Please RTB go back to the future

[Steinfreo]

Is our midfield suited to the high pressure style the bulldogs played?

 

[free at last]

Is our midfield suited to the high pressure style the bulldogs played?

We'll find out next year.....Fyfe & Neale is a pretty decent pairing.

We need to find that leg speed off the half back line,we suck badly at rebounding with dash & dare.

 

[Mr Peabody]

The Bulldogs look to outnumber the opposition at the contest and work to get the ball out and moving forward by multiple handballs or knock ons. The guys on the outside pounce on the loose ball and get inside as well or provide link up options to move it forward. They actually avoid stoppages because they want to get the ball into the open. I heard Kieran Jack interviewed during the game making the point that the Swans were better when adding numbers around the contest today.

I don't have the stats to compare, but when we were at our peak, we were strong in the contest too but we seemed to force stoppages to perhaps try and capitalise on Sandi's dominance rather than force the ball out into the open. Quite a different style of play I think.

 

[FreoRicci]

Annoyed that we tinkered with the game plan in the season Hawthorn were due for a downfall. It was anyone's premership this season, such an open race.

 

[Admiral Byng]

I don't have the stats to compare, but when we were at our peak, we were strong in the contest too but we seemed to force stoppages to perhaps try and capitalise on Sandi's dominance rather than force the ball out into the open. Quite a different style of play I think.

This. Plus we had the big bodied midfielders in there that just wore the opposition down.

 

[meima]

Annoyed that we tinkered with the game plan in the season Hawthorn were due for a downfall. It was anyone's premership this season, such an open race.

Dont think freo with the current crop will survive with old game style either.

 

[FreoRicci]

The Bulldogs look to outnumber the opposition at the contest and work to get the ball out and moving forward by multiple handballs or knock ons. The guys on the outside pounce on the loose ball and get inside as well or provide link up options to move it forward. They actually avoid stoppages because they want to get the ball into the open. I heard Kieran Jack interviewed during the game making the point that the Swans were better when adding numbers around the contest today.

I don't have the stats to compare, but when we were at our peak, we were strong in the contest too but we seemed to force stoppages to perhaps try and capitalise on Sandi's dominance rather than force the ball out into the open. Quite a different style of play I think.

Both teams had no dominant/number 1 ruckman. Add Sandi in the mix, and Roughead/Boyd would definitely not get it that easily.

 

[meima]

Both teams had no dominant/number 1 ruckman. Add Sandi in the mix, and Roughead/Boyd would definitely not get it that easily.

The problem is how long you going play sandi. Pyke also gone.

 

[Mr Peabody]

Both teams had no dominant/number 1 ruckman. Add Sandi in the mix, and Roughead/Boyd would definitely not get it that easily.

Not sure a dominant ruckman would have made a difference. They handled Mumford ok. It's what happens when the ball gets below the Ruckman to the Bulldogs. They scrap to get it out and moving rather than forcing stoppages.

 

[CamTinley]

Bulldogs game plan is about avoiding stoppages ours is about creating stoppages. I hope Ross Lyon's game plane comes back into fashion but I'm suspecting it won't.

 

[rgauci]

Not sure a dominant ruckman would have made a difference. They handled Mumford ok. It's what happens when the ball gets below the Ruckman to the Bulldogs. They scrap to get it out and moving rather than forcing stoppages.

Mumford is not a dominant ruckman, it's a fallacy perpetuated by the media. Sandilands has handed him his ass since the beginning of his career. If Sandilands was rucking for GWS when Roughead went down and he only had Boyd to contend with, they win that game.

 

[Stuart88]

Do the bulldogs have a key defender that can't kick?

 

[mightymouse75]

Do the bulldogs have a forward who can kick goals ?

 

[mike91]

Tbh, if we can get the off season right (Hogan the pipe dream) and get out best players back we will be thereabouts. Hawthorn won't be the road block they have been in the past 5 years, but GWS do loom large.

Thereabouts? Wishful thinking mate. Hawthorn are still massive threats, O' Meara and Mitchell are two guns and Vickery fills a need.

 

[freo1997]

Do the bulldogs have a forward who can kick goals ?

Dickson doesn't miss much mate.

 

[Screen Name]

The difference between us and the Bulldogs was a powerful hawk outfit, that's it. Actually I think us at our best would have destroyed the dogs. But the Hawks at their best would have destroyed them by more.

 

[wayToGo_]

The Bulldogs look to outnumber the opposition at the contest and work to get the ball out and moving forward by multiple handballs or knock ons. The guys on the outside pounce on the loose ball and get inside as well or provide link up options to move it forward. They actually avoid stoppages because they want to get the ball into the open. I heard Kieran Jack interviewed during the game making the point that the Swans were better when adding numbers around the contest today.

I don't have the stats to compare, but when we were at our peak, we were strong in the contest too but we seemed to force stoppages to perhaps try and capitalise on Sandi's dominance rather than force the ball out into the open. Quite a different style of play I think.

I think we only defaulted to that force a stoppage mentality in the second half of 2015 possibly not coincidentally after Johnson went down and we also dropped Duffield. We also ran out of legs in the second half of the season (plus Fyfe's injury didn't help). For most of Rds 1-10 I recall us rebounding quite effectively and often taking the risk centering the ball into the corridor to move it quickly. If our list is fit enough to run all season then I still think that take the game on as directly as possible from d50 is best for us over the Hawk's precise ball movement around he outside style (not that we shouldn't look to kick if it's on though). If Johnson stays fit, Weller is played off half back and Crozier takes the game on I think we have some good runners off half back. And then we have the Hills, DPearce, Langdon, Sheridan and Tucker in the midfield to help move it into the forward line. Sandi, Fyfe, Apeness, Tabs and McCarthy is plenty of "get out of jail" contested marking if we need it.

 

[meima]

What of these thought of if sandi and johnson stay fits? Just managed their workload in afl game , they only there in 2017 is to guide the kids to smooth rebuild transition . The less freo depend on them the better next year .

 

[jedi mind tricks]

Cool thread

 

[malpaso]

That game and both teams involved just gives me more faith that we have the right Head Coach. We are just tweaking our team and we'll be up and about next year, I've no doubt.

 

[E Shed]

Some are IMO, seriously under rating what the Dogs achieved this year like they had some charmed run.

The Dogs had a lot of injuries to significant players at important times. In the finals they had to beat WC at Subi which no one gave them a chance of doing. Then back up against Hawthorn, the great team of the modern era, yes they weren't quite the team they were but still handy. Then THE form team of the comp, GWS who had out worked and out pressured Sydney. GWS in the best Sheedy tradition tried to bash them up, that was a very very tough game of footy and the Dogs prevailed again. Finally to beat Sydney, the best team all year who were aching for atonement, fit and primed, Dogs in their first Grand Final with no experienced players.

They played 4 games in a row on that level. We were similar in 2013 but fell apart when it mattered.

And as others have pointed out our game plan is around creating stoppages, hence the ugly footy tag. We didn't get it for no reason.
Dogs for mine play a perfect blend of strong defence with brilliant attack. Their players seem to know each other so well and trust where they will be at stoppages, the percentage of little knocks and behind the head handballs they do that come off is incredible and they just torch you with run once they get moving. So many 50/50 contests yesterday that Sydney threatened to go forward and will a little smother or touch Dogs reversed it and sprinted forward again.

I do agree that the Dogs got a very good run with the umps over the finals and we got the opposite but I can't agree that they just got lucky to in form when the Hawks were falling away. We probably still can't beat the hawks with the way our 2 game plans compare.

 

[wayToGo_]

And as others have pointed out our game plan is around creating stoppages, hence the ugly footy tag. We didn't get it for no reason.

I agree with you about what the Bulldogs have achieved. But seriously go back check out our games from the first half of 2015 and if you still come back and say that it was ugly footy all about creating stoppages then I'll happily eat my words. I haven't re-watched all 10 games but whenever I've gone back and looked at passages of those games we were playing on at all costs just like the Doggies do and especially with our defensive transition.

 

[apuchar]

Tough on the inside fast and skillful on the outside. Not like before please.

 

[CamTinley]

The Bulldogs didn't play Minson all season because he doesn't suit their gameplay. Minson dominated in the VFL where they won the flag so it wasn't because he was out of form.

Hawthorn came last this season for congestion possessions for about the fourth season in a row. So much for needing to win the hardball.

The future is attacking non-stop football. Ross Lyon needs to get his head around that. Subiaco is the perfect ground to play that style of football but we want to play in a shoe box. The players are worn out and sick of his antiquated game-plan.

The plus is that Lyon has plenty of time to fix things up.

 

[TheMcManusNose]

I agree with you about what the Bulldogs have achieved. But seriously go back check out our games from the first half of 2015 and if you still come back and say that it was ugly footy all about creating stoppages then I'll happily eat my words. I haven't re-watched all 10 games but whenever I've gone back and looked at passages of those games we were playing on at all costs just like the Doggies do and especially with our defensive transition.

Yeah it does remind me of the first half of 2015 a bit. Bont especially always looks to centre the ball through the corridor immediately.

Contrast to 2013 though which is what i think a lot of people are talking about - don't think we used the corridor as much or moved as quickly.

I think we can play that type of footy if we want to, but I would disagree with any who say the personnel is there. They have a lot more pace off half back, don't think Weller is there yet. Roughead and Boyd as mobile ruck/CHF are really well suited to it. We have the foundations there but I think we do need a few more pieces, especially tall types.

Not that we really need to totally copy them. It'll be interesting to see what we come out with next year.