Toast Against the odds, Dogs smash Eagles in interstate elimination final

[Ricky_Lake]

Seriously cant sleep, i was in the footscray cheer squad as a 10yr old in 1982 and that was like winning a grand final. i am lost for words. My blood is red white and blue, my great grandfather was the reserves president of the reserves when we won our first flag since joining the league (refer to my avatar) and i am so proud of the team that was out their tonight

 

[Dogs Rule]

Last Sunday, I posted this clip in 'The Possible' (a thread which I loved) because it's always inspired me.

Of course they wouldn't have seen it, but I swear it was as though our boys followed Big Al's message to the letter.

I always believed and it's just a brilliant way to start the weekend.

 

[Ricky_Lake]

Well done tonight guys your boys taught the Eagles a footy lesson. Your mids were outstanding and crumbed the ball off the packs so well and beat and outnumbered the eagles at the contest. Dalhaus and Daniel were sublime. Beveridge really got the Eagles out of their brand and reaped the rewards.

Hopefully you can bring that effort and desire to the table in the weeks to come all the best and hope you go on and win it.

I noticed from the get go that the Eagles were waiting for the ball instead of attacking. they were waiting for us to get before a tackle, it was not like them at all. Maybe they were like everyone else and did not show us the respect we earned through the year and ran with the rest of the AFL community and wrote us off before the first bounce

 

[Rookie]

Just want to requote myself from the Elimination thread from yesterday...

[quote uid=10416 name="Rookie" post=46572110]Would have had the nightmare regardless. I just think that despite his limitations, Roberts would have been the best matchup on our list. Never mind, in Morris and Bev we trust!<br /><br />Pumped for this game. 11 hours to go!

<br /><br />Forget the Roberts omission people.<br /><br /><br />His omission if more for team structure than it is anything else.<br /><br /><br />I keep referring people to the make up of our team in the early part of the season before the injuries hit. 2 key backs in Adams and Morris only. 1 key forward in Toyd rotating with Roughy. We monstered teams. <br /><br /><br />We have been compromising ever since Hawthorn but I can tell you now the team as named is a team centered on our BEST FOOTBALL.<br /><br /><br />Not a compromise. Win the ball. Keep possession. Run hard. Pierce their defence. We have recently started losing the contested ball and uncontested ball count. If we are going to be any chance we have to be a positive in these areas. Because our forward line efficiency is simply not up to snuff to play any other way.<br /><br /><br />Bevo is backing in Jong, Smith, Dahlhaus, Bonti, Libba, Picken and Macrae to win the ball. I don’t know about you guys, but that’s a damn good contested ball brigade. If we win the ball then we don’t have to worry about the Eagles forward line. They wont have it. It’s that simple and that’s as complex as our game plan needs to be.<br /><br /><br />With all that said we are still one of the better defensive sides in the competition with gut running both ways should the ball get out. Trust the system.<br /><br /><br />Win the ball, quick hands, and feed it to our outside runners underpinned by an offensive backline. Here we see the Roberts omission come into play. He’s a stopper. We need aggression and rebound off half back. We simply could not carry 3 key backs in Hamling/Morris &amp; Roberts. One guy standing on the backline does nothing for us up the ground where we have a lack of forward line firepower. One of them had to make way for Wood who’s no slouch defensively, in the air and rebounding.<br /><br /><br />Bevo is rolling the dice in favour of our best football. To compromise again would just see a repeat of our previous few games. Low scoring, static ball movement. Doomed to fail anyway.


FIGJAM[/QUOTE]
Well done Royale,glad you were right and I was wrong. Our team defence structures are what stopped Kennedy again, not any one player.

 

[eagle dtrain]

I noticed from the get go that the Eagles were waiting for the ball instead of attacking. they were waiting for us to get before a tackle, it was not like them at all. Maybe they were like everyone else and did not show us the respect we earned through the year and ran with the rest of the AFL community and wrote us off before the first bounce

I think you huys are just a better team and that the eagles got happy with their form and thought they just had to show up.

When an opponent makes them.play out of their comfort zone they cant handle it all their lossess this year have been bad ones.

Credit is to your team dont take anything away from them your boys were outstanding

 

[squashface]

Sorry for the intrusion but absolute brilliant effort coming over here and beating us at Domain, I hope you guys flog either team next week!

Love watching the Doggies play.

 

[Quadzilla]

Well done Doggies

Keep it going!

 

[Jaeger]

Mighty victory.

Thought Daniel was your best. He's not just a gun for a young player, he's a genuine gun. Clean, polished, makes good decisions, has everything. He's also a big game player. Best on in a final, was your best against us in rd 3, and I thought he was great in your win against the swans at the SCG. Just a naturally gifted, pure footballer who's cool in a crisis.

Not sure how far you'll go this year, but you can see it's a committed young and talented group that's building towards something special.
I'm not looking forward to playing you if we lose to the Cats.

It could be your year, who knows. With the evenness of the top 8 this season, your best is as good as anyones.

I suspect you guys are in for a great ride in the next 5 or so years.

 

[jdz101]

if Moyd doesn't sign on for at least one more year I'm gonna be devastated.

 

[PerthBoy86]

I know this might sound disloyal, but am I the only Eagles fan who was a bit torn after half time? I mean, I was still hoping we'd win, any hope is hope, but a part of me was going for the Dogs, but I just felt it was the same old crap from us, and this definitely isn't enough to get close to a GF, so I really don't mind if the Dogs win it, and I just really admire how they're playing. After the first half I felt the Dogs honestly would have a much better chance against either Hawthorn or Geelong. It's also because I live in Footscray now and Dogs are along with the Roos my favourite Victorian club. I hope they go all the way, 60 years is a long time..

 

[Greater Gattsby]

Gutsy win.

Possibly group defining in terms of the next 10 years for the club.

Also, love seeing the 'vic bias' card coming out many times on BigFooty tonight, it's been glorious.

 

[King Harold]

When the game was at its most intense Picken was the difference.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Dickson hugely influential in that first half to set us up.
Fantastic two way running.

 

[Brave Sir Robin]

More power to you fellas.

Couldve pointed to any number of excuses not to play to their best but they came out believing.

It was such a pantsing that I'm not even angry, just kind of in shock I guess.

Good luck with the rest of it and savour the win.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I know this might sound disloyal, but am I the only Eagles fan who was a bit torn after half time? I mean, I was still hoping we'd win, any hope is hope, but a part of me was going for the Dogs, but I just felt it was the same old crap from us, and this definitely isn't enough to get close to a GF, so I really don't mind if the Dogs win it, and I just really admire how they're playing. After the first half I felt the Dogs honestly would have a much better chance against either Hawthorn or Geelong. It's also because I live in Footscray now and Dogs are along with the Roos my favourite Victorian club. I hope they go all the way, 60 years is a long time..

That "same old crap" had seen your team win one and possibly two or three flags.

We literally have members in their 60's who have no recollection of ever seeing us in a ruddy grand final, let alone winning a flag.

So whilst I appreciate your sentiments, it'd pity. So forgive I us if we're not fully accepting of it.

 

[Trent85]

FAAARK! I have to be up for work in like 5 hours.

 

[Roddy]

You guys just did what we couldn't do on the way to a flag last year...

 

[PerthBoy86]

That "same old crap" had seen your team win one and possibly two or three flags.

We literally have members in their 60's who have no recollection of ever seeing us in a ruddy grand final, let alone winning a flag.

So whilst I appreciate your sentiments, it'd pity. So forgive I us if we're not fully accepting of it.

Are you saying our form for most of this year is comparable to when we won a premiership? How so?

 

[PerthBoy86]

You guys just did what we couldn't do on the way to a flag last year...

Maybe the Dogs might become our new hoodoo club. Any club that can thrash us at home...

 

[matey180]

this is my first ever post, but i have never been more proud of my footy team. carn the dogggies. we just played so well, and gooodness, libba what a star, caleb daniel what a star. just wow

 

[PerthBoy86]

That "same old crap" had seen your team win one and possibly two or three flags.

We literally have members in their 60's who have no recollection of ever seeing us in a ruddy grand final, let alone winning a flag.

So whilst I appreciate your sentiments, it'd pity. So forgive I us if we're not fully accepting of it.

I've lived in Footscray for the best part of 3 years since moving to Melbourne from Perth. I feel more of a sense of place and community here than I ever did in Perth. The Bulldogs are a part of the identity of this place, and I love that. I know a lot of Dogs fans. Footscray was such a different place in the 50s, I'd be pretty chuffed for the Dogs to win a second flag, for what it would mean to a lot of people out here.

 

[Golden_6]

Geez, that was some experience. Sitting in the middle of a Budapest mall with the game on my phone. The looks I got from some people watching me jump up and down and fist pump will be something I won't forget.

Thank Dogs for enhancing everything. Couldn't be prouder!

 

[bobby2]

this is my first ever post, but i have never been more proud of my footy team. carn the dogggies. we just played so well, and gooodness, libba what a star, caleb daniel what a star. just wow

Welcome aboard matey!

 

[dogwatch]

Bow down to the competitions new recruiting overlord.

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Bugger, people outside the WB have finally tumbled to the brilliance of Dalrymple.
Watch the big money offers start to come in for him. Glad he was recently signed for an extension (I think).

 

[hilly]

Not a bad way to get this group's first finals win. Super performance.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

One down three to go.