Moved Thread Bulldogs - one of the worst premiership fluke title defences I've seen

[Sedat!]

how is even 1 finals win a fluke? It's 4 quarters of football it's not like 5 minutes. 4 finals wins in a row isn't a fluke it's good form.

You've got it all wrong. The 26 weeks of sustained excellence and effort that resulted in 19 wins mean jack shit. It's all about obsessing over factors completely outside of your control. Only then will you understand the mindset of the perennial loser - it is ALWAYS someone else's fault for your own failure

 

[Rod Stroker]

What a knee jerk. Hawks 09 was far worse.

How was it FAR worse? They finished 9th and just missed the finals after a horrendous run with injuries. I doubt the Dogs will even finish as high as 9th this year.

North are a game off bottom, with a better percentage than the Dogs. That tells you how shit the Dogs are traveling.

 

[TheKanga]

The problem i knew would catch up to the Dogs is.

They generally can't kick a big score.

 

[Sentinel]

Was clear they got carried to a flag with the help of the umps and a lot of luck last year. Not surprising they are back to being shite.

I don't disagree with you saying we are shite this year, but I'm interested to hear what 'luck' we had last year?

 

[Sedat!]

You need to care like crazy
You need to get hooked on winning them.
And if not winning them then nearly winning them!!
Don't fall into the attitude of 1955 and the next 60 yrs thereafter!
Demand sustained success.

Listening to Bevo's excellent post match presser tonight, I think last year was the furthest thing from his mind. It's ok for mug punters like myself to endlessly watch replays of last year, but for the players the next 7 weeks will determine future careers.

Clearly our best is still good enough to match it with the best in 2017 - the 1st half tonight was excellent in terms of effort, application, structure and gameplan, with us dominating key areas apart from a few isolated poor errors allowing Adelaide to skunk out the back for 3 goals. But the 2nd half tonight was an abomination and shows that if you don't get incremental improvement from the majority if your playing group, you get swallowed up by the competition very quickly. We have nobody on our list who has improved from 2016 to 2017. Some have matched but none have surpassed.

 

[Adz]

You mean Bucks?

Come back when we have an average loosing margin of 8 goals.

 

[Plugger35]

Explain the fact that we're 2nd in positive free kick differential this year yet are sitting in 10th position? I thought there was a direct correlation, or is that only if it suits your clever argument? It's almost like our poor results this year are exposing you as the fraud.

Another fun fact - did you know St Kilda also missed finals the year after their only tainted flag win?

Nice try but this year you just aren't good enough to take advantage of the armchair ride you've got from the umpires while other teams have improved.

It doesn't change the fact that you got one of the biggest umpiring armchair rides I've ever seen through the H&A season and finals last year.

Also in 1967 it was a top 4 rather than a top 8 so it was harder to make the finals back then and St Kilda still finished 5th that year with 11 wins and 7 losses.

 

[go you pups]

North flogs and Plugger posting in this fred whinging about umpires carried us over the line.

Why am I not surprised

 

[Magpie Ink]

What a knee jerk. Hawks 09 was far worse.

Collingwood 2011, Hawthorn 2012, Sydney 2013 were all the worst premiership defenders in AFL history as well

You forgot Geelong 2008

 

[gavaniacono]

Tigers dont get hangovers.


We never stop drinking.

 

[Cyg1992]

Western bulldogs of Afl 2016 are Greece of European championships 2004. Blips on the radar that shouldn't have happened.

 

[Roddy]

They remind me of us in '09, went absolutely all out to win a surprise flag, suffered horrendous injuries (although ours were still worse in 09, especially coupled with premature, injury-driven retirements of our number 1 ruckman and only good key defender), and came back to earth.
Maybe they can take heart from the fact that a few short years later we bounced back from that year and played in 4 GFs in a row and won a threepeat...

 

[gavaniacono]

The greatest hangover of all time has been the last 2 millennia. What the **** you been doing Yahweh? No more resurrections? Overated Flog.

 

[Mattdougie]

What a surprise all the Notth and saints fans coming out

North fans irrelevant to anything and just salty Coz Bont schools them time and time again.

Saints fans salty Coz they can't even fluke a premiership.

Oh well that's footy we will take it on the chin and keep battling.

Still getting an "armchair" ride with frees this year and we suck so weak excuses from weak minds unable to accept we were the best team last year and the records will say that for eternity

 

[Mattdougie]

Was clear they got carried to a flag with the help of the umps and a lot of luck last year. Not surprising they are back to being shite.

And still beat Notth twice and god I enjoyed both wins SOOOOOOOO much

 

[Sedat!]

Western bulldogs of Afl 2016 are Greece of European championships 2004. Blips on the radar that shouldn't have happened.

Both happened and both were things of rare beauty

 

[Mr Mediocracy]

As I've said before a mid table team last year who peaked when it mattered most.

This year everyone else has improved and hunted them while god knows what is going on internally with them.

 

[Mattdougie]

You can rate the level of footy knowledge on the people that mention we finished 7th last year (but don't acknowledge injuries)

Blame the umps for our flag

And use the bye as another excuse

If you use any of these you know zero about footy and are simply jealous of what we did last year.

 

[Substance]

Was clear they got carried to a flag with the help of the umps and a lot of luck last year. Not surprising they are back to being shite.

Total nonsense PRATT.

 

[dickballsack]

I mean, you can pretend all flags are the same or you can live in reality.

The competition was bewilderingly weak last year, and it opened the door for someone to snatch one, and they were the ones to do so. And many happy returns for their supporters who waited so damn long. To do it from seventh gave it that edge to make it feel big.

It's not a premiership side of the ilk of Hawthorn, or Brisbane, or Geelong, or those great North sides. I actually cant think of a flag winning side with fewer stars.

The striking thing watching them live is how many vanilla players they have.

Bontempelli and Johannisen are damaging. Easton Wood is a good intercept mark. Stringer bobs up but is a flash in the pan sort like Brennan was for the lions.

Then it's a raft of players with no penetration in their football.

Wallis can't kick 40.

Smith can't kick 40.

Daniel can't kick 40, is tiny and slow, and now sides are isolating him to send the ball long he's struggling to impact games.

Redpath is ordinary.

Adams is just ok, serviceable defender.

Dahlhaus can barely kick 40.

Dale, Hunter, McLean, Honeychurch, Biggs, Roughead, Cordy, Roberts. All vanilla types.

Their x factor was their hunger, which has obviously waned, and you're left with...well, plain old vanilla.

You speak of reality but you obviously haven't experienced 'reality'. Winning a flag is the ultimate, it can't be described, doesn't have to be afl, it's at any level and it all feels the same. It's bloody hard and it doesn't happen often. But it's the best feeling in the world.

 

[dickballsack]

If you experience the world without any nuance, sure.

No, nothing to do with our life's experiences. you're specifically debating - and downplaying a significant acheivment, which you know nothing about and I'm calling you out in it.

 

[Schauermann]

Not that surprising considering how even the competition was and perhaps even more is now.

 

[Ricmel]

Wouldn't mind the Saints having a premiership hangover year.

Seriously OP , get over it. They don't owe you or anyone else anything and nothing they do this year in any way takes away from last year.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

It was there, ill pay it. Just like in the grand final.

Where was the melt in the GF? It was one of the all-time great GFs, with nothing in it till the last 5 mins.

 

[Adz]

When was the last time a team won a flag then spoon in conscecutive years?

The attention should turn to Bevo this week.

Has he lost the players?