What They're Saying - The Bulldogs Media Thread - Part 3

[Bulldogs Legend]

How could they possibly determine that with only one camera angle??

They asked me and my sister and we were sitting right behind those goals. And in our totally unbiased opinion it was definitely a goal

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

I think it was a better spectacle in the old days imo and I'm not full of sh*t imo.
I'm sure players are way fitter but coaching tactics have evolved to help win games at the expense of it being a great spectacle if you like open play, high marking and high scoring esp by key forwards imo.
From the point of view of 'better spectacles' being hard contested games and displays of fitness and skill and tactics in this era, sure I can see that.
6/10 of these are pre 1995, a bit of an indicator imo. No Kel 15:9 in there tho

https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/?a=574...-top-10-vfl-afl-games-from-the-past-50-years/

The only thing I say with this is that I think we easily forget the s.it games from the past, I saw plenty of crap games in the 80s and 90s

I laugh when I hear someone saying how good was footy back in the 80s after watching a State game replayed on Fox Footy as though all footy was that standard back then

I’ve always loved footy of all eras and recognise they all have their good and bad games

 

[Sharkey66]

The only thing I say with this is that I think we easily forget the s.it games from the past, I saw plenty of crap games in the 80s and 90s

I laugh when I hear someone saying how good was footy back in the 80s after watching a State game replayed on Fox Footy as though all footy was that standard back then

I’ve always loved footy of all eras and recognise they all have their good and bad games

Funny that. They never seem to show the many substandard games that were played in ankle deep muddy cricket wickets that were the norm back then.
The just seem to show highlights of the good games. Doesn't suit the narrative I suppose.

 

[X_box_X]

Nothing would please me more than beating Geelong in the GF.

 

[bobs head soup]

In regard to the Bont as the greatest Dog debate I tend to agree with Immortal Mike that it is a bit futile and vaguely disrespectful to stack up a 25yo barely half way into his career against the full careers of champs past.

Just wanted to add that for mine the all time benchmark player (little mentioned) still has to be Ted Whitten.

I never saw Ted play but I am old enough to remember the last episode of World Of Sport in 1986 (got it taped on VHS).

In that show the panel, which included champion ex players from the 30s to the 80s (Richards, Dyer, Davis, Skilton, Newman, Thompson, Wade, Cook, Tuddenham and many others) all voted 3-2-1 for their best player seen.

The totals give a pretty good snapshot of the greatest players of the 30s-80s.

The 2nd-10th players all polled 8-10 votes. They included Haydn Bunton, Bob Skilton, John Coleman, Dick Reynolds, Leigh Matthews, Ron Barassi, Darryl Baldock, Royce Hart and Polly Farmer).

One player stood well apart from the pack on 16 votes, Ted Whitten.

No Bulldog player has come close to that kind of esteem as the standout champion of the game, not just of his generation but over many decades.

 

[W W Biscuit]

Nothing would please me more than beating Geelong in the GF.

Yes, I certainly WANT to play Geelong, if not in the grand final, then at least in A final.

The first Bulldogs game I attended as a nipper was the 1976 Elimination Final, where we were pipped by, you guessed it, the Cats. Cue finals misery against that mob for the foreseeable future.

I see something in our current team, a certain intent, to exorcise the demons of our past. I saw it earlier in the season when we absolutely put St Kilda to the sword. There was extra mayo on that win - a bit of a statement I think, connected to our elimination final loss to the Saints last year. I really do believe that our players would love to face Geelong in a final, and do to them what the Romans did to the Carthaginians.

 

[mattwa]

Treloar video on AFL site. Seems a ripping bloke glad hes with us now

 

[Guido]

Was a extremedy good and elite player but not a great like Carey, Ablett and co. Grant was never in the top 3 Players in the afl and that includes 96 and 97.

He was one kick in '96 and one ****head in '97 away from being a back to back brownlow medallist.

The quote I distinctly remember from the '97 season was David Parkin's after Grant tore them apart - "I think Grant's clearly the best player in the competition".

I can understand other supporters not fully appreciating the level he was at (one of the top 5 players in the comp in that 96-99 period, top 10 for much of the rest), but our supporters should remember where he stood. He was unlucky to be in Carey's era (one of the greatest players of all time), but Grant would be equal to any of the greatest KPPs of this millennium (Pavlich, Brown, Riewoldt etc).

On current trajectory, Bont will probably surpass him in a couple of years, but rather than compare, I'll just be thankful that we've had the amazing fortune of having had both.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

I know its already been posted, but here's a direct embed of the Treloar interview.

It's a pretty rare and raw insight into what it is to be an AFL player.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

Comparing players across eras is really dumb.

Comparing players to their peers isnt.

 

[Guido]

Comparing players across eras is really dumb.

Comparing players to their peers isnt.

Is a team of the century "really dumb"?

There'll probably be a team of our first hundred years at VFL/AFL level coming up in 2025 - will require a fair bit of comparison of our greatest ever players over many eras, and give us a chance to add quite a few premiership players into the mix who never qualified for 1900-2000, and have them officially recognised as being among our greatest ever across the last 100 years. Hopefully also immortalise our only ever multiple premiership winning coach.

Exercises that you may find "really dumb", others may really enjoy.

 

[Munnez]

They asked me and my sister and we were sitting right behind those goals. And in our totally unbiased opinion it was definitely a goal

I must have been close by i was near the point post on the right hand side looking at the field. No doubt for mine that it was a goal

 

[Munnez]

Nothing would please me more than beating Geelong in the GF.

The only thing more pleasing would be too see them exit in straight sets. As there midfielders can't keep up with the heat on.

 

[LittleG]

The only thing more pleasing would be too see them exit in straight sets. As there midfielders can't keep up with the heat on.

That is my wish. To so totally smash them week 1, that their old tired midfield can’t get up for Sydney to complete the job.

 

[Woof]

He was one kick in '96 and one ****head in '97 away from being a back to back brownlow medallist.

The quote I distinctly remember from the '97 season was David Parkin's after Grant tore them apart - "I think Grant's clearly the best player in the competition".

I can understand other supporters not fully appreciating the level he was at (one of the top 5 players in the comp in that 96-99 period, top 10 for much of the rest), but our supporters should remember where he stood. He was unlucky to be in Carey's era (one of the greatest players of all time), but Grant would be equal to any of the greatest KPPs of this millennium (Pavlich, Brown, Riewoldt etc).

On current trajectory, Bont will probably surpass him in a couple of years, but rather than compare, I'll just be thankful that we've had the amazing fortune of having had both.

Well said.

 

[footscray1973]

He was one kick in '96 and one ****head in '97 away from being a back to back brownlow medallist.

The quote I distinctly remember from the '97 season was David Parkin's after Grant tore them apart - "I think Grant's clearly the best player in the competition".

I can understand other supporters not fully appreciating the level he was at (one of the top 5 players in the comp in that 96-99 period, top 10 for much of the rest), but our supporters should remember where he stood. He was unlucky to be in Carey's era (one of the greatest players of all time), but Grant would be equal to any of the greatest KPPs of this millennium (Pavlich, Brown, Riewoldt etc).

On current trajectory, Bont will probably surpass him in a couple of years, but rather than compare, I'll just be thankful that we've had the amazing fortune of having had both.

In round 10 1996, Grant played at CHB, directly opposed to Carey at CHF. Brownlow - 3 votes C Grant

Carey is on record as saying Grant touched him up a couple of times, and Grant was good enough, as you've said, to be a bee's d1ck away from being a back-to-back Brownlow medallist - amazingly going from predominantly CHB in 1996 to predominantly CHF in 1997.

He was our most crucial player in 97, and for that period, easily in the best 3 players in the comp. Not just his marking, kicking off both feet, etc, but hitting packs consistently, his inferred pressure caused oppo defences to always be looking over their shoulders.

I'm not comparing him to Bont, but to deny Grant's standing, even if only over a couple of seasons, like the post you quoted, is laughable.

Port didn't offer him more than double what he was on, and for far longer, and (allegedly) the captaincy, at the end of 96 for no reason.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

Is a team of the century "really dumb"?

There'll probably be a team of our first hundred years at VFL/AFL level coming up in 2025 - will require a fair bit of comparison of our greatest ever players over many eras, and give us a chance to add quite a few premiership players into the mix who never qualified for 1900-2000, and have them officially recognised as being among our greatest ever across the last 100 years. Hopefully also immortalise our only ever multiple premiership winning coach.

Exercises that you may find "really dumb", others may really enjoy.

Halls of Fame/club museums are fine and all that is required to recognise the clubs Greats. Legends or Premiership Immortals. Trying to shoe horn a century worth of players just like the compromised bullshit of the All Australian side into a single team is as pointless as regularly posting on BigFooty.

Doing so may make for great marketing, probably makes for a ok but dull night out and is no doubt a great money spinning exercise. However, in my view they have little value beyond that. By what metric can you compare players when you are judging them across the span of an entire century? This is especially problematic when nobody on the panel that named the team would've been alive, let alone have seen the likes Alby Morrison or Allan Hopkins play the game. Let alone compare them to the likes of modern greats in Marcus Bontempelli or Jack Macrae when the subject of 2025 comes up

When the next team of the century is inevtiably announced in 2025. What of the players who will be tipped out of the current side for players of the modern era?

Where do we draw the line on these things. What about the players who represented the club prior to our joining of the VFL. Is Beverage a better coach than Sutton. Should we rank the 1000+ players who have represented the club in order of their perceived greatness?

Yeah, so I still think comparing players across eras is really dumb. Trying to put them into an forced team structure is dumber..

More power to you if its something that you enjoy.

 

[Guido]

Halls of Fame/club museums are fine and all that is required to recognise the clubs Greats. Legends or Premiership Immortals. Trying to shoe horn a century worth of players just like the compromised bullshit of the All Australian side into a single team is as pointless as regularly posting on BigFooty.

Doing so may make for great marketing, probably makes for a ok but dull night out and is no doubt a great money spinning exercise. However, in my view they have little value beyond that. By what metric can you compare players when you are judging them across the span of an entire century? This is especially problematic when nobody on the panel that named the team would've been alive, let alone have seen the likes Alby Morrison or Allan Hopkins play the game. Let alone compare them to the likes of modern greats in Marcus Bontempelli or Jack Macrae when the subject of 2025 comes up

When the next team of the century is inevtiably announced in 2025. What of the players who will be tipped out of the current side for players of the modern era?

Where do we draw the line on these things. What about the players who represented the club prior to our joining of the VFL. Is Beverage a better coach than Sutton. Should we rank the 1000+ players who have represented the club in order of their perceived greatness?

Yeah, so I still think comparing players across eras is really dumb. Trying to put them into an forced team structure is dumber..

More power to you if its something that you enjoy.

Fair enough.

I'm not saying anyone has to like it, or agree with it, and you're more than welcome to think of anything as stupid - I just don't understand the need to belittle the exercise, or the need to tell people who were enjoying chatting about Bont vs Grant vs others earlier, that any such duscussion is really dumb.

I couldn't see anyone interjecting into a discussion in real life to tell a group of others that what they're talking about is stupid, but online it seems to happen ... often.

Reminds me of the Ricky Gervais bit.

 

[mattwa]

I know its already been posted, but here's a direct embed of the Treloar interview.

It's a pretty rare and raw insight into what it is to be an AFL player.

Would love to win a flag for him. He was massive for us early in the year and what a lift round 22/23 to get him back

 

[adogsfan5]

Adsy I hope he holds up a premiership cup with us.

 

[perro_loco]

Comparing players across eras is really dumb.

Comparing players to their peers isnt.

So true. There are so many variables. It happens in all sports. Besides the metrics being used in this debate are not giving you any real comparisons. Different fitness levels, rules, skills, training and coaching methods, etc. It's like comparing bananas with a horse on the top of a house. Totally irrelevant.

 

[SupercededMan]

Anyone who says one way or the other is kidding themselves, since no one has been around long enough to have a meaningful understanding of the careers of all the Dogs players. How many people here actually saw Whitten play? I'd guess it's so few that you can't really get a good gauge of how Bont compares to him.

Fairer to say "best Bulldog of the modern era", depending on how you'd rate him against Grant

I saw Teddy play, for about the last 5 years of his career. As an old man (in those days) of 36, he was still capable of moments of brilliance.

I can't say I saw him at his peak, but my recently deceased Father did, and rated Teddy head and shoulders above all. Hawkins, Grant, even Templeton ('tho he's probably ruled out because of a much shorter career span).

I'm with Dad. Bont is yet to win the Brownlow, but probably will, and will probably get another flag or two. He will certainly be in contention then.

 

[SupercededMan]

Agree, you could probably look at it 20 year blocks, comparing todays players against ones from the 40's, 50's 60's or above is just about impossible as each was good in the conditions and style of play at that time.

If you read about, or look at video of the games from the 50's, if you put some of the so called greats from today back into a game then they'd probably struggle to last the game out, muddy wet grounds, tough players and no protection from the umpires. If they tried to do something fancy there would be a good chance that the next time they got near the ball they'd end up lying on the ground waiting for a stretcher unless they were tough enough to handle the pressure put on them.

Re muddy, wet grounds, we could look at it from another perspective:

Playing a whole game (remember, that there was no interchange back then) in the mud that was laughingly called the center region at the Western Oval would have seen players exhausted by game's end. Imagine, having played in the bog at WO, then next week having to front for another two hours at Moorabbin, where the 'curators' would bring out the fire hoses the night before a match.

Today's teams play on near-perfect surfaces, with regular interchange rests and modern physio rehabilitation. To top it off, the poor buggers of yesteryear often worked in factories (as a youngster I sold newspapers to Laurie Sandilands for years at Taubmans in the 70s) before catching a tram to training.

 

[SupercededMan]

Mark of the Year is such an awesome race, I do think Jack Riewoldt's mark has been a tad overrated. I get he is a media darling but doesn't sniff Bolton, O'Brien or Cody for mine.

Bont should have goal of the year wrapped up v. the Eagles in the Perth if they are at all serious about the reward.

I'd rate Naughton's pack mark as near as dammit to Riewoldt.

 

[SupercededMan]

Flashback of Bevo on AFL squadron was aired on 'On the Couch' tonight...

That hair is VERY Andrew Ridgley from Wham.