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Igloo

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#27
Another thing I have noticed is our players dont help each other out.
When Griffen was running out of defense, he had Sydney players coming at him from every direction. He went on a great run, got around a few, but just had no one helping him, so got caught with it.

Griffen and Morris are the only ones who perform well every week. Morris has done an outstanding job this year, and Griffen's inside 50's are as close to perfection you can get. If we had guys helping him, he could have a bloody shot. He can kick it 65m, give him some damn space!
 

Leon

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#28
Today was excruciating.

SonofScray summed it up - we're painful to watch at the moment. Our strengths over the past few years when we've been a good side have been our skill by foot and pace. Watching the likes of Gilbee and Cooney turn it over constantly is a sure sign we are in trouble.

The entry into the forward line and the forward line itself were a joke today. We just have no sort of structure at all.

Hudson is just about finished, he was woeful.

Richmond are a huge chance to beat us next week.
 

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#29
Today was excruciating.

SonofScray summed it up - we're painful to watch at the moment. Our strengths over the past few years when we've been a good side have been our skill by foot and pace. Watching the likes of Gilbee and Cooney turn it over constantly is a sure sign we are in trouble.

The entry into the forward line and the forward line itself were a joke today. We just have no sort of structure at all.

Hudson is just about finished, he was woeful.

Richmond area huge chance to beat us next week.
If that happens, Rocket may as well start looking for a new job.

Not saying its fair, but the coach always cops it in the neck first.
 
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#30
Another thing I have noticed is our players dont help each other out.
quote]

I really agree with this. You really notice it when you watch the Pies just how hard they work when they haven't got it to block and shepherd the ball carrier. Far too often, in fact most times, I see Bulldogs players simply peel off when one of their teammates has the ball waiting for the easy receive rather than shepherd to give them enough time to dispose properly.

We are just dead set lazy compared to the top teams - and most of the bottom ones, too!
 
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Thread starter #31
It's a pretty quick fall from grace. Sadly we don't appear to have taken our chances in finals when we should have.
We would be delusional to think the game plan we've employed thus far in 2011 would get us to the finals. Even if we fluked it- we're no match for sides like the Pies, Cats, Dons, Blues who would absolutely flog us.
I want to hear somebody from the club at least make a statement about what has occurred thus far this year.
Smorgon's statements about making Grand Finals wasn't helpful.
I want to know what the club is doing about adapting its on field approach to keep up with the best teams in the league.
I respect Neil Craig for doing something similar a few years ago when he accepted that his 'Crowbots' weren't going to achieve ultimate success with his dour gameplan. He quickly overturned their approach and started to build a team for future success.
Our style is an embarrassment to the skillful players on our list.
 
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Thread starter #32
What worries me is who would take over if Eade were to leave.
There doesn't appear to be an obvious replacement.
Let's not delude ourselves that Malthouse would come back.
Leon Cameron and Brian Royal would be risky choices.
 

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#33
It's frightening to think it was barely 18 months ago that we were a kick and a bit away from a GF.

Sad really.
 
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Thread starter #35
I haven't seen the People's Beard for a few weeks due our cr@ppy draw and he's been injured. However, it's sad that Minson is assuming the role of #1 ruckman. Feedback is that he wasn't very good today.
 

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#36
Unfortunately our inside midfield/ruck rovers are not up to it. Sam Reid in for Cross and Boydy to a run with role similar to Ling for Geelong. Libba has awareness and vision in close quarters and i believe Reid does too. That combo will go a long way to freeing up running midfielders like griff and coons (tho coons is a shadow of former self at mo) and thus give the opp defence something else to think about.
 

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jeemak

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#38
I'm saddened by the fact our skills haven't kept up with the pace of the game, particularly because a lot of our errors are concentration related. We don't respect the football like a good team should, by foot or by hand, and it seems we have very little respect for the team mate receiving the ball. For me it's a mindset, our players can get the ball but they don't care enough about what they do with it.

Unfortunately Hudson and Cross are cooked. If you're slow or a poor kick, you need to be an exceptional marking and feeding player and indecisiveness and skill errors can't be aspects of your game. Cross tries his arse off, I'll never accuse him of doing otherwise. However, his innability to hurt the opposition by foot and quickly kick the ball to advantage is becoming too hurtful to our already stagnant forward movement. If he doesn't have a clear handball target as soon as he takes possession we slow down to much.

Gilbee needs to be played last line of defense. He isn't getting a lot of clean ball further up the ground currently, and part of the problem is the ball coming from defense is sloppy. We need him picking the targets around the half back line and the wing. I'd prefer him to kick out as well.

Murphy whilst providing a lot of run is required on a half forward flank. Nobody in our team can present on a lead like he can. We've played our best football over the years with him there, and I don't buy that being a leading half forward is overly strenuous on the body.

We really need Higgins and Hall to get back into the side. The younger guys in Grant and Jones aren't up to it yet.
 

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#39
I'm saddened by the fact our skills haven't kept up with the pace of the game, particularly because a lot of our errors are concentration related. We don't respect the football like a good team should, by foot or by hand, and it seems we have very little respect for the team mate receiving the ball. For me it's a mindset, our players can get the ball but they don't care enough about what they do with it.

Unfortunately Hudson and Cross are cooked. If you're slow or a poor kick, you need to be an exceptional marking and feeding player and indecisiveness and skill errors can't be aspects of your game. Cross tries his arse off, I'll never accuse him of doing otherwise. However, his innability to hurt the opposition by foot and quickly kick the ball to advantage is becoming too hurtful to our already stagnant forward movement. If he doesn't have a clear handball target as soon as he takes possession we slow down to much.

Gilbee needs to be played last line of defense. He isn't getting a lot of clean ball further up the ground currently, and part of the problem is the ball coming from defense is sloppy. We need him picking the targets around the half back line and the wing. I'd prefer him to kick out as well.

Murphy whilst providing a lot of run is required on a half forward flank. Nobody in our team can present on a lead like he can. We've played our best football over the years with him there, and I don't buy that being a leading half forward is overly strenuous on the body.

We really need Higgins and Hall to get back into the side. The younger guys in Grant and Jones aren't up to it yet.
Great post.

I wouldn't have thought the prospect of Grant and Jones in our forward line would fill the opposition backs with fear.
 
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#40
I'd cop the losses if we were playing something close to our next premiership-contending team, but there are guys who are playing that don't fit that bill. The below players who played today will add absolutely nothing to our development and if we were serious about redevelopment, won't be playing for much longer:

Gia
Gilbee
Stack
Hudson
Cross

A few others such as Moles are borderline. Happy go give them a chance for now.

Time to pack it in for this year and aim for 2013.
 

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#41
I'd cop the losses if we were playing something close to our next premiership-contending team, but there are guys who are playing that don't fit that bill. The below players who played today will add absolutely nothing to our development and if we were serious about redevelopment, won't be playing for much longer:

Gia
Gilbee
Stack
Hudson
Cross

A few others such as Moles are borderline. Happy go give them a chance for now.

Time to pack it in for this year and aim for 2013.
Why would you say stack isn't going to be any good? He had 23 touches today and was considerably cleaner and composed than he has been in the past. The guy hasn't played 20 games yet.

Gia is a finisher, and his output is dependent on the guys up the ground moving the ball cleanly and quickly. Little wonder he had three shots on goal in the last quarter when we decided to give our forwards half a chance with quicker ball movement. I know he is getting older, but I can't see him being moved along over the next couple of years. How far away from a flag do you think we are, baring in mind Lake and Murphy are turning 30 soon?

Agree with you on Cross and Hudson.
 
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#43
Why would you say stack isn't going to be any good? He had 23 touches today and was considerably cleaner and composed than he has been in the past. The guy hasn't played 20 games yet.

Gia is a finisher, and his output is dependent on the guys up the ground moving the ball cleanly and quickly. Little wonder he had three shots on goal in the last quarter when we decided to give our forwards half a chance with quicker ball movement. I know he is getting older, but I can't see him being moved along over the next couple of years. How far away from a flag do you think we are, baring in mind Lake and Murphy are turning 30 soon?

Agree with you on Cross and Hudson.
Gia nearly turned the game for us in the last quarter. However, his effort in the preceding 3 quarters was piss-poor. I lost count of the amount of contests he was in where he went to ground flailing his arms in the air looking for a free, or lost the ball to his opponent and gave up on the chase after 3 steps. He's a pretty decent midfielder and if he's going to be played he should be playing the majority of his time in the middle, but his non-effort up forward unless he's marked it is a liability.

Based on what's happened so far this year, I'm not sure Lake and Murphy will be part of our next side that can challenge for a flag. However, I still think they can offer something in the interim. We can't just gut the club and bottom-out for 5 years.

Again, we're patting Stack on the back for merely being servicable. If you believe what he's shown thus far is to your liking, that's fine. I'm not seeing the upside that you are. More than happy for him to prove me wrong, of course.

In response to Beasley, quite happy for Moles to be given a go for a while. I've just got my doubts about him becoming a consistent player.
 

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#44
Wonder if Murph wouldn't be an option centre wing simply because he can and does lead and can also run and kick long where necessary. We seem to lose an awful lot in transition from half back to half foward and the games I go to live I notice that the leads are very few through the centre often trapping us on the half back line.
 

jeemak

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#45
Wonder if Murph wouldn't be an option centre wing simply because he can and does lead and can also run and kick long where necessary. We seem to lose an awful lot in transition from half back to half foward and the games I go to live I notice that the leads are very few through the centre often trapping us on the half back line.
On the larger grounds like the G I think Murphy playing on the wing wouldn't be a bad idea. You're right in that we often manage to get the ball to half back but from then on it's a struggle. We need to replace down back with a decent kick however, and I think Gilbee needs to be the guy. What we'll lose from Murphy's run, Gilbee is capable of picking up with more penetrating disposal and we can also hopefully add to that with Hargrave using the ball when he comes back.

At docklands, a high half forward role is probably the best for Murphy.
 

crownie

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#46
I haven't seen the People's Beard for a few weeks due our cr@ppy draw and he's been injured. However, it's sad that Minson is assuming the role of #1 ruckman. Feedback is that he wasn't very good today.
i didnt see the game today but wow this shocks me, but but he got 52 tap outs last week well whoopdy do.:rolleyes:

we are a joke of a club.
 

jeemak

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#47
Gia nearly turned the game for us in the last quarter. However, his effort in the preceding 3 quarters was piss-poor. I lost count of the amount of contests he was in where he went to ground flailing his arms in the air looking for a free, or lost the ball to his opponent and gave up on the chase after 3 steps. He's a pretty decent midfielder and if he's going to be played he should be playing the majority of his time in the middle, but his non-effort up forward unless he's marked it is a liability.

Based on what's happened so far this year, I'm not sure Lake and Murphy will be part of our next side that can challenge for a flag. However, I still think they can offer something in the interim. We can't just gut the club and bottom-out for 5 years.

Again, we're patting Stack on the back for merely being servicable. If you believe what he's shown thus far is to your liking, that's fine. I'm not seeing the upside that you are. More than happy for him to prove me wrong, of course.

In response to Beasley, quite happy for Moles to be given a go for a while. I've just got my doubts about him becoming a consistent player.

The cupboard to this point is going to run fairly bare down back without Lake. While Markovic has made some inroads to becoming a senior footballer this year he has a long way to go. Williams has improved a lot, and will get better he isn't going to be the cornerstone tall of a back six like Lake can be. Realistically, we'd have to trade someone in after he is gone to attempt to cover his loss.

Gia hadn't played for three weeks prior to today. He got better as the game progressed though, and I think he needs to be judged over the next few weeks. He looks a much better player with Hall and Higgins in the side. A mid sized forward needs support most of the time, there aren't too many Brad Johnsons or Darren Jarmans going around that can shoulder the load week in week out. If we're at the top of the tree and gunning for a flag, a guy with Gia's skills is going to be valuable, and sometimes you have to look past his defficiencies.

Stack is a raw talent still. He's coming to a time where he needs to start putting a couple of solid performances together which he looks like he is, but he needs to build on it. Not every kid comes into the game like a Ward or Liberatore and just smashes every contest and feels comfortable from the word go. If we weren't a resonably well performed and mature side over the last three years he would have been given more opportunities, and I'd suggest a lot more leniency from our fans.
 

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#48
I agree that Hargrave's return when fit allows Murph to move up the ground as he can kick long and run at times too. Would like to see Wood in the back 6 so I've got 7 for 6 places. Gilbee or Markovic. After bagging Markovic in his first game I think he's proved me wrong and I like his competitiveness. Rotation of Morris, Lake, Markovic, Wood, Williams, Hargrave and Gilbee with perhaps Lake increasingly seen at full forward with markovic covering his absence?????
 

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#49
I think we need to keep the best FB in the competition at FB. He might be able to pinch hit from time to time, but we move the ball better and have the chance to beat any pressing forwards with him marking opposition kicks and moving the ball quickly.
 

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#50
Mmmm, the fact that I'm seeing it, suggesting it or forecasting it is indicative of a lack of depth in marking ff options. Moving him from fullback doesn't sit well with me either
 
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