Autopsy The Bont 103 def Lions 89.

[Johnny_Dogg4]

Both expected to male the top 8. Both have underachieved so far

Massive game between them next week. I'd probably rather saints win

Yeh agree at this stage prob saints.

But Melb have had a ton of injuries like us. Saints have no excuses

 

[King Harold]

With you on this didn't notice Martin at all.

I was happy with Roughy's game as well.
Only time Martin really hurt us was against our second ruck.

 

[King Harold]

Seriously, how good is Toby McLean? I saw this a few weeks ago, but he is genuinely in our top 3 players moving forward. Everything about him screams top 30 player in the comp.

The highlight of the year for me. He was what our midfield desperately needed.
Speed , class , kicking ability and smarts.

 

[King Harold]

If that was a competition between Redpath and Cloke when Stringer comes back neither put their hand up if we have to play one I guess Redpath.

That was about the most frustrated I have ever been watching a game. First JJ does not play, then Easton does his hammy. Bailey Williams creates two of the worst turnovers I ever seen resulting in goals. He must be dropped. Bont and Redpath cannot nail a set shot to save themselves. We get 9 points up and Zaine has a turnover nearly as bad as Williams and we lose the lead. Thank god the Bont hit the scoreboard late.

Your avatar name requires some reconstruction OD.

 

[Dogs Rule]

consider this, we have been dog s**t all season, killed by injuries, hardest fixture, limited pre season
and we sit in the top8 ahead of melb, saints, ess who all would say they have had fantastic seasons

Exactly. A few of the teams in the eight will be getting twitchy because they know what we can do at our best.

This is our second gear. We've got enourmous room for improvement in us which will be giving some coaches nightmares.

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

Exactly. A few of the teams in the eight will be getting twitchy because they know what we can do at our best.

This is our second gear. We've got enourmous room for improvement in us which will be giving some coaches nightmares.

yes agree with that, but who knows if we have anymore gears this season

We need more match winners A graders IMO, bont is a match winner and is stringer but he is far too inconsistent.

 

[Dogs Rule]

yes agree with that, but who knows if we have anymore gears this season

We need more match winners A graders IMO, bont is a match winner and is stringer but he is far too inconsistent.

Maybe, maybe not. I was all doom and gloom after the Cats belting and the Freo disaster late last year and a few months later...

 

[dogzrule]

Both expected to male the top 8. Both have underachieved so far

Massive game between them next week. I'd probably rather saints win

Saints win then we are a better hope to make 8


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[mcgleereturns]

Exactly. A few of the teams in the eight will be getting twitchy because they know what we can do at our best.

This is our second gear. We've got enourmous room for improvement in us which will be giving some coaches nightmares.

Mids and forwards can find a higher gear but I'm worried about a backline that is being led by 18,19 and 20 years against Big experienced bodies. Dale Morris will have to exceed his superhuman recovery and pain tolerance, Easton Wood recover through miraculous hamstring healing and Marcus Adams do what he couldn't do last year. At the moment we have a backline next week led by Biggsy and Suckling or a couple of old champs in Boyd and the Captain showing signs of nearing the end. We have been amazingly resilient the last two years but Fletch is being ignored and Hamling is elsewhere. Defence may only have a second gear. The rest of team will need to find overdrive to cover for the kids down back.


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[Mr. Walker]

A few of the Lions cubs seemed to have excellent games and I was disappointed that a few of the pups (Dale -two weeks in a row now, Williams, Webb and Daniel) performed less well than they have previously and it was left to the "old hands" Macrae and the Bont to get us across the line. Then I thought about how old (or young) Macrae and the Bont plus McLean and Daniel are and the promise of Young and the future does look good.

It just concerns me how we are asking Bont to do everything.

 

[TiAn_]

Mids and forwards can find a higher gear but I'm worried about a backline that is being led by 18,19 and 20 years against Big experienced bodies. Dale Morris will have to exceed his superhuman recovery and pain tolerance, Easton Wood recover through miraculous hamstring healing and Marcus Adams do what he couldn't do last year. At the moment we have a backline next week led by Biggsy and Suckling or a couple of old champs in Boyd and the Captain showing signs of nearing the end. We have been amazingly resilient the last two years but Fletch is being ignored and Hamling is elsewhere. Defence may only have a second gear. The rest of team will need to find overdrive to cover for the kids down back.


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The backline injuries will be the biggest barrier to us going back to back. Some teams in the 8 will give us real fits with their tall forwards e.g. Adelaide. We just have to hope we avoid them.

But, we can still patch something together, and this stretch of games for Lewis Young at such a young age is huge.

 

[Martyn_30_]

Redpath as taken 11 and 9 marks in his last two games, he's probably the form key forward in the comp which is must be hard for the anti Redpath types on here.

McLean looked like something special in his first season but it's all starting to come together now, he has the potential to be a superstar of the comp.


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[Bazza Bulldog]

A question for you all, does Webb hurt the opposition/get enough of the pill to mitigate how poor he is defensively both in terms of pressure and positioning?

He had two exceptional disposals in the last under pressure yesterday, though overall a very poor day. We can't carry 6 disposals (with a man down) from a mid sized player. He gets the pill enough at VFL level, though doesn't (yet) at AFL level. Huge question marks now.

 

[doggies ftw]

Redpath as taken 11 and 9 marks in his last two games, he's probably the form key forward in the comp which is must be hard for the anti Redpath types on here.

McLean looked like something special in his first season but it's all starting to come together now, he has the potential to be a superstar of the comp.


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Not sure where this idea comes from that he can't mark over his head? Has taken a number of strong marks. Just needs to sort out his ******* kicking!!

 

[Super Hans]

That was like pulling teeth. And while Brisbane were young(ish), "brave" and on their home ground let's not kid ourselves that they were anything like a finals side. For most of the game we weren't either.

I take consolation from the hope that our injury toll has reached its lowest ebb (fingers crossed) and we won't have to select our players of last resort for much longer. Although we will most certainly not see Wood for a while I'm hopeful we should see players like Stringer, Dickson, JJ, and Dunkley returning in the next week or two. In Dunkley's case Rd 21 must be earlier than MC had planned but after his good game in the VFL he'd have to be a better option than Smith in his current form.

I expect us to be better back at Etihad but there are still some serious worries. The backline is paper thin at the moment and it's no time to experiment with Collins.

Just some comments on the younger players (under 22) out there today:

• Lewis Young (18.63 yrs, 4 games) - I think he got exposed a bit today. Probably missed the guiding voices of Morris, Wood and JJ which is pretty understandable. He still acts with poise but he made some poor decisions and was poorly positioned a few times. He's certainly a star in the making but it was his fourth game, he's only just out of junior ranks and he's on a steep learning curve. Given the injury toll to our defenders we probably have to keep playing him but let's not have our expectations too high just yet. On the positive side he looks like a swift learner and will probably come back with a better game next week. The only serious alternative for next week is Roberts but we pretty much know where his ceiling is and it's definitely lower than Young's.
• Bailey Williams (19.82 yrs, 15 games) - I've been puzzled by some of the treatment he gets here. I think it's because a few people jizzed themselves early in the piece thinking that he was going to get 56 possessions every week like he once did in the junior ranks and then the reality brigade stepped in and started saying he's grossly overrated. I'd prefer we all stepped back a bit and let him show us what he's capable of. He had a good first half today - possibly the best half in his AFL career - despite one or two spectacular clangers. I like the way he moves through traffic and looks for a target downfield instead of just banging it on the boot to gain metres. He also had 2 GAs. Unfortunately after getting 16 possessions in the first half he went missing in the third quarter (along with a few teammates) and he ended up with only 4 second half possessions (2K, 2HB). That inconsistency is what you get with players in their first 30-40 games. We need to persevere. There's definitely some ability there.
• Zaine Cordy (20.77 yrs, 27 games) - This bloke has really stepped into the key defensive role this year even though he's still skinny. He has smarts, grit, aggro, application and a few good skills. He knows his limits and plays beautifully just within them. He will also become a very accomplished footballer over the next few years ... as if having a premiership medallion hung around your neck at age 19 is not accomplishment enough! Today he held our frightfully exposed defence together, along with Shane Biggs and whoever was moved back from time to time to help out. By no means brilliant but very workmanlike and he got the job done.
• Bailey Dale (21.04 yrs, 27 games) - He has moved from fringe player to regular and is looking more the part every week as he pushes up to a 20 possession average. He plays a bit like a shorter version of Macrae although he has good reach which makes him seem taller than his 183cm. Not his best game today but he did his bit. Reads the play well and very few serious clangers. Definitely a 100+ gamer.
• Caleb Daniel (21.08 yrs, 51 games) - it's all been said many times. Great vision and execution. Someone you want to have in possession of the ball in open space, as he did a few times today. Was the pick of the 2014 Draft for us with his 2nd place in the RS award, and quite rightly so ... until this year when McLean is staking his claim. Another serviceable game today. 22 possessions at 86.4%, 6 tackles, 8 CPs. He seems to be over his early season slump and we are pretty sure of getting this sort of return from him most weeks now. I think he's stronger in the packs now too. A permanent part of our engine room.
• Lukas Webb (21.42 yrs, 19 games) - tough day for Webby, especially being thrown back when JJ and Wood went down. I've been one advocating that he gets a string of games and would still do so if we were out of the finals race but can we afford to have him in the side in a must-win game against GWS when there are proven players like Dunkley and Boyd showing good form in the VFL? I know it was a big ask of him today but he really had to do better than 3 kicks and 3 handballs at 66.6%, especially under a coach that demands versatility. Today might have shown something to those who get angry and say "well he'll go and become a good player somewhere else if he doesn't get a game with us". I hope he stays and becomes a good player for us, but if he does go and that's the worst thing that happens to our list in the off-season we'll have done OK.
• Toby McLean (21.51 yrs, 35 games) - Toby was one of my two highlights today. While everyone was making heavy work of it he just seemed to glide into space with clean handling, great composure and good vision. From a very solid base he has gone to another level in 2017 so much so that I'm starting to think he really is our most improved player (I originally said Dale). He's now a very classy player that doesn't just get possessions but hurts the opposition with them. 28 possessions at 82.1% with a good mix of CPs in that. A lot to like in his game today and a lot more to look forward to.
• Marcus Bontempelli (21.70 yrs, 82 games) - Hard to believe he's still so young, isn't it? I had to double-check. He almost seems out of place in this list of under-22s. Today he was just about BoG. So much maturity, class, footy smarts and leadership. And to put it into age context he's only a few months older than Lukas Webb and Bailey Dale - mere mortals who are just starting to make their way in senior ranks. The things that have impressed me in recent weeks and again today are his strong hands in a marking contest, his ability to get a clean and effective handball away when tackled and his ability to hurt the opposition with nearly every possession. As someone posted today he's always driving the ball forward, never doing meaningless sideways chip kicks. Now when he learns to nail a set shot ...

Dogwatch using the word 'jizz'... never thought I'd see the day!

 

[Mutt]

I'm not usually one to moan about the umpires, but if Bontempelli received even half of the protection that the umps afford to Dangerfield .... well, he'd be whatever is better than a superstar.

Might be time Bevo showed the Umpires Dept. some footage of the constant scragging and blatant tackling off the ball that Bontempelli is subjected to. Bont probably needs to throw his arms in the air to appeal for a kick more often than he does, but I don't think it's in his nature.

And Toby McLean. Outstanding young man. Outstanding!

 

[yebiga]

Dude I know that. I'm saying if the fates were to determine that we can only have one more win for the season (and yes we'd miss the 8) then please let it be the game against the Giants.

Oh - soz - 1 week at a time

 

[Dogs Rule]

Frightening that Bont is still 21.

As for our backs, just need to get creative. I know it's not ideal, but do we send Rough to pinch hit down back?

Need to get Toyd back ASAP.

 

[Lex22]

yes agree with that, but who knows if we have anymore gears this season

We need more match winners A graders IMO, bont is a match winner and is stringer but he is far too inconsistent.

Stringer is the key from here. If he comes back and fires in this current lineup then we can still go deep into the finals.

We've had to release the shackles a little bit of late, Bevo thinking that with what has become such an inexperienced defence that we just have to score more for us to win given we are going to leak more goals. If we're to go down this line then an in-form Stringer is a must if we're to win finals.

 

[Charlie Bucket]

6 disposals, playing down back as a small / mid sized def, in today's football. And some on here still suggest Webb should get a run of 5+ games to prove himself.
Bit of downhill skiing from Webb yesterday. Got put in a role he didn't like and didn't commit 100%. Could possibly be something Bevo sees in him that's resulted in him missing selection on so many occasions.

 

[King Harold]

Dogwatch using the word 'jizz'... never thought I'd see the day!

It's ok though , coz he dosn't know what it means exactly.
All's well that ends well as far as he is concerned.

 

[Dog 36]

Frightening that Bont is still 21.

As for our backs, just need to get creative. I know it's not ideal, but do we send Rough to pinch hit down back?

Need to get Toyd back ASAP.

We miss Toyd for many reasons, but he can't be rushed back these things are very fluid and change day to day. He's training so that's great.

 

[Pugz89]

This will be the big off-season talking point for us IMO. Definitely thread worthy.

Especially if Stringer gets more midfield time.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

Especially if Stringer gets more midfield time.

They should both play 50/50 forward and mid

 

[dogwatch]

Dogwatch using the word 'jizz'... never thought I'd see the day!

It's ok though , coz he dosn't know what it means exactly.
All's well that ends well as far as he is concerned.

LOL
On the internet nobody knows you're a dog.