Autopsy AFL 2024 Round 11 - Dogs v Swans Thu May 23rd 7:30pm AEST (Marvel)

[SSwans2011]

I take it Geelong have the bye next week too so that’s equitable…..(checks notes)…oh, ok.

At least they’re at home against a rested swans team…….oh,ok.

Not having a go at the swans btw, more the ludicrous AFL fixture that somehow manages to exacerbate inequality rather than mitigate against it.

I really don't understand all the whinging about this. It's stupid fixturing but any advantage is offset by the fact that we play 11 in a row to finish the season while other teams will be fresher.

Opening round is a joke and you could argue there's an advantage to playing a week earlier than everyone else so the first bye is an advantage (but on the flipside you also lose a week of pre-season). I don't really see how this second bye being early is a massive advantage in the grand scheme of things though.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

It was a good hard game of footy.

Let’s call a spade a spade the umps were putrid but they were horrid both ways.

The 50 against Warner was a terrible call, the one against McLean was so let’s just cancel those out.

We played as well as we needed to but we need McCartin back soon Francis will drive me insane soon.

 

[SSwans2011]

It was a good hard game of footy.

Let’s call a spade a spade the umps were putrid but they were horrid both ways.

The 50 against Warner was a terrible call, the one against McLean was so let’s just cancel those out.

We played as well as we needed to but we need McCartin back soon Francis will drive me insane soon.

The 50 against Warner was there. The mistake was the free kick in the first place.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

The 50 against Warner was there. The mistake was the free kick in the first place.

Shouldn’t have got to the ump being told he was wrong if he paid HTB correctly. Both were howlers

 

[zyzzbruh]

I've seen a lot of sides like this fall apart in September when they get off to ripper starts. Can only hope.

This is getting bandied around but makes no sense, who are they? The truly dominant H&A teams of the recent decade - Collingwood 2010, Geelong, Hawthorn, Richmond, have all gone on to grand finals and won them. Swans 2016 and stkilda in the late 2000s are probably the only two clear dominant teams of the year to not go on to win it all.

And that's not even mentioning Collingwood last year, Dee's 21 and west coast because I don't class them as completely dominating the H&A in those years. Yet even they went on to win it.

 

[Maddo11]

The difference in the last quarter

Bont misses a set shot 20m out slight angle

Two minutes later Heeney slots one on the run from the boundary across his body

Chad will probably get the 3 votes but Heeney is still the best player in the league right now

 

[cherrypie]

Swans 2016 and stkilda in the late 2000s are probably the only two clear dominant teams of the year to not go on to win it all.

Don’t think Sydney were quite that dominant in 2016, they only spent 3 weeks on top of the ladder. Think people forget how close that season was, they only won 1 more game than we did in 7th place

 

[hutchy31]

I really don't understand all the whinging about this. It's stupid fixturing but any advantage is offset by the fact that we play 11 in a row to finish the season while other teams will be fresher.

Opening round is a joke and you could argue there's an advantage to playing a week earlier than everyone else so the first bye is an advantage (but on the flipside you also lose a week of pre-season). I don't really see how this second bye being early is a massive advantage in the grand scheme of things though.

I really don't understand all the whinging about this. It's stupid fixturing but any advantage is offset by the fact that we play 11 in a row to finish the season while other teams will be fresher.

Opening round is a joke and you could argue there's an advantage to playing a week earlier than everyone else so the first bye is an advantage (but on the flipside you also lose a week of pre-season). I don't really see how this second bye being early is a massive advantage in the grand scheme of things though.

I’m not whinging about this. Or at least nor this specifically, and definitely not in a “swans get an advantage” way. I’ve posted elsewhere that the only real winners of OR were GWS and GC (surprise!) because of how the week 1-2 fixture played out.

My whinge is less a general “the AFL fixture is unfair” - because of course it is. How can any objective assessment of it find otherwise?

You play everyone once, but only a third of them twice.
Of that third it’ll be based on last years position but we have to take local rivalries into account too.
You will theoretically play the same amount of games at home, except sometimes home doesn’t mean home (hi Geelong - who play home games at the MCG apparently when they have a home ground at, you know, home)
You will play Geelong in Geelong every year - if you’re a smaller Victorian team, but if you’re a larger Victorian team you won’t ever play there (see previous MCG issue)


The big one is “how about you small teams get a bigger crowd before you get an opportunity to get a big crowd at big games?!”

I look forward to Pies v Bombers Anzac, and Richmond v Carlton opening round, and Collingwood v Melbourne Kings birthday, and Richmond v Essendon Dreamtime, and many others. I’ll tell my kids that the AFL just want to make sure the kids of parents who support only about half of the Vic teams can take their kids to watch a genuinely marquee game.

Alright, that’s another bottle of wine down. I’m out.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Didn’t realise you could get a bye before you’d played a game.

And yet you did. You and ten other teams got an extra week of pre-season prep.

 

[hutchy31]

And yet you did. You and ten other teams got an extra week of pre-season prep.

Which is not an in season bye.

Is that so difficult to comprehend?

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Which is not an in season bye.

Is that so difficult to comprehend?

Oh I totally comprehend that. I also don’t see it makes any great amount of difference.

Added to that is the fact that at the tail end of the season, “opening” round means we have to play 11 games in a row.

This really isn’t a very interesting topic, is it? I suggest we cease discussing it.

 

[hutchy31]

Oh I totally comprehend that. I also don’t see it makes any great amount of difference.

Added to that is the fact that at the tail end of the season, “opening” round means we have to play 11 games in a row.

This really isn’t a very interesting topic, is it? I suggest we cease discussing it.

Happy to.

But if you want to stop discussing it, just stop discussing it.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Happy to.

But if you want to stop discussing it, just stop discussing it.

Deal.

 

[Eshay187]

And for the record, McLean would have kicked that goal from the arc regardless of the 50m penalty

 

[St 07]

And for the record, McLean would have kicked that goal from the arc regardless of the 50m penalty

He also could have kicked it backwards, resulting in a bulldogs rebound.

 

[Countryfooty1]

This is getting bandied around but makes no sense, who are they? The truly dominant H&A teams of the recent decade - Collingwood 2010, Geelong, Hawthorn, Richmond, have all gone on to grand finals and won them. Swans 2016 and stkilda in the late 2000s are probably the only two clear dominant teams of the year to not go on to win it all.

And that's not even mentioning Collingwood last year, Dee's 21 and west coast because I don't class them as completely dominating the H&A in those years. Yet even they went on to win it.

Brisbane were 50/50 away from Brisbane. Made top 2 based on the fact they were the best team at the GABBA and won 11/11 during the home and away. Collingwood had top spot all but wrapped up a month out. Collingwood were the best team for 90% of the year especially considering the amount of falls they had out at one stage. That being said that was the first grand final for a while where I wasn't confident picking a winner. The only team I can remember dominating a season and not winning the GF in the last 20 years is Geelong 2008. Only lost 2 games for the year and 1 of them was the grand final.

 

[Eshay187]

Brisbane were 50/50 away from Brisbane. Made top 2 based on the fact they were the best team at the GABBA and won 11/11 during the home and away. Collingwood had top spot all but wrapped up a month out. Collingwood were the best team for 90% of the year especially considering the amount of falls they had out at one stage. That being said that was the first grand final for a while where I wasn't confident picking a winner. The only team I can remember dominating a season and not winning the GF in the last 20 years is Geelong 2008. Only lost 2 games for the year and 1 of them was the grand final.

Yeah but didn’t you listen to Dunstal, Kingy and Montagna?

Heeney and Warner have used up all their allotted good games too early, and, foolishly, the swans haven’t given themselves enough injuries at the beginning of the season meaning they are all going to come later.

Sack Longmire now for this incompetency!

 

[St 07]

Yeah but didn’t you listen to Dunstal, Kingy and Montagna?

Heeney and Warner have used up all their allotted good games too early, and, foolishly, the swans haven’t given themselves enough injuries at the beginning of the season meaning they are all going to come later.

Sack Longmire now for this incompetency!

Sack Longmire before his lack of anger management makes him a danger to himself and his community

 

[Countryfooty1]

Buddy was outplayed by a guy with a broken back

The pressure of the Bulldogs midfield mixed with Sydney's inability to recognise a pattern won them that game. You name a Bulldogs defender in that team that was a genuinely good 1 vs 1 defender at that time. Sydney fell into the trap a lot of teams that year did, they listened to the hype around Easton Wood. It wasn't that he was intercept marking everything that Bulldogs were winning games, it was the Bulldogs midfield were putting on great pressure meaning teams were panic handballing before getting themselves into that much trouble that were then forced to hack kick forward.

Because teams were taking so long to kick the ball forward, the Bulldogs defence were that well setup behind the ball their defenders were able to lock their opponents into a wrestle with Wood coming in 3rd man up effectively in a 0 vs 1. We saw Sydney play 15 minutes of get the ball forward at all costs football in the second half of the second quarter and get on top as the lesser Bulldogs defenders panicked and made mistakes / give away frees as they were caught in genuine 1 vs 1.

Bulldogs fell away the following year for 3 reasons that are all linked to this. Reason 1, because Bulldogs won the flag teams studied their game and realised this fact about their defenders. The Bulldogs lost their 1 wood and weren't able to adapt. Reason 2, Easton Wood missed several games which meant the Bulldogs defenders had to win contests on their own merits. Because of reason 1, teams were already moving the ball quicker against them which then meant it was further exposed. Reason 3, because teams realised the Bulldogs defenders weren't great in 1 vs 1 contests, they were more willing to take chances and kick to a 1 vs 1 contest forward of the ball. This then meant that their midfielders weren't able to put as much pressure on opposition teams.

 

[Countryfooty1]

Yeah but didn’t you listen to Dunstal, Kingy and Montagna?

Heeney and Warner have used up all their allotted good games too early, and, foolishly, the swans haven’t given themselves enough injuries at the beginning of the season meaning they are all going to come later.

Sack Longmire now for this incompetency!

I didn't because the last time Montagna and King said anything worth listening to I was still leaving presents for my parents in my nappy. Dunstall has knowledge about the game but got burnt early in his commentary making big statements that he tends to play it safe now.

That being said, it's rare for a team to go a whole season with no injuries to key players and theirmain players playing well all season. At some point this year I suspect Sydney will have a game were they have players out or their midfield are well held. If the next tier players like Wicks, Rowbottom, Florent etc step up and Sydney win, that will be the win that will make their coaching staff most happy.

 

[Mofra]

We played as well as we needed to but we need McCartin back soon Francis will drive me insane soon.

Jesus you guys would be close to unbeatable with a decent KPD instead of Frost-lite

 

[Xtreme]

It’s what most of them deserve.

Tom Browne Dislikes this

 

[Mofra]

The pressure of the Bulldogs midfield mixed with Sydney's inability to recognise a pattern won them that game. You name a Bulldogs defender in that team that was a genuinely good 1 vs 1 defender at that time. Sydney fell into the trap a lot of teams that year did, they listened to the hype around Easton Wood. It wasn't that he was intercept marking everything that Bulldogs were winning games, it was the Bulldogs midfield were putting on great pressure meaning teams were panic handballing before getting themselves into that much trouble that were then forced to hack kick forward.

Because teams were taking so long to kick the ball forward, the Bulldogs defence were that well setup behind the ball their defenders were able to lock their opponents into a wrestle with Wood coming in 3rd man up effectively in a 0 vs 1. We saw Sydney play 15 minutes of get the ball forward at all costs football in the second half of the second quarter and get on top as the lesser Bulldogs defenders panicked and made mistakes / give away frees as they were caught in genuine 1 vs 1.

Bulldogs fell away the following year for 3 reasons that are all linked to this. Reason 1, because Bulldogs won the flag teams studied their game and realised this fact about their defenders. The Bulldogs lost their 1 wood and weren't able to adapt. Reason 2, Easton Wood missed several games which meant the Bulldogs defenders had to win contests on their own merits. Because of reason 1, teams were already moving the ball quicker against them which then meant it was further exposed. Reason 3, because teams realised the Bulldogs defenders weren't great in 1 vs 1 contests, they were more willing to take chances and kick to a 1 vs 1 contest forward of the ball. This then meant that their midfielders weren't able to put as much pressure on opposition teams.

Fair summary.
Dale Morris - and that's it. The rest of it was all system.

A lot went right that day. Tom Boyd played the game of his life, Clay Smith kicked straight for 4 weeks of his career (that finals series), Bont went at 100% DE by foot, Buddy's ankle helped us for sure. The whole midfield went on 'shutdown Kennedy' mode in the second half as he was incredible in the first half, while Libba went hard-tag on him in the second half.

That year the bulldogs & GWS used the 3rd man up at ruck contests a lot more than other clubs too. Changing that rule the next year contributed to the fall as well.

 

[Mofra]

The difference in the last quarter

Bont misses a set shot 20m out slight angle

Two minutes later Heeney slots one on the run from the boundary across his body

Chad will probably get the 3 votes but Heeney is still the best player in the league right now

In the first half West missed one from 30m out and Gallagher missed one in play he should have kicked as well. You can't afford to miss those against top teams.

You guys were 7 goals 2 at one stage, and have been scarily accurate all year. That's the biggest factor, you're taking your chances more than any other club.

 

[CarnTheScray]

Unfortunately some of these dogs fans still aren't over the fact we outplayed them in the 2016 Grand Final.

It's been 8 years now fellas. Time to move on.

Taking notes from the English cricket team playbook?