What's needed to keep us ahead of the pack?

[Tiges1229]

I think attitude will be the key, can we come back hungry enough. I am not sure we need anything extra for 2018.

Leigh Matthews said he gave his Brisbane sides until the following thursday to enjoy the premiership wins ... 6 days ... then it was down to business.

Winning premierships was their job, like the bonus you get from work when you do good work, winning every premiership was their job ... you enjoyed your week off, head down ass up time to focus.

After 37 years that's not likely to happen but it will be important how quickly they settle when they return.

Our game plan smothers players and teams so the quality and skills of individual players can't be shown. We crushed everyone in the finals because we wore them down and never let any of them breathe. As the plan does not revolve around our players having the greater skills there is no reason why it should not work again in 2018 ... if we want it bad enough.

I think the AFL will have to reduce rotations or superfit sides like us and the dogs last year are going to overwhelm the GWS's, Sydney's and Geelongs who are full of talent.

I don’t think Geelong are full of talent .

 

[Crumpet_avenger]

Rd1. No change.
Unless we have an absolute jet 1st rd pick

 

[Tigersman]

Stating the obvious but a second key forward. Jack is not going to get better from here. A genuine big body to ease the load on jack. If we add marking strength to that forward line it will be a nightmare for opposition sides. Bolton will add X factor. Geez he was exciting in that vfl grand final.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

All good points...but...
We have one big key forward...
We have one big key ruck...
We need insurance for those two in case of injury...
Ideally someone to do both forward and ruck...
Going to be an interesting 2018 season...
Need to make top four then ramp up the intensity...
Management of players load during the '18 seaon will be paramount...
Competition for spots a necessity...

 

[4tune8]

We can't play the home and away season like we did the finals, our players will be exhausted, nor can we ride Nank the way we have this season, he needs a break. An average tall who can pinch hit in the ruck, draws defenders away from Jack and gives the side a better bail out option helps us conserve energy week to week while getting wins on the board.

Don't forget we still played a 2nd tall forward for the majority of the year Soldo played 7 games, Elton 6 and Griff played 2. Griff plays those 15 games instead of Soldo or Elton we are a better side, marginally maybe, but no doubt we are better. Griff over Elton/Soldo vs Dogs, GWS or Freo and at least 1 maybe 2 or all 3 of those results reverse because he is a better player and in some ways we played those games with 21 players as Elton especially has no "intent". I would also concede that if Townsend plays we would reverse a few of those results, but he can't provide the ruck chop out that we need. As for losing games, if we win them with Soldo and Elton we still win them with Griff.

IMO the home and away season is all winning 15-16+ games to get us back into the top 4 then ramp up the pressure in finals. An okay tall like Griff would help us get those wins, the courage has to be for the coaching staff to remove them come finals when we get the two byes.

Agreed, but we have 2 first round picks, what I'm getting at with the OP is what do we target to keep ourselves at the forefront? What will make us more competitive during the H/A rounds. The manic pressure is not sustainable for a full season. So my thinking revolves around those sort of players that can operate as swingmen/KPD/KPF with run...l'm not sure, but seems to make sense

 

[Socrates2]

We should be trading out two first round picks for established players.When you win the flag , you are in the premieship window ! Whats the point of draftng a young tall and Naish when theyll probably not play much next year.I would've been happy with Shache and Motlop.

 

[Bojangles17]

my first piece of advice would ensure we make 6 list changes, dont fall for trap of only 3-4 . more top end talent year on year is what kept the Cats up near the top for years. produces pressure on spots and raises the bar on performance. Two talented KPP and Naishy would be top of my wish list

 

[Socrates2]

We need a tall mobile marking forward who can also take marks around the ground-someone in the Benny Gale mold!

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

I reckon what kept the cats up near the top in their premiership window was games at their s**t hole of a home ground...
Guaranteed wins that made it easier for them to advance...

 

[Coach_Required]

We need Rioli back fit for Round 1 and a solid preseason for Bolton he will be the x factor to make us even better and more dangerous.

 

[Bobsleder]

Rewind the clock 12 months. With who the Bulldogs had coming back into their side in 2017 that missed their flag, surely not many would have picked the fall from grace they had.

Over the last 10 years, Hats off to the swans, Hawks and Cats for getting into so many GF. Each seemed to go about it differently to maintain their success. Hawks traded for good established players, but had to change game plans. Cats just maintained their group (and hit the draft without much change to their core). Swans did a bit of everything, but feel they tended to trade in outcasts (Buddy and Tippett aside) and blooded players from within.

Keep the same gameplay and smaller structure (just need to rest Nank and play a second ruck for blocks) and see if our boys can maintain the rage and whether others can break it down. There should be one or two line up changes from within from progression from those that missed out.

We hit the draft for a high end talls (re Jack) and you can take the Hawthorn approach as Rance & Astbury need replacing and get an established back. Maybe Moore and Garth can fill those roles in a couple of years ?

Re the Ruck, just trade in as required. There is always some ruckman stuck behind an established ruck looking for an opportunity (eg Nank). I would be replacing Marics spot with another ready to go ruck on the cheap as insurance in case our Premiership ruckman Grigg gets injured.

 

[telsor]

3 things we need to recruit for.

1. I think we need a KPF/ruck, both to take some of the pressure off Nank & Jack and to provide more options. If they're confident Griff should be right, then he can do it and we 'only' need injury cover.

2. Upgrades. While I agree our 'bottom 6' from the premiership side is often underrated, we'll still be a better team if we can replace people with better players.

3. Future planning. Especially with talls, but we should be looking to recruit the kids who will replace the likes of Jack & Rance now, so they have a few years to develop and can act as injury cover (see point 1). Not sure this draft is all that great for this purpose, and with the premiership window open now, this will tend to be of lesser importance, but it's still something we should keep in mind.



As for players out. Excluding those who want to leave, we should look at part 2 here....If there are guys we expect/hope to be pushed out of the side, then we should consider trading them while they have currency.

 

[BKM78]

This is probably the worst attitude the team could take. It's totally complacent to think in the professional game that you don't need to find ways to get better.

They need to find a way to make winning H&A matches a little less physically taxing by not having to rely on the extreme defensive pressure. To assist with this, I'd personally like to see them get the second tall forward into the team who can also back up the first ruckman. This creates the extra marking option up forward to allow us to win a few more of those contests we're asking Riewoldt, Caddy & Townsend to halve and helps reduce the amount of time that extreme forward pressure needs to be applied.

In addition to this, I'd expect natural improvement to occur in most players under 26-27 years old, which is a big part of the team, so that will help. One of the biggest drivers in getting better will be the pressure on guys to keep their spot ahead of blokes playing in the twos who are getting better.

2nd the 2nd marking option

 

[tiggywigs]

Three issues.

Do we need to change the game plan?
No. Speed kills. Pressure crushes. It's not a subtle formula, but combined with midfield skill it's not easy to counter either. Especially given that our list is crammed with speedsters and heavy hitters. Opposing coaches will be desperate to devise strategies to slow our F50 entries and introduce extra pace into their own forward lines.

What are our major vulnerabilities?
Fatigue, injuries and counter-pressure. We play a highly taxing game, have four star players (who were rarely out of the side this season) and can expect other sides to try and replicate the same pressure levels that we generated around the contest. If we lose key players at key stages (especially talls) or don't handle the extra pressure we could struggle.

How do we get another shot at it next year and beyond?
1. Rotate, manage and hit the draft. Make sure that non-premiership players are given every incentive to make the seniors; competition for spots is a good cure for flag hangovers. Have the courage to rest key players, even stars, to avoid burnout/injury. Go back to the draft well to make sure that there is an ongoing supply of youthful enthusiasm (and potential stars).
2. Hold our nerve. Our 'unexpected' success came from having a good hard look at the strengths of our list (not its weaknesses) and planning accordingly. Other clubs will probably do the same (not just copy our game style). But our list may prove to be better than most are still prepared to concede.

 

[Aeons]

Rewind the clock 12 months. With who the Bulldogs had coming back into their side in 2017 that missed their flag, surely not many would have picked the fall from grace they had.

Over the last 10 years, Hats off to the swans, Hawks and Cats for getting into so many GF. Each seemed to go about it differently to maintain their success. Hawks traded for good established players, but had to change game plans. Cats just maintained their group (and hit the draft without much change to their core). Swans did a bit of everything, but feel they tended to trade in outcasts (Buddy and Tippett aside) and blooded players from within.

Keep the same gameplay and smaller structure (just need to rest Nank and play a second ruck for blocks) and see if our boys can maintain the rage and whether others can break it down. There should be one or two line up changes from within from progression from those that missed out.

We hit the draft for a high end talls (re Jack) and you can take the Hawthorn approach as Rance & Astbury need replacing and get an established back. Maybe Moore and Garth can fill those roles in a couple of years ?

Re the Ruck, just trade in as required. There is always some ruckman stuck behind an established ruck looking for an opportunity (eg Nank). I would be replacing Marics spot with another ready to go ruck on the cheap as insurance in case our Premiership ruckman Grigg gets injured.

Great point on the ruck possie...i see that a guy like Nathan Vardy who is stuck behind Nic Nat could be very valuable...there are defiantly more nanks out there that are ripe for the picking...

 

[TigerTime88]

Injecting a couple of better skilled players that can also do the pressure stuff would be great. That would allow us to switch to a less taxing gameplan reliant on accurate disposals whenever we get too tired to put a lot of pressure on the opposition.

I inagine that bringing in talls would help us be more efficient in our forward 50 entries too.

This!

Replacing Castagna with a Shai Bolton.

Menadue taking the next step.

Cal Moore coming in and playing a role which means replacing a Townsend.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Maroo]

How do we get another shot at it next year and beyond?
1. Rotate, manage and hit the draft. Make sure that non-premiership players are given every incentive to make the seniors; competition for spots is a good cure for flag hangovers. Have the courage to rest key players, even stars, to avoid burnout/injury. Go back to the draft well to make sure that there is an ongoing supply of youthful enthusiasm (and potential stars).

This is a good point and an extension of this would be not falling into the trap of picking guys on 2017 premiership output. Make sure from day 1 next season that everyone is picked on their 2018 form and not on what they can potentially produce based on last season's results.

 

[matt_y106]

Agreed, but we have 2 first round picks, what I'm getting at with the OP is what do we target to keep ourselves at the forefront? What will make us more competitive during the H/A rounds. The manic pressure is not sustainable for a full season. So my thinking revolves around those sort of players that can operate as swingmen/KPD/KPF with run...l'm not sure, but seems to make sense

An 'Adam Tomlinson' type would be perfect for us.
Mark Blicavs as well but he's s**t.

 

[Lsta062]

This!

Replacing Castagna with a Shai Bolton.

Menadue taking the next step.

Cal Moore coming in and playing a role which means replacing a Townsend.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Yep, I see Cal Moore and Shai Bolton as the next inductees to our best 22.
Shai Bolton in particular, wow. If he builds up that tank, then I see him being the best out of our small forwards. Even better than Rioli.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

An 'Adam Tomlinson' type would be perfect for us.
Mark Blicavs as well but he's s**t.

I would take him...

 

[tora tora tora]

Our kids need to keep improving in other areas not just pressure. Rioli, Butler and Castagna/Bolton need to become more dangerous. Kmac, Vlastuin, Ellis and Graham need to become more consistent and not rely on Cotchin/Dusty/Grigg/Prestia to do the heavy lifting in terms of possessions.

Edwards staying injury free and playing like this final series would be fantastic too.

CEllis and Menadue especially breaking into the side using their superior skills (but improvement across the board) to maintain possession with the same attacking intent.

A second tall forward... whether we need it in finals is an interesting argument but if Griff plays this season we probably win 2-3 more games, we can't play like we did in finals all year.

Goal kicking! Simple we kick straight along with our pressure makes teams buckle.

I agree that improvement will come from within this year. I can't see many or any trades getting done this year.

I'd add Markov & Short to that list of players pushing hard to break into the side. And I'm hoping Lloyd might do a Kane Lambert and reinvent himself as a runner.
McIntosh, Broad & BEllis need the pressure on. Conca , Short Garth can play so I'm hoping for internal competition and that maintains out standard.
Just had a look at our 2nd tall games played in '17. Griff played 2, Elton 6, Soldo 7 games. (Someone posted these stats above) I'd expect to see more of Hampson, Griff, Soldo & Moore this year. I'm not expecting huge things out of these 4 talls, but if they can give Nank a chop out and pinch hit as a KPF then our situation shouldn't be any worse that this season. Draft some talls & hope GCS have a shocker and Lynch wants out in 18.

 

[mopsy]

It is funny looking at the double standards.
When i mention possible changes and the need to keep improving im accused of not celebrating the win and being too negative. Yet here we are talking about the very things i bought up.

 

[SunshineBoy]

We should be trading out two first round picks for established players.When you win the flag , you are in the premieship window ! Whats the point of draftng a young tall and Naish when theyll probably not play much next year.I would've been happy with Shache and Motlop.

Fatlop is gone, schache done deal

 

[tora tora tora]

I really hope they dont reinvent the wheel and make big changes our game plan.

All clubs will try to work out what we do so some minor tweeks and improvements are needed, i loved how we played in 2017 and hope we can continue our pressure and fast ball movement.

Yeah it will be interesting, if the selectors just went with the small fwd line because there was no one else to play there. Who was tall and good. I think we will stick the same fwd line we have for next year. What we may start seeing is other teams selecting shorter back 6es to match up us better.

 

[tora tora tora]

Unlike the Dogs I don’t think we got lucky because of the way we played. The same cattle pretty much got us to finals in 2013-15 but didn’t take the step forward like this year. I think we haven’t even played our best football yet as the players develop chemistry and confidence. We’ll be very hard to beat in 2018z

I don't reckon anyone wins a flag on "luck" alone. And it could be argued we had huge luck with our low injury toll & favourable MRP decisions (Cotch).
But I do look at the Dogs in 20 17 and wonder WTF? what happened to their chemistry and confidence.