Prediction Changes v Freo (3:15pm Sunday @ Marvel)

[Doggstats]

It's crazy how people are already writing obituaries for Sanders after just 35 games of playing out of position.
The fact is we have the most stacked midfield in the league. Sanders would be playing inside mid for every other team in the AFL except maybe the Lions.
We are 1# in clearances, 1# in centre clearances and 1# for scoring from stoppages (by a country mile).

We've seen this movie before with Dunkley and Bailey Smith

3

Bailey Smith

Age

24

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

, I just hope Sanders takes it better than those 2 did but I have faith because he seems much more mature than those 2 were at the same age.

This is how Sanders stats matchup against the 2 most hyped prospects out of his draft:


And this is whilst playing totally out of position. Whilst Harley Reid attends 5x more centre bounces than Sanders.
Reid has attended 314 centre bounces for the season vs Sanders only 64, yet Sanders hangs with him with most stats. The big difference is clangers where Reid is 1# in the AFL with 6.3 vs Sanders 1.8, which is why Sanders has a much higher disposal efficiency %.

Long story short, judging Sanders value as a player before he even plays a full season at his preferred position as a inside mid is just pure speculation. So anyone who speaks as if they have already come to a conclusion as to what his value as a player is cannot be taken seriously.

 

[Benaly28]

Wishing you all the best for today’s game hope you smash those shockers.

 

[BigFloppa]

No gameday thread?

 

[BallaratBulldog]

No gameday thread?

The thread is hiding because it has trepidation

 

[acool]

It's crazy how people are already writing obituaries for Sanders after just 35 games of playing out of position.
The fact is we have the most stacked midfield in the league. Sanders would be playing inside mid for every other team in the AFL except maybe the Lions.
We are 1# in clearances, 1# in centre clearances and 1# for scoring from stoppages (by a country mile).

We've seen this movie before with Dunkley and Bailey Smith, I just hope Sanders takes it better than those 2 did but I have faith because he seems much more mature than those 2 were at the same age.

This is how Sanders stats matchup against the 2 most hyped prospects out of his draft:
View attachment 2405304

And this is whilst playing totally out of position. Whilst Harley Reid attends 5x more centre bounces than Sanders.
Reid has attended 314 centre bounces for the season vs Sanders only 64, yet Sanders hangs with him with most stats. The big difference is clangers where Reid is 1# in the AFL with 6.3 vs Sanders 1.8, which is why Sanders has a much higher disposal efficiency %.

Long story short, judging Sanders value as a player before he even plays a full season at his preferred position as a inside mid is just pure speculation. So anyone who speaks as if they have already come to a conclusion as to what his value as a player is cannot be taken seriously.

0 Hitouts. Delist.

 

[Zgope1]

Are people overstating the negative, or critical, appraisal of Sanders as him being “written off”.

I think most of the criticism has been open to him becoming a good player he just has a fair bit to work on

 

[TiAn_]

There's nothing more certain than death, taxes and the Bigfooty tradition of writing off Bulldogs players before they've played 100 games.

It's crazy how people are already writing obituaries for Sanders after just 35 games of playing out of position.

No one has “written off” Sanders, no matter how many posters incorrectly frame it this way.

There is a huge tract of land, a river, a full parking lot and a bargain-filled Dimmeys in between writing a player off and having the view that they have some issues or limitations in their game that might be a barrier to being an A grader.

The fact is we have the most stacked midfield in the league.

Mmmmm

Sanders would be playing inside mid for every other team in the AFL except maybe the Lions.

He’d be in the same spot with at least half the sides in the comp. It’s not a knock on Sanders to say that. But Riley Garcia has been getting more midfield time with us. Saying he’s a walk up start everywhere else is outlandish.

We are 1# in clearances, 1# in centre clearances and 1# for scoring from stoppages (by a country mile).

We are an amazing centre clearance side, no doubt.

We've seen this movie before with Dunkley and Bailey Smith, I just hope Sanders takes it better than those 2 did but I have faith because he seems much more mature than those 2 were at the same age.

Dunkley was a team player and mature from day one. He didn’t have an outburst like Sanders did when he was subbed last year. But Sanders has accepted his role this year, worked on expanding his game and should be commended for it.

This is how Sanders stats matchup against the 2 most hyped prospects out of his draft:
View attachment 2405304

And this is whilst playing totally out of position. Whilst Harley Reid attends 5x more centre bounces than Sanders.

Reid is clearly a class above and I would have taken Curtin at the time and more so now on their exposed form. Again, it’s not a knock on Sanders but those two have demonstrated potential that Sanders hasn’t to date in my opinion.

Reid has attended 314 centre bounces for the season vs Sanders only 64, yet Sanders hangs with him with most stats. The big difference is clangers where Reid is 1# in the AFL with 6.3 vs Sanders 1.8, which is why Sanders has a much higher disposal efficiency %.

Reid has more clangers because he kicks the ball twice as much and gives away the most frees in the comp. The first point is also relevant to their disposal efficiency.

Long story short, judging Sanders value as a playe before he even plays a full season at his preferred position as an inside mid is just pure speculation. So anyone who speaks as if they have already come to a conclusion as to what his value as a player is cannot be taken seriously.

I find it beyond weird that once a player is on our playing list applying the same analysis that you would in the draft thread is suddenly received like a hate crime, while the highest of high level analysis is fantastic as long as it’s positive.

 

[MYOB]

I have 2 free reserved seats if anyone is interested

 

[Wetdog]

Arty is not taking Sanders place, its not like for like.
Arty is replacing VDM/McNeil/Poulter.
Sanders can't yet replace the inside mids, and his outside game isn't enough to keep him in the midfield rotations.

My take on it is that Sanders is a midfielder. That is his best position.

They will play him in different positions for 50 plus games and then he will probably replace Libba in the midfield rotations when he retires in a year or two.

If Sanders is not good enough (I think he will be) to be in our midfield in 2027, then I’m not sure there is much of a future for him at our club.

 

[Wetdog]

Sanders will.be a very good midfielder in the medium to long term like a Travis Boak type. Just chill the **** out man who cares its just footy and spring is almost here so go outside and smell the jasmine and watch the birds go about their business life's a gift so let's just enjoy it without stressing over how many career coaches votes Sanders gets and whether that mathematically justifies trading pickle blah blah for pickle 6 go outside and enjoy the small of freshly cut grass and give your loved ones a big hug and breath in that fresh spring air

Mate. What about us hayfever sufferers? There is nothing in your post that brings us joy at this time of year.

 

[weltschmerz]

Mate. What about us hayfever sufferers? There is nothing in your post that brings us joy at this time of year.

This brings me joy.

 

[A dog in Qld]

The trick is to glance but not absorb the information

Even giving it a glance is paying it too much attention

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

Yes. We've done that many times. I want to know if we can win seven in a row.

“unlucky” 5th game

I dunno how many times Bevo has won 5 + games in a Row in his tenure

 

[X_box_X]

“unlucky” 5th game

I dunno how many times Bevo has won 5 + games in a Row in his tenure

Three.

The last time was 2023 after we beat Adelaide in Ballarat.

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

Three.

The last time was 2023 after we beat Adelaide in Ballarat.

That’s not enough times for a coach who’s been in the job for 11 seasons and most of them made top 8.

 

[X_box_X]

That’s not enough times for a coach who’s been in the job for 11 seasons and most of them made top 8.

You don't need to tell me that. Every other team has had at least one streak of 7+ wins since 1988.