Training 2024 Pre-season training

[Bulldogs Legend]

Smith, Macrae and JJ aren't wingmen and haven't played there in years though. They don't have the positional requirements to start on the wing at a typical centre bounce, hold their positionally, etc.

The fact that Williams - who is not even playing his best or natural position in his defence - is our best wingman and "can find a niche" is proving the very point about our weakness in the position. He would barely be touching top 20 in the position.

By definition as a mid-table team, we should have about the 10th and 30th best wingers in the league

But please tell me which of these wing players you would rather have Williams over:
J. Daicos, M. Wood, N. Martin, S. Sidebottom, B. Acres, B. Ellis, L. Hunter, B. Scott, J. Ross, J. Berry, C. Jones, J. Aish, J. Soligo, Z. Tuohy, L. Henry, E. Langdon, A. Gaff, J. McInerney, S. Durham, B. Campbell, J. Fletcher.

This isn't even counting some players that are fringe wing/inside midfielders such as J. Crisp, M. Holmes, S. Docherty, J. Ward, F. Callaghan, B. Fiorini.

Maybe some of them aren't true wing players - I am going off Champion Data listed midfielders who have very limited centre bounce attendances - but you get the point. I've juste listed 28 players who are arguably "wings" and would also arguably be better than Williams and be our best wing player. In an 18-team competition, that shows you the utter weakness we have in the position.

LOL everyone’s a wingman

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

Sorry I just can't fathom the negativity on here. Its like we're finally looking good in most positions and all the nancies have decided that the season lives or dies on our wings....

#woethewings

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It’s given me a laugh as I eat my pizza shapes on an another hot Mildura morning.
I get we all have opinions but sometimes I feel like some are happier complaining about s**t for the sake of it

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

At the end of the day our big salary investments over the last 6-7 years for that we didn't draft and develop ourselves have almost exclusively been talls (Schache, Trengove, Bruce, Keath, O'Brien, Lobb, Jones).

Arguably Treloar and maybe Crozier and Duryea were the only players in this window that this didn't apply to that we paid any amount to, until Harmes. But still that's far more "talls" than "smalls" we recruited from other clubs paying more than a minimum amount on a multi-year salary in the post-2016 flag era.

I don't think it's coincidence - clearly this is a deliberate strategy by the club in how they assess how best to spend the currency of list management resources building a balanced list into the medium/long term.

So given that there's a direct cause an effect of lack of list management capitcal invesmtent into certain positions and those positions being weak, and such a weakness being obvious last year and it not being corrected tihsyear, discussing whether that was the right strategy is an entirely fair one.

Discussing it yes. OTT criticism not supported by any rational alternatives no.
And all before a serious game has even begun

 

[GetDimmaBack]

According to the stats

According to Stan the Statistician

 

[maddog37]

It’s given me a laugh as I eat my pizza shapes on an another hot Mildura morning.
I get we all have opinions but sometimes I feel like some are happier complaining about s**t for the sake of it

Pizza shapes are underrated. Cheese and bacon currently top choice here though.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

What the * am I reading here...BBQ original clearly...

 

[ScragCity]

Pizza shapes are underrated. Cheese and bacon currently top choice here though.

S tier: Pizza
Top tier: Cheese and bacon
Mid tier: BBQ, Nacho cheese, cheddar
s**t tier: Savoury, chicken crimpy

 

[CarnTheScray]

Pizza is good for the texture, no real taste to it though.

Barbecue a solid second but chicken crimpy will always be the king.

 

[dogwatch]

And there I was thinking the season starts in 7 days and this thread would be bursting with good footy info.

Silly me.

 

[Here we go dogs]

Bevo has talked up JOD as a wind potential previously. I wonder if Bev tries him there if Buku, Coff and Jones hold up.

 

[ScragCity]

JOD is the only player on our list who I believe can will be better than Bont

 

[Dogs 13]

JOD is the only player on our list who I believe can will be better than Bont

But not above Bramble

 

[glenashley]

No club will pay shitloads for specialist wings as there isn’t many out there that will significantly improve your side

When you think about it, there are quite a few I'd like to have, but probably not one I'd mortgage the house over....

 

[ScragCity]

But not above Bramble

Bramble will be a gun but let's be honest he's 25 years old at his fourth club. His ceiling is probably Norm Smith medallist and a few top 3 finishes in the BnF. JOD is good enough to win 3 brownlows.

 

[St 07]

JOD is the only player on our list who I believe can will be better than Bont

Bont will be telling his grandkids he played with JOD

 

[House_of_Dahl]

JOD is the only player on our list who I believe can will be better than Bont

Mods we need one of these faces on the reactions

 

[hutchy31]

I'm torn between agreeing that our wings (and our general approach to filling those positions in recent years) is god awful, or questioning whether it matters much because I can't remember many big games being decided by who has the stronger wing players.

I'd really like Bevo and the footy department to take a better approach to this area, but I think our success or failure this season is going to depend more on mid-forward connection, goal kicking, defensive game plan/application and quicker/more direct ball movement from the back half.

Who knows? If Langdon goes berzerk next weekend I've no doubt I'll be taking a flamethrower to the gameday thread about our lack of effective wings......

 

[Optimistic Dog]

I was not a fan of Poulter at first and although he has no right side and only average skills I think he is very good runner and can cover the ground better than anyone else we play on the wing so for me he should be in the team.

 

[BEaston]

Bevo has talked up JOD as a wind potential previously. I wonder if Bev tries him there if Buku, Coff and Jones hold up.

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

Been very good second half! Can clearly see the work we’ve done fitness wise.

That's the fitness coach we got from.the Giants, going to be a huge inclusion, they finished the season fit as.

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

Lol ... those melts at half time

Yeah always amusing they are

 

[NthBondiDoggies]

Wings are the most uncertain role for us.

For years we tried to make wingers - playing Williams, Smith*2, Macrae, Daniel, Trelor, JJ and many more - even talk of Lobb for a while - but what we all saw was a lack of outside speed and gut running ng to give width in the team. These players brought come of their own advantages but still didn’t solve that problem.

Hunter was a lock for many years as a gut running specialist. Not quick but would cover long distances and at games would always get into open space.

We also hoped Bedendo would be a great hope but so far hasn’t had a consistent run at it and so we all hope for the kid the team had to react.

Got in Baker and Poulter to solved the specific problem - at times they have both looked like problem solved but they have another problem …. They aren’t great players and so do good things and then really poor things.

We have kids in Friejah(great pick up and second bite at the Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age

35

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.4

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

19.4

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

1.3

4star

D

19.2

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

7.6

5star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.6

3star

type we want Bedendo to be), Gags and ODriscoll (lightening quick) that may be an answer in a couple of years but not yet.

So this year we still either play a good player as a winger or an average winger.

The player with the best running capacity used to be Daniel - I think he is second to Jose Romero for beep test record but has put on bulk to play more inside. He is much quicker than people expect and we see that when he gets back in defence to cover someone well before anyone else gets there. Also rarely muffs a kick and so is great moving the ball down the ground but doesn’t seem to the eye as great at kicking long lowered eyes into leading forwards.

Williams continues to work really hard to get better and is solid and can beat players one on one and has a great long kick.

To me the best option is Williams and Daniel but just seems too slow. When we rotate Bailey Smith

6

Bailey Smith

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

through there I think it works. But without him it seems like we need a Poulter or Baker to play?

 

[Flags_In_The_Bag]

Did not see the game but decided to read the comments. The first half melts were totally embarrassing, especially considering it was a pre-season game...

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They were really bad

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

I've standing outside the bank for 5+ months. I'm starting get worried haha....

Shouldn’t have gone to the bank in Hawthorn

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Bevo has talked up JOD as a wind potential previously. I wonder if Bev tries him there if Buku, Coff and Jones hold up.

What the hell has he been eating.