Maybe it's time to face facts; we may actually be a pretty mediocre side

[SayerTheCreator]

Essendon just beat West Coast by 10 goals. Does that mean Essendon is 11 goals better than we are?

Every team has played us with an intensity they haven't been able to reproduce. We are the hunted. Makes you appreciate Hawthorne's achievements even more.

The competition has evened out to unprecedented levels too. Almost anyone can beat anyone, with the exception of Brisbane.

 

[Woof]

Completely wrong it has nothing to do with our completely over rated depth which is now proving it isn't that great.

95% of our list isn't playing well and our coaching and selection has been questionable.

If Bev would stop p!ssing around and trying to change things that worked so well last year players may come back into form.

I think we have tried to be smarter than we needed to be AND players have rested on their laurels from the grand final. We will not compete with the top teams until we actually have the blokes who are genuinely in our best 22 playing well and I'm not sure that will happen this year.

There is some merit in this. I think Bevo is being a bit too cute but I just can't bring myself to doubt him. Question, discuss, ponder... but never doubt. Nobody understands better than he that the main objective is to win 3-4 games in September. Our list profile is still so young and losing Koby and Rat has hurt more than most will credit, but Bevo will have us humming when it matters for the next five years. Doesn't guarantee flags but his priorities are right. Games in to Webb, Williams, B. Dale, Zordy, Toby, Caleb alongside the pros are invaluable, because they are the ones that need to carry on with it once Moyd, Morris, Murph, Picken and Dickson are gone.

 

[jdz101]

There is some merit in this. I think Bevo is being a bit too cute but I just can't bring myself to doubt him. Question, discuss, ponder... but never doubt. Nobody understands better than he that the main objective is to win 3-4 games in September. Our list profile is still so young and losing Koby and Rat has hurt more than most will credit, but Bevo will have us humming when it matters for the next five years. Doesn't guarantee flags but his priorities are right. Games in to Webb, Williams, B. Dale, Zordy, Toby, Caleb alongside the pros are invaluable, because they are the ones that need to carry on with it once Moyd, Morris, Murph, Picken and Dickson are gone.

The biggest worry for sustained success at the moment for me is this:

> Morris - retire?
> Murphy - retire or one more year
> M.Boyd - retire
> Marcus Adams - Go home factor
> JJ - who knows, still hasn't resigned
> Hamling - Gone to Fremantle
> Crameri - Probably won't get another deal

That is pretty much 5 of our best 6 guys in our backline gone or potentially gone at the end of this year and a heck of a lot of experience with not a lot of candidates to top that up. Roberts will probably move into a more permanent role. Bailey Williams has a lot of poise but he is as slow as treacle.

It's going to be an interesting few offseasons.

 

[VogonProsthetnic]

The biggest worry for sustained success at the moment for me is this:

> Morris - retire?
> Murphy - retire or one more year
> M.Boyd - retire
> Marcus Adams - Go home factor
> JJ - who knows, still hasn't resigned
> Hamling - Gone to Fremantle
> Crameri - Probably won't get another deal

That is pretty much 5 of our best 6 guys in our backline gone or potentially gone at the end of this year and a heck of a lot of experience with not a lot of candidates to top that up. Roberts will probably move into a more permanent role. Bailey Williams has a lot of poise but he is as slow as treacle.

It's going to be an interesting few offseasons.

This is why we have the draft. Keep picking up 2-3 100 gamers a year and try not to stuff it up. In reality we have little control over what JJ and Adams decide but now that we have free agency would have to expect to lose players. But if you draft well, continue to develop your players and keep the group together, you will profit over the short sighted who get desperate for short term success.

 

[Ozil]

Our depth competes with the league's best, but it's tough when you're either missing 7-8 from your best side or trying to build chemistry when a few are back.

I've got no problem with Beveridge making adjustments, footy doesn't stand still and he's big enough to move on when he's wrong.

Bailey Williams has a lot of poise but he is as slow as treacle.

What? On the evidence of a fifty meter chase in the final two minutes of his tenth game?

 

[josh the gent]

There is some serious exaggeration in this thread. We're 5-4.

All of our losses were away from Melbourne, and against the teams placed 2nd to 5th on the ladder. We were well and truly in every game too.

Being premiers comes with getting a tough draw... the good news? Those matches are done!

This week is truly a must win - get to 6-4 with senior players coming back in, and we're in pretty decent shape...

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

I'm writing off the season if we lose to the Saints this week - this game is that important.

Too much?

 

[Doggy]

I'm writing off the season if we lose to the Saints this week - this game is that important.

Too much?

Nope.. with sydney after we would be cactus if we lost both

 

[stefoid]

The biggest worry for sustained success at the moment for me is this:

> Morris - retire?
> Murphy - retire or one more year
> M.Boyd - retire
> Marcus Adams - Go home factor
> JJ - who knows, still hasn't resigned
> Hamling - Gone to Fremantle
> Crameri - Probably won't get another deal

That is pretty much 5 of our best 6 guys in our backline gone or potentially gone at the end of this year and a heck of a lot of experience with not a lot of candidates to top that up. Roberts will probably move into a more permanent role. Bailey Williams has a lot of poise but he is as slow as treacle.

It's going to be an interesting few offseasons.

Maybe, but right now its our forward line that lacks teeth. Dicko is a very welcome return, as will be Stringer and Roughie.

I reckon with those three in the same side we are at least 3-4 goals better off.

 

[jdz101]

Maybe, but right now its our forward line that lacks teeth. Dicko is a very welcome return, as will be Stringer and Roughie.

I reckon with those three in the same side we are at least 3-4 goals better off.

Still not worried about the mids. Forwards are getting rubbish delivery the majority of the time and they're down horses aswell.

 

[jdz101]

What? On the evidence of a fifty meter chase in the final two minutes of his tenth game?

He is slow for his position at AFL level. Against AFL athletes he struggles to get separation. This isn't a problem in the VFL because it's a slower league overall with less tackling pressure. Losing a sprint to Tom Hawkins is by the by. His great kicking and his ability in traffic means he will still be a very good AFL player, but if you can't see that he doesn't have much legspeed for run-off-halfback type player then I got nothin.

 

[MJ_Dogs]

Fair call. Not exactly a thumping but when Port lost to Giants by 40 odd points, being an SA local you would have thought they lost by 100 going by the supporter reactions.
My point was that our worst performance still keeps us in games when by rights we should be getting thumped.

Yeah I agree. We've played so poorly yet could have won all our games. This season is up for the taking if we want it enough

 

[yebiga]

I know that Bont is the star and poster boy but Liberatore is the machine. When ever the going got tough last year he got going and lifted everyone with him.

A firing liberatore and we are sitting
8 wins 1 loss.

I have absolutely no doubt that our best 22 is clearly the best team in the comp in 2018.

But the hunger and joy is just not there. We are playing well enough but without passion. Look at geelongs passion on Friday night.

Winning back to back is tough enough but it's mentally tougher.

Bevs priority aside from winning enough games - has to be to get into Libers head - get him to find whatever is missing.

At his best he is clearance beast and creative and a goal kicker.

Let us all pray for liberatore to return to his best.

 

[stefoid]

Still not worried about the mids. Forwards are getting rubbish delivery the majority of the time and they're down horses aswell.

I reckon every team's fans moan about rubbish delivery. Are we that worse than any other team in that respect really? How do our marks inside 50 stack up vs the rest of the league?

 

[MJ_Dogs]

What I see when watching non bulldogs games is how much space there seems to be. Yet watching a dogs game we always seem to be suffocated. Is this our game plan or is it every team getting up for us? Although I seem to remember it last year too

 

[Ozil]

He is slow for his position at AFL level. Against AFL athletes he struggles to get separation. This isn't a problem in the VFL because it's a slower league overall with less tackling pressure. Losing a sprint to Tom Hawkins is by the by. His great kicking and his ability in traffic means he will still be a very good AFL player, but if you can't see that he doesn't have much legspeed for run-off-halfback type player then I got nothin.

He's not going to burn off an opponent like JJ or Saad, but I don't think he's significantly slower than someone like Docherty, who is a top small defender.

If Williams can be clean and compete in the air, as he has been, he'll be fine. He's more than a distributor off half back imo.

Don't think we're that far apart in all honesty, just taken aback by "slow as treacle".

On that note, it'd be real nice if JJ could sign on the dotted line.

 

[Snake Livermore]

Bevo is the master motivator... When it comes to taking a bunch of players somewhere they've never been before, and everyone doubts they can get to.

This is his first time backing up from a flag with the goal for the team simply to do what they did last year. The intensity the boys played with last year was unprecedented. Without it we are just another team. There lies the big challenge, hopefully Bevo can figure it out as he has done everything else in his short career.

 

[Dogsman16]

Team to rejuvenate our season.

Wood, Adams, Morris
JJ, Roberts, Murphy
Hunter, Bont, Daniel
McLean, Boyd, Wallis
Stringer, Redpath, Dickson
Roughead, Dahl, Libba (needs a massive kick up the arse though
Macrae, Jong, Biggs, Picken,

 

[Unorth]

At present we're mediocre. No doubt about it.

But our ceiling this season isn't "mediocre". We had losses within a few goals against West Coast and Geelong; Stringer in alone probably wins us the West Coast game, and he'd go a long way to winning the Geelong game. Roughie, our only ruck that can actually influence clearances, and probably our only big that can reliably take pack marks, hasn't played a seniors game yet. To varying degrees, Picken, Boyd and Libba- key players from last season- are all down.

Stringer and Roughie back helps immensely. If Picken and Libba find form (assuming Boyd is done for good), that goes even further.

We have the potential to win the flag again. We need to be relatively healthy, and get a couple of guys back in form, and we're right. No guarantees any of that happens, but we can't be written off just yet.

 

[bullish23]

I would have taken a 6-3 start into the bye. We can't now obviously, and therefore am a touch disappointed. I'm guessing most feel the same.

I haven't enjoyed football as yet this year. All our games are exhausting to watch.

 

[dergert]

The loss of hamling has hurt us more than what the majority of us had thought it would.
With him in the side Jeremy Cameron wouldn't have had an impact, Kennedy wouldn't have had as many chances and the spud Taylor wouldn't have got a look in.
Yeah we got Adams back, but he isn't the athletic defender hamling is.
Screw Freo and screw WA.

 

[Doggy]

The loss of hamling has hurt us more than what the majority of us had thought it would.
With him in the side Jeremy Cameron wouldn't have had an impact, Kennedy wouldn't have had as many chances and the spud Taylor wouldn't have got a look in.
Yeah we got Adams back, but he isn't the athletic defender hamling is.
Screw Freo and screw WA.

They tried to take Adams too

 

[MJ_Dogs]

https://www.triplem.com.au/sport/afl/news/every-team-ranked-for-tackles-in-season-2017-after-round-9

So we are way ahead in average tackles per game. Good or bad? Means we're applying pressure but in the flip side could mean we are second to the ball more often than not.

 

[grassman75]

I'll judge in round 20 and not before

I judged in round 23 last year and called it another wasted year and * me we won the next four finals and a flag

 

[Woof]

The biggest worry for sustained success at the moment for me is this:

> Morris - retire?
> Murphy - retire or one more year
> M.Boyd - retire
> Marcus Adams - Go home factor
> JJ - who knows, still hasn't resigned
> Hamling - Gone to Fremantle
> Crameri - Probably won't get another deal

That is pretty much 5 of our best 6 guys in our backline gone or potentially gone at the end of this year and a heck of a lot of experience with not a lot of candidates to top that up. Roberts will probably move into a more permanent role. Bailey Williams has a lot of poise but he is as slow as treacle.

It's going to be an interesting few offseasons.

Reinforces the need to get games in to Zordy, Williams and keep Adams.