decision in my best interests. At the end of the day, I was pretty happy to make the move.”

Stevens crossed to the Western Bulldogs from West Coast at the end of 2012 and quickly established himself as a hard-charging, tough midfielder.

But he says just as he could sense something special happening with the Dogs’ list, he broke down with injury for the second consecutive year.
He missed five weeks with his groin issue and, despite returning for a handful of senior games, was dropped at the start of September for the elimination final against his old side.

“I was playing my best footy at the start of the year and then I got the tendinitis and couldn’t get up and going again. I didn’t run at all for five weeks and then came back into the senior side but couldn’t catch up,” he said.

“I was so far behind and, knowing where my body was, I saw the writing on the wall.

“It was pretty tough (to miss the premiership). It still hurts and it’s always going to hurt. I was happy for the boys in that team, they are some of my best mates, but it does hurt and drives me.

“It has driven me to seek a lot of different opinions on my body and the way I can keep on the field for 23 weeks and finals.”

That research has included seeking out more information on pilates and specialised yoga in concert with working with St Kilda’s medicos.

As his body faltered and negotiations broke down with the Dogs, Stevens kept thinking about how keen St Kilda had been to recruit him when he left the Eagles.

Koby Stevens playing against St Kilda in 2015. Picture: Getty Images.
“I had talked to St Kilda a few years ago and the communication (with the Dogs) wasn’t the greatest and at the end I was pretty happy to make the move across,” he said.

“There was a contract on the table and I was ready to take that up and it wasn’t until I got injured the negotiations stalled.

“Everyone knows what a good young side St Kilda has got, it’s a little like the Dogs’ list of a couple of years ago, and I was inclined to move.

“There were a few clubs interested but I wasn’t keen on leaving Melbourne and it wasn’t anything to do with money or contracts. I wanted to go to a club that was on the up.”

Stevens says off-season rest has fixed his groin issues, the onballer bonding with teammates in New Zealand this week at a training camp full of adventure.

“It was pretty tough. We rocked up in New Zealand and weren’t told much, they kept everything quiet and we would just rock up at places to train,’’ he said.

“We rowed for five hours down a river and then had to hike 20km up a mountain. It was a tough experience but it was good for the young group and great for me coming in to meet new players.”

He seems just a little bitter but its not as if we didn't give him plenty of chances & he has been getting injuries pretty regularly through out his career, I hope things work out for him at St Kilda but I don't think he is as good as he thinks he is.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Here it is for those that can't access...

St Kilda recruit Koby Stevens says the pain of missing out on a premiership will never go away

JON RALPH, Herald Sun
December 10, 2016 7:00pm
Subscriber only

KOBY Stevens had already experienced the pain of missing the Western Bulldogs’ premiership surge.

Sidelined by debilitating groin tendinitis, he was dropped for the Dogs’ elimination final victory against West Coast and knew the writing was on the wall.

Then, as the last minutes of the trade period ticked down, he was in the US as his football future was being decided.

Speaking for the first time since moving from the Bulldogs to St Kilda, the 25-year-old has revealed the trade came close to falling through.

Stevens had already had to deal with months of uncertainty after a new contract with the Dogs was withdrawn mid-season.

And as his groin injury worsened and negotiations faltered, he knew it was time to move.
Stevens was eventually swapped for a clutch of late draft picks, but he says the last-gasp trade was just the final drama of one of his toughest years.

“It was pretty stressful. The Dogs and St Kilda had agreed on a deal the day before, but it fell through. I messaged my manager Ned Guy with 20 minutes to go and he said, ‘We are struggling’,’’ Stevens told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“It scared me a little bit, but all credit to him. He told me it would get done and I was just sitting in my Airbnb in New York waiting for it to happen at 11pm at night, and then the text came through that it was all done.

“Halfway through the year, if you asked me about leaving I would have said, ‘No’. But towards the second half of the year, I was pretty disappointed with the way things had been handled.

“I had tendinitis in my groin and lost a lot of fitness and wasn’t playing at the level I wanted to and negotiations stalled and I made the decision in my best interests. At the end of the day, I was pretty happy to make the move.”

Stevens crossed to the Western Bulldogs from West Coast at the end of 2012 and quickly established himself as a hard-charging, tough midfielder.

But he says just as he could sense something special happening with the Dogs’ list, he broke down with injury for the second consecutive year.
He missed five weeks with his groin issue and, despite returning for a handful of senior games, was dropped at the start of September for the elimination final against his old side.

“I was playing my best footy at the start of the year and then I got the tendinitis and couldn’t get up and going again. I didn’t run at all for five weeks and then came back into the senior side but couldn’t catch up,” he said.

“I was so far behind and, knowing where my body was, I saw the writing on the wall.

“It was pretty tough (to miss the premiership). It still hurts and it’s always going to hurt. I was happy for the boys in that team, they are some of my best mates, but it does hurt and drives me.

“It has driven me to seek a lot of different opinions on my body and the way I can keep on the field for 23 weeks and finals.”

That research has included seeking out more information on pilates and specialised yoga in concert with working with St Kilda’s medicos.

As his body faltered and negotiations broke down with the Dogs, Stevens kept thinking about how keen St Kilda had been to recruit him when he left the Eagles.

Koby Stevens playing against St Kilda in 2015. Picture: Getty Images.
“I had talked to St Kilda a few years ago and the communication (with the Dogs) wasn’t the greatest and at the end I was pretty happy to make the move across,” he said.

“There was a contract on the table and I was ready to take that up and it wasn’t until I got injured the negotiations stalled.

“Everyone knows what a good young side St Kilda has got, it’s a little like the Dogs’ list of a couple of years ago, and I was inclined to move.

“There were a few clubs interested but I wasn’t keen on leaving Melbourne and it wasn’t anything to do with money or contracts. I wanted to go to a club that was on the up.”

Stevens says off-season rest has fixed his groin issues, the onballer bonding with teammates in New Zealand this week at a training camp full of adventure.

“It was pretty tough. We rocked up in New Zealand and weren’t told much, they kept everything quiet and we would just rock up at places to train,’’ he said.

“We rowed for five hours down a river and then had to hike 20km up a mountain. It was a tough experience but it was good for the young group and great for me coming in to meet new players.”

His attitude over the last part of the year seemed to change, he didn't put a lot of effort into his VFL games, I was told. You can't sulk at the Bulldogs. I wish him all the best, but who would he have pushed out of the team?

 

[Super Hans]

So he's complaining that he didn't play twos when he came back from injury? Seems like Koby wants to blame everyone but himself.

If a 25 year old misses 5 weeks of footy it really shouldn't effect their fitness that much. But oh well, I like Koby, but Dunkley and Webb overtook him. I think it's as simple as that.

 

[The Inbetweener]

So he's complaining that he didn't play twos when he came back from injury? Seems like Koby wants to blame everyone but himself.

If a 25 year old misses 5 weeks of footy it really shouldn't effect their fitness that much. But oh well, I like Koby, but Dunkley and Webb overtook him. I think it's as simple as that.

My take is that he wasn't happy with the way his injury was handled by our medical team

 

[Del165892]

Best of luck to Koby for the rest of his career. He is as hard as any player in the league and never backed down from a contest. Borders on elite when his body is right. Very unlucky that his body broke down as he probably would have played in the GF if he had held his form from the first half of the year. Good enough player to take 3 brownlow votes on his day. I love the way he goes about it and I think he is a good fit for the Saints. I wont speculate on his comments about our medicos because for all I know they may have managed his injury poorly.

 

[Mr. Walker]

Best of luck to Koby for the rest of his career. He is as hard as any player in the league and never backed down from a contest. Borders on elite when his body is right. Very unlucky that his body broke down as he probably would have played in the GF if he had held his form from the first half of the year. Good enough player to take 3 brownlow votes on his day. I love the way he goes about it and I think he is a good fit for the Saints. I wont speculate on his comments about our medicos because for all I know they may have managed his injury poorly.

I wish him all the best in the future but i can't truthfully say i see him as elite. His awareness is terrible and imo his decision making and skills dont fall into the elite category. He has a good body size for a mid and can charge through a contest like the best of them but has never been a big possession winner and with the attributes he had never kicked as many goals as i thought he was capable of. I know others on here rate him a lot higher than i do and fair enough. Maybe he will prove me wrong at the Saints. All the best.

 

[GreyWind]

I think Koby just had an incredibly frustrating year. Probably thinks if he hadn't of got injured he'd be a premiership player and would still be at the Dogs.

While it's only his side of the story it does sound like he didn't really feel wanted and the club's poor communication only confirmed that for him.

 

[maddog37]

Not too many elite players end up at three different clubs. Role player.