Review Bulldogs Lose To GWS (113 - 55)

Leon

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That’s why this loss stings a little, the sheer embarrassment of conceding to that type of s**t. It’s not a pain like losses to Adelaide and Saints 09, more like an irritant that the Gimmicks and their disregard for the environment have been affirmed.

Good PR though, every family in attendance got to take home 62 flags each.




I absolutely and utterly despise the giants, they are an entity literally without a single redeeming feature.

I would not piss on that nauseating, binscab franchise if it was on fire.

I wish every single pissant associated with that entity - from their nauseating, scragging, thug players, their pissant whining no name CEO, and their 213 whining, wannabe, ****wit supporters an eternity of ill will.
 
But we’ve been searching for 15 years for a Chris Grant replacement up forward.

Grant nearly won a Brownlow in 96, pipped at the post and played a good portion of his best footy in 97 at CHB. With Astro’s ability to read play at the time he is in his career, it’s a huge increase on his ceiling capacity.

Astro strikes me as a natural with the ability to play a swing role
 

Mattdougie

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I absolutely and utterly despise the giants, they are an entity literally without a single redeeming feature.

I would not piss on that nauseating, binscab franchise if it was on fire.

I wish every single pissant associated with that entity - from their nauseating, scragging, thug players, their pissant whining no name CEO, and their 213 whining, wannabe, ****wit supporters an eternity of ill will.


Soooooo not supporting them next week then ?
 

Cadillac

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Mar 25, 2016
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Grant nearly won a Brownlow in 96, pipped at the post and played a good portion of his best footy in 97 at CHB. With Astro’s ability to read play at the time he is in his career, it’s a huge increase on his ceiling capacity.

Astro strikes me as a natural with the ability to play a swing role
Let’s just pray he hasn’t destroyed his knee.
 
To put this in its proper perspective, there are tribes in the dark jungles of Irian Jaya, as yet untouched by white civilisation, that rose in unison and fist pumped the air when Toby Greene was kicked in the nuts.
Has anyone identified the nutkicker yet?
Will he get a special medal at the CSM night?
 
I absolutely and utterly despise the giants, they are an entity literally without a single redeeming feature.

I would not piss on that nauseating, binscab franchise if it was on fire.

I wish every single pissant associated with that entity - from their nauseating, scragging, thug players, their pissant whining no name CEO, and their 213 whining, wannabe, ****wit supporters an eternity of ill will.
Wow, you usually save that sort of vitriol for Norf. Which one do you dislike least, Leon?

For me, Norf is a paragon of virtue compared to the Giants.
 
To put this in its proper perspective, there are tribes in the dark jungles of Irian Jaya, as yet untouched by white civilisation, that rose in unison and fist pumped the air when Toby Greene was kicked in the nuts.
Can someone do a gif? Norm De Guerre ??
 

Westerndog11

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Feb 28, 2015
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Did anyone else feel themselves wanting to jump over the fence and whack Jeremy Finlayson when he came over shushing the Bulldogs supporters around Aisle 249? Literally had to be held back, I thought the old bloke in front of me was going to kill him.
 
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Leon

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Wow, you usually save that sort of vitriol for Norf. Which one do you dislike least, Leon?

For me, Norf is a paragon of virtue compared to the Giants.



It’s entirely possible for two entities to both be as equally nauseating and vile as the other.


Would not piss on either of them if they were on fire.
 

Spiritof82

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Jan 8, 2004
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It was funny at the ground, those orange flags were giveaways, under every seat ;). Imagine an AFL club needing to do that.

Scoreboard "Lets make some noise" drowned out by boos every time lol. I think it was the second quarter they put some dudes voice over the speakers on the eastern side trying to get some sort of pro-Giants chant happening....crickets. So plastic, manufacturing a "vibe". Made me laugh.

Having the clown chanting during the game was organised from the beginning as during the pre game interviews on the scoreboard the AFL endorsed roving bimbo spoke with him (think he was one of the two members of their cheer squad) and he explained about the headset and microphone he was wearing and what had been organised with ground officials for him to do during the game.
 
A hole is on back page of the Hun today. What a guy.

Did anyone else feel themselves wanting to jump over the fence and whack Jeremy Finlayson when he came over shushing the Bulldogs supporters around Aisle 249? Literally had to be held back, I thought the old bloke in front of me was going to kill him.
 
I'm not even sure how much 'learning' there is to be done, in a way. This outcome is not that surprising: We fielded an incredibly young side, 11 guys who'd never even played a final before. The bye did us in this year by giving them the chance to reload and stopping our momentum, when in 2016 it was the other way around with us and West Coast.

We took a bunch of kids in to play against men in a certified bloodbath of a game. They were simply not ready for the occasion (Exceptions: Naughton, English). Guys like Bailey Smith were used to have a lot more time and space than they got. In other words they were harshly introduced to finals footy. But you get more experience into Smith, Lipinski, Richards, Young, West, that goes a long way. Fortunately now they got that intro over with and they can hopefully have another crack next year.

Honestly if there is a lesson to be learned, it's from our premiership players. Out of those that were on the field that were there in 2016, maybe two could hold their heads high. Hunter, JJ, Bont, Dunkley simply needed to be more effective than they were. Cordy competed well but his decision making with ball in hand was very costly early. These guys were the youngsters of 15/16 - but while they're not 27/28 yet, they are the leaders. They're the ones that had to rise and lead by example for all the youngsters out there today. Next season they'll be another year older and if we make finals, they collectively need to become what Boyd, Picken and Morris were for us in 2016 - Steadying forces. Rocks.

So if we're going to try to truly contend next season, I'll just say this: Keep on getting experience into these guys, but make them earn it (Richards, Hayes were clearly carried when their form wasn't warranting selection). Be smart at the trade table; this trade period is huge for this club. Huge. We have picks, and we have cap space, when we know we're going to hit the draft the year after. We have to be smart like Hawthorn were and supplement the young premiership winning core with what they need. Go for Bruce, Martin, Keath. See if all three can happen. See if we can at least get two. Or who knows what names we're talking to that the media haven't got wind of. But we have to get bigger, older, harder around the ball and in the air. Lastly, the young players of 2016 need to step up and become proper leaders. Achieve levels of steadiness and consistency the guys younger than them need. No more Boyd, Bob, Picken or Morris; the torch has to be passed now.

I think this could be the 2015 to our 2016 if we make the right moves. That's why this result isn't really that upsetting, Naughton injury aside. I think it's apparent we're on the right course, but they'll need to work hard as a club, as the competition's parity grows, success won't just come to a talented young team.
LOL, some great lessons there when you weren't sure if there was any learning to be done! :thumbsu:

Here's a few of mine, or questions at least:
  • Every other club will have taken note of how the Giants went about beating us. Expect a lot of it in 2020. So what's the plan the next time our midfield gets physically monstered like that? We need the likes of Libba, Smith and West getting into the de Boers et al.
  • Do we have a game style that stands up in finals? It wasn't on display yesterday but I put that mainly down to inexperience, youth and perhaps poor mental preparation. Bevo is scratching his head but I think the coaching staff need to take a fair measure of responsibility for it. Anyway, I think we're capable as we have brought a lot of pressure in some of our H&A wins. It was a valuable lesson for this side with its 11 finals debutants. We need to cultivate more of a finals type pressure approach during our H&A season next year so that it becomes second nature. A few unsociable types in the 22 won't hurt.
  • Do we have enough midfield depth? Genuine question. Our midfield trio are elite and a real point of difference but that also makes them a vulnerability. Beat them and you beat the Dogs. And what if say two of that trio are out injured? We rely so much on them. I think natural development from Smith will help, as will the return of Libba if he can get back into something like his old form. Wallis may be more valuable than most people realise. Eventually West may fit in there too, but perhaps not in 2020.
  • What's McLean's future? I'm genuinely concerned. His 2019 season was not great and he didn't do a lot yesterday. He's also 24 now so he's not going to get much bigger or stronger. I'm happy enough if he stays but if a hypothetical trade of McLean for Martin came up I wouldn't hesitate.
  • What's Schache's future? I'm prepared to cut him a bit more slack than McLean because he's younger and also KPPs take longer to peak. He knows he has to be more imposing and he's trying but it's only coming along slowly. Right now Josh Bruce would be a significant upgrade. I retain some hope for Schache though and wouldn't be offloading him.
  • Do we have enough on-field leadership? There was not enough of it yesterday but much of that could be put down to our youth and inexperience. I don't think some of our older players offer enough of it (eg Suckling, Hunter, Lloyd, JJ). We certainly miss the likes of Picko and Morris. Trengove would have been handy in that regard but maybe Bevo thought it wouldn't outweigh the negatives of having to drop another player. Getting players like Isaac Smith, Bruce and Keath might help a bit. As will getting back Libba and Wallis. Otherwise we just have to wait for some of the younger blokes to offer more as they mature - Bont, Naughton, Dunkley, Crozier, etc. Not sure about Macrae.
  • Fix the bottom end. A lot has been said about this. I first raised it back in 2016 when we were trying to work out how we overcame more fancied opponents who had so much star quality. Yesterday our bottom few were a millstone but let's be honest - very few of our 22 played anywhere near their best. Some of those bottom end players will improve (eg West, Richards). Big questions remain about Hayes though. Maybe McLean too.
 
Mar 27, 2009
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Hungover and still 5 hours until my flight back to Melbourne. Very long day.

What was with the decision to kick into the wind, did they ask bevo at the presser? Even though in the end we were absolutely smashed and it probably wouldn't have mattered, thought it was a very poor decision.

Can only wish Toby Green and heath Shaw another heart breaking september loss. Absolute grubs
 

stefoid

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Mar 8, 2002
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Hungover and still 5 hours until my flight back to Melbourne. Very long day.

What was with the decision to kick into the wind, did they ask bevo at the presser? Even though in the end we were absolutely smashed and it probably wouldn't have mattered, thought it was a very poor decision.

Can only wish Toby Green and heath Shaw another heart breaking september loss. Absolute grubs

I can imagine that bevo thought that the first quarter of a finals match would be an stoppage based arm wrestle like they often are, leaving us with 2 quarters with the wind to come after, including the last quarter when everyone is buggered.
 

SonOfScray

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It’s entirely possible for two entities to both be as equally nauseating and vile as the other.


Would not piss on either of them if they were on fire.
We could sow the corpses of their fans arse to mouth with Essendon fans to form the AFL human centipede. Norm would be at the back, GWS in the middle, EFC up front.
 

philmb

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An AFL website survey at the beginning of the year showed most Dogs fans would be content to finish 8th, i.e at least make the finals. We made the finals & most here are proud of that fact alone - especially when some punters here made repeated claims all year we were a bottom 4 side.

The players who experienced finals for the first time yesterday will benefit immensely going forward. Another pre-season in the gym, more fire in the belly - 2016 was a false dawn. It begins now.
 
Oct 19, 2012
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I really dont think the number of talls we chose yesterday was the correct number. Especially when 3/5 (English, Young, Schache) arent physical types of talls. Trengrove would have been super handy yesterday. Use him as a 197cm battering ram who would have helped protect bont and provide some clearances for us.

Maybe on the MCG a smaller side would have worked (Collingwood get it pretty lucky in that regard), but against a physical imposing GWS unit on a smaller ground, it just didnt happen.

We all admire English for the player he is going to be, but he needed a better ruck chop out that what he was given yesterday. Trengrove would have been helpful.

The blowtorch should absolutely be put on some of those who dont offer physical presence.

GWS 2019 season could be our 2016 season. The bye helped get some of there key personel back and they came out breathing fire.
 

dergert

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Do we need bigger bodies around the ground?

How would we go about getting then?

Mclean has been played so far out of position. He is a midfielder, not a forward.
 
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We got beat up yesterday and by a very good and talented team. They play like that and they'll trouble a lot of teams. Question is how they'll hold up when someone fights back which unfortunately we didn't do (not is any meaningful way) There's lessons to be learned and some soul searching to be done and some truths to be spoken but we'll bounce back because there's some genuine character in this team and those that don't shape up will be passed by those more desperate to fight back... Bring on 2020
 
It’s entirely possible for two entities to both be as equally nauseating and vile as the other.


Would not piss on either of them if they were on fire.

I support you whole heartedly and find myself in the same difficult position Leon - only difference being me Essendon you Norf.

But I tell ya, the whole evil entity that is the great waste of space deserve to be exorcised to rot in the pits of hell where they have obviously emanated from. Players, supporters, colours, location.
 

Unorth

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LOL, some great lessons there when you weren't sure if there was any learning to be done! :thumbsu:

Here's a few of mine, or questions at least:
  • Every other club will have taken note of how the Giants went about beating us. Expect a lot of it in 2020. So what's the plan the next time our midfield gets physically monstered like that? We need the likes of Libba, Smith and West getting into the de Boers et al.
  • Do we have a game style that stands up in finals? It wasn't on display yesterday but I put that mainly down to inexperience, youth and perhaps poor mental preparation. Bevo is scratching his head but I think the coaching staff need to take a fair measure of responsibility for it. Anyway, I think we're capable as we have brought a lot of pressure in some of our H&A wins. It was a valuable lesson for this side with its 11 finals debutants. We need to cultivate more of a finals type pressure approach during our H&A season next year so that it becomes second nature. A few unsociable types in the 22 won't hurt.
  • Do we have enough midfield depth? Genuine question. Our midfield trio are elite and a real point of difference but that also makes them a vulnerability. Beat them and you beat the Dogs. And what if say two of that trio are out injured? We rely so much on them. I think natural development from Smith will help, as will the return of Libba if he can get back into something like his old form. Wallis may be more valuable than most people realise. Eventually West may fit in there too, but perhaps not in 2020.
  • What's McLean's future? I'm genuinely concerned. His 2019 season was not great and he didn't do a lot yesterday. He's also 24 now so he's not going to get much bigger or stronger. I'm happy enough if he stays but if a hypothetical trade of McLean for Martin came up I wouldn't hesitate.
  • What's Schache's future? I'm prepared to cut him a bit more slack than McLean because he's younger and also KPPs take longer to peak. He knows he has to be more imposing and he's trying but it's only coming along slowly. Right now Josh Bruce would be a significant upgrade. I retain some hope for Schache though and wouldn't be offloading him.
  • Do we have enough on-field leadership? There was not enough of it yesterday but much of that could be put down to our youth and inexperience. I don't think some of our older players offer enough of it (eg Suckling, Hunter, Lloyd, JJ). We certainly miss the likes of Picko and Morris. Trengove would have been handy in that regard but maybe Bevo thought it wouldn't outweigh the negatives of having to drop another player. Getting players like Isaac Smith, Bruce and Keath might help a bit. As will getting back Libba and Wallis. Otherwise we just have to wait for some of the younger blokes to offer more as they mature - Bont, Naughton, Dunkley, Crozier, etc. Not sure about Macrae.
  • Fix the bottom end. A lot has been said about this. I first raised it back in 2016 when we were trying to work out how we overcame more fancied opponents who had so much star quality. Yesterday our bottom few were a millstone but let's be honest - very few of our 22 played anywhere near their best. Some of those bottom end players will improve (eg West, Richards). Big questions remain about Hayes though. Maybe McLean too.

One takeaway I had from the game yesterday was that as a result Wallis (And dare I say while very unlikely, possibly even Jong) may feature more prominently in next season's plans than the club thought going into it. These last couple of seasons has been all about 'playing the kids', and we've been lucky this year in that we got to do so and make the top 8. But I do wonder how priorities change next season. Will Richards be in our round one side? West? Smith? Young?. Who misses out if Libba, Wallis and Caleb are available, let alone any other recruits? Of course there would be injuries, but it seems that we may have come at a crossroads of sorts. If we load up on the youngsters like we did yesterday, teams will get stuck into us. But these are the long term guys and we've proven we can be a top 8 side playing them.

So are we going to go 'all in' at the trade table for a tilt next season? Signs seem to be pointing that way. May have to make some of these young players wait in the VFL (nothing wrong with that either) and make way for our established guys, and take a detour from the rebuild we've been committed very strongly to.

I think the game didn't reveal many lessons in the game plan sense - we couldn't have done much to change the result. Selections or strategy, we just didn't have the experience. Trengove in doesn't change much. He probably should have played but we aren't winning off that alone. And even if we wanted to execute some kind of different on field strategy western sydney gave us nothing. They outplayed us in every way. But you're right, it does raise these questions for next season.
 

Leon

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I support you whole heartedly and find myself in the same difficult position Leon - only difference being me Essendon you Norf.

But I tell ya, the whole evil entity that is the great waste of space deserve to be exorcised to rot in the pits of hell where they have obviously emanated from. Players, supporters, colours, location.



I find that I hate both norf and the giants much, much more than I hate Essendon (and I do indeed hate Essendon).


It’s a funny old world we live in.
 
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