Game 3 NAB challenge v Pies @ Etihad 7:10pm Saturday 21st

[ossie_21]

I was a bit disappointed that the only part of the game I was able to see was just after Wallis 2nd goal up to 3/4 time. Something like 20 minutes in between goals & watched Collingwood kick 3 in a few minutes. Still seen a few things that is enough to confirm Hamling is a round 1 lock, Goodes will be promoted for Libba & Redpath will destroy packs if they get in his way

 

[House_of_Dahl]

There is a digital Bulldogs membership that gives you access to AFL live.

Yeah that's what I was talking about. Presume the club must at least get a cut that way.

 

[yebiga]

When I think of BMac, I think of Bontempelli
When I think of last night, I think of organised disciplined positioning and intent around every stoppage
No easy exits for collingwood. Just relentless disciplined intent from us.

A back line which includes morris, Picken, Murphy and boyd will always keep an opposition honest. They were constantly organising the positioning down back and made it very difficult for collingwood to find any cohesion going forward. They are accountable and disciplined with mature heads.

Against a full strength melbourne in windy conditions last week, it seemed that big redpath had lost his way and the hope we had for him was forlorn. Last night, he was the best big man on the ground. He Out marked everyone. There have not been more than a handful of games in the last 10 years where we have won the contested marking stat - and when we do, as we did last night, we win. But more than his marking, he was aggressive, and so agile. He had a stint down back in the 3rd quarter and played with a plomb - ran around like a ruck rover. It is one of the more remarkable transformations I have witnessed in 40 years.

I must confess, that for sometime, I would not considered Dickson much more than a depth player to help whilst the kids develop. Whilst he is a good shot at goal and more than handy forward, his defensive efforts have been third rate. But last night, he played a complete game. His defensive efforts were extraordinary. He too went down back on occassions, which we have never previously seen, and played a pivotal role in some of our counter attacks.

I am still not a believer in Ayce Cordy. We have put in an enormous investment into him. A number of alternatives have been over looked because we as a club believed in him. His game last night was better, his agility for his size is an asset and I am now prepared to hold some hope for him. The best that I can say is he deserves a few more games - as he may not be far off. But his output needs to pick up.

I wonder if maddougie is still not a believer in big red and jong. Jong continues to make God awful decisions when he barges thru and splits packs. On several occasions last night he does the difficult, excelerates thru a posse of opponents like a knife thru butter, he reaches clear air, the adrenalin is pumping, we are all on the edge of our seats - there, right in front of him is a simple option a pass to a free team mate but he does not take it, the adrenalin blinds him, the simple options are closed down and the hard work is undone. But for all that, how far has this kid come? And defensively he is a gem and still so raw - there is still so much upside.

It is difficult to see how on last nights performance Collingwood can be a top 8 contender. For if they are, we are too. If we can deliver performances of that calibre with some consistency then we will knock off a few more fancied teams and squash some less fancied ones.

The loss of Liberatore is an opportunity for a number of players to stake a claim. Mitch Wallis is already benefitting from having the undiluted role as the inside man - his not as polished as Liberatore but he is more aggressive and tenacious. His stats will be lower but he impacts the contest and disrupts the opposition perhaps more than liber. Sitting in the wings after a second knee reconstruction is clay smith who too will be challenging for the inside busting role - at some point the match committee will decide to make the call and "release the kraken" - and then midfielders thru out the afl will shake in their boots.

 

[CrozaN]

I am most excited i have been for the club in many many years!

This is brilliant....we are going to be serious contenders soon

 

[Butane]

When I think of BMac, I think of Bontempelli

Really??

 

[yebiga]

Really??

And Macrae

 

[Testekill]

How bad is his disposal? Worse then Boyd and Jongy - he is tough but is Nick Lower reincarnated

I can't believe that according to champion data he was 3rd best on ground. How many of his disposals actually meant anything?

 

[the conch]

• Q4 30:25
  Tory Dickson amassed a career-high 24 disposals, kicked two goals and had a team high 10 score involvements. His previous career high for disposals was 19 disposals against Richmond in Round 20, 2012.

That's one we didn't pick. He was great . Impact player too.

 

[Dazb86]

I haven't seen a lot of Hamling but I thought he played really well last night. Reads the play well and is composed with the ball. I think he's a lock to play all year.

 

[VitalDread]

And Macrae

and stringer and honeychurch and talia

 

[immortalmike]

Good game to watch. Hopefully we carry this style into the season proper.
As it's just a practice match I still don't think much can be taken away from it, but I will say that I was impressed with Redpath. I still have severe doubts but his ground level agility seems to have improved.
Also special mention to Wil Minson who woke up long enough to have a dominant game.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Haven't posted anything yet on the game so here is my take:
Let's not get ahead of ourselves because Collingwood were absolutely woeful. Unless I'm not mistaken, they had an almost full strength side out there and looked horrible. They kept fumbling, they had no forward targets and blokes weren't trying as hard. They're closer to being a bottom 4 team than a finals team, although they're probably somewhere in the middle of that.

On that note, Grundy is not an AFL ruckman's arse. He had a stinker and it's amazing how much people were talking him up 12 months ago as the next big thing.

How brilliant is it to have a proper forward set-up? Boyd and Redpath and then a resting ruck. Plus then Stringer/resting Bontempelli. In one off-season we've completely changed our forward structure and we have to keep opposition big defenders honest. No Harry Taylor taking 20 marks in a half against Redpath as literally the only big man in defence ever again.

Our structure and tactics was just so much better just by the little things - how blokes positioned themselves away from the ball, the communication around stoppages, etc. make me love the coach that we had and we chose the right coach.

Loving Matthew Boyd at half back. Not only does it fufil the logic that you should put the experienced heads down back (we have Morris, Murphy, Boyd back there), but it also means that Murphy can be more creative off half back because he's not required to do, what Boyd is now doing and just be that sensible, experienced half-back player.

Pretty much ever since Roughead moved into defence I've been firmly in the "put him back up forward and in the ruck camp" but he is seriously going to thrive with Bevridge's defensive system being a 3rd man up more often as a FB. He'd 200cm with a long wingspan and great fist, and I can see him being a bit like the Josh Gibson type.

Bontempelli wow. Just wow. That is all.

Loving Grant and Dickson who are forwards push into the midfield and play as high half-forwards rather than just midfielders resting forward that was a feature of McCartney - that small difference in team selection and logic can make all the difference.

 

[GreatSouthWest]

Would like to enjoy the 20-odd pages of fun but don't have the time. Will do it at work tomorrow.

That performance was probably the most inspiring in quite a few years that i can recall.

If he hasn't already been discussed at length, I'd like to say that Joel Hamling's performance and range of abilities was the most satisfying element i took out of the game. He reads the play well, drips into position to fill gaps and intercept, and his standing vertical jump is funking fantastic!!!!

 

[maddog37]

Watching the replay. Honeychurch is a beast.

 

[maddog37]

Dal in everything.

 

[maddog37]

Leg speed has improved across the team IMHO.

 

[TempletonTheRat]

and stringer and honeychurch and talia

and Prudden

 

[Some Idiot]

Someone I know that went to the game said Hamling was the most impressive player of those not yet established, I haven't seen him play yet, so I am curious.

 

[Pagnoccolo C]

I have reported on training and practice matches this season, I have stated many times that Luke Beveridge is the most important appointment made at the Bulldogs in many many years.
At last we have the coaching appointment right.
I stated that Luke Beveride will end up a very special person at our club.
Early days, but watching Foorscray VFL yesterday, and Western Bulldogs last night we are certainly on the right track.
Ryan Griffen resigning from the club, the sacking of Macca, the recruiting of Tom Boyd, the appointment of Luke Beveridge.
I believe last October will change our clubs fortunes for the next 10 years, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
GO DOGGIES.

I was at both games, vfl and afl, too and have to agree that the difference from last year was huge. I know the season proper hasn't even begun yet and I expect we will still experience some pain but the instinctual thing for most of our players now is to take the game on with flair and it's exciting to watch. I think this summer has been the beginning of something really special and Bevo is fantastic. Bonts is a machine, Macrae is pure silk, Wallis is as tough and hard as they come. Honey is a beast, Ayce looks like a new man, Grant was sensational last night and I could go on forever but, the thing is, there is real, genuine hope and reason to get excited. Oh, and then there's Stringer and Toyd and Hamling and Talia..............

 

[threenewpadlocks]

One other thing I noticed was how much bigger and taller our players looked matched up around the ground compared to the Collingwood players.

Going by top afl fantasy points thingo, Sidebottom 180cm, Adams 180cm, Pendlebury 191cm, Thomas 178cm, Elliot 177cm, Langdon 189 cm, Williams 181 cm, Blair 172 cm

vs

Bontempelil 192 cm, Dahlahus 178cm, Wallis 185cm, Boyd 185cm, Macrae 191cm, Dickson 184cm, Goodes 183cm, Murphy 187cm, Jong 188cm but lookes taller (and I'm excluding Minson cause he's a ruck), that's the top 9 AFL Fantasy points getters from each team.

Average is 181cm vs 185.89cm

 

[Pagnoccolo C]

I haven't seen a lot of Hamling but I thought he played really well last night. Reads the play well and is composed with the ball. I think he's a lock to play all year.

Yeah, I think we might have uncovered a real gem there and maybe in time there might turn out to be more strings to his bow than just a defender. Early days but I'm looking forward to watching him develop.

 

[Chicago1]

I'm warning you now, don't let me get my hopes up too high. It's been almost four years since I've been to a match. I get too cranky the next day when I have to stay up until 3am or so, just to watch/listen to us lose. You've been warned!

 

[the dog's kennel]

the instinctual thing for most of our players now is to take the game on with flair and it's exciting to watch.

I don't want to be a wet blanket but i think this board tends to get as delirious when we win as it gets suicidal when we lose. And I think there are two things we need to bear in mind:

1) There were still PLENTY of disposals that didn't get close to hitting targets. Like I said in a previous post, Honeychurch is the one I'm most worried about in that regard at the moment (although I do like his grit and think he will likely end up a very solid player.)

2) Replying to the quoted section above - That was definitely the case in the 1st quarter. But as we tired and the run dried up a bit in the late 2nd and 3rd quarters, so did the play-on instinct in many players. I noticed Wallis was the first to start looking backwards. By contrast, I also noticed Captain Murphy was the direct opposite - he NEVER looked backwards. I understand this is a work in progress. But be prepared for when we get under the pump during the season - old, bad habits might re-emerge. Hopefully our Captain continues to lead the way, and eventually it becomes a permanent instinct for the team.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I don't want to be a wet blanket but i think this board tends to get as delirious when we win as it gets suicidal when we lose. And I think there are two things we need to bear in mind:

1) There were still PLENTY of disposals that didn't get close to hitting targets. Like I said in a previous post, Honeychurch is the one I'm most worried about in that regard at the moment (although I do like his grit and think he will likely end up a very solid player.)

2) Replying to the quoted section above - That was definitely the case in the 1st quarter. But as we tired and the run dried up a bit in the late 2nd and 3rd quarters, so did the play-on instinct in many players. I noticed Wallis was the first to start looking backwards. By contrast, I also noticed Captain Murphy was the direct opposite - he NEVER looked backwards. I understand this is a work in progress. But be prepared for when we get under the pump during the season - old, bad habits might re-emerge. Hopefully our Captain continues to lead the way, and eventually it becomes a permanent instinct for the team.

On top of all that I reckon it was more Collingwood being woeful than us good. They kept fumbling all night even when we didn't have pressure, couldn't hit targets and had poor communication and tactics and decision making - all things largely outside of the control of how we played. Just as an example, even Redpath's set shot late in the 4th quarter occurred not because we did well to get it to him, just because there was a breakdown in communication in the Collingwood defence. There was even two or three cases from kickouts where we hit an uncontested mark outside defensive 50, which again is just a breakdown of communication from Collingwood's kick in zone/press. As I said earlier Collingwood look a lot closer being a bottom 4 side than a finals side from that performance.

 

[stefoid]

Hamling looks like a real smart campaigner actually.

hey, theres no need for that sort of language.