Review Well played Bullies! Finals here we come.

[grassman75]

OK, new team rule so we dont get into this same Wood/Bruce situation come finals time in the future.

Dont Do the Deed in Decemeber.

We've got Dry July how do you think a "No D*** in December would go down with the wives and girlfriends?

or perhaps "Cover Your Member in December"

 

[Next Waiting]

I was interested in a few of Bevo's comments post match.....maybe presser.....maybe 360....can't remember.....but they had a a bit of punting horsey theme.

What I like about the way Bevo runs the team through the season is that he always seems to do it with one eye on the finals, whether he/the team makes it or not (he was talking about Gardner and playing him because he anticipated that's what we may need in finals against taller attacks....and we we're not even close to being sure things for finals when Gardner started to be selected).

I've been involved in a few horses and one really good one and I was always of the view that you set a horse for a race and train it accordingly. You run the risk of not qualifying for the race with that approach, but if you make it you're ready. I like this approach and I think I see it in the way Bevo selects and prepares during the season. I'm quite OK with risking losing a game during the season that might ultimately cost you a place in a final if that risk might better place you in a final you're aiming for should you make it.

I guess it depends how risk averse you are. I reckon Bevo's appetite for risk and the reward that goes with it is undiminished and I'm all in on the ride.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Not as much love for the Big Chill as I thought he'd get after his performance yesterday. Thought his centre bounce stuff was much better than previous weeks, he just needs to find a way to half ruck contests around the ground (gets shifted way to easy). That said his running and marking and disposal are a thing of beauty, the short kick over the top to Bont was something special I haven't seen a ruckman do for a long time (90% of rucks couldn't bounce a ball let alone pick it off the deck one handed)

His 14 disposals came at a 9 contested and 5 uncontested split and he converted that to 7 kicks/7 handballs - and yet, 13 of those 14 touches were still effective. His efficiency and lack of clangers would be impressive if they were all uncontested handballs - you can expect an AFL player to go at less than 13 in 14 handball targets effectively. But the fact he won so many contested possessions and his subsequent handball/kick was effective essentially adds to incredible value.

People talk about rucks as a binary thing, "extra midfielder" or "not an extra midfielder". It's not binary - English is not only an extra midfielder, but actually a bloody good extra midfielder. He's not just, not a liability, he's a genuine asset as a player around the ground.

I get the ruck contest stuff around the ground but also happier that Bevo's playing him genuinely three quarters plus in the ruck in the weeks since the Dunkley spectacle. He'll get better with more reps in the ruck, which will work in tandem with the physical off-season stuff.

His natural footballer elements of knowing where to run in general play to influence the contest - and be better than his direct opponent - clearly has an impact on the oppositon's ball movement as they see that our ruck is in a better position than their ruck, forcing them to switch the play or look for a non-existant overlap, and English' positioning was a clear factor in some of the forward-half turnovers we caused.

There's not many of them still around in the league, but when he comes up against lumbering types (his BOG v Phillips for Essendon earlier this year, now against Darcy, v Jacobs and Sinclair in that same early season form) he thrashes the opponent in the around the ground stuff so significantly it's like we have an extra player on the field.

I'll be on the record in saying that he could be a consensus top 5 ruck and one of our most important players as early as next year.

 

[StWalrus]

It is worth noting that Josh Bruce has also never played in a final.

As a saints supporter I'm happy for Bruce to finally get the success he deserves.
The doggies are a great team I respect your club, see you 4:40pm October 3rd .

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

Just wanted to drop in and pay my respek

The doggies faced adversity early on in the year and didn't look near it, especially after a big loss to our blue boys. What they did from that point on has been great. They are a treat to watch and although I'm not usually a doggies fan, I've found myself rooting for them to make the finals. Bailey Smith is a genuine A-Grader, he is only going to get better and has an elite midfield around him to support his growth and development.

I hope you blokes go deep, best of luck!

 

[perro_loco]

Can people stop with the bashing of posters who fairly and constructively criticize the team/club/players.

Tonight is another example of why quite a few of us have been critical this year. Tonight wasn’t a perfect game or an elite performance but three basic things occurred that should be expected every week. 1) Sound team selection, 2) a broad team effort for close to four quarters 3) a high level of skill execution for most of the game.

These are the signs of a maturing team that can compete for a premiership. I don’t care what anyone says, our list has greatly matured and would well and truly be entering a window of success if the above three things occurred week in and week out. But for many weeks this year, last year and the year before 1, 2 or even 3 have been missing.

With or without Wallis and Naughton we will be hard to beat. Play like we did tonight and we could win any number of finals. We are a very good team that needs to start consistently playing like one.

Nonetheless, I don’t care what happens in the finals, we could win the flag for all I care, we will still require a serious review to figure how to get a more consistent performance from our entire club. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity with the talent we have put together. Anyone here over the age of 40 knows that.

Stop whinging about these fair constructive suggestions.

Go Doggs!!!

ScottyDogg I was referencing myself in what I said also. I am part of that. That is the emotion of the game. However, I agree we are a solid team and can make a good go at the finals if things fall the right place. See my post above. We are a good side peaking at the right time of the year. My view is that the biggest threat will be Richmond, Lions and Port. Geelong's midfield is slow and suspect in finals. We exposed them in the first quarter and lost that game due to injuries. Richmond made a meal of them. Not sure about West Coast. They could be the dark horse, but we the doggies are the darker one I reckon.

 

[ScottyDogg]

ScottyDogg I was referencing myself in what I said also. I am part of that. That is the emotion of the game. However, I agree we are a solid team and can make a good go at the finals if things fall the right place. See my post above. We are a good side peaking at the right time of the year. My view is that the biggest threat will be Richmond, Lions and Port. Geelong's midfield is slow and suspect in finals. We exposed them in the first quarter and lost that game due to injuries. Richmond made a meal of them. Not sure about West Coast. They could be the dark horse, but we the doggies are the darker one I reckon.

Sorry perro_loco. Here I am asking for a more nuanced treatment of those who critique the club and I go and lob you in with the attack mob.

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

Love the tenacity of Taylor Dureya. He’s got great foot skills too.
I’m confident he beats the opposition’s dangerous small forward.

He’s playing the same role as Matty Boyd in 2016. Not a bad replacement if you ask me