What They're Saying - The Bulldogs Media Thread - Part 3

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Story in the age about Adams

I was pretty stale': Bulldog moves to Brisbane Lions, gains fresh outlook



'I was pretty stale': Bulldog moves to Brisbane Lions, gains fresh outlook
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By Peter Ryan
March 9, 2019 — 6.54pm


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As he battled to overcome an ankle injury suffered in last year's pre-season, frustration got the better of defender Marcus Adams.
Sometimes he didn't want to get out of bed and go to training.
Things that never worried him in the past annoyed the 25-year-old and, Adams admits now, he became bitter about where his career at the Western Bulldogs had landed.

Marcus Adams looks forward to playing for his new team the Brisbane Lions.Credit:David Layden
So when the Brisbane Lions came knocking he was open to a move, a change of scenery to reboot his football career, and an offer attractive enough to consider given there was two years remaining on his contract with the Bulldogs.

Impressed with the Lions' pitch and the obvious role he could play bolstering their defence, he asked for a trade.
"I almost felt like I did not want to play any more so the change sort of reinvigorated me," Adams said.

Marcus Adams in his Bulldog days back in 2017.Credit:pat Scala
He was traded for pick 32 and a future third-round pick, having played 27 games (including earning two Brownlow votes in his third game) with the club after arriving from Perth as a mature-aged draftee at the start of 2016.
Yet to play a game at the Lions and with a knee injury set to sideline him for another month, he has already achieved one thing through the move: some perspective on his time at the Bulldogs.

"When you get caught into a bit of rut and you are not seeing things necessarily clearly and you start to look at everything negatively you see things as being worse than they are," Adams said.
"Now that I can reflect a bit more [on] the time there I learnt heaps and, for the most part, had quite a good experience.
"But at the same time I was pretty stale I think and I wasn't enjoying footy as much as I like and it wasn't the fault of anyone there."
I was pretty stale I think and I wasn't enjoying footy as much as I like ...
Marcus Adams​
Now the only thing annoying him is the knee injury, which occurred just before Christmas and led eventually to surgery in the new year.

Having battled foot and ankle problems at the Bulldogs he could have been forgiven for thinking 'here we go again', but the new environment has also given Adams a fresh outlook.
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"It's not anyone or anything that is happening [that matters]. It's your view on it," Adams said.
His view on what he can offer at the Lions is clear and he is excited by it.
Slotting in alongside Harris Andrews, Darcy Gardiner and Josh Walker he will be able to use his ability to read the play to take intercept marks more effectively than he was able to with the Bulldogs.

There, when he was tried in a variety of roles, versatility (sometimes through necessity) was more highly valued than stability.
He has seen how Richmond defenders operate as a group with Alex Rance, David Astbury and Dylan Grimes experts at manipulating match-ups to their advantage and can see a future with the Brisbane Lions operating in a similar manner.
"The way we will line up there is an opportunity for me to get a spot," Adams said.
"We are a pretty young group. I am one of the older guys, which gives you a bit of a different role as well in what you can provide."
 

BRWB

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So let's get this right then. Hes complaining that he had to play a couple of games as a forward. Is that seriously why he left?

He was a forward at Claremont wasn't he?

Meh boiled down he was sick of being injured and wanted a change.

Injured again I see...I note Marcus said he didn't want to get out of bed some days. Short of being wrapped in bubble wrap that might have been the only way Marcus doesn't hurt himself.

Wish Marcus all the best.
 
It is what it is but the fact you have so many players (him, Adams, Roughead) saying they were stale and not enjoying their time at the club is cause for concern for me. Can’t keep losing players in that age group.
Dahl another
 
It is what it is but the fact you have so many players (him, Adams, Roughead) saying they were stale and not enjoying their time at the club is cause for concern for me. Can’t keep losing players in that age group.
The usual situation. The inner circle of in-form players and those who buy into the team ethos are "loving it" and those on the fringes of selection or not buying in are feeling "stale".

Adams, Dahlhaus and Roughead's situations were all unique - one was due to injury and what seems like a disengaged personality, one was lack of discipline and application and the other was loss of form (while still being a much loved stalwart off-field). I wouldn't read too much into it.

What they are all really saying is more like: my career had stalled and I needed to try my hand elsewhere. They don't want to make any acrimonious public statements that will upset some of their old teammates or come back to bite them. So they play it low-key.

Being at a new club can get rid of that "staleness" whatever its cause. We're hoping Duryea and Lloyd will do much the same for us.
 

The Inbetweener

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The usual situation. The inner circle of in-form players and those who buy into the team ethos are "loving it" and those on the fringes of selection or not buying in are feeling "stale".

Adams, Dahlhaus and Roughead's situations were all unique - one was due to injury and what seems like a disengaged personality, one was lack of discipline and application and the other was loss of form (while still being a much loved stalwart off-field). I wouldn't read too much into it.

What they are all really saying is more like: my career had stalled and I needed to try my hand elsewhere. They don't want to make any acrimonious public statements that will upset some of their old teammates or come back to bite them. So they play it low-key.

Being at a new club can get rid of that "staleness" whatever its cause. We're hoping Duryea and Lloyd will do much the same for us.
Some good points but I’d see Dahlhaus and Adams easily best 22. Lloyd and Duryea weren’t best 22 for their teams. If we keep losing best 22 players who aren’t happy our rebuild will be effected pretty significantly
 

VogonProsthetnic

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Harris Andrews, Josh a Walker and Darcy Gardiner- good players but not a flag winning defence. If he stayed he could play with two AA defenders (Wood and Morris) as well as the best young defender in the comp ( Naughton)- what is he on about?
 
Some good points but I’d see Dahlhaus and Adams easily best 22. Lloyd and Duryea weren’t best 22 for their teams. If we keep losing best 22 players who aren’t happy our rebuild will be effected pretty significantly
Dahl and Adams at their best are certainly easily best 22. However Dahl was slipping back to about 16-22nd last year. Not many very good games from him in 2018 IMO. We didn't really miss him much when he got injured. In fact it could be argued his injury gave us a chance to see some of Lynch and Greene, and we played some of our best footy while he was out.

Adams couldn't get on the park but would be a regular if fit. I'm disappointed he left but it sounds like he had "issues" too.

Duryea has never played fewer than 15 games for Hawthorn in six seasons. Played an average of 20 games a season. I wasn't following his form closely so it's possible he was slipping last year too (like Dahl) but he still played 17 games for them so it's hard to believe he wasn't thereabouts - and that's in a team that finished 4th after the H&A rounds, not 13th like us.

I agree Lloyd was more marginal but he plays a role where we are seriously lacking (small goal scoring forward with good disposal) so the switch makes sense for him, for us and even for the Tigers.
 
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Bont on MMM soon

Half the time wasted on Ed’s latest twilight Grand Final Campaign. A humourous response by Bont on the disappointment and ramifications of Fyfes Flyers’ AFLX loss and about 2 minutes on the Dogs. A rushed interview racing against the clock just before the 8:30 news because we had to listen to the team belittle callers who didn’t agree with them about the Grand Final and 3 ad breaks. Don’t try too hard finding it on line.


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I thought that the generally accepted definition of "stale" when it comes to a person involved in an activity refers to doing the same thing repetitively over a period of time and then losing motivation to keep doing it. So Adams who was at the club all of three seasons and played a total of 27 games is already stale? I think other reasons for his wanting to leave were more important than feeling stale. Anyway, good luck to him - but I hope that the compensation we received eventually makes his departure insignificant.
 

BRWB

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I thought that the generally accepted definition of "stale" when it comes to a person involved in an activity refers to doing the same thing repetitively over a period of time and then losing motivation to keep doing it. So Adams who was at the club all of three seasons and played a total of 27 games is already stale? I think other reasons for his wanting to leave were more important than feeling stale. Anyway, good luck to him - but I hope that the compensation we received eventually makes his departure insignificant.

Years of rehab would get stale
 
Years of rehab would get stale
Plenty of players have had histories of multiple seasons with injuries but I've never before heard them express being "stale" as a result. Frustrated, angry perhaps but stale? Depends on your interpretation I suppose.
 
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A PREMIERSHIP forward after 19 games, Western Bulldogs star Toby McLean will return to attack this season as the Dogs search for greater avenues to goal.
A breakout midfielder last season, the 23-year-old is set to be deployed in the forward 50 as Luke Beveridge prepares for deeper options in the centre square.

The move comes as Tom Liberatore returns from injury, Josh Dunkley takes on greater responsibility and No.6 draft pick Bailey Smith emerges as a midfield talent.
"I think it will be (life as a forward), especially for the first half of the year," McLean told AFL.com.auat the Dogs' season launch.
"With 'Libba' (Liberatore) coming back, he's huge and his influence in the midfield is massive for us, so I think I will see a bit more time forward.
"It's good to try new things, I had a lot of mid time last year and it's good to change it up."
FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game
Rather than seeing the switch as a demotion, McLean views it as a valuable addition to a side ranked No.15 in the competition in 2018 for total scores.
"Everything's based on your pressure and the defensive side of things," McLean said.
"For me it's all about that and keeping the ball in the forward line for us boys and help us score easier.
"As one of the smaller boys I've got to get to the drop of the ball for Aaron Naughton and Josh Schache.
"That seems such a long time ago now (2016 Grand Final). I was only a skinny boy back then and hopefully you can tell I've put on a bit of weight."

Now 79kg and sporting a beard that he hasn't shaved since last year's best and fairest, McLean said he'll continue to stick with it to "just make me look a little angrier."
 
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