Autopsy Brave Bulldogs go down by 14 points

[Oliver G]

I know you're a staunch defender of Macrae, but for a senior player some of his tackling efforts tonight were pathetic. Throwing one arm out probably doesn't even count as a tackle attempt. In one instance he didn't even realise Gulden was a left footer. That's one of the most damaging left legs in the league.

I've been in his corner up until now. Injuries probably save him for now, but I think we need to move past him.

At no point in my original post did I claim he had a good tackle game, in fact I agree that he missed some easy tackles. I was simply saying that as a team we didn't tackle well, there were plenty of senior players who couldn't even manage 4 tackle attempts...

Tackle Attempts / Tackles
8 / 3 - Bramble
7 / 2 - Vandermeer
7 / 6 - Bontempelli
6 / 5 - Sanders
5 / 4 - Treloar
5 / 3 - Darcy
5 / 2 - Macrae
4 / 3 - Dale
4 / 3 - Gallagher
4 / 2 - Daniel
4 / 2 - Freijah
3 / 3 - Harmes
3 / 2 - English
3 / 1 - Keath
2 / 2 - Garcia
2 / 2 - Richards
2 / 2 - Williams
1 / 1 - Duryea
1 / 0 - L. Jones
0 / 0 - Scott
0 / 0 - Naughton
0 / 0 - Ugle-Hagen

We are coming off a 5-day break so I think it's fair to give most of them the benefit of the doubt, especially given that we are generally a good tackling team this year.

Macrae is naturally going to have fewer tackles now that he is starting permanently forward but that doesn't mean he's not having an impact pressure-wise...

Pressure Points
49 - Bontempelli
37 - Macrae
36 - West
34 - Darcy
33 - Sanders
31 - Daniel
31 - Bramble
30 - Harmes
29 - Garcia
28 - Dale
27 - English
26 - Freijah
26 - Vandermeer
23 - Treloar
23 - Richards
20 - Williams
20 - Gallagher
11 - Duryea
6 - Naughton
5 - L. Jones
3 - Ugle-Hagen
0 - Scott

I'd have to check the numbers but I think he's ranked top 3 for overall pressure (pressure points) this year which is something he traditionally has struggled with.

Again I'm not defending the tackle game tonight but it was not exclusive to him and although he was far below his best today Macrae was ranked 3rd for ground balls and equal 2nd for score assists along with a well above average inside 50 retention rate. Comparing him to his previous years is largely pointless given his new position and I wouldn't be writing him off just yet but that doesn't mean he won't find himself out of the team at the end of year.

 

[dogwatch]

What is with the change to 50m penalties where they take them 60m down field and 15m inboard?

It's called the Whingemire amendment.

 

[Anja_Nees]

At one point a few weeks ago I would've been shattered by not making finals and having the season just sputter out, but now, I feel like even if we miss finals (likely) we won't next year and the year after that.

Can see where we're going now and that's a bloody good thing...at last.

Also, no reason we can't beat Collingwood, Brisbane and Freo, all at Marvel, followed by North.

9-6 and we give ourselves a shot. Why not us, eh? Why not us?

I assumed Bevo was gone if we don’t make the eight until a week or so ago, but now I think if we play out the season pushing good sides and beating sides that are around 6-18th and just miss out he’ll survive.

Go back to choking against bottom four sides and he won’t.

Richards (in his new role), Darcy, Garcia, West, Sanders, O’Donnell, Gallagher etc all look like a big part of the future and I think he’s moving on from the list cloggers (Bramble excepted).

 

[Leon]

That free was garbage, but you don't see that kind of 50 paid because most players don't have the same level of hubris as Chad Warner. Most players know better than to point at the scoreboard and tell the umpires to have a look.

That is the very definition of dissent.

How ****ing unlikeable is Warner.

Good player, massive flog.

 

[Libbaaaa]

Aside from the fact the 50 in favour of the Swans happened with two minutes to go when we were 8 points down.

But without we are 14 points at that stage and the game is over. Shouldn’t dwell on it as it didn’t decide the game.

 

[GetDimmaBack]

Only 27k there tonight? Thursday not a good night for us to attend given a min 4hr round trip

Same here.

Have to admit, though, that I really haven't wanted to be there since the Essendon game. That game almost traumatised me, and I haven't been since ☹

Can't help wondering if others felt the same after that.

 

[Dog 36]

We went okay tonight injuries didn’t help and our bad kicking for goal didn’t allow us to put scoreboard pressure on the Swans.

A highlight for me was how silly the Swans fans are I didn’t have to mention 2016 they did that themselves I just thanked them for reminding me.

 

[GetDimmaBack]

How ****ing unlikeable is Warner.

Good player, massive flog.

The leading candidate for Punchable Head of the Year

 

[Oliver G]

Only 27k there tonight? Thursday not a good night for us to attend given a min 4hr round trip, and work/school the next day, guessing even Melb-based fans voted with their feet.

Thought it was disappointing when they flashed up the number but when I checked our recent games, it was actually the largest crowd between the two clubs since R1 2019.

 

[compact72]

The leading candidate for Punchable Head of the Year

TBF, thats what most teams think about Weightman.

We would take Warner in a heart beat

 

[hutchy31]

I like many of the posts in the last couple of pages, and several of the posters who made them.

But we’re still talking about poor tackling, poor positioning, poor decision making and poor execution - particularly at goal.

The team could be playing in 2020, 2022 or 2024 finals but there are some poor areas that remain unaddressed.

 

[Dazb86]

Good effort tonight all things considered.

Rapt with the younger mids in that last quarter

 

[Dogs 13]

Created history tonight with a Ryley, Rhylee & Riley at centre bounces at the same time.
Loved it

The horrible boring footy we were playing up until 3 weeks ago being in the crowd had just been a chore for far too long and felt as flat as a pancake, but how great was it to feel the passion and some excitement again.

The members wing was loud, angry and pissed off.

I hope the bullshit chant after that 50 came through the broadcast loud and clear.
Gerard & Gerard on SEN were savage on the disgraceful decision with the game in the balance.

 

[BulldogMuscle]

Honestly.
Couldn't be prouder. Showed some heart, showed some fight.
No Scott, Naughton, Ed, two of our best and a handy roleplayer - two rotations down all night, half the team having 100% TOG. Complete overhaul of forward and midfield structure mid-game, and we still take the fight upto them and lose by a slim margin.

Don't care what the scoreboard says, that was a gutsy game, and you can be proud to be a Bulldogs fan tonight.

Fingers crossed Naughton is just a few weeks out and not whole-season.

 

[Libba39]

Only 27k there tonight? Thursday not a good night for us to attend given a min 4hr round trip, and work/school the next day, guessing even Melb-based fans voted with their feet.

I was there. Upgraded my general admission membership to level one and they plonked me on the Bulldogs members wing. There were more spare seats than full ones which was disappointing. It only seems like yesterday that this area was full most home games.

As for Thursday nights its convenient to get to the game as I work on docklands but gee whiz at half time I'm sitting there and its 8.50 and I realise that I will be back in there in 11 hours. That hurtz....

On SM-A505YN using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Oliver G]

I like many of the posts in the last couple of pages, and several of the posters who made them.

But we’re still talking about poor tackling, poor positioning, poor decision making and poor execution - particularly at goal.

The team could be playing in 2020, 2022 or 2024 but there are some terrible issues

The turnovers and tackling were particularly poor tonight. Dale and Freijah in the first half gave up two unforced turnovers each that resulted in goals, Freijah did have a good second half though.

Sydney is the best at scoring from the defensive half and they dined out on us tonight scoring 6.4 to just 2.5.

Sydney went at 70% in front of goal which is 20% above the comp average, while we went at 43%. You could say Sydney were lucky but we also handed them some easy shots in front goal.

 

[Libba39]

Same here.

Have to admit, though, that I really haven't wanted to be there since the Essendon game. That game almost traumatised me, and I haven't been since

Can't help wondering if others felt the same after that.

Farken hell Dimma just go to the game and support the team. Its not that freakin' hard.
What we're watching now is a cut above what we were serving up 10 years ago in 2014.

On SM-A505YN using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Dogs 13]

Honestly.
Couldn't be prouder. Showed some heart, showed some fight.
No Scott, Naughton, Ed, two of our best and a handy roleplayer - two rotations down all night, half the team having 100% TOG. Complete overhaul of forward and midfield structure mid-game, and we still take the fight upto them and lose by a slim margin.

Don't care what the scoreboard says, that was a gutsy game, and you can be proud to be a Bulldogs fan tonight.

Fingers crossed Naughton is just a few weeks out and not whole-season.

We were completely hamstrung tonight with only 59/75 interchanges able to be made in a frenetic game like that.

 

[adogsfan5]

How ****ing unlikeable is Warner.

Good player, massive flog.

Just bag his hairline.

 

[hutchy31]

The turnovers and tackling were particularly poor tonight. Dale and Freijah in the first half gave up two unforced turnovers each that resulted in goals, Freijah did have a good second half though.

Sydney is the best at scoring from the defensive half and they dined out on us tonight scoring 6.4 to just 2.5.

Sydney went at 70% in front of goal which is 20% above the comp average, while we went at 43%. You could say Sydney were lucky but we also handed them some easy shots in front goal.

This is what kills me about this team.

When the coaches lose the reins and the team is unstructured (or at least not well-structured) then we look like a bottom eight team.

When they lock in we look good, but have issues with personnel, gameplan and general ball use.

Tonight they looked up for it. They’ll be good going forward.

 

[VitalDread]

Bigfooty alerting me to two Swans threads being created is big
You about to have the weekend off vibes

 

[Doggies7]

That's Richards 2nd concussion for the year too isn't it

Not great and puts him in dangerous territory really not wanting to get that third for the year...

 

[hutchy31]

Easy to get down on the injury stuff.

Pies are missing almost an entire forward line and still dangerous. Can we build something similar?

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Speaking of players specifically, there are some positives.

Garcia looked comfortable up the ground.

Freijah will get better as he learns the game, but he has all the traits to be a player. Tall, athletic, has skills, and a couple of times he had vision to kick the ball in space correctly. I don't think I've been as excited for a kid's first few games while the wider footy world continues unaware. Carrying on his VFL form, and not to put pressure on the lad, but I can see him bursting very quickly and being an elite player very soon.

Gallagher did very well and backed himself to use his speed. Sanders' skills and reading the play in traffic already at AFL level, and he knows how to naturally find the ball at midfield. He's very raw in some elements - defensive running and backing in his own ability tk get metres gained and kick it himself - but he's already showing progression there.

I get it with Bramble - he does some bone headed stuff - but much like Vandermeer and Gallagher we've had plenty of opportunities to drop him them this season and haven't. All three have weaknesses but offer something with pace, and are told to back in their pace, that slow understanding by Bevo that pace on general, while never unimportant is increasingly nor important in modern footy than a few years ago. Bramble did use his agility quite a few times to evade or gain metres too.

As we get players back from injury there'll be genuine competition for spots, which can only be healthy. We may be 5-6 but we bring that game and we'll only lose a couple more this season.

 

[dogwatch]

Bit concerning the number of concussion prone players we have.

Not suggesting it’s anything the club is doing wrong, seems to be just bad luck but Richards, Libba, Scott and English have all had some issues and we’ve had a couple retire over the years.

Add Picken to that list and you start to see a pattern. It's often the bravest and most committed players - the ones who always put their head over the ball - that get it whacked for their troubles. English is perhaps the exception. His worst concussion was friendly fire (Astro's knee).

Fortunately not every head-over-the-ball player gets multiple concussions.