Autopsy Roast : Bevo’s stubborn match day selections and the loss to St.Kilda

[Dogs Rule]

Corey was apparently significant in the 2016 season. Bizarre that he leaves.

Would much rather have seen Gia or Smith leave. Don’t want more than one (at most) ex player as an assistant.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

Corey was apparently significant in the 2016 season. Bizarre that he leaves.

Could be some areas that he lacks in. He’s not the greatest communicator.
The couple of times I’ve spoken with him you could barely get two words out of him.

 

[weltschmerz]

Four get top marks, three huge fails in AFL’s return round: Round 2 Report Card

Four get top marks, three huge fails in AFL’s return: Report Card

www.foxsports.com.au

WESTERN BULLDOGS
Perhaps expectations for the Dogs need to be recalibrated in a big way. They’ve lost their last three games by a combined 149 points. They couldn’t convert their early chances against the Saints and then wilted quite quickly once the opposition got on a roll. Some serious questions need to be asked at the kennel. They host GWS next week and their arch rival would love nothing more than to bounce back from a loss of their own and leave the Dogs at 0-3 to start the shortened season. Undoubtedly the team that will face the most, if not equal-most scrutiny this week.
In the votes
That’s two games in a row Bailey Smith has had the most disposals for the Dogs. Still just 19 years of age and showing signs of being a gamebreaker in the not-to-distant future. Teams are going to have to start paying more attention to Josh Dunkley. The 23-year-old continues to go under the radar with so much focus on Bontempelli and Macrae; he had 28 disposals and kicked a goal in a Dogs side that was lacking grunt. Slim pickings otherwise. The Bont had 24 touches but barely any impact on the game.
Room for improvement
Tim English needs some sort of support in the ruck. He’ll continue to develop but is being torn apart by opposition ruckmen. In round one it was Brodie Grundy and on Sunday it was a Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall tag team. The final hitout tally was 49 to 12 for the Saints. As far as needing improvement goes, dare we say Luke Beveridge’s work at selection? Toby McLean, Josh Schache and Tom Liberatore were all available but overlooked. The Dogs’ goalkicking was woeful and they’ve failed to pass 50 points in both of their games this year.
Grade
F

 

[footscray1973]

St Kilda also comprehensively out-ran us. So your comment about Hunter is spot on. Maybe they came back fitter or maybe they were just better schooled and more disciplined. They were cleaner with the ball too.

As for Gowers ... well you probably weren't meaning it literally but for the record we have won 11 of the 31 games he's played. Not a lot worse than the side's winning percentage over that whole period.

He was at least consistent in a poor 2018 side:

AFL Tables - Billy Gowers - Stats - Statistics

afltables.com

Most of his averages dropped in 2019, apart from goals per game. Yesterday one of his poorer efforts, matching some 2019 performances.
Interesting career frees stats - 17 for, 41 against.

 

[Dogs Rule]

Could be some areas that he lacks in. He’s not the greatest communicator.
The couple of times I’ve spoken with him you could barely get two words out of him.

Fair enough, but I would rather that sometimes than a Billy Bull****er who talks a lot, but says nothing.

 

[footscray1973]

Could be some areas that he lacks in. He’s not the greatest communicator.
The couple of times I’ve spoken with him you could barely get two words out of him.

Yet some players raved about his impact on their game over 2015-2016. His communication with fans may not reflect his communication with players btw.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

Fair enough, but I would rather that sometimes than a Billy Bull****er who talks a lot, but says nothing.

Yeah, true. I agree.

You can look at how Richmond are going at the moment with Carracellas influence still there, even though he’s now at Essendon.
Our mids shouldn’t need Corey to be walking them through the set ups and game plan every training session and game.
The teaching is already there, it just needs to nurtured by the coaches and implemented by the players.

To be clear though, I do agree that Coreys exit is a strange one but there’s obviously reasons for it.
We’ll eventually find out if they’re the right ones. If we aren’t already seeing them.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

Yet some players raved about his impact on their game over 2015-2016. His communication with fans may not reflect his communication with players btw.

That’s true. Though, my dealings with Corey were at local club level through a mate that played with him at Geelong. He came in to chat to the boys and go through some structure stuff. He’s as softly spoken as anyone I’ve ever met and didn’t really have the players attention.
We had Hawthorns Damian Carrol come in a year prior and as well as his tactical nous, he also had the players on the edge of their seat with what he was talking about. Both had great football brains but completely different impacts on the playing group, for the short time they were there.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Very disappointing so far, and I reckon you are right in scrutinizing the coach.

 

[Dogs Rule]

Very disappointing so far, and I reckon you are right in scrutinizing the coach.

Thanks for your insight. Much appreciated.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Thanks for your insight. Much appreciated.

Hey, I get it, you have the shits at the moment, and so would I.

I can't see the point in bringing in big blokes and not significantly changing up the game plan though, and I reckon that has you in your current predicament.

 

[Cadillac]

Hey, I get it, you have the shits at the moment, and so would I.

I can't see the point in bringing in big blokes and not significantly changing up the game plan though, and I reckon that has you in your current predicament.

Luckily we are only two games into the season. Can’t be denied that we have the young talent to be a contender in a couple of years. Naughton is as talented as any young key forward in the competition. We have the 19 year old Bailey Smith who’s carrying our midfield at the moment who you at North wish Davis-Uniacke could be. And of course we have Jamarra Ugle-Hagan who is the likely #1 pick who we get in the draft this year apart of our NGA. Who’s a key forward who rips games apart.

The reason we are s**t atm is because of Bevo’s selections. His match day tactics. And because we don’t have our guys in the 26-32 age bracket in their prime playing good football. (as you guys do) We have some list issues that need addressing. But it’s not the end of the world.

 

[Lindsay_Gilbee]

What I watched of Vandermeer only confirmed what I’ve seen of him in the vfl. Has tunnel vision and seems incredibly selfish. Get why we brought him in Cos he’s quick but I’m not a fan.

 

[Cruiserweight Champ]

We get bullied physically far too easily and to watch the Saints score every goal like I was watching a replay of the same goal is most worrying. Once our structure is broken when teams rebound out of defense all it takes is a two or three players to not be willing to run hard defensively to cover their man for it to all unravel.

I see it as a combo of game plan, work ethic and picking a team that can at least play tough selfless role so our game breaking players can play without getting physically smashed every time they win the ball. I didn’t see anyone, bar two or three, lay a block/shepherd, anything remotely physical on the Saints players.

 

[Yojimbo]

Round 1: 22 x Inside 50's, 17 x Rebound 50's (= 5)
Round 2: 39 x Inside 50's, 32 x Rebound 50's (= 7)

Versus

Round 1 Opp: 42 x Inside 50's, 29 x Rebound 50's (= 13)
Round 2 Opp: 40 x Inside 50's, 25 x Rebound 50's (= 15)

Round 1: 281 x Disposals versus 352 x Disposals
Round 2: 319 x Disposals versus 336 x Disposals

Not getting much to work with and when we do get it in, it comes back out again.

 

[adogsfan5]

If it is true that we currently have no midfield coach around the team, well it certainly makes a lot of sense around how our midfield brigade is going.

 

[wian]

How Gardiner and Flowers Gowers get the nod ahead of trengrove, young, schache, sweet etc is beyond me. Just lunacy

I'd play them light years ahead of the other 2. Gowers and Gardner seriously need to go to the club, pack their bags and quit instead of taking the piss.

 

[Bulldogs85]

I heard that we were into McLean last year as part of the Bruce deal, but we were politely told to shove it....

Good and I hope Sam Power laughed you guys out of the room

 

[SonOfScray]

Lunch time and Bevo hasn't been sacked.
Therefore, time to sack Grant too.

No action by lunch time tomorrow, PG will have to go too.

These insipid, bat s**t crazy efforts will induce equally ****ed up responses.

 

[ScragCity]

Hey, I get it, you have the shits at the moment, and so would I.

I can't see the point in bringing in big blokes and not significantly changing up the game plan though, and I reckon that has you in your current predicament.

You clearly have a great footy mind. On behalf of this forum, thanks for enlightening us with your wisdom. Namaste.

 

[CarnTheScray]

Game plan sucks. Give BigFooty an hour and they'd make a better one. Zoning does not work for this team on field.

 

[Rizz64]

Good and I hope Sam Power laughed you guys out of the room

Probably told us to come back next year when he has no trade value left after not playing all year

 

[Boyd oh Boyd]

Is the game plan unsustainable?

The change last year that separated our bad form and good form was playing the extra forward instead of a mid (some would say Dunkley playing in his best position but this happened about round 7 and our form changed dramatically about round 15). Personally I don't think the extra forward really explain our form and I put it down to the players picking up their game. When we had 2 mids in All Australian form and one narrowly behind them, and a key forward taking the most contested marks of the H&A season the game plan looks good. But I don't think there's a single team that can say their 3 starting mids are in elite form every round every season. I think for this style to work we need a level of form that just isn't possible to sustain. There needs to be alternatives, ways to grind out games even when it's not going our way. Even our slingshot defence usually needs to link up with the midfield unless one side of the ground is clear for them to use by themselves. Is there a way to be less reliant on our mids?

 

[Bulldogs85]

Probably told us to come back next year when he has no trade value left after not playing all year

He is contracted till 2022 and he will be playing this year in fact I won’t be surprised if he will be playing this week.

 

[ossie_21]

Something at the club is not right if the players weren’t told to be down the beach for training at 4am this morning