Toast Welcome to the Bulldogs Josh Bruce

[dogwatch]

With the quality of Schache's kicking, I can see him pushing further up the ground and providing a tall marking option out of defence.

Not the craziest of suggestions. He's still not a natural for contested possession and CMs. Playing an extended spell in defence might help him learn that. Or it might work so well he becomes the next Brian Lake or Liam Jones, forward misfits who found their true calling well after they entered senior footy.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Not the craziest of suggestions. He's still not a natural for contested possession and CMs. Playing an extended spell in defence might help him learn that. Or it might work so well he becomes the next Brian Lake or Liam Jones, forward misfits who found their true calling well after they entered senior footy.

I don't think he meant play as a defender, I think he meant play high enough that he's the option for the defenders to kick to.

 

[Triple Baileys]

With the quality of Schache's kicking, I can see him pushing further up the ground and providing a tall marking option out of defence.

I want to see the whole team adopt a long kicking pattern. That's what we did in the 2nd half of 2019. It's the fastest way to move the ball. But you have to back yourselves to win contested situations. And we have the playing personnel to do that and win. Sit Bruce deep for the final bomb. Have Naughton playing between high and deep with his great contested marking skills and mobility. Have the Schache attack playing very high like you said. He can also take set shots from the lead from 50+ out no probs.

 

[dogwatch]

I don't think he meant play as a defender, I think he meant play high enough that he's the option for the defenders to kick to.

Maybe not, but it's not such a dumb idea.

Besides this is the same club that took a generational talent as a contested marking defender - one who finished fourth in the club's B&F in that role in his first year - and tried to make a forward out of him. What were they thinking?

 

[dogwatch]

I want to see the whole team adopt a long kicking pattern. That's what we did in the 2nd half of 2019. It's the fastest way to move the ball. But you have to back yourselves to win contested situations. And we have the playing personnel to do that and win. Sit Bruce deep for the final bomb. Have Naughton playing between high and deep with his great contested marking skills and mobility. Have the Schache attack playing very high like you said. He can also take set shots from the lead from 50+ out no probs.

We finally have the marking power to contemplate doing this. However we need to have more than trick. Our launches of handpasses and swift ball movement from half back were just about the best in the league last year. Let's not throw that out and become a monoculture just because we have some contested marking beasts at last.

 

[Floridog]

We finally have the marking power to contemplate doing this. However we need to have more than trick. Our launches of handpasses and swift ball movement from half back were just about the best in the league last year. Let's not throw that out and become a monoculture just because we have some contested marking beasts at last.

[Insert why not both GIF]

 

[Triple Baileys]

We finally have the marking power to contemplate doing this. However we need to have more than trick. Our launches of handpasses and swift ball movement from half back were just about the best in the league last year. Let's not throw that out and become a monoculture just because we have some contested marking beasts at last.

True. We gotta mix the fix. We have to bake and shake.

 

[Dazb86]

Schache is not a bail out marking option IMO.

 

[WBD76]

Schache is not a bail out marking option IMO.

He could be a strategic marking option with the quality of his kicking.

 

[0utsider]

I don't think he meant play as a defender, I think he meant play high enough that he's the option for the defenders to kick to.

Baines was on trade radio a few weeks back suggesting that exactly this was the plan. I think we’ll end up with a similar forward line set-up to Adelaide at their best, with one stay at home pure FF (Bruce, Jenkins), a strong marking CHF (Naughts, Tex) and a lead up marking third tall (Schache, Lynch).

That said, I’ll take Naughts and Bruce over Tex and Jenkins any day of the week.

 

[Sharkey66]

One thing about getting Bruce to the club that i havent seen mentioned anywhere, is that we finally have an older mentor for our two young kids in Naughts and Schache, and later Marra.
Bruce has been in the system for a fair time now so should have some tricks to show the young boys.
Could be huge for their development.

 

[bresker]

Don't forget that Schache's only 22. He's 1.99cm tall and although he doesn't look like a power forward yet, there's plenty of development left.

 

[Pugz89]

Already ditched the long locks. Scrubs up real nice, does Brucey.

 

[stefoid]

Already ditched the long locks. Scrubs up real nice, does Brucey.

Im imaging a display of strutting as the two mullets attempted to dominate their rival for forward line alpha. cue the video clip with voiceover by David Attenborough

 

[charcoalchicken]

What’s going on with this bloke? Was decent at st. Kilda has come across to us and just looks a million miles off it? Basically useless

 

[BallaratBulldog]

What’s going on with this bloke? Was decent at st. Kilda has come across to us and just looks a million miles off it? Basically useless

Have you not seen our inside 50 kicking? He could lose a few kg but our mids get off scott free for awhile now for long bombs and along the ground hacks.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

What’s going on with this bloke? Was decent at st. Kilda has come across to us and just looks a million miles off it? Basically useless

He was just made to first ruck that quarter and we dominated. New role in the ruck lol

 

[joop]

Have you not seen our inside 50 kicking? He could lose a few kg but our mids get off scott free for awhile now for long bombs and along the ground hacks.

Did you see the midfield he had kicking it to him with us

 

[SonOfScray]

He"s going awfully.

 

[maddog37]

He looks not quite rock hard fit for sure. Almost like he has tried to bulk up to play the hulk role. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was told to do it and we have got it wrong.

Many blokes tend to struggle a bit in their first year at a new club too.

 

[Glaeken Oracle]

Different staff involved, but we told Akermanis to bulk up in his first season with us, and he struggled for consistency. Season 2 he trimmed down to his Brisbane playing weight, and recaptured his best form.

Would be interesting to know what’s happened to Bruce, and whether it’s a club conditioning directive, or self-inflicted during the paused season. (I know a lot of posters blame him, but can anyone categorically confirm it?)

 

[charcoalchicken]

He just looks so slow out there, looks like his head isn’t in the game at times and confidence is shot.

Even earlier in the season when he was taking a grab here or there his set shot kicking was atrocious, he can’t clunk a mark to save his life now.

He was good at st. Kilda but whatever he was doing there has disappeared completely and we’ve just got this slow thing in the fwd line barely able to make a contest.

 

[charcoalchicken]

Just drop him for the rest of the season, clearly not up to it this year, offers nothing

 

[Reptilia]

Nice bloke but * he has struggled.

 

[Boyd oh Boyd]

One of those cases where a player new to the team gets games regardless of form. Maybe it's because they think he needs time to adjust, maybe it's a sunk cost thing. Whatever the case I'm not seeing anything he's contributing that Trengove couldn't in the same position.