Analysis Is Rocky the Right Man for the Job?

[bato]

Is it just me, or has Rocky been taken off the club's website background design graphic?

 

[CarterS]

Under the right coach I think he has the potential to be a super leader, wouldn't mind at all if he is given that chance. If he has gotten lazy which is one rumour then he could do with a kick up the arse and if he is a poor communicator then Fagan seems like the man to help him with that (Leigh and Leppa aren't exactly nuanced communicators). That piece from Caro mid season really put him in a good light to me. It looks like he has some way to go to develop his leadership but many leaders start young and learn on the job, there are many examples of this in world cricket especially. The fact that he has gone to Sydney to meet major business leaders to try and get leadership advice also speaks to his strong desire to be a good skipper. He is 26, so could be captain for another 6 years if things go well.

 

[3KZ is Football]

"It's still a week short of two years since the Western Bulldogs as an entire club, let alone football team, appeared on their knees, their captain Ryan Griffen walking out to join Greater Western Sydney and their coach Brendan McCartney effectively sacked.

One of the great performances: Luke Beveridge. Photo: Getty Images

Beveridge wasn't even appointed until November 14, 2014, picking up the reins of a side in disarray, a pre-season already in full swing and along with Griffen, bedrocks of the playing list, Shaun Higgins and Adam Cooney, also having departed. Not even 23 months later, essentially the same list is a premiership combination."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...-bulldogs-luke-beveridge-20161002-grt7v8.html

I think we can and should move Rockliff and Hanley on. The Western Bulldogs lost their "All-Australian" Captain and a Brownlow Medalist, both of who were far superior players to Rockliff and Hanley and look at them now. The bottom line is that the cost of keeping leaders at your club who are divisive, underperforming and self centred is poor team morale and regular losses on the field. Having a united list and a playing group that trusts each other is the key to the success the Bulldogs have just enjoyed. They should provide us with a template of exactly we need to do next year.

 

[possum8]

I want to move on Rockliff and Hanley, i believe that we need the younger guys to step up into leadership positions without senior players getting bitter about it. Just from the murmurings i have heard that Rockliff is a bit of a whinger and personally i don't think this makes for good captaincy material. A bit left side but i think Harris Andrews should be captain.

 

[Biggies]

A bit left side but i think Harris Andrews should be captain.

I too think Harris is filled with leadership qualities and could potentially become a really impressive captain one day. Would love to see it. Not next year though. Too young and still learning the game himself. I'd hate for the club to do a Grimes/Trengrove type appointment. That was a complete disaster.

 

[carnthemlions]

"It's still a week short of two years since the Western Bulldogs as an entire club, let alone football team, appeared on their knees, their captain Ryan Griffen walking out to join Greater Western Sydney and their coach Brendan McCartney effectively sacked.

One of the great performances: Luke Beveridge. Photo: Getty Images

Beveridge wasn't even appointed until November 14, 2014, picking up the reins of a side in disarray, a pre-season already in full swing and along with Griffen, bedrocks of the playing list, Shaun Higgins and Adam Cooney, also having departed. Not even 23 months later, essentially the same list is a premiership combination."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...-bulldogs-luke-beveridge-20161002-grt7v8.html

I think we can and should move Rockliff and Hanley on. The Western Bulldogs lost their "All-Australian" Captain and a Brownlow Medalist, both of who were far superior players to Rockliff and Hanley and look at them now. The bottom line is that the cost of keeping leaders at your club who are divisive, underperforming and self centred is poor team morale and regular losses on the field. Having a united list and a playing group that trusts each other is the key to the success the Bulldogs have just enjoyed. They should provide us with a template of exactly we need to do next year.

They had something we don't- senior players. Where are the Boyd, Murphy and Morris equivalents? Yep, we don't have them.
We can move Hanley and Rockliff on, but i doubt it will do anything other than make a few people on here feel better for a while if we can't secure replacements of similar quality and experience.

 

[3KZ is Football]

They had something we don't- senior players. Where are the Boyd, Murphy and Morris equivalents? Yep, we don't have them.
We can move Hanley and Rockliff on, but i doubt it will do anything other than make a few people on here feel better for a while if we can't secure replacements of similar quality and experience.

Replacements? We go and get them. Murphy played the first three games this year and that was it and Boyd was a massive recruiting coup (they do happen you know, but you have to make them happen). Picken did a preseason with Collingwood, was rejected and did two preseasons at the Western Bulldogs before Getting onto their list via Williamstown in the VFL and he is an absolute star! You don't always need to buy in talent as the only way forward. Sometimes you can develop it. With a decent coach and some honest player leadership, bearing in mind that leaders don't have to be 200 gamers, just look a Libba Jnr at the Bulldogs, we can turn things around quickly. We just have to cut out the Rockliff and Hanley 'dead wood.'

 

[jjami15]

Emotionally I've moved on from both of them and rather they both do as well from the club. This is our chance to totally wipe the slate clean and from reading and listening to a lot of the information coming out from Noble and Fagan this is what they are going to instill from the playing group as well. Things just don't seem right with these two hear from not only from what others have highlighted her in the forum but also in the media. I can't see how Hanley would be the only one bad apple out of the playing group.

 

[Gadzorks]

Replacements? We go and get them. Murphy played the first three games this year and that was it and Boyd was a massive recruiting coup (they do happen you know, but you have to make them happen). Picken did a preseason with Collingwood, was rejected and did two preseasons at the Western Bulldogs before Getting onto their list via Williamstown in the VFL and he is an absolute star! You don't always need to buy in talent as the only way forward. Sometimes you can develop it. With a decent coach and some honest player leadership, bearing in mind that leaders don't have to be 200 gamers, just look a Libba Jnr at the Bulldogs, we can turn things around quickly. We just have to cut out the Rockliff and Hanley 'dead wood.'

Buy people in and develop talent! What a brilliant idea, we should try this some time.

 

[13Beast]

Replacements? We go and get them. Murphy played the first three games this year and that was it and Boyd was a massive recruiting coup (they do happen you know, but you have to make them happen). Picken did a preseason with Collingwood, was rejected and did two preseasons at the Western Bulldogs before Getting onto their list via Williamstown in the VFL and he is an absolute star! You don't always need to buy in talent as the only way forward. Sometimes you can develop it. With a decent coach and some honest player leadership, bearing in mind that leaders don't have to be 200 gamers, just look a Libba Jnr at the Bulldogs, we can turn things around quickly. We just have to cut out the Rockliff and Hanley 'dead wood.'

Picken is a stud. I had him as my smokey for the Norm Smith. Thought he deserved it over Johannisen... Sure Johannisen got a lot of the ball but he butchered it a LOT as well.

 

[dlanod]

Replacements? We go and get them. Murphy played the first three games this year and that was it and Boyd was a massive recruiting coup (they do happen you know, but you have to make them happen). Picken did a preseason with Collingwood, was rejected and did two preseasons at the Western Bulldogs before Getting onto their list via Williamstown in the VFL and he is an absolute star! You don't always need to buy in talent as the only way forward. Sometimes you can develop it. With a decent coach and some honest player leadership, bearing in mind that leaders don't have to be 200 gamers, just look a Libba Jnr at the Bulldogs, we can turn things around quickly. We just have to cut out the Rockliff and Hanley 'dead wood.'

(Wrong Boyd.)

 

[3KZ is Football]

Buy people in and develop talent! What a brilliant idea, we should try this some time.

We should, provided we buy the right people. Player development, player management, appropriate leadership and team morale were not happening under Leppitsch, which is why he was sacked.

 

[3KZ is Football]

(Wrong Boyd.)

Matthew Boyd is great too.

 

[carnthemlions]

Replacements? We go and get them. Murphy played the first three games this year and that was it and Boyd was a massive recruiting coup (they do happen you know, but you have to make them happen). Picken did a preseason with Collingwood, was rejected and did two preseasons at the Western Bulldogs before Getting onto their list via Williamstown in the VFL and he is an absolute star! You don't always need to buy in talent as the only way forward. Sometimes you can develop it. With a decent coach and some honest player leadership, bearing in mind that leaders don't have to be 200 gamers, just look a Libba Jnr at the Bulldogs, we can turn things around quickly. We just have to cut out the Rockliff and Hanley 'dead wood.'

How? Quality players generally don't want to come here unless they happen to fall into our laps.
You don't need to buy in talent, but i think it's entirely logical to suggest that a team that's already far too young can't possibly benefit on-field from the loss of two experienced players who are AA standard at their best (which is most of the time in Rockliff's case). I also think you entirely missed my point regarding the influence of those three senior players on the success of the Bulldogs. Without them, I guarantee that the Bulldogs wouldn't be were they are now. Experienced players do matter, and we just don't have them. I find it extremely difficult to believe that losing more experience from our already very young list can be anything other than a negative. Most importantly, it also doesn't help the development of our young players either.

 

[Danny3]

The Western Bulldogs lost their "All-Australian" Captain and a Brownlow Medalist, both of who were far superior players to Rockliff and Hanley and look at them now.

In what world is Cooney a "far superior" player to Rockliff? I'd even argue Hanley, when fully fit, for that matter.

With a decent coach and some honest player leadership, bearing in mind that leaders don't have to be 200 gamers, just look a Libba Jnr at the Bulldogs, we can turn things around quickly. We just have to cut out the Rockliff and Hanley 'dead wood.'

Same Libba that was handed a strike after being found unconscious in a gutter back in 2012? And then also missed club appointments after a bender (while in the midst of injury rehab) just last year? Good thing the Dogs didn't cut him, eh?

 

[3KZ is Football]

How? Quality players generally don't want to come here unless they happen to fall into our laps.
You don't need to buy in talent, but i think it's entirely logical to suggest that a team that's already far too young can't possibly benefit on-field from the loss of two experienced players who are AA standard at their best (which is most of the time in Rockliff's case). I also think you entirely missed my point regarding the influence of those three senior players on the success of the Bulldogs. Without them, I guarantee that the Bulldogs wouldn't be were they are now. Experienced players do matter, and we just don't have them. I find it extremely difficult to believe that losing more experience from our already very young list can be anything other than a negative. Most importantly, it also doesn't help the development of our young players either.

I agree, experienced players matter and when they are rubbish leaders and have poor attitudes clubs are better off without them because they destroy team moral and hinder progress of young players. Keep looking at the Bulldogs, who were the "youngest" Premiers in decades. Wasn't the age profile something like half the team had played under 50 games?

 

[M Malice]

Rockys manager on trade radio-

Rocky did assess his options in the past but the new Fagan, Noble team is great.

Rocky has lions blood in his veins, loves the club.

will almost certainly be at the lions unless the new coaching team have other ideas.

he probably wasn't ready for the leadership.

he will improve with a better coaching group in place.

 

[John_Proctor]

^ thought the emphasis on the coaching stuff was quite pointed..

 

[winged1]

^ thought the emphasis on the coaching stuff was quite pointed..

Classic diversion, wasnt me the coaches were shit.

 

[notliondown]

^ thought the emphasis on the coaching stuff was quite pointed..

Or a convenient excuse.

 

[MacMum]

If he stays, I'd definately like to see a new captain. Complete new start for the team. If he doesn't buy into that, then it should be pointed out to him he has the option to leave.

 

[jackess]

If he stays, I'd definately like to see a new captain. Complete new start for the team. If he doesn't buy into that, then it should be pointed out to him he has the option to leave.

You'd think Fagan would re-assess the captaincy.

 

[LionKing]

I know some posters who have suggested that Rocky needs to go saying the situation was untenable wont be happy but lets give Fagan/Noble a chance to decide and perhaps turn things around should Rocky stay. As for the captaincy, that will be up to Fagan/Noble to consider.

 

[Skoob]

" Maybe with better coaches, I won't be such a campaigner".

 

[M Malice]

I know some posters who have suggested that Rocky needs to go saying the situation was untenable wont be happy but lets give Fagan/Noble a chance to decide and perhaps turn things around should Rocky stay. As for the captaincy, that will be up to Fagan/Noble to consider.

agree 100%, i was in the past for the trade Rocky scenario, Noble, Fagan, Schwab and Conole will make the right decision re Rockliff, Hanley, Green and Gardner.