Did the Bulldogs choke or not

[Homer]

I was at the match, it seemed like the Bulldogs froze when the Lions applied pressure, whether that is finals or not, I don't know. At that I feel sorry for the faithful of the Dogs, the same heartache year after year.

Is it the coach or is it a players, maybe Libba and Jose should give it away while they still have some reputation, recruit some tall defenders and don't put as much pressure on Grant. If they can trade a name player (Smith or Johnson) they may get a name backman, if they can do that they may be able to build a team around Grant, West and the name player.

They have a few players who will be over the hill soon so maybe clean out the club while they still can. Start with the coach and work their way down. Smorgan seems to be a passionate supporter so, with his position on the board, he may take into account that they are going nowhere.

Anyway, they need to cleanout the playing list and realise they made a mistake reappointing Wallace.

 

[Andrew]

They sure did choke, again.
I watched it on the telly. Shocking skills.They were outcoached, the flooding didn't work, lucky the Lions couldn't kick a goal to save themselves or the margin would have been a lot worse.

 

[Grave Danger]

I don't think Wallace is the problem. The side is basically the same as the easy beats he took on when Joyce got the boot and he's done wonders to take them to the finals each year since.

Maybe one criticism of Wallace though - the Dogs obviously haven't drafted/traded for the type of players they need to take the next step. Wallace has probably got the best out the current list, but now they need to take some radical steps...

 

[joshhem]

We love you BRISBANE!!!

Kick ass.

 

[Lionsrock_15_26]

It's as simple as this - the lions rock!!!

 

[Richmondfan#1]

I thought that we decided in a recent post that "teams" couldn't choke and only players can really choke. If a team chokes, all 22 players have to choke. That didn't happen to the dogs. They still had a few good contributers.

 

[Pessimistic]

Ironic that had the Doggies not beaten Essendon, they would have finishe 8th and played Geelong. Hawthorn would have been given the gabba task (might well have won) and now be facing Carlton on the rebound rather than the 'Road Kill'

 

[Billy]

Homer, you've overlooked the fact the 'Dogs had several injuries to their big man stocks this season, Darcy, Grant, Ellis, Hunter. They did also blooded some promising young playes in Penny, Hahn & Murphy. All is not lost down at Whitten Oval. That said, the Lions were just too big in the middle, Voss destroyed them, just like Riccito & Mcleod in previous years.

 

[Roylion]

My definition of choking is where the "choker" against all odds, throws away certain victory due to pressure, nervousness etc etc. Geelong perhaps, in losing three Grand Finals from three attempts it could be argued, choked. A side that finishes top and loses both finals to be out of the competition could perhaps have choked, depending on the circumstances. The only time I would consider the Bulldogs to have "choked" was in the preliminary final against Adelaide a few years ago. The Bulldogs finished seventh at the end of the Home and Away this year, lost comfortably to the Brisbane Lions without being in front for most of the night and finished the year in eighth position. How anyone could consider that they "choked again" is beyond me and obviously need to re-visit their definition of the word "choked" as it applies to sport.

 

[Daniel]

Roylion, those are my exact thoughts. A perfect definition. The “choker” talk about the Bulldogs now is purely a hangover from the one time they truly choked against Adelaide in the ’97 preliminary final, which many people obviously remember.

If you do it once, the reputation is difficult to lose, and many people like to continue applying the tag. Just ask the South African cricket team.

A team can collectively choke, but it did not happen to the Bulldogs on the weekend. From what I’ve read, they just weren’t good enough.

 

[Homer]

True,

But all season we were missing Keating
Part season Bradshaw was on the outer
in the guts u had your wests and co

We were missing Lambert (most year)
Black and Vosses had there fair share of time on the outer, Lawrence and Aker missed matches, we were missing Mccrae and B Scott.

Leppitsch had suspensions, Ooga had injuries and then he left, S Carey has been a dud and Kennedy has also been injured.

If these hadn't of occured we may of been playing Carlton in the first week of finals not the puppies.

P.S Put Libba on a leash, he fouls the footy field

 

[Woof]

The safari suit brigade are crowing aren't they.
Well let's see how the sham marriage bears go over the next week or so, if they don't go all the way, let's see if steroid boy Lynch has his hands round his throte or if squeeler Akermanis is doing handstands, or the rest of Matthews'laggers play away from their safe little home.

 

[Homer]

Woof,

I suppose you are a Bulldog supporter, all I have to say is, who beat you on the weekend fair and square, would that be the Lions, YES.

Grow up and find another team because you won't be around much longer, not in the finals anyway.

 

[Roylion]

C'mon Woof, explain why you think the merger between Brisbane and Fitzroy was a sham marriage. I asked you to answer this question in the topic "Brisbane Laggers". but no reply from you was forthcoming.

To repeat: The Bears gave up their emblem, colours, theme song all in favor of Fitzroy's. They also undertook to pay off all Fitzroy creditors and saved the 1996 board members of Fitzroy from being sued. They continued all the Fitzroy coteries that wanted to continue, they sponsor Victorian grass-roots clubs such as South Morang, Beverley and the Fitzroy Juniors who play at the old Brunswick Street Oval that have a Fitzroy connection; they acknowledge Fitzroy history and tradition in their Yearbook and magazine.. 'The Lions Tale' with articles on former Fitzroy greats. The Lions B&F medal, the Merrett/Murray Medal is partly named after Fitzroy Browlow Medallist Kevin Murray (who was chosen from a ballot of interested 1996 Fitzroy members). They have combined the past players of both the Bears and Fitzroy into the "Fitzroy-Brisbane Past Players Association (headed by Norm Brown a Fitzroy great)"; they have a social club in the heart of Fitzroy's old recruiting zone at Bulleen. They produce Fitzroy memorabilia, the latest being a huge framed poster of every 100 game player from the Fitzroy club. The names of every Fitzroy player to have played 100 games are on the Lions player's lockers at the Gabba, which I have seen for myself. The club's official name is the "Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Australian Football Club" trading as the "Brisbane Lions".

What possible evidence do you have that the merger is a sham marriage? Tell us all. Back up your statements! Or will we just have silence from you again?

 

[Red Devil]

Wasn't this topic did the Bulldogs Choke or not?
Well the answer is the Bulldogs didn't choke, they were simply out gunned by a better side on the night. (As we all know, a choke is losing in the circumstances of the '97 Prelim).
Homer, I'm sure all supportes can pull injuries out of their arse, so lets leave that aone alone as well.

BUT, on to SHAM MERGERS - Woof is correct.
Where do the Lions train - Brisbane.
How many 1996 Lions are in the current team -2 or 3?!
How many home games in Melbourne do they play - F@#% All!
When Fitzroy played their last game, there was a farewell to the club at the end of the match. There was no farewell to the Bears. Fitzroy no longer exist, they might as well move that Melbourne based social club to a cemetary.
Who gives a shit about some token junior club sponsorship. You'll find all AFL clubs are into this kind of "goodwill" sponsorship.
The only reason Brisbane took the Fitzroy colours is because they are marketable, unlike those absolutely disgusting Bears jumpers. Just admit it, Noel Gordon went to bed with the AFL & took the AFL's money to pay Fitzroy's debt. Then just like an eagle swooping over a dead animal, the Bears picked the best bits out of the Fitzroy carcass! I don't think that qualifies as a merger.

 

[sisterka]

jealous?

 

[GoEagles]

Homer, please tell me you were joking when you said that Libba and Jose should give the game away. I think the W. Bulldogs wouldn't of made the 8 if they didnt have the hard attcking 'pressure players' like Libba, Jose, West, Brown (when he's not getting in trouble) , Johnson, ect

But I agree for sure that the doggies have not been recruiting well for the past 5 years, hopefully things will change in the future.

 

[Woof]

There may well be no doggies in a few years, but its better to die on your feet than live on your knees.
Fitzroy like south melbourne are dead. THE END. and no matter what pitiful attempt the bears or Sydney make to fleece those poor souls from those great proud clubs, the bloods and the roys have gone to god,
this week the bears come to foreign territory
Victoria, Fitzroys old home state.

 

[Homer]

Not really,

Libba is a good tagger, except he goes to far. Romero HAD skill, now he is taking a tagging job, you can't have to many taggers or your Wests and Browns can't play to much of a role.

Anyway, We seem to of hit a nerve with Red Devil. Grow up, who has aftermatches, Melbourne not Brisbane. Most people in the crowd up here have never met the players, every Melbourne member I know (heaps) have met them and the aftermatches provide the opportunity. a recent aftermatch had about 5000 people. 5000 more then have seen the Lions up here.

 

[Woof]

5,000 in melbourne were they counting body parts and multiplying them by ten!

 

[Red Devil]

Homer makes an absurd claim that 5000 people turned up to a Brisbane aftermatch in Melbourne, but tells me to grow up!!
How about we deal in facts Bear man.
Fitzroy Lions are dead, gone, finished, history, etc. The closest thing to them is the Coburg-Fitzroy Lions who play in the VFL.

 

[Shane]

Woof,
Have a look at the numbers for this weeks Carlton final and you will see that The Lions have a good following in Melbourne. I remember the Doggies match earlier in the year, their were about 10,000 Lions supporters that night.
The merger happened. It seems like its other teams supporters who have angst about the merger, the Lions and the bears in the majority have moved on, one way or another.
Before you bag us Woof, ahve a closer look at your team. Maybe they should have merged with Fitzroy in 89, then you wouldn't be in so much debt. I feel for you guys.
At least we have a solution, to our problems. We were going to be extinct without the Bears, I am forever in debt to them. I still have my Lions, my song, my colours. Players come and go, but history doesn't. Think about it.

 

[Red Devil]

Shane, thanks for the pity, but we all feel sorry for YOU. Clinging to something that is dead, you poor person. By getting sucked in to this sham merger, you haven't gone through the grieving process yet. At least if your club had been left alone to die, you could have dealt with it at that time & then moved on. But no, you follow Brisbane under the false illusion that they are Fitzroy. We all feel for you Shane.

 

[Bernie]

Red Devil,

Name the ONLY club in HISTORY that voted to extinguish themselves ( for the 20 pieces of silver ) and were only saved by ANOTHER set of supporters from ANOTHER club.

If you had had YOUR way, no Demons' triumph last week, as there would have been NO CLUB !

No Melbourne supporter can possibly comment on any other club's problems - THEY WERE COLLECTIVELY PATHETIC and a DISGRACE on Victoria. No guts ! Look at the struggle that the Dogs, Lions, Hawks, Tigers etc put up to try and save their club. Some had success, some did not.

Typical private school toadies following what the prefects told them to do.

PULL YOUR HEAD IN !

 

[Red Devil]

Bernie, I totally agree with you. Also, I'm NOT a Melbourne supporter!