Autopsy Post 2021 Grand Final Western Bulldogs game review, the good the bad and the ugly, come talk about it here!

[TurnoverMerchant]

I come in peace guys. I would just like to commend your boys on a fantastic year! Your mob are just that good, I don’t think a grand final loss will make them shy away from contending for years to come. To once again make a grand final from an elimination final spot is also incredible. Well done doggies

 

[Norm De Guerre]

Much love for Bont. I did read a couple of comments post-match that questioned his leadership. Maybe just frustration. I thought he was enormous for a lot of the game. Not much more you can do to carry the team as an individual, I'm my opinion, when nearly everyone around you is grinding to a halt.

Its a weird ongoing theme with that particular poster.

How anybody could come in here immediately post game and question the Bonts leadership in a game that he was instrumental in dragging us back from a cliff that we in the end we just couldn't avoid. Just beggars belief.

In the cold hard light of the day after. The second half of the Grand Final was there for all to see in Melbournes demolition's Brisbane where they had 3x the scoring shots, then to their much bigger and ominous win over Geelong a fortnight ago. Thats when the machine was truly firing all cylinders. Like our flag in 16 the stars aligned and they were absolutely primed for this premiership. From the moment they gassed it late in the 3rd when the game was in the balance after the Bont heroics, they were just looking at the competition in the rear view mirror laughing, waving and having a great time of it all.

As distasteful as it all is. Nobody was going to touch them this finals series.

 

[Dogs Rule]

They did an NFL type celebration after a goal they were not involved in.

If the broadcast didn't show it no one would of known or cared.

It was nothing really, You just have to cop that kind of stuff on the chin.

For sure. You just store it in the memory bank.

 

[dergert]

I don’t think we are as young as people believe. No doubt we have a good 2 year window coming up, but Libba and Treloar will 30 and 29 next year. Keath 30, Duryea 31 who are our best 2 defenders. Even Bont and Macrae will be 27 and 28 next year which isn’t young.

On the whole Melbourne’s core is younger.

We have a good group coming through in early 20s like Baz and Naughty, but the majority of our core are in their prime. Now is the time to win flags.

Crozier, who I expect to be in our best 22 next year will be 29 too.
Small lock down defenders will be a hole on our list soon enough

 

[dergert]

Thanks to the Oppo supporters coming in here for their nice words.

 

[Doggy]

Crozier, who I expect to be in our best 22 next year will be 29 too.
Small lock down defenders will be a hole on our list soon enough

Well we do have Raak who we can and should have drafted already..

 

[lachy]

A disappointing end to a strange season.

A couple of mistakes when we were on top swung the momentum and we were cooked and couldn't swing it back again.

A few obvious deficiencies in the ruck and key back but otherwise comes down to attitude. Does this result light the fire for next season as it did for Essendon after 83 or will we be the Crows post 2017.

All of our emergencies plus Garcia and Marra allow for improvement next season.

Not going to pot players as there were a few who really need to reflect and turn around their performance next season. It can be done, Rourke was vilified after his finals performance in 2020 and was probably in our best 5 on the biggest stage of all with less ability than many who were down.



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[Dogs_R_Us]

Didn’t see it if they did. They looked flat, but Bont was classy when he spoke.

That's the only bit I wish I'd seen.

The 6/6/6 rule really screwed us at the end of the 3rd qrt. They had all the momentum and in years previous we would have just flooded the backline and stopped the bleeding until the end of the qrt. Instead they got 3 goals in 33 seconds.
Any chance the AFL decides it’s too much of an advantage and changes the rule? (like how they decided no more 3rd man up as soon as we won using it)

Oh but that was for "safety", wasn't it?

 

[Hutchymundo]

Still sitting here trying to comprehend what happened, probably drive myself insane over thinking it, so will just throw in the two positives I’ve taken out of it, Treloar is a absolute star couldn’t be more proud of the bloke, And Bont I don’t think there’s enough words to describe how incredible of a player and captain he is.
Looking forward to see what 2022 brings
We’ll be back ️

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

There you guys, there's Melbourne mocking the WB Prelim celebration.

If that doesn't make you pissed off I don't know what will.

Be humble in Victory, don't mock your opponent. ******* scumbags, the lot of them.

They did the same to Geelong (yes, I know, Geelong...) but I said at the time it was poor behaviour. What's wrong with their leadership? It's inevitably gonna turn around and bite them, and soon I hope.

 

[bilko2]

Conspiracy theorists will say it was Gil (funny how his first name rhymes with Gates's first name) who planned it all just like the ordering of voting on Brownlow Night. How do we get a team to get a 12+ goal win but still make the game a great spectacle. Let that team run ahead by 4 goals, then the opposition pile on 7 and then the winner piles on goal after goal. Thanks Bill & Gil - it was fvacsinating.

 

[ExRoyboy]

So to counter the rational and pragmatic posting, in the cold light of day, here's a hateful, vitriolic one (sorry).
Rang a Melb mate to congratulate him this morning. Taken aback by the abrupt, derogatory response, so hung up.
Kel, if you're reading this (which is likely), at least I got to see 2016 in person at the G, and celebrate the day after at WO, and on into the next week. It was a great, spontaneous, in the moment feeling. After your comments this morning, I'm glad you won't see your team for weeks, and by then all the spontaneity will be gone. Hope it's a hollow feeling, you miserable pr1ck.

And to the Dees posters coming on here. Stop trying to be 'chummy' - our team just lost a GF to you by 12 goals, so if you want to celebrate, **** off to your own board.

Sorry that happened to you. I feel terrible also but I have to say all of my Melbourne supporting mates have been nothing but gracious and humble, definitely revelling in their win as they should but not rubbing it in. And can I say most of the Melbourne supporters coming here have been the same. In fact I have enjoyed them and most others here also. So I doubt your “friend” is indicative of the majority. Unlike swans supporters who are generally unbearable still, 5 years later.

Hopefully you feel better soon.

 

[Doggy Dan]

Bont should take note and thank the fans first in his speeches moving forward (they are the soul of the game, the bill-payers, everything). Instead he thanked the AFL and Toyota first then forgot to thank or even acknowledge anything about Dogs fans there or in lockdown.

If you are going to forget to thank someone make it the AFL or Toyota, not your adoring fans doing it tough who just watched an 18 to 1 goal capitulation.

Obviously it was an oversight but it was a pretty big one!

 

[Piesnchess]

Thanks to the Oppo supporters coming in here for their nice words.

Thanks, as a neutral, my theory is that in that midway thru the 3rd Qr, you were dominating the game, 3 goals up, i reckon had u got 1 more u may have broken Melb then. But, in my view, the whole team then hit the wall, due to 3 big Finals games, in 3 different States, not the ideal preparation. I reckon the Doggies all ran out of petrol tickets, out of gas, collectively then. Melb of course lifted bigtime, but from then on, your guys looked pretty lethargic, and even slow. Also, Petracca was allowed to run rampant, he needed a hard tag on him, just as my mob tagged him, and Oliver, when we unexpectadely beat them on the QB game, we also held Gawn. Still, all being said, you are the second best team, and you did really well to get as far as you did, you will be back up there again, your too good a side not too.

 

[Brian Perrin]

I thought Duryea was immense last night - repeatedly put his body on the line and got crunched for it - has been a huge acquisition for us


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[Dogs_R_Us]

I hope the demons like the song freed from desire as well… otherwise post game they were taking the pis* out of our boys.

That's exactly what they were doing. For a "toffy" club they have zero class.

 

[The Inbetweener]

Forced myself to watch those Melbourne clearances in the last 10 minutes of the third.

That we didn’t set up at least one defensive sweeper is inexcusable.

 

[Piesnchess]

What sums up dees fans for me was the guy in my section near the bulldog cheer squad, got up mouthing off at everyone in the first quarter, never heard a peep out of him during the second and first half of the third quarters, then proceeded to turn around mouth off and stick his fingers up at everyone throughout the last quarter. I know there are bad eggs in all supporters and people like that shouldn’t be allowed at the footy but not sure I’ve ever come across a more entitled bunch than the dees supporters. Cannot be happy for them at all and they will be worse than tigers supporters ever were

This is the first season Deeees fans havent headed for the snow fields in their Range Rovers. They are not known as the Toffs for nothing, the chardonnay set of the ski chalets, bar this season.

 

[Al dente]

Forced myself to watch those Melbourne clearances in the last 10 minutes of the third.

That we didn’t set up at least one defensive sweeper is inexcusable.

its funny isnt it, we'd been good in there up till then,
they probably kept backing themselves to win the next one and come out the front ourselves like we did in the second. at what stage do you say enough is enough and set up more defensively?
centre clearances are generally a strength of ours but it became an achilles heel at times late in the season. yet if it was a general weakness we'd have a more defensive set up. your strengths can also be your weaknesses.

 

[ExRoyboy]

I’m not singling out Hannan… but this is the stupid shi* that can hurt you on the big stage. 10 to go, up by 19, had English short and Naughton up ahead to compete in the air.

This is local footy type common sense.


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Yep that was it, that was the turning point unfortunately. I didn’t realise English was so far by himself running into space, obviously neither did Hannan! But he took the worst option and then executed it terribly. It all went to sh*t after that. Could have gone 25 points up with all the momentum, instead we end up 24 points down and on our way to a flogging.

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

Forced myself to watch those Melbourne clearances in the last 10 minutes of the third.

That we didn’t set up at least one defensive sweeper is inexcusable.

After two goals straight out of the centre surely we had to setup with one guy sweeping. I still can’t believe we let it go on like that for another 6 goals or whatever.

 

[josh the gent]

A disappointing end to a strange season.

A couple of mistakes when we were on top swung the momentum and we were cooked and couldn't swing it back again.

A few obvious deficiencies in the ruck and key back but otherwise comes down to attitude. Does this result light the fire for next season as it did for Essendon after 83 or will we be the Crows post 2017.

All of our emergencies plus Garcia and Marra allow for improvement next season.

Not going to pot players as there were a few who really need to reflect and turn around their performance next season. It can be done, Rourke was vilified after his finals performance in 2020 and was probably in our best 5 on the biggest stage of all with less ability than many who were down.



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There are quite few more examples of teams going on to better things after finishing runners-up.

Another one that comes to mind are the 85 Hawks.

Were in the game for most part then got smashed 11 goals to 3 in the last quarter to lose GF by 80-odd… went on to win 1986.

All is definitely not lost!

 

[The Inbetweener]

its funny isnt it, we'd been good in there up till then,
they probably kept backing themselves to win the next one and come out the front ourselves like we did in the second. at what stage do you say enough is enough and set up more defensively?
centre clearances are generally a strength of ours but it became an achilles heel at times late in the season. yet if it was a general weakness we'd have a more defensive set up. your strengths can also be your weaknesses.

Agree, our strength can be our weakness.

At only 12 points down we were still in the game but when they scored 2 more goals in the last minute it was Game over. That’s on Bevo in my opinion.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

Hopefully they weren’t there to see your players seemingly mocking the dogs by dancing to the song our guys played in the rooms after our finals wins? That aside, enjoy your win and thanks for the respectful post


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Its not our song and used by heaps of sporting clubs, apparently many of the other AFL clubs too. May well have had nothing to do with us.

 

[Dogs Rule]

They did the same to Geelong (yes, I know, Geelong...) but I said at the time it was poor behaviour. What's wrong with their leadership? It's inevitably gonna turn around and bite them, and soon I hope.

Yep, I can sense a fair bit of the 2005 Ashes winning English cricket team about them already. Very happy with themselves. F*** them. I hope they get smashed by injuries next year, fall in a heap and become one hit wonders. That video should be played at every training session over summer. Seared in every player's head (along with the second half). It has to burn.

Modest in victory, humble in defeat.