TAR Sons of the West - A battler story

[Pie 4 Life]

Hi everyone, this story is hopefully going to be a little different to the normal ones, aiming to provide more of a back story and week-to-week information than straight up matches and results. Hope you like it

September 20, 1997. A date that will be etched in Footscray fans minds for eternity, like an itch you can't scratch.

Admittedly I was never a Bulldogs fan, so it was nothing personal, but you would have to be a robot not to feel something for them. They'd lost to Adelaide after leading by 31 points at half-time. They had one foot in the grand final... and then it was gone. Few will forget the heroics of Darren Jarman on the day, but it was hard not to get involved in the atmosphere.

12 months later they were there again, but unlike the previous year, there was no collapse, because there was barely anything standing up in the first place. Belted and out of the finals by the same club that saw the Doggies off the year prior.

These are just a few of the memories, and it's hard not to remember them. Or curse them, depending on what colours you wear on gameday. For myself, I always enjoyed watching the Bulldogs and perhaps that's how I found myself here, at the Whitten Oval.

Walking down the corridors, admiring the likes of Ted Whitten and Doug Hawkins, it was a club with a proud history, yet an empty trophy cabinet. Indeed, I found myself here, in this place of worship for Bulldogs fans, with a one-year interim contract facing me and a whole lot of work.

Today is October 6, 2008. Melbourne has just won the flag less than a fortnight ago. It was a droughtbreaking flag, where the Dees broke the so-called 'Norm Smith' curse. Now the heat was on the Bulldogs to break their drought. The Swans had done it, the Cats had done and the Dees had done it. It was the Bulldogs turn.

But right now, the Bulldogs had finished 15th with an ageing list and I, the assistant coach had been asked to be an interim for the next 12 months. Control the club, coach the club and if I suceeded I would be put on full-time. It was not an ideal position, but that was what could make or break people. I loved a challenge. Today was the day I announced myself to the world.

 

[haydo]

Interesting. Looking forward to it

 

[Pie 4 Life]

October 6, 2008

The press conference had gone well. Of course there was the usual 'why would you agree to a one-year deal?' and 'what will happen if your contract isn't renewed?' talk, of which was quickly shut down by David Smorgon. Today was not about what ifs, today was about the future. I was entrusted with the club and to be honest, they wanted me to make hard choices, if I got the fans off board, then it was a temporary deal, if it worked, then I was a genius and they kept me on. It was a low risk/high reward scenario for them.

My first job was greeting the players and those who were not at the club, contacting them far and wide. For some, it was a case of saying goodbye, and for others, it was a case of selling what I wanted to offer them.

The year before they had lost Luke Darcy, Chris Grant, Brett Montgomery and Rohan Smith to retirement and the list had pretty much been stripped bare. They'd picked up the first pick and taken a talented key defender called Dillon Rose who had impressed in his first season. They'd also picked up a handful of defenders in Mark Nicoski, Jed Adcock and Josh Drummond.

But the biggest pick-ups were Matthew Pavlich and Luke Ball. They needed leaders so they went out and got them. They paid a pretty penny though, and they lost a lot of depth in the process. Indeed, I was handed a list that was in transition and I needed to show there was a path forward that the players could buy into, a game plan that the fans could believe in. Most importantly, I wanted to prove I was a coach the board could rely on.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

October 8, 2008

I was informed by the coaching staff that Matthew Robbins and Scott West had decided to retire. I also had the tough job of phoning club servants Matthew Boyd and Mitch Hahn, telling them they no longer had contracts at the club. It was pretty shattering for any player, but especially those who had given their all to their club for a number of years.

I knew this job would not be easy, but I would need to do a lot more to get this side into contention. I wasn't expecting a premiership, but anything less than competitive would be frowned upon. I think with a good off-season the club could at least be in the top half of the botton eight and springboard from there.

The club had a number of battlers that Rodney Eade had brought in, including Simon Godfrey and Quinten Lynch. I had no problem identifying these players were merely stop gaps and I was not about "surviving" I was about sustained success. If it costed me my job, then so be it. I would be willing to do what it took to put the club in the best possible frame heading forward.

The trade week starts next week and we need top picks. It is a super draft of sorts by all accounts and rebuilding through the drafts, well you could not have picked a better year to do it. We have picks two and 18, but we're keen to add to that.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

October 13, 2008

Trade week. The week where ridiculous rumours circulate on fan forums and social media, and the week where nothing happens until the last few hours. I could not afford to wait. I wanted youth and experience. I wanted to rebuild through the draft, while plucking players that could play a role in the best 22.

The first trade done on the early afternoon was something I don't think anyone would have predicted. I sent Quinten Lynch with young key position player Jesse Wells and Pick 34 to Richmond for the first pick in the national draft.

We had a bunch of so-so rucks, and I wanted one that I could build my team around. Adrian Hart from Glenelg was the clear number one pick in the draft, and given I had pick two as well, I could select him and skilful midfielder from Oakleigh, Jacob Cumming, a readymade player who could step straight in from round on.

Before the close of business, I had another top 10 pick. Wayde Skipper and Damian McCormack, both young players, but ones I felt had limited ceilings, were sent west to Fremantle, in return I received pick 10.

I now had picks one, two, 10 and 18 and wanted the next day to be about experience.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

October 15, 2008

If the first day threw up some shocks for the league, then the next two days were going to send them crazy. I'll never forget some of the comments from fans on social media when the rumour spread that I was trading Tom Williams.

You know, the potentially elite tall defender, who the Dogs fans relied on and belived was the next great hope? Yep he was going. Everyone was against it, until they found out who was replacing him in the trade. Lance 'Buddy' Franklin from the Hawks. All of a sudden, the tirade of abuse turned into social media spamming of cheering and screaming.

I'd pulled the trigger and brought 'Buddy' to the club. He was not the first and would not be the last big name player to come to the club, but it sent the fans into euphoria. I was suddenly their king.

Two more trades would go down today, with James Kelly joining from the Cats in return for Ryan Hargrave. I had plundered the key position stocks, but the Doggies had a ridiculous amount to begin with. We need experience in the middle and Kelly offered just that.

In what I thought could have been the most one-sided deal of the week, we welcomed Shaun Burgoyne from Port Adelaide for Simon Godfrey. I chuckled the fact that we'd picked up Godfrey for free the year before and now we'd received a classy half-back for him.

I wanted a big emphasis placed on skill level and consistency. Burgoyne offered me both of those things. With two days remaining, trade week was turning out perfectly for the Bulldogs.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

October 17, 2008

The final hours of trade week had been frantic. I'd traded Nathan Eagleton and Pick 50 to North Melbourne for Drew Petrie. He was out of form at the Roos and they wanted an experienced midfielder to help with their kids. Eagleton could also play any position required, he was just a tad out of my age frame at 29. Petrie would head the attack with Pavlich and Franklin - a deadly three-prone attack.

In the moments leading up to the final minutes, our last trade was officially submitted. Fan favourite Will Minson was gone. With him pick 10 also departed, heading to Carlton in return for pick 3. It was a high price to pay, and indeed I had wanted to use 18 instead of 10, but that was a no deal from the Blues and we were out of time. It meant I had traded three players for pick three, but I was told this draft could bear riches down the track it was that strong.

In a huge week, I had brought in two top three picks, to have the top three selections in the draft, two key forwards, a midfielder and a half-back, all of whom I hoped would play big roles in 2009. But I still had the draft to work out, as we'd all but settled on Adrian Hart and Jacob Cumming for the top two picks. But with pick three and 18 also on the board, we would need to do some thinking.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

National Draft Night 2008

The night of nights had come. For under 18s around the country, national draft night was the night where dreams became reality. For 64 young men, they would put on colours that would be the beginning of the next chapter in their lives. I was honoured to go up on stage and present them with their jumpers, well the first three picks.

"With pick one in the 2008 National Draft, the Western Bulldogs select Adrian Hart, Glenelg Football Club," head recruiter Scott Clayton read out. The 202cm, 97kg monster greeted me on the stage. He was exactly what I had hoped for. A big bodied ruck, ready to go, but also willing to bide his time to learn his craft and become a franchise player.

"Welcome to the Bulldogs Adrian," I said, shaking his hands. "Thanks so much, you won't regret picking me," he replied.

Next up was pick two, this too was straight forward. Clayton read out Jacob Cumming's name. The Oakleigh Charger made his way to the stage. At just 177cm, he was a lot smaller than his new teammate, but was ready to slot into the team from round one. Elite skills and ball finding ability, Cumming was a consistent outside midfielder who could also play forward.

Now would be the surprise. "With pick three in the 2008 National Draft, the Western Bulldogs select Kameron Fearn, Southport Football Club." The room erupted in applause, particularly from the Queensland end as the blond midfielder made his way to the stage. An endurance beast, Fearn also had elite skills, but was still a raw prospect with plenty of development. One to watch so to say.

A round later, Clayton read out the name of Andrew Teague, a small back from the Western Jets, who could not be more thrilled to be staying in the western suburbs while chasing his football dream. The four players would front up for training the following Monday, where they would be mobbed by all their new fans wanting to catch a glipse of the next big thing. For them, their world may never be the same again.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Pre-Season Draft Night 2008

With only a fortnight between the national and pre-season drafts, the club did not have to wait long to find the next batch of experienced players to fill out the list. With no Richmond in the pre-season draft, the Bulldogs had first pick. We selected Steve Johnson, the Geelong livewire who found himself on the outer after a disappointing 2007 season.

Along with Johnson, we picked up Brent Guerra from Hawthorn, Adam Ramanauskas from Essendon, Jordan McMahon and Cameron Faulkner who had been dropped the year before by the Bulldogs, and Ryan Titmus, a project ruck who would provide solid back-up if the first preferences went down.

The list was now filled. 38 players who would represent the red, white and blue. I had
my team and I could not wait the few months to get cracking, but for now, it was about getting to know the players and what would work for them. It was going to be a long, hard summer.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

January 2009

After two months of training, we were just a couple of weeks away from our first match - a game under lights at AAMI Stadium against Port Adelaide. Training had gone well and everyone was putting in the hard yards. I emphasised a fast ball movement, that was long and direct, but not haphazardly. I wanted players still to be smart. Pick the right option. Look direct and long first and if there was nothing ahead, go shorter and wait for an option to pop up.

The forwards group was looking dangerous and I hoped they could kick us some serious scores this year. In defence, we had more experience, although we did lack genuine talls with only a handful on our list. We needed injuries to be kind to us in that regard. Through the middle, we were still weaker than other teams, but we had some bigger bodies in there now, which was important. The ruck was still a concern with Robert Campbell being the number one ruck, but he was effectively going to be teaching Adrian Hart the ropes so Hart could take over the role.

The leadership group had been announced, with Robert Murphy declared captain. Daniel Giansiracusa, Matthew Pavlich and Luke Ball were all named in the group and it provided Bob with some strong back-up. They were the oldest on the list and had to show the younger pups the way. They needed to carry the message from the coaches box, onfield.

The full team list was as follows:

 

[Pie 4 Life]

NAB Cup

It was hard to believe after three months of waiting, it was finally here. I was raring to go and see how my boys would go against other clubs. Whether they would take what they had learnt and implement, and whether that would work. It was the great unknown in my first pre-season as coach. I wanted to give as many players as possible a go in the NAB Cup to test whether they would have a spot starting round one. Mark Nicoski would be missing the first four weeks of the season after a carry-over suspension from 2008. I still wanted to get match practice into him, but more so others because they would need to work together as a unit on gameday.

I decided to try and pick the best possible squad based on just what I had seen through training and my experience watching the players. I was excited to introduce Jacob Cumming to the team, while see how young forward Jose Gadol would play. I also opted to play Adrian Hart in the ruck just to see where he was at solo. It gave Robert Campbell a week off and he would likely play the remaining three weeks as we worked him into round one. The side I picked was:

B: Nick Maxwell – Dillon Rose – Tim Walsh
HB: Lindsay Gilbee – Brian Harris – Shaun Burgoyne
C: James Kelly – Ryan Griffen – Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy – Matthew Pavlich – Jacob Cumming
F: Steve Johnson – Lance Franklin – Drew Petrie
R: Adrian Hart – Adam Cooney – Luke Ball
INT: Daniel Giansiracusa – Jed Adcock – Shaun Higgins – Jose Gadol
EMG: Jordan McMahon – Robert Campbell – Troy Selwood

It was a strong mix of youth and experience. I was excited about the possibilities of this group, but knew it would take some time to gel. I just hoped it was sooner rather than later.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

PORT ADELAIDE LIGHTS UP NIGHT WITH 28-POINT WIN OVER DOGS

DESPITE a brave effort, the Western Bulldogs ultimately fell short on the weekend, going down by 28 points to Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. The Power kicked off the match with a seven goals to three first term, before the Dogs hit back with a six goals to four second term. With coach Peter Williams at the helm, the Dogs looked lively, but also erratic as Port continually found options inside 50. The Power controlled possession of the football and denied the Dogs any chance of getting it. Steven Salopek led the way with 32 disposals, nine marks and two goals, while Ryan Willits was a dominant force with 5.1, opposed to Tim Walsh.

After his fourth goal, Walsh was replaced by Dillon Rose who nullified Willits somewhat. For the Bulldogs, Lance Franklin stood out in his first game for the club, booting 4.1 from 23 disposals and eight marks, while Drew Petrie worked well in tandem with Adrian Hart, with the pair having their work cut out for them against Dean Brogan. Nick Maxwell was also promising in defence with 20 disposals, while Lindsay Gilbee picked up 23 disposals and seven marks. The biggest question mark for the Dogs coach was the loss of clearances, going down 38-21, with most other statistics fairly even apart from possessions.

Post-match questions:

Q: How did you assess your team's performance tonight?

A: I felt we competed in patches, but were not consistent enough across four quarters. They won the ruck duels and around the stoppages, which makes it hard for our forwards to get much opportunities. In saying that, we rebounded well from half-back and still had 51 inside 50s. We just need to capitalise better in the clearances.

Q: What did you make of the debutants today?

A: Well we had both experienced and first timers in for their first game at the club. The experienced blokes were as you'd expect, contributed and play a role. There were a few who did not live up to expectation, but as a whole they were good. I thought Adrian Hart tried hard against an experienced opponent, while Jacob Cumming had 18 possessions, six marks and kicked a goal, which is promising for a debut.

Q: What's the number one thing you want to work on for next week?

A: We will focus on clearances and not giving away silly free kicks. They won the free kick count 18-7 which is very lobsided and we're clearly doing something wrong. We'll go back to the drawing board to investigate and see how we can fix that.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

NAB Cup - Pre-season results

After going down to the Power in Adelaide, the Bulldogs had a mixed bag of results. They led the back-to-back wooden spooners Richmond by 25 points after trailing by that margin, but booting 10 of the next 11 goals. The Tigers hit back late with the breeze, got to the front and held on in a narrow win. The Dogs were smashed in the clearances giving me more to think about. Jose Gadol injured his foot in the match and would miss four weeks. Robert Campbell returned and was impressive against Troy Simmonds and Peter Street. Overall it was a poor performance however and wwe could not accept that. Much more work was needed to be competitive in season 2009.

It took until the third game to get a positive result, as we took it up to Fremantle to win by 30 points. Matthew Pavlich was sensational with 23 disposals, 10 marks and five goals, while Adam Cooney had 24 touches in the win. We were well beaten in the inside 50 count 49-66, but made the most of our chances, which was one positive at least.

The final game against Hawthorn reminded us how far we needed to get to compete with the top teams - and Hawthorn weren't even a top team. Lance Franklin booted three goals, but the Hawks ran us ragged with Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge dominating. Daniel Cross kept Mitchell to two possessions once he started tagging him at half-time (he had 20 to that stage), but Cross went down with a back injury which was disappointing. We had a lot of so-so performances, but nothing that stood out considerably.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

2009 Premiership Season - Round 1 vs Carlton at Etihad Stadium

It was here. The first match of the year was finally here. I was probably about as nervous as some of the players, but of course I couldn't show that. There were a lot of debutants in our first match, and a lot of players that were not used to playing with others. It would take time, but I hoped they would gel eventually.

The side:

B: (27) Nick Maxwell – (25) Dillon Rose – (26) Tim Walsh
HB: (24) Brent Guerra – (36) Brian Harris – (9) Lindsay Gilbee
C: (10) James Kelly – (16) Ryan Griffen – (13) Daniel Giansiracusa
HF: (3) Jacob Cumming – (20) Drew Petrie – (1) Matthew Pavlich
F: (5) Steve Johnson – (23) Lance Franklin – (2) Robert Murphy
R: (39) Robert Campbell – (17) Adam Cooney – (14) Luke Ball
INT: (19) Shaun Higgins – (11) Jordan McMahon – (6) Adrian Hart – (7) Jed Adcock

Milestones: Steve Johnson - 100 games
Debuts: Jacob Cumming (Oakleigh, 18), Adrian Hart (Glenelg, 18)

It was an inexperienced team, there was no doubting that, but the fans were excited to see the top two draft picks in action. The oldest plaers on the list were 27, so there were no veterans to be seen, but the likes of Robert Murphy, Drew Petrie and Matthew Pavlich would have to lead the team, while Robert Campbell would be a good leader for young Adrian Hart. Carlton had just missed out on finals last year finishing ninth, defeating them would show we could just compete for a finals spot.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

BULLDOGS POWER TO MAIDEN WIN IN HIGH SCORING AFFAIR

WESTERN Bulldogs have given new coach Peter Williams a debut to remember, outlasting Carlton in a shoot-out which saw 38.28 kicked between the sides. Standing above everyone else were Matthew Pavlich and Brendan Fevola who both booted seven goals apiece. Coming into the match the Bulldogs had less experience and had a number of fresh faces, but emerged the better side on the day after a slow start.

Kicking with the breeze in the first term, Carlton pile on seven goals to zero to lead by 41 points at the first break. Western Bulldogs coach Peter Williams must have wondered what he had gotten himself into, until the Dogs slowly edged themselves back into it, booting 10 goals to five over the next two quarter to creep within nine points at the final break. More importantly, they had the wind in the final quarter, and it proved vital as the Dogs slammed home 11 goals to five in a dominant display.

Along with Pavlich's seven goals, Lance Franklin booted four, while Steve Johnson booted three. Adrian Hart and Robert Campbell dominated the ruck, getting first hands to it and for the first time this season, the Bulldogs dominated the clearances, which helped put the score on the board. Around the ground, Jacob Cumming was sensational on debut with 18 disposals and six marks, while Robert Murphy also booted three goals to go with his 21 disosals and seven marks. It was a day to remember for Doggies fans as Williams notched up his first win.

Post-match interview:

Q: A win in your debut match, how does it feel?

A: Well it's a special occasion and I'm thrilled we could win. But it matters little if we don't follow-up with another performance next week and beyond. We have plenty to work on because the performance was far from perfect.

Q: It was the first time you controlled the stoppages and won the clearances, was it something you had been working on?

A: We're constantly working on them because it's a vital part of the game, I was thrilled with the tandem work of young Adrian Hart in his first game and Robert Campbell. Both players could prove to be something special this year.

Q: Tim Walsh was reported for striking, who do you think you'll replace him with?

A: It all depends on the match-up really, we won't give too much away, but we'll have a look and go back to the drawing board. No doubt Tim will be disappointed he will miss the next fortnight.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Mid-week thoughts

The vibe around the club had been positive after round one. It was not something I wanted to get out of hand, but the players did neef confidence and they had achieved that with the big win over Carlton. I still would have liked a better defensive effort, but offensively we did well. But there will be much stronger midfields to compete against than the Blues and we have to take it one week at a time.

We were only sixth after that result, which showed how one-sided some of the games were, but also mainly our percentage wasn't as high beacuse of the high scores of both teams. Port Adelaide had belted Brisbane by 60 points to be on top, while Collingwood and West Coast had played out a draw to kick off the seasaon.

Our reserves had gone down by three points to Calrton, with Troy Selwood, Kieren McGuinness and Shaun Burgoyne named among hte best. The biggest question mark would be the replacement of Tim Walsh who would miss two games with suspension. Jimmy Weir had played a solid game, but was he ready to come in for his debut? We did only have the four key defenders, although other guys such as Matthew Pavlich or McGuinness could play back.

We needed to build on our first round performance and could not afford to slip up. The only other player who might get the cut was Jed Adcock, because he had probably been our poorest performer in the first round, while Josh Drummond was another (along with Burgoyne) who had performed strongly in the VFL.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

2009 Premiership Season - Round 2 vs West Coast at Etihad Stadium

If the first round brought nerves, the second round was just as bad. With only one round played, you never know if it will be an indication or a once-off in your season. We had a couple of changes we would make, with Tim Walsh gone to suspension, while Jed Adcock would be omitted. After much umming and ahhing, we decided to move Matthew Pavlich to centre-half back to take on Ashley Hansen, as Jimmy Weir was not quite consistent enough to play. We brought in Kieran McGuinness and Shaun Burgoyne to replace the outs. McGuiness could also play back if required, so if there wasn't enough scores on the board, Pavlich would go forward and McGuiness shifted back.

The side:

B: (27) Nick Maxwell – (25) Dillon Rose – (36) Brian Harris
HB: (24) Brent Guerra – (1) Matthew Pavlich – (9) Lindsay Gilbee
C: (10) James Kelly – (16) Ryan Griffen – (13) Daniel Giansiracusa
HF: (3) Jacob Cumming – (20) Drew Petrie – (2) Robert Murphy
F: (5) Steve Johnson – (23) Lance Franklin – (29) Kieran McGuinness
R: (39) Robert Campbell – (17) Adam Cooney – (14) Luke Ball
INT: (19) Shaun Higgins – (11) Jordan McMahon – (6) Adrian Hart – (8) Shaun Burgoyne

IN: (29) Kieran McGuinness, (8) Shaun Burgoyne
OUT: (26) Tim Walsh - Suspended, (7) Jed Adcock

Milestones: Lance Franklin - 100 games
Debuts: Nil.

We were hoping the side selected coule produce what we hoped it would. We were concerned that Chris Judd would tear us to shreds so we knew we'd have to try and drag him out of the action whereever possible. We also hoped having Pav at centre half-back would not impact the result, but we knew for team balance it was better to have him back there and rely on Buddy, Drew and Kieran to kick the winning score. We were at home, which was something, but West Coast was a tougher side than Carlton and would be a step up on last week.

 

[Tigz_09]

A nice read so far. looking forward to more.
Good to see a different aspect of a story being told also.
Keep it up

 

[haydo]

That half back line though. Shaun Burgoyne and Lindsay Gilbee with Brent Guerra chipping in. You must be drooling