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

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Dogs_r_barking said:
Except when the minnows are playing good football that the crowds want to see, then we have the pleasure of being the away team in a prime fixture. Breadcrumbs from the rich, hmm.
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We didn't get to unfurl the flag round 1 in 2017, Eagles didn't get to in 2019. AFL are doing it now because they put a lot of money into making Melbourne competitive again and thus they suddenly gotta book a grand final rematch for round 1.
 
TBOW said:
To back this up with some recent stats.

Over the past 10 seasons we have played the big 5 Melbourne clubs an average of 5.5 times a season. That means we play them all once and every second year we play one of them twice.
As a baseline, considering an 18 team competition and 22 games a year, we should play them 6.5 times a year. Effectively one of them twice every year and two of them twice every other year.
That means we are consistently over a 10 year period being deprived one additional large drawing game every year. Keep in mind that we also won a premiership in this time so probably deserved to get top billing more regularly.

Whats-more, over that same period against those same teams we have played 25 times at home and 31 times away. To break it down, in six of those seasons we have played less times at home then away, in 3 we have broken even and in only one have we played more home games against these teams then away games.

If both of these factors were at parity, it would more or less equate to one additional home game against a top 5 club every year, which would be quite a lucrative proposition.

I understand that the AFL will have fixturing reasons why we don't play these teams more times throughout the year, but I can not understand why there is such a significant discrepancy in home game fixturing.

It is just another example of the numerous hurdles that we need to overcome being a smaller club in the Melbourne market.
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Appreciate this but it is interesting how we have problems about how the bigger clubs get the major time slots yet if we got those time slots these are the teams we would request to play, therefore perhaps giving those clubs even more exposure.
 
Draft Pick said:
Appreciate this but it is interesting how we have problems about how the bigger clubs get the major time slots yet if we got those time slots these are the teams we would request to play, therefore perhaps giving those clubs even more exposure.
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Exposure and the gate takings.
 

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The alleged Big Clubs get such a leg up via the draw, that it almost ensures that they remain big clubs. How often have you heard the line, I want to go to Pies, Bombers, Tigers & Hawks because the player in question wants to play in the BIG H&A games Anzac Day Dreamtime etc etc
Rights to those games shouldn't be tied to individual clubs. They should be allocated on merit but we all know that won't happen as the AFL won't risk breaking their cash cow cycle.
There is no doubt the AFL want the status quo to remain, so that they retain the whip hand to have clubs that can be used and discarded at will. All in ensuring maximum revenue, they don't really want a level playing field in all aspects makes it too difficult to manage. Especially if we become big enough to have a voice that they are forced to listen too!!
 
Hope we get them round 1 and absolutely belt them. Spoil the party. Won’t be full retribution of course but would still be nice
 
Munnez said:
The alleged Big Clubs get such a leg up via the draw, that it almost ensures that they remain big clubs. How often have you heard the line, I want to go to Pies, Bombers, Tigers & Hawks because the player in question wants to play in the BIG H&A games Anzac Day Dreamtime etc etc
Rights to those games shouldn't be tied to individual clubs. They should be allocated on merit but we all know that won't happen as the AFL won't risk breaking their cash cow cycle.
There is no doubt the AFL want the status quo to remain, so that they retain the whip hand to have clubs that can be used and discarded at will. All in ensuring maximum revenue, they don't really want a level playing field in all aspects makes it too difficult to manage. Especially if we become big enough to have a voice that they are forced to listen too!!
Click to expand...
Spot on. I believe the NFL has a mandate that Monday night football, which is their big game - equivalent to our Friday night - gets shared evenly around all teams. It is what the AFL should do with season opener, Anzac Day and so on.

They won’t though.

On the other hand, the AFL equalisation policies have been reflected in much better performance on and off field for us since 1991 say, than in the previous 30 years.
 
Sharpiesadog said:
Spot on. I believe the NFL has a mandate that Monday night football, which is their big game - equivalent to our Friday night - gets shared evenly around all teams. It is what the AFL should do with season opener, Anzac Day and so on.

They won’t though.

On the other hand, the AFL equalisation policies have been reflected in much better performance on and off field for us since 1991 say, than in the previous 30 years.
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Equalization is about not having too many lopsided results. They also like the any given Sunday idea that a team can win.
Much better for T.V. revenue if the result isn't a foregone conclusion before it begins.
They don't want too go the next step and make it a truly level playing field in all aspects.
Very proud of what our club has managed to achieve given the real constraints with which they have had to deal with 😀
 
Dogs_r_barking said:
After throwing us all over the country, and having to abide by ridiculous and unfair restrictions placed on us, after Brisbane getting into fourth by err a supposed mistake. Where is our club spokespersons, someone should speak out. Even a Dees fan I was talking to yesterday, was saying how bloody unfair it was for us, it’s almost like they want us to fail.

This has put me into such a bad mood, it feels like we are just the AFL’s plaything, we play well and get rewarded as the away team against bigger clubs on Friday nights, gee thanks AFL. They send us all over bloody Australia, not giving us a choice of our home final. We need to get some Bulldogs in to city hall, ex AFL players from big clubs dominate there and treat us like dirt.
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Perhaps you will be right but we should wait until the fixture comes out before saying the AFL isn’t rewarding the club for a good season. We only know about one game so far. For all we know we will get a series home games against the bigger clubs. With the new moveable fixture on field performance will dictate whether these games are prime time after about round 6 or 7. The Melbourne game in R1 is just one game. We make too much of Round One as it no more important than round 16 in a football sense and a marketing sense. We can still make just as much money in Round 2 at our first home game as we would have in round 1 if we get the right opportunity the week after.

Sure for away prime time games the club doesn’t get the gate receipts but it still gets the exposure for sponsors etc. and the club can sell that in the off-season to other prospective sponsors. It’s nothing to be sneezed at being involved in a GF replay in prime time as an away team. It could be a huge occasion for the club.
 
Feral Hun yesterday:

AFL 2021: Keep up to date with the latest off-season news across the competition
Easton Wood thought Marcus Bontempelli was big. Then he saw Bailey Smith in action after the grand final. But he’s confident the young Dogs star can handle the hype.

Jon Ralph

7 min read
October 24, 2021 - 6:08PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom



AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.


Retiring Bulldogs captain Easton Wood says Bailey Smith will have challenges dealing with an “insane” and ”absurd” level of fame after witnessing it first-hand, but believes he is equipped to deal with his new celebrity status.
Smith has now been elevated to rock star status after a brilliant finals series that only turbocharged the league’s most popular Instagram account with over 350,000 followers.
Wood said he had never seen anything like the level of celebrity adulation that Smith faced when the Dogs players partied after their Perth grand final loss to Melbourne.
But while Smith is on the same level of fame as Lance Franklin and Dustin Martin, Wood says the 20-year-old’s work on his own mental health and sense of identity will hold him in good stead.
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“He has been incredible. The reaction to him is just insane. Seeing him first-hand when we were out after GF was just absurd. I have never seen anything like that,” Wood told the Herald Sun.
“There were just rings of people waiting to get a photo and then rings outside of that talking about the photo with him.
“I thought the Bont (Marcus Bontempelli) was pretty famous, but it was nothing like it.
“He is great. He works his arse off, and that’s what has held him in good stead.
[PLAYERCARD]Easton Wood[/PLAYERCARD] (centre) with young superstar [PLAYERCARD]Bailey Smith[/PLAYERCARD] after the preliminary final. Picture: Michael Klein

Easton Wood (centre) with young superstar Bailey Smith after the preliminary final. Picture: Michael Klein
“His appetite for work is incredible. He is a young guy who is exploring this incredible rise to fame. But what makes me really proud is he is really working hard on himself, who he is and what motivates him to do things, and he is well aware of the mental health side of things.
He works hard at it, so the fact he has that growth mindset will hold him in good stead.”
Smith said last week on a podcast he was aware of the triggers for his anxiety and panic attacks, and had worked hard on his mental health but did realise fame was a double-edged sword.
“I acknowledge it, I know it’s there, it is the elephant in my brain, but I ignore it as much as I can. There are so many people around you and wanting this and that from you, it’s so easy to feel empty inside, as dark as that sounds,” he said.
“The things that ground me each day, I go get my coffee, going to the beach from 10 till 2, my best friends, getting dinner. I focus on what I want to do each day and what I want to get out of myself.”
Wood said Smith wasn’t driven by fame or adulation, so could easily pull back from the public appearances and shirtless Instagram shots if he was overwhelmed.
“I have no doubt he will have challenges, I don’t know how I would deal with that level of fame. It’s insane. I was uncomfortable being around it for 15 minutes, let alone live through it,” he said.
“He will have his challenges with it, but I am confident he will be fine. I am sure if that changes, if he finds that it’s not working with him he will have no problem changing. He doesn’t need it, so I have got the confidence he will make the best call for him.”
EASTON WOOD’S ADVICE TO HIS 18-YEAR-OLD SELF
Easton Wood did it in the hard way across 14 AFL seasons, rising from dour defender to intercepting star and then one of only two Western Bulldogs premiership captains after Bob Murphy’s ACL tear in 2016.
The retiring Dogs champ is happy to pass on his advice for an 18-year-old Easton Wood – or any player entering the competition – on how to tackle the myriad challenges of playing AFL.
THE BEST BIT OF COACHING ADVICE
“The thing that really changed was when Bevo (Luke Beveridge) came in then said, ‘Why defend an opponent who can’t get the ball?’. So it became about defending where the ball was likely to go. If an opponent is running to a s**t spot, don’t follow them there.
“I was obsessed with taking my opponent out of the game completely, but that changed my career. I went from being a dour, solid player to doing things I had never dreamed about and doing stuff I couldn’t believe.”
FINDING WORK-LIFE BALANCE AS AN AFL STAR
“I always thought it was about having something outside of football. But what it boils down to is building the foundation of who you are. Footy can define you and as a young person you fall into the trap of making it who you are.
“Everyone knows what you do and people love and respect it, but it’s not going to be there forever and it comes down to having great relationships with family and friends, but also being content to spend time with yourself. Once I was comfortable in my own company, it became so much easier.”
Bob Murphy and [PLAYERCARD]Easton Wood[/PLAYERCARD] after the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership. Picture: Michel Klein

Bob Murphy and Easton Wood after the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership. Picture: Michel Klein
TACKLING SOCIAL MEDIA
“You are in control with social media. There is an element with addiction that you want to check everything. Everyone is human. But don’t go searching for the comments sections where you know you will get that bad stuff. The internet is a world of extremes. It’s not what life is. Life operates on a frequency that is never close to those peaks and troughs.
“The premiership in 2016 was the absolute peak of my playing career and was a flood of jubilation and emotion and elation. But it was one day across 14 years. Social media wants you to live at those levels. But you need more perspective. If you are comfortable with yourself you can realise the good and bad stuff on social media isn’t representative of reality.”
DEALING WITH SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL
“Understand what your motivations are. If you are doing that stuff (drugs) to escape, it’s not a good motivating factor. If you need to have fun, it’s not a good motivating factor. You can have plenty of fun and enjoy yourself without drugs.
“But rock and roll is f---ing great. So make sure you do it in the right way. The company you keep is important. You need people in your corner with the best interests at heart. So make mistakes, but try not to make ones you can’t come back from.”
DEALING WITH FORM SLUMPS
“Invest in the long game. The work you do today might not make you a better player tomorrow or next week. But the cumulative effect will help you down the track. Knowing you have gone out and ticked every box, trained as hard as you can, worked on your extras, it’s going to come. The flip side is if you cut corners it might not affect your next day or your next week but it’s going to catch up with you down the track. So play the long game.’’
FAME
“Enjoy it, but don’t live off it. It’s an outcome but it’s not something that lasts forever. The stuff of going to a family day or having a kid running around at school with your number on his back is just incredibly special and makes you proud. But don’t live off it and make sure you keep on top of it.”
[PLAYERCARD]Easton Wood[/PLAYERCARD] battled hamstring injuries throughout his career.

Easton Wood battled hamstring injuries throughout his career.
INJURIES
“If anyone out there solves the hamstring mystery, let me know. I have tried everything, with some success and some real failures. I did 20 in the end and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If I did another one I would have been done. So own your rehab. You need to be the driver of that. I did that as best as I could.
“In 2013 I did a pre-season hamstring then came into the AFL team in Round 3 and my hamstring blew apart in five minutes. It was horrible. That led to 12 weeks of recovery and in my seventh year I was forced to play two games coming back through the Williamstown twos. I was thinking, ‘I am absolutely cooked here’.
“My body had failed and at the end of the year the coaches sat me down and said I needed to improve or it could be over, but I had a year on my contract. It was a point where I believed it could nearly be over.”
PLAYING WELL IN FINALS
“In our 2016 finals campaign Bevo gave us permission to enjoy it all in the week of the grand final. It helped me relax. You don’t need to have control of it all. Don’t force it, don’t escape it. And it was great. When the game starts and the ball bounces, live in the moment and play the ball on its merits. It’s your sole focus. You don’t have time to think about anything else. And that was a great realisation.”
ENJOYING THE SMALL MOMENTS OF AFL
“You can’t beat the elation of the grand final. The sheer joy of knowing once the siren went, we were premiers and premiers forever. But the most special times are after a game, being back at a hotel room and the old boys sitting around telling stories about the old way. It transitioned into me telling stories about the old days. Just having a laugh over funny memories. I never once regretted staying up late or sitting around a table doing that. And we had characters like Bob Murphy, who is one of footy’s greatest ever storytellers.”
PLAYING FOR REASONS OTHER THAN MONEY
More Coverage
Why Dusty can dominate past 2024Will cash-strapped Pies match monster De Goey offers?
“It wasn’t a hard decision in the end to give up a (guaranteed) contract. Money wasn’t ever a motivating factor for me. I had financial control. From the start I wanted to be financially literate. I never wanted to make decisions because I needed the money or because cash flow was a problem.
“For young players out there, get financially literate as quickly as you can and take control because you can let a manager do it and you are wasting an opportunity to learn and set yourself up. I was fortunate to have a financial mentor early. Gary Kent, who was our CEO, I went to school with his son and he and his wife sponsored me when I arrived at the club, and he helped me take control and buy a house and the goal was always financial freedom.”
 
Last edited:
The Buck said:
Feral Hun today:

AFL 2021: Keep up to date with the latest off-season news across the competition
Easton Wood thought Marcus Bontempelli was big. Then he saw Bailey Smith in action after the grand final. But he’s confident the young Dogs star can handle the hype.

Jon Ralph

7 min read
October 24, 2021 - 6:08PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom



AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.


Retiring Bulldogs captain Easton Wood says Bailey Smith will have challenges dealing with an “insane” and ”absurd” level of fame after witnessing it first-hand, but believes he is equipped to deal with his new celebrity status.
Smith has now been elevated to rock star status after a brilliant finals series that only turbocharged the league’s most popular Instagram account with over 350,000 followers.
Wood said he had never seen anything like the level of celebrity adulation that Smith faced when the Dogs players partied after their Perth grand final loss to Melbourne.
But while Smith is on the same level of fame as Lance Franklin and Dustin Martin, Wood says the 20-year-old’s work on his own mental health and sense of identity will hold him in good stead.
Catch all the ICC T20 World Cup action live & exclusive to Fox Cricket, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today.
“He has been incredible. The reaction to him is just insane. Seeing him first-hand when we were out after GF was just absurd. I have never seen anything like that,” Wood told the Herald Sun.
“There were just rings of people waiting to get a photo and then rings outside of that talking about the photo with him.
“I thought the Bont (Marcus Bontempelli) was pretty famous, but it was nothing like it.
“He is great. He works his arse off, and that’s what has held him in good stead.
Easton Wood (centre) with young superstar Bailey Smith after the preliminary final. Picture: Michael Klein

Easton Wood (centre) with young superstar Bailey Smith after the preliminary final. Picture: Michael Klein
“His appetite for work is incredible. He is a young guy who is exploring this incredible rise to fame. But what makes me really proud is he is really working hard on himself, who he is and what motivates him to do things, and he is well aware of the mental health side of things.
He works hard at it, so the fact he has that growth mindset will hold him in good stead.”
Smith said last week on a podcast he was aware of the triggers for his anxiety and panic attacks, and had worked hard on his mental health but did realise fame was a double-edged sword.
“I acknowledge it, I know it’s there, it is the elephant in my brain, but I ignore it as much as I can. There are so many people around you and wanting this and that from you, it’s so easy to feel empty inside, as dark as that sounds,” he said.
“The things that ground me each day, I go get my coffee, going to the beach from 10 till 2, my best friends, getting dinner. I focus on what I want to do each day and what I want to get out of myself.”
Wood said Smith wasn’t driven by fame or adulation, so could easily pull back from the public appearances and shirtless Instagram shots if he was overwhelmed.
“I have no doubt he will have challenges, I don’t know how I would deal with that level of fame. It’s insane. I was uncomfortable being around it for 15 minutes, let alone live through it,” he said.
“He will have his challenges with it, but I am confident he will be fine. I am sure if that changes, if he finds that it’s not working with him he will have no problem changing. He doesn’t need it, so I have got the confidence he will make the best call for him.”
EASTON WOOD’S ADVICE TO HIS 18-YEAR-OLD SELF
Easton Wood did it in the hard way across 14 AFL seasons, rising from dour defender to intercepting star and then one of only two Western Bulldogs premiership captains after Bob Murphy’s ACL tear in 2016.
The retiring Dogs champ is happy to pass on his advice for an 18-year-old Easton Wood – or any player entering the competition – on how to tackle the myriad challenges of playing AFL.
THE BEST BIT OF COACHING ADVICE
“The thing that really changed was when Bevo (Luke Beveridge) came in then said, ‘Why defend an opponent who can’t get the ball?’. So it became about defending where the ball was likely to go. If an opponent is running to a sh*t spot, don’t follow them there.
“I was obsessed with taking my opponent out of the game completely, but that changed my career. I went from being a dour, solid player to doing things I had never dreamed about and doing stuff I couldn’t believe.”
FINDING WORK-LIFE BALANCE AS AN AFL STAR
“I always thought it was about having something outside of football. But what it boils down to is building the foundation of who you are. Footy can define you and as a young person you fall into the trap of making it who you are.
“Everyone knows what you do and people love and respect it, but it’s not going to be there forever and it comes down to having great relationships with family and friends, but also being content to spend time with yourself. Once I was comfortable in my own company, it became so much easier.”
Bob Murphy and Easton Wood after the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership. Picture: Michel Klein

Bob Murphy and Easton Wood after the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership. Picture: Michel Klein
TACKLING SOCIAL MEDIA
“You are in control with social media. There is an element with addiction that you want to check everything. Everyone is human. But don’t go searching for the comments sections where you know you will get that bad stuff. The internet is a world of extremes. It’s not what life is. Life operates on a frequency that is never close to those peaks and troughs.
“The premiership in 2016 was the absolute peak of my playing career and was a flood of jubilation and emotion and elation. But it was one day across 14 years. Social media wants you to live at those levels. But you need more perspective. If you are comfortable with yourself you can realise the good and bad stuff on social media isn’t representative of reality.”
DEALING WITH SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL
“Understand what your motivations are. If you are doing that stuff (drugs) to escape, it’s not a good motivating factor. If you need to have fun, it’s not a good motivating factor. You can have plenty of fun and enjoy yourself without drugs.
“But rock and roll is f---ing great. So make sure you do it in the right way. The company you keep is important. You need people in your corner with the best interests at heart. So make mistakes, but try not to make ones you can’t come back from.”
DEALING WITH FORM SLUMPS
“Invest in the long game. The work you do today might not make you a better player tomorrow or next week. But the cumulative effect will help you down the track. Knowing you have gone out and ticked every box, trained as hard as you can, worked on your extras, it’s going to come. The flip side is if you cut corners it might not affect your next day or your next week but it’s going to catch up with you down the track. So play the long game.’’
FAME
“Enjoy it, but don’t live off it. It’s an outcome but it’s not something that lasts forever. The stuff of going to a family day or having a kid running around at school with your number on his back is just incredibly special and makes you proud. But don’t live off it and make sure you keep on top of it.”
Easton Wood battled hamstring injuries throughout his career.

Easton Wood battled hamstring injuries throughout his career.
INJURIES
“If anyone out there solves the hamstring mystery, let me know. I have tried everything, with some success and some real failures. I did 20 in the end and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If I did another one I would have been done. So own your rehab. You need to be the driver of that. I did that as best as I could.
“In 2013 I did a pre-season hamstring then came into the AFL team in Round 3 and my hamstring blew apart in five minutes. It was horrible. That led to 12 weeks of recovery and in my seventh year I was forced to play two games coming back through the Williamstown twos. I was thinking, ‘I am absolutely cooked here’.
“My body had failed and at the end of the year the coaches sat me down and said I needed to improve or it could be over, but I had a year on my contract. It was a point where I believed it could nearly be over.”
PLAYING WELL IN FINALS
“In our 2016 finals campaign Bevo gave us permission to enjoy it all in the week of the grand final. It helped me relax. You don’t need to have control of it all. Don’t force it, don’t escape it. And it was great. When the game starts and the ball bounces, live in the moment and play the ball on its merits. It’s your sole focus. You don’t have time to think about anything else. And that was a great realisation.”
ENJOYING THE SMALL MOMENTS OF AFL
“You can’t beat the elation of the grand final. The sheer joy of knowing once the siren went, we were premiers and premiers forever. But the most special times are after a game, being back at a hotel room and the old boys sitting around telling stories about the old way. It transitioned into me telling stories about the old days. Just having a laugh over funny memories. I never once regretted staying up late or sitting around a table doing that. And we had characters like Bob Murphy, who is one of footy’s greatest ever storytellers.”
PLAYING FOR REASONS OTHER THAN MONEY
More Coverage
Why Dusty can dominate past 2024Will cash-strapped Pies match monster De Goey offers?
“It wasn’t a hard decision in the end to give up a (guaranteed) contract. Money wasn’t ever a motivating factor for me. I had financial control. From the start I wanted to be financially literate. I never wanted to make decisions because I needed the money or because cash flow was a problem.
“For young players out there, get financially literate as quickly as you can and take control because you can let a manager do it and you are wasting an opportunity to learn and set yourself up. I was fortunate to have a financial mentor early. Gary Kent, who was our CEO, I went to school with his son and he and his wife sponsored me when I arrived at the club, and he helped me take control and buy a house and the goal was always financial freedom.”
Click to expand...

How lucky are we as a club that when Bob did his knee, this bloke was able to step almost seamlessly into his shoes? I've said it already, but Easton Wood has been a great on- and off-field ambassador for this club (as is Bont now). We've been well-served by captains over recent years (Griffen the outlier, but in hindsight was a poor choice by the decision-makers, so not entirely his fault).

In the current cult/church of Botempelli, surely Wood and Murphy are worthy of the equivalent of saint-hood (with Bevo and Bont to follow upon retirement)?!
 

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Kennel Master said:
Heard Bont on Perth radio this morning talking about a book he has written:

View attachment 1267357


He is in Exmouth with Naughton and others. Boy he speaks well.

KM
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Doing the sensible thing and avoiding going back to Covid Central for as long as possible. As well as fostering worthwhile bonds with communities in far north WA and NT.
 
Mr. Walker said:
Sorry, don’t know how to post articles, but for someone who does, there is a good article on the Bont on the ABC news website.
Click to expand...
www.abc.net.au

Marcus Bontempelli and the Bulldogs grand final loss: 'We can't carry the burden'

Marcus Bontempelli is keen to put the Western Bulldogs' grand final loss in the rear view mirror and while he waits for a chance for his team's next AFL campaign, he's added another string to his bow — children's author.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
Sounds like the same interview that KM referred to.
 
Bont in The Age:


Bontempelli backs bid to open new season with grand final rematch against Demons
Jon Pierik

By Jon Pierik
October 25, 2021 — 3.16pm



Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli says it would be fitting for supporters if the Dogs and Melbourne met in round one next year, in a season he hopes Jamarra Ugle-Hagan can be the X-factor in the club’s bid to rewrite recent history.
The Demons have requested a blockbuster grand final replay against the Bulldogs to start the 2022 campaign, coming after Melbourne’s sixth lockdown forced the sport’s showcase event this year to be held in Perth.
Having broken a 57-year premiership drought, the Demons want their season opener to be staged at the MCG in a Friday night primetime slot, a day after Carlton and Richmond meet.
[PLAYERCARD]Marcus Bontempelli[/PLAYERCARD] is up for facing Melbourne in round one next year, following the Bulldogs’ grand final loss to them.

Marcus Bontempelli is up for facing Melbourne in round one next year, following the Bulldogs’ grand final loss to them. Credit:AFL Photos
Bontempelli said there was strong merit in rewarding Bulldogs and Demons supporters with a marquee opener.

“You are always happy to play in good games, big games, especially for the people who have missed out, unfortunately, on seeing so much of the football over the last two seasons,” Bontempelli told The Age, while promoting his first picture book, Little Bont and the Big Secret.
“I definitely wouldn’t be against playing in another big game at the ’G. Obviously, the Melbourne fans and supporters, they have definitely earned the right to try and celebrate what they have achieved, which is another drought-breaking sort of premiership.”
Ugle-Hagan, the No.1 pick in last year’s national draft, was eased through his rookie season, managing five straight matches and booting seven goals before he was dropped after the round 21 clash against Essendon.
He showed glimpses of the star the Bulldogs hope he can be but coach Luke Beveridge said early in the finals campaign that Ugle-Hagan was unlikely to play again because of his relatively slender frame.
As the Bulldogs begin plotting redemption for their stinging grand-final loss, Bontempelli said Ugle-Hagan was one player he hopes can take the next step after a strong pre-season.

[PLAYERCARD]Christian Petracca[/PLAYERCARD] and [PLAYERCARD]Marcus Bontempelli[/PLAYERCARD] in action during the grand final.

Christian Petracca and Marcus Bontempelli in action during the grand final. Credit:Getty Images
“Everyone is going to develop at different rates, depending on their exposure. Jamarra, even these kids again [this year], have had [pandemic-impacted] interruptions with their final year before getting drafted. There is no telling what sort of impact that had on him and will have on others,” Bontempelli said.
“He just needs time, like every young player does, to continue to grow and develop and hone their craft. He is in a position that, obviously, is difficult to come in and completely dominate straight away with the maturity of some of the defences around the league.”
The Bulldogs almost certainly will have another young tall on their list next season for they are expected to take father-son Sam Darcy in next month’s national draft. Darcy, who will be a rare third-generation player for his club, is rated as a top-three selection, and will provide athleticism and mobility. He may also be eased into the system by the shrewd Bulldogs coaching crew.
“It was funny, from one pre-season to next, it felt like he went from, obviously, a young footballer to all of a sudden this really tall sort of figure who looks like a super talent,” Bontempelli said.

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The Bulldogs endured a 2021 like no other, and could have been rebadged the Leyland Brothers through September, for they had finals in Launceston, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. They found a way to deal with stringent quarantine and pandemic protocols, and even unfriendly hotel staff.
Their determination appeared set to deliver the ultimate success when they led by 19 points in the third term of the grand final, when Bontempelli snapped a wonderful goal across his body, his third of the night, but the Dogs watched almost helplessly as the Demons booted seven goals straight, capping a 43-point turnaround in 16 minutes, and then went on to win the game.
Bontempelli, a 2016 premiership player and now a four-time club best and fairest and All-Australian, said the defeat had initially left him “empty” and unfulfilled. He said he still felt like he “hadn’t quite got everything” he wanted from the season.
The Bulldogs have not yet re-lived that third term as a group, but Bontempelli said it was likely to be discussed when the senior players returned for pre-season training in December. However, he said it was important the Bulldogs did not “over process” the Demons’ rally.

The Dogs will need to defy recent history next year, for the last time a losing grand finalist reappeared on the biggest stage the following season was Hawthorn in 2013. It had been a common occurrence in the previous decade.
In the meantime, Bontempelli is focusing on another project close to his heart. He has helped pen a children’s book with co-author Fiona Harris, dedicated to the memory of his beloved nanna, Nancy, who was a major influence on him.

“It’s such a cool and special thing to be a part of … it’s a nice thing to be able to remember her and pass something on to friends and family and, obviously, my kids and my sisters,” Bontempelli said.



https://www.theage.com.au/sport/ten...s-no-vax-is-double-fault-20211025-p592yj.html
 
To be honest I don't think I will start following footy again until after round one. The way I dealt with the GF loss was just by avoiding AFL news as much as possible. I didn't even turn the radio on when I was in the car so I didn't have to hear about it. I don't want to see any replays or hear any mention of what happened. My dad and I always talk about footy but neither of us have mentioned anything footy related since before the game. I don't want to see clips of Melbourne kicking twenty goals in 2 minutes or their post game celebrations. I just want to put it behind me. Its actually probably good to get this game out of the way early on, regardless of the result.
 
ScragCity said:
To be honest I don't think I will start following footy again until after round one. The way I dealt with the GF loss was just by avoiding AFL news as much as possible. I didn't even turn the radio on when I was in the car so I didn't have to hear about it. I don't want to see any replays or hear any mention of what happened. My dad and I always talk about footy but neither of us have mentioned anything footy related since before the game. I don't want to see clips of Melbourne kicking twenty goals in 2 minutes or their post game celebrations. I just want to put it behind me. Its actually probably good to get this game out of the way early on, regardless of the result.
Click to expand...
Yep, pretty much my MO from 3/4 time in the GF.
 
We all get a bit frustrated in here at the imbalance in the footy media and how the power clubs get the bulk of the attention regardless of their poor performance.

Good to see that Fox Footy are addressing that imbalance this off season by giving us an 8 part (!!) highly detailed telling of the history of the Essendon Football Club, in conjunction with absolute donuts for the other 17 clubs.

How refreshing.
 
bobs head soup said:
We all get a bit frustrated in here at the imbalance in the footy media and how the power clubs get the bulk of the attention regardless of their poor performance.

Good to see that Fox Footy are addressing that imbalance this off season by giving us an 8 part (!!) highly detailed telling of the history of the Essendon Football Club, in conjunction with absolute donuts for the other 17 clubs.

How refreshing.
Click to expand...
At least 6 parts of those will be about how unfairly treated they were during the biggest drug cheating scandal in the history of Australian sport.
 
ScragCity said:
To be honest I don't think I will start following footy again until after round one. The way I dealt with the GF loss was just by avoiding AFL news as much as possible. I didn't even turn the radio on when I was in the car so I didn't have to hear about it. I don't want to see any replays or hear any mention of what happened. My dad and I always talk about footy but neither of us have mentioned anything footy related since before the game. I don't want to see clips of Melbourne kicking twenty goals in 2 minutes or their post game celebrations. I just want to put it behind me. Its actually probably good to get this game out of the way early on, regardless of the result.
Click to expand...
Yep. I’ve managed to largely avoid it but the s**t thing is we’re going to be seeing footage of the Demons non stop leading up into next season and even beyond! They’ll be constantly using snippets of footage which brings it back every single time.
 
Golden_6 said:
Yep. I’ve managed to largely avoid it but the sh*t thing is we’re going to be seeing footage of the Demons non stop leading up into next season and even beyond! They’ll be constantly using snippets of footage which brings it back every single time.
Click to expand...

Just avoid AFL media for the lead up to next season and maybe for the next season too. Don't watch any Demons games. By 2023 it'll be ancient history and we will have had time to heal.
 
bobs head soup said:
We all get a bit frustrated in here at the imbalance in the footy media and how the power clubs get the bulk of the attention regardless of their poor performance.

Good to see that Fox Footy are addressing that imbalance this off season by giving us an 8 part (!!) highly detailed telling of the history of the Essendon Football Club, in conjunction with absolute donuts for the other 17 clubs.

How refreshing.
Click to expand...
No doubt they’re covering the jab fiasco in detail?
 
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