Autopsy Post 2021 Grand Final Western Bulldogs game review, the good the bad and the ugly, come talk about it here!

I thought Cordy was one of our better players tonight.

He has obvious deficiencies and got exposed a couple of times but far from our worst.

I still would have picked Gardner and I don't see a great future for Cordy in the best 22 but yeah, not terrible.
He's just never quite there, a bit behind play, a bit out-bodied, like the ghost that walks without impact. I watched the 2016 GF this morning and he was 100% better than Hannan was today. Ben Brown has a medal! Crazy, who was on him FFS?
 

Libba39

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I thought Cordy was one of our better players tonight.

He has obvious deficiencies and got exposed a couple of times but far from our worst.

I still would have picked Gardner and I don't see a great future for Cordy in the best 22 but yeah, not terrible.

We could maybe afford to play all three of Keath, Gardner and Cordy if Wood wasn't in the side. He was just in no-man's land tonight.
 
Jun 27, 2013
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Teams lose grand finals every year. Some by a little bit, some by a lot. They then get the opportunity to respond the following year, sometimes they even win, eg Hawthorn in 13, Geelong in 09, West Coast in 06. It sucks but it's not a death sentence, and I'd back Bevo to let it spur them on.
Thing was none of those teams were thumped

Teams who get thumped seem to lose all confidence and drop their bundle

Carlton 1993 lost by 44, had an ok 1994, think they made a semi or prelim, pretty sure they got rolled by West Coast who won the flag, then they won 1995 convincingly after being arguably the best performed team in the 90s across a season (20-2)

Hawthorn thumped Essendon by 83 points in 1983 only for Essendon to flip the tables on them the next 2 years and salute

It just doesn't seem to happen often after a drubbing that those teams bounce back, we have to be resilient and find a way.
 
A 74pt GF loss can easily break a group for years. The off-season and preseason is going to be important to see how the group responds.

Proud of the season from the boys, but that last qtr was weak as piss.

To be fair they were getting the weakest of free kicks.
 

footscray1973

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As a team the Dees deserved it. Played an outstanding game, and i'm more than willing to give them plaudits for that. They were unrelenting in that second half. But I still hate the club, hate a bunch of their players, and they've got a large contingent of massive flog supporters. So this is very unfortunate.

You're a better man than I. I will refuse to ever acknowledge it, let alone hand out plaudits.
 
He's just never quite there, a bit behind play, a bit out-bodied, like the ghost that walks without impact. I watched the 2016 GF this morning and he was 100% better than Hannan was today. Ben Brown has a medal! Crazy, who was on him FFS?
Done alright for himself being kicked out of the wooden spooners and picked up by the premiers.
 
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Halfway through the third we looked like we almost had it...then bang...shame we couldn't respond.

But for all the despair going around I'm pretty sure we'd all have thought making the GF would be a good progression if asked in the preseason.

We've got a number one pick in Marra yet to play much, and a top 5 pick in Darcy on the way. We are primed for a very good decade ahead.

We didn't win but should be the second happiest team in the comp.
 

Brian Perrin

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Gutted but proud

A number of players had a down night and whet happened in the 3rd quarter bewilders me - if we had kicked one more when 19 up the margin may have been the same the other way around

Some holes need to be filled to compete consistently


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Defensive certainly wasn't the issue tonight, but I do think it's time for Wood to hang up the boots. If we won tonight I reckon he would've.

Buku is his long-term replacement and if wasn't for COVID and he had two full VFL seasons under his belt he'd be in the team already. Maybe another pre-season might be enough but we'll see.

Knowing Bevo he'll take someone from the forward line and they'll end up being an AA next year.
I dont have a massive issue with any of that. I just think that the calls for Wood to retire are a bit reactionary and that's understandable given what's just occurred. However, I dont think that its fair that he seems to be baring the brunt of the blame for what has occurred in the back half of the ground. We were uncharacteristically shaky there all night, but I've already outlined in my most Pollyannaish of ways as to why I think that was.

I probably should get back to shaping tomorrows most heinous of hangovers.
 

Oliver G

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I’m not fazed by the margin. Once we knew there was no coming back, you leak goals (we were on the right side of that in the Prelim). Why did we stop though in the third? I don’t have the answer but I’m sure it’ll be analysed to death over the off-season.

Agree not sure why people are obsessed with margin it's not like it was over at QT or even HT. The back broke when Fritsch kicked the goal at 3:01 Q4. Yes there is always hope but when you see the margin up on the board the efforts begin the waiver.

In recent history our only win from that margin in Q4 was against Hawthorn in 2019 and the 6-6-6 rule and umpires certainly helped us out that afternoon.
 
Melbourne too good tonight.

hopefully the coaches well learn that it is important to have a bye and not train on, because that is where our year went pear shaped.

Lots to think about in the preseason, but we will collect Darcy after getting Marra last year, we a
ready have an eye to our future.

Go Dogs!
 

Triple Baileys

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I think tonight highlighted that Wood's days are surely over, lost his pace & Fritsch embarrassed him.
Martin is a stop gap short term fix but we desperately need a younger & fitter option, English aint it.
Cordy was again exposed 1 on 1 & I'm not sure Gardner is any better.
Not sure where we will get Ruckman & intercepting defender from in the short term given our lack of trade & draft pick options this year.
Hopefully Richards can have a decent run at it next year and add some pace to our side.

add to that a few other players who only play a decent game once or twice a season, no need to name them but, you know, the guys who are subject of fierce debates here between apologists and detractors.
 
Not saying he would but he would add pace to our side which we need. We lost because when they got their run on in the 3rd quarter we lost our belief and mentally gave up. Also didn't see too many tactical changes from the coach to try and stem the tide when things turned their way.
We just accepted our fate and handed it to them.
Melbourne deserve to be premiers but they shouldn't be kicking 12 straight goals in 30 minutes.
Look again(actually dont, that would be cruel) Beveridge had swung a number of changes in the last like Duryea and Dale to half forward. Unfortunately the game was well and truly done by that stage.
 

BRWB

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I don’t know what to say. That hurt so bad.

obviously wasn’t the difference but Cordy over Gardiner was a laughable selection.

Yep that stings. How do we lose a half of football by over 80 points? Like just how

I don't get this Cordy was pretty good in the first half. Sure he struggled when Gawn went fwd and he had to take Brown. But Cordy was going ok. Gardner would have shat the bed with pressure they were putting on. Dale and Williams shat the bed. Cordy was actually a steadying influence. Them walking the ball through our mids is what killed us. Jackson slaughtered us when Gawn went fwd.

Just don't get the incessant bagging of Cordy. He really isn't that bad watch the first half again he saved our arse' multiple times
 

Thunderoad

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I think what happens off field with the coaching staff is as important as any additions to the playing list.

We have always been light on in the coaching and support staff side of things and with King seemingly going, the time is right to invest more in that area.

I feel we trail in this area and if we want to be genuine multiple premiership contenders then we need to find a way to make that happen within the cap.
 

Oliver G

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Let's just pray that this doesn't break our playing group.

It won't, our window is open for at least another 3-4 years. This is not Port in 2007 or GWS in 2019. We played 41 this year and almost never settled. The fact that we made the GF is a huge achievement in itself. Just think if Treloar and Dunkley played every game and English not getting that heavy concussion.

If we can get a good run with injuries and work on our defensive mid structure we'll make the 4 easily.

There are so many things to look forward to as well. JUH, Darcy and hopefully Buku along with the start of the massive WO redevelopment.

Tonight was heartbreaking but the cub is in the best position it's even been in.
 
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I don't get this Cordy was pretty good in the first half. Sure he struggled when Gawn went fwd and he had to take Brown. But Cordy was going ok. Gardner would have shat the bed with pressure they were putting on. Dale and Williams shat the bed. Cordy was actually a steadying influence. Them walking the ball through our mids is what killed us. Jackson slaughtered us when Gawn went fwd.

Just don't get the incessant bagging of Cordy. He really isn't that bad watch the first half again he saved our arse' multiple times
This

Our midfield first and foremost capitulated when we had 1 foot on their throat

After that they all dropped their heads and gave up
 
Not sure if there was, but maybe someone on the defensive side for atleast one of bounces might of helped.
They knocked the ball wide at the centre contest and were off to the races. Its the same tactic that Essendon used to great effect a month ago.

We didn't have an answer for it then and allowed Peter ******* Wright to kick 7 and we didn't have an answer for it tonight and we allowed Bailey ******* Fritsch to kick 6 or 10 or whatever he finished with.
 
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