Autopsy RD 22 - Exposed by the Crows

[threenewpadlocks]

The loss we had to have.

 

[Lex22]

unfortunately English seems to be the barometer of this team

I’ve often thought the same.

Are hit-outs everything? No, but being second to the ball nearly every time and trying to get it back must flatten the midfield group at times. Also, it’s not sustainable.

We do need a plan b. Short term, I’d start with Darcy spending a lot more time in the ruck over the first half and then let Timmy go to work around the ground from there.

Going forward, we need to find another senior ruck option to add to the list.

 

[Munnez]

Shown up to be finals pretenders. We just don't have it between the ears. Created enough opportunities just could not kick a goal.
Lost count of the number of tackles we allowed them to walk through. We may do enough to qualify I just can't see how we can mount a serious challenge

 

[TMoney22]

Is missed tackles a stat? There was so many

 

[adogsfan5]

Poor intensity, poor effort to tackle and defend and that’s the result you deserve in a tough competition.

This one is on the players. Now we have to win the last two to make finals. Let’s see how tough we are.

 

[Zeno The Great]

I flew over for the game. Disgusting performance across the board, topped off by some weak print throwing something in the back of my head walking down the stairs and not having the balls to own it. Horrible day all round and long flight back in the morning.

 

[Doggy]

The loss we had to have.

To put us on the brink before the next 2 weeks kill us off? Sure

 

[Marbyriver]

Still a chance for a home final aren't we? Disappointing loss but we've proven we can make it to the grand final from outside the 4, go again next week.

 

[Al dente]

Hyped up team, big opportunity, and we made a big statement "were making up the numbers this year"

 

[dogwatch]

I haven’t seen O’Bien play that well since Ballarat 2022. Enough said. If the performance of the opposition ruckman (good, bad or otherwise) isn’t the biggest influence on our matches then I’m watching the wrong sport.

His two best stats for Hitouts were that game (2023) when he got 63 HOs and English 29, and today where he got 59. He must relish playing us!

However in 2023 we still won that game by 45 points.

 

[Ted's Robot]

We absolutely smashed the Dees last week.

That’s why this result is even more frustrating, we had one of best run in years and we go and **** it up with a beyond awful performance

We did but it was one of those nights where things went our way. Opposite of today.
I thought we tried but couldn't make the most of our chances. The crows did.

 

[Munnez]

Feel like Coffield is building he’s way into it. Buku needs to make way tho

Buku was an absolute mismatch on a Gorilla like Fogarty. And we didn't put any pressure on the ball carrier so not surprisingly he got bbq'ed

 

[doggy heaven]

View attachment 2076354

Vdm ?What is his purpose in the team. Absolute joke

 

[Munnez]

Any votes for Marcus ?

No

 

[adogsfan5]

58 hitouts to 16. Hang your head in shame Tim. They are some insipid numbers.

 

[Dog 36]

The loss we had to have.

The win we should’ve had.

 

[_Mike_]

The loss we had to have.

there's few teams that have the capability of going 10+ wins without a loss, the Dogs aren't one of them. Losing this game doesnt mean the ship is sinking however it does highlight the deficiencies in the list and management

 

[VogonProsthetnic]

The win we should’ve had.

One thing stays the same - our kicking for goal is abysmal.

Has been for at least 4 seasons now.

Seems like we show no confidence lining up and we rarely look relaxed in preparation.

Astounding that the club accepts it.

 

[fargy]

Haven’t read much of this thread, but I imagine I want to echo plenty of statements. I’m not sure I’ve seen a worse tackling performance. So many of their goals came from some missed tackles along the line somewhere.

Goal kicking was always going to bite us again, if we take this into finals (if we make finals) we’ll lose a game that we should have won.

Just want to give McNeil a shout out. Tackles stuck and he was rewarded for it.

I’ve been neither here nor there on Vandermeer. But wow, I’ve never seen someone panic with the ball so much, I wonder sometimes if he’s actually scared to get the ball (not having a go at his courage, more so that he worries about what will happen when he has it in his hands).

 

[ossie_21]

1 more scoring shot, 16 more inside 50’s and we lose by 7 goals.

This is your 2024 Western Bulldogs.

 

[fred cook]

One thing stays the same - our kicking for goal is abysmal.

Has been for at least 4 seasons now.

Seems like we show no confidence lining up and we rarely look relaxed in preparation.

Astounding that the club accepts it.

Because our football department at the senior level is so amateurish

 

[W W Biscuit]

I was becoming uneasy about some of the optimism on this board regarding top four chances and riding the results of the other teams around us. There was a bit of presupposition that we would continue our form line into the final three games of the year. When history tells us that when the Dogs are in this situation, they tend to capitulate like a house of cards.

The previous four weeks were glorious, no doubt. But, afraid to say, top tier teams get it done when it's not backs to the wall and us against the world. Genuine top tier teams win the games they should. They win from a position of favouritism. Until we can get this thing right between the ears, we will continue to be nothing more than the biggest teasers in the competition.

 

[perro_loco]

Spud coaching, spud midfield, spud forwards, Naughton awful, poor everything. we don't do well in Adelaide. big lesson, not sure we can win the big prize with this type of play. have to win the next two or we are out of the finals. Perro not happy.

 

[SayerTheCreator]

Vdm ?What is his purpose in the team. Absolute joke

He needs to go. He looks lost out there and in the 21 games he has somehow played this season, I can’t recall him sticking a tackle. But watch, he’ll get a game next week and the week after, and if we fluke it, the week after that.

Credit to the crows, they did play out of their skins but our inaccuracy has once again come back to bite us.

 

[TheScriptorWL]

BULLDOGS LOSE! Gee, they could have used The Bont Freijah and Sanders Tonight

Anyone saying this doesn't put a major question mark on our form the last few weeks. Is kidding themselves. If we lost by three goals and showed a bit of heart, it would be a different story, It would be a kick up the arse, a loss we needed to have.

But that didn't happen. Crows played great, not taking anything away from them. BUT! We are better than them and the loss today is all mental.

We all feared that when they kicked the first completely uncontested. That the boys would drop our heads and that's exactly what happened. We need that soul again, that grunt, that 2016 swarm mentality that won us a premiership from 7th and had us cleaning house the last few weeks. That's BevoBall, that's the brand we have spent Ten years developing!

All day today our midfielders were 2-5 metres away from the contest. And that's all well and good when our bulls are winning the hard ball's. But when our core group is having a bad day. You have to get in there!

Now that I've got it all out and can think rationally. This was bound to happen off the back of four games we not only won but dominated without taking our foot off the figurative accelerator. But that does not change that the effort was not there today.

OVERLY INDULGENT RANT OVER.

Wait one more! Vandermeer.