Autopsy The Good (lol!) The Bad and the Beveridge.

[Dazb86]

Marras goal celebrations suggest he's staying. Just wish we saw it 4 times instead of 2

 

[Charlie Bucket]

It was particularly noticable that when the ball entered our forward line, extra Melbourne players had run hard to assist their defence. Then, when they had cleared the ball the same players ran hard to create options on the spread. Melbourne as a team worked harder than we did all game. Assuming that all teams have similar fitness at the start of a season, then you must conclude it's a strategic outcome, that is, coaching and motivation.

Of course it’s not strategic, the instructions wouldn’t have been to not run hard both ways. It’s 100% motivation.

The players being in this rut of not having the energy or drive to work hard and keep their head up when things don’t go their way is damning. They just aren’t responding to the coach. And outside a 2-3 game stretch in the middle of last year where we played some really good football for most of each game, it’s been a consistent theme.

The worrying thing is that we’re now at the point where it might be too late to turn it around. Having made all those changes to the coaching panel and playing list, and then claiming we’ll be a different team come Rd1, you can’t come out and play the way we did. It’s not a good sign.

The coaches messaging appears to be wearing even thinner than it was last year. Once the players stop buying in, you may as well have the water boy sitting the in the box running the show.

Will be interesting to see how the Suns game plays out. Yesterday will have knocked the wind right out of us.

 

[doggy_dog]

So that was painful. But less painful than it has been in the past, because it was expected. There’s a reason why this year I was less excited for the footy to begin than at any time in more than a decade, because no matter the playing group changes there is a fundamental problem at the club.

I’ve no idea why I went today tbh. I’ve been fairly adamant the coach is at the root of the problems and had no confidence anything would be resolved, but it was just embarrassing to watch. It’s like we’re being coached by someone who is trying to sabotage the team. He’s completely lost it, and I hope he’s put out of his (and our) misery soon.

Don’t get me wrong, a chunk of senior players should be mortified at what they’re doing out there. English is borderline pathetic at times, Naughton did nothing but sit in May’s pocket for most of the day, the forwards are still jumping on each other all the time, the tackling is almost uniformly horrific, and I don’t know what’s happened to Treloar and Dale but no matter how much footy they get they’re a shadow of what they were. But they’re being led by someone who still thinks that VDM and McNeil are AFL players when all evidence points to the contrary - not only that, but he thinks they’re better options than Daniel and Macrae. They’re not perfect players for the modern game, but McNeil and VDM aren’t fit to lace their boots and it’s laughable that anyone with half a brain thinks otherwise.

Let the media pile on commence. Hopefully he’s gone at the bye and we can get some clear air away from the stink that’s set in here over the past few years. If the administration sit on their hands again this year they’ll be destroying the club.

Six Points: Meet the AFL's dumbest team, and the most ridiculous ban in MRO history

Round 1 is run, won and done - and while it's going to take the ladder a few more weeks to work out what…

www.theroar.com.au

That article hits the nail on the head. We play a severely outdated, boring brand of footy

 

[perro_loco]

You don’t get success just by demanding it.

It’s hard to achieve. Particularly when you are the Bulldogs who have many traditional obstacles to overcome.

I think the coach criticism is being way overblown.

We played against a very good team whose strengths aligned well against our weaknesses.

The team has talent and they are trying hard, surely the coach deserves credit for that.

They just need time to develop confidence and trust in each other to preform better as a unit.

Another thing that hasn’t rated much of a mention was the fact that Melbourne benefited greatly from some poor umpiring decisions.

We gave up a bunch of goals through stupid mistakes, didn’t play our best and lost a game to a strong opponent.

It’s not the end of the world, unless we over react and make it so.

Your sense of optimism is like that of those Democrats who think that Sleepy Joe is a good president for the USA

 

[Optimistic Dog]

The positives

Bramble
JUH except for goal kicking could easily kicked 5 or 6 if he kicked straight.

Negatives
There were so many players, tactics, game style. However, by far the most disappointing is all off season you build hopes that we can be a challenger knowing deep down we will probably not be up to it. Then having these deep down concerns validated round 1 and knowing we are well off the pace and another wasted season.

 

[doggy_dog]

You don’t get success just by demanding it.

It’s hard to achieve. Particularly when you are the Bulldogs who have many traditional obstacles to overcome.

I think the coach criticism is being way overblown.

We played against a very good team whose strengths aligned well against our weaknesses.

The team has talent and they are trying hard, surely the coach deserves credit for that.

They just need time to develop confidence and trust in each other to preform better as a unit.

Another thing that hasn’t rated much of a mention was the fact that Melbourne benefited greatly from some poor umpiring decisions.

We gave up a bunch of goals through stupid mistakes, didn’t play our best and lost a game to a strong opponent.

It’s not the end of the world, unless we over react and make it so.

Sorry not having a go at you here but I just don’t see how anyone can watch yesterday’s game, along with the past two seasons, and still conclude that things are going ok.

If Melbourne’s strengths aligned with our weaknesses where was the attempt to neutralise that? We played right into their hands.

I didn’t see a team that was ‘trying hard’ yesterday, I saw a team that was repeatedly out worked by their opponents. I saw a team attempt to implement the same stale game plan that has achieved precisely nothing since 2021.

Develop trust and confidence as a unit? We’ve had essentially the same core for a while now. Bringing new role players into the fold shouldn’t be this difficult. That’s on the coaching staff for not being able to implement a strategy. The stupid mistakes leading to goals happens to everyone, where we can improve this is by having a stronger structure and plan to a) provide better options and b) minimise the impact of turnovers. Not every turnover has to lead to the other team walking into an open goal.

And if we want to start blaming umpiring for losses (especially 7 goal drubbings) we may as well fold the club right now.

I’m really pissed off I allowed myself to be so hopeful heading into 2024. Feeling flat as anything after yesterday. We have the best player in the game, the greatest player in our clubs history right in his prime and we are pissing it away

 

[Planet Dogs]

What a shambles.

I got sucked in with thinking the off-field changes would make a big positive difference. My bad.

Beveridge is very persavive. My guess is the coaching panel got sucked in yet again with Bevo 2.0.

Hopefully, Egan will take charge of the situation ASAP. Enforce a collegiate approach to team selection, game plans, etc. Make Bevo coach from the Bench.

FFS DO SOMETHING!

 

[Golden_6]

What a shambles.

I got sucked in with thinking the off-field changes would make a big positive difference. My bad.

Beveridge is very persavive. My guess is the coaching panel got sucked in yet again with Bevo 2.0.

Hopefully, Egan will take charge of the situation ASAP. Enforce a collegiate approach to team selection, game plans, etc. Make Bevo coach from the Bench.

FFS DO SOMETHING!

We all know how Bevo responds to someone challenging him.

This club will continue to be mediocre with disappointing results until he’s shown the door. The good news is that there’s no way he will be coaching next year if we don’t make the finals.

Again, this shapes up like another potential wasted year of some superstar talent because the administration of the club is afraid to make difficult calls.

 

[doggies ftw]

We all know how Bevo responds to someone challenging him.

This club will continue to be mediocre with disappointing results until he’s shown the door. The good news is that there’s no way he will be coaching next year if we don’t make the finals.

Again, this shapes up like another potential wasted year of some superstar talent because the administration of the club is afraid to make difficult calls.

Yeah I dunno about that, I thought that was the case last year and here we are. This bloke will last as long as he likes

 

[Dazb86]

We all know how Bevo responds to someone challenging him.

This club will continue to be mediocre with disappointing results until he’s shown the door. The good news is that there’s no way he will be coaching next year if we don’t make the finals.

Again, this shapes up like another potential wasted year of some superstar talent because the administration of the club is afraid to make difficult calls.

The media need to praise him for making whacky selection calls so he can make normal decisions out of spite

 

[dogwatch]

The sad part for me is I no longer care as much as I once did. I’m not even angry any more.

The gruelling last 6-7 years of this messianic ascendancy has sucked so much joy out of following the club. Especially these last three seasons. It gets worse year by year. Failure by repeated failure. Every raised expectation, every false hope, every missed opportunity and the corporate buy-in to the whole delusion.

It feels like we’re the victim of an elaborate scam.

 

[DognBones]

And another thing: I should have realized that the day would be a disappointment when, at the ticket window, I was charged $3.70 on top of the $27 for GA. I was told it was a type of "venue fee" or "specific game fee" whatever that means. Maybe I just haven't been to the G for some time and didn't realize that extra charges apply!!

 

[Anja_Nees]

You don’t get success just by demanding it.

It’s hard to achieve. Particularly when you are the Bulldogs who have many traditional obstacles to overcome.

I think the coach criticism is being way overblown.

We played against a very good team whose strengths aligned well against our weaknesses.

The team has talent and they are trying hard, surely the coach deserves credit for that.

They just need time to develop confidence and trust in each other to preform better as a unit.

Another thing that hasn’t rated much of a mention was the fact that Melbourne benefited greatly from some poor umpiring decisions.

We gave up a bunch of goals through stupid mistakes, didn’t play our best and lost a game to a strong opponent.

It’s not the end of the world, unless we over react and make it so.

This is fair but will probably be unpopular. I think for many it’s not about this week so much as it’s about the underwhelming last two seasons. Every bad loss is salt in the wound.

The thing is that Bevo, Nicks, Longmuir, Lyon, Simpson and Mitchell will all come under fire if they don’t make the eight this year but plainly not all will. Geelong want to return to finals too even if Scott doesn’t make it. They will all have been trying things.

We’ve made big changes to both on field and off field personnel. Round one shows little to no improvement.

The first few rounds usually throw up odd results that don’t match the rest of the season. Melbourne at the MCG is usually a tough fixture. It’ll take a while for us to figure out whether we’ve gone anywhere.

 

[Leon]

Oh well..

Go to read the game day thread and Melbourne supporters are still salty about us 'being gifted' the 2016 flag

Says the pissant club that got gifted 484940 plum draft picks, Paul Roos as coach, a CEO and a shit tonne of AFL. cash when they were so utterly pathetic.


Melbourne supporters should **** off getting mouthy about being gifted anything.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

Not sure how you think he was slaughtered by the coaching panel.

If he wasn't ready to play the role that was asked of him today, then that is on him. He has been in the system for quite a long time, got his shot in a round 1 match, started off with a big mark. He should have been flying confidence wise.

Then he went back into his shell, just when we needed him to be brave and creative.

He was asked to play a role on a guy who is exclusively a lead and mark player. One who is 100 mm taller and probably 10+ kg heavier than him. A role he is entirely unsuited to play.

Ive had my say about the various flaws in his game across numerous posts in this thread. However, it denies reality to think that the selection panel didn't set Khamis up to fail and that he wasn't on a hiding to nothing yesterday. Playing him on Brown was a decision that will probably define his career when he gets punted and we do what we should've done and bring in a genuine tall in his place next week.

 

[_Mike_]

The sad part for me is I no longer care as much as I once did. I’m not even angry any more.

Same here DW, I havent given up, nor will I be throwing the toys out of the cot, but this is very much the 1986-1991 feeling of mediocrity all over again

 

[Golden_6]

Everyone was mentioning how fast our 22 looked at team selection last week. We looked incredibly slow and unfit yesterday. Melbourne outnumbered us at every ground ball situation and seemed to work much harder in all areas of the ground.

When must be question our offseason preparations? Every year we start off absolutely terribly for the first couple of weeks until the players get some match fitness under their belts. I get Melbourne have already played a proper game but this is a consistent trend. The side is never ready for a round 1 contest.

 

[_Mike_]

The team has talent and they are trying hard, surely the coach deserves credit for that.

Yes it does, but that talent is being shadowed by the recruiting of project players who have been moved on from other clubs or just dont have what is needed to be at AFL level. The selection committee rarely seems to get it right & are either being overruled by Bev and the sycophants or dont do their homework on the opposition.

Also Can you tell me what qualities & experience Spangher brings to the coaching of forwards? The ball getting bombed in continues to see the talls spoiling each other.

 

[Hobdog]

The sad part for me is I no longer care as much as I once did. I’m not even angry any more.

The gruelling last 6-7 years of this messianic ascendancy has sucked so much joy out of following the club. Especially these last three seasons. It gets worse year by year. Failure by repeated failure. Every raised expectation, every false hope, every missed opportunity and the corporate buy-in to the whole delusion.

It feels like we’re the victim of an elaborate scam.

Amen. Club has sucked the joy out of the sport for me. I don’t watch other games because it’s demoralising to see how good teams play in comparison to our garbage.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Shacf501]

Lol, maybe we should have done preseason training with Oliver, he only trained for 4 weeks, looks fat and still out ran and out worked our mids.

 

[Unorth]

He was asked to play a role on a guy who is exclusively a lead and mark player. One who is 100 mm taller and probably 10+ kg heavier than him. A role he is entirely unsuited to play.

Ive had my say about the various flaws in his game across numerous posts in this thread. However, it denies reality to think that the selection panel didn't set Khamis up to fail and that he wasn't on a hiding to nothing yesterday. Playing him on Brown was a decision that will probably define his career when he gets punted and we do what we should've done and bring in a genuine tall in his place next week.

Unfortunately with JODs head knock and Gardners injury (not that Gardner is much chop himself) it leaves us with a very cooked Keath who takes 10 minutes and a couple of Endones just to get off the ground these days.

Rock and a hard place assuming JoD is not available.

To be honest when the game was actually in the balance I don’t feel it was our undersized backline that was the issue but GC have some big threats up there. Keath probably has to get the look in.

To be honest I’d rather just roll the dice and put Darcy back there as a way to get him into the team rather than watching Keath get eaten alive but that’s not going to happen.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

The sad part for me is I no longer care as much as I once did. I’m not even angry any more.

The gruelling last 6-7 years of this messianic ascendancy has sucked so much joy out of following the club. Especially these last three seasons. It gets worse year by year. Failure by repeated failure. Every raised expectation, every false hope, every missed opportunity and the corporate buy-in to the whole delusion.

It feels like we’re the victim of an elaborate scam.

Ive struggled to garner much enthusiasm for this season for different reasons than you DW.

From my perspective. Ive been apathetic about the coaching situation since the club as is its way squibbed their chance to do something about it by announcing a mealy mouthed review. That decision was clearly one designed to kick the can down the road and little more. It was a foregone conclusion when it was announced. Indeed the new appointments and structural changes had probably been pre-approved.

My issue is with the state of the list. Ive said this before, but it's reminding me more and more of Footscray sides of old. One where there is always an elite core of talent. But its one that is as shallow as one of my posts and has way too many middling role fillers and cast offs from other sides to be truly competitive.

Yesterdays train wreck only reinforced this feeling with me.

 

[_Mike_]

Lol, maybe we should have done preseason training with Oliver, he only trained for 4 weeks, looks fat and still out ran and out worked our mids.

The media is already fawning over how good Oliver was yesterday, failing to acknowledge how unbalanced our midfield is and the fact that Bevo is stubborn & doesnt use tags

 

[MaxiBont]

Says a lot about the performance yesterday that most people’s pre-season optimism was gone after a mere game.

Saw the same old problems and the same old lack of ability to adjust. Tiresome

 

[Freshwater]

And another thing: I should have realized that the day would be a disappointment when, at the ticket window, I was charged $3.70 on top of the $27 for GA. I was told it was a type of "venue fee" or "specific game fee" whatever that means. Maybe I just haven't been to the G for some time and didn't realize that extra charges apply!!

I thought exactly the same thing. How can you be charged $30- for a $27- ticket bought there in person?
Then Tony Schebecci told me on the loud speaker to take the train to save carbon as they turned the lights on on a sunny 30 degree day with a 1:00pm start!
Then they kept announcing it was the ‘peoples’ ground, pigs arse, it’s 80% members and corporates and the people have to sit in the nose bleed sections only.