Coach Luke Beveridge & the Dogs - is his time up? Where are they at?

[ferball]

A bad call. Made two Grand Finals from outside the top 8 which no coach has done before prior to him and won one in 2016.

He is already a premiership coach.

I know ... incredible work.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I feel like the whinge about Melbourne singing "Freed from desire" was the canary in the coal-mine that he's cooked and needs a year off to refresh.
Probably best for both parties to part ways on mutual terms of admiration and gratitude.
He will obviously always be a legend of the club.

He was always like that though. Even way back in 2015 from the Talia brothers saga to just media commentry.

 

[hawkman]

I am surprised they resigned him so early. I would have thought they would have waited to see how the season went.

 

[jim boy]

Is one Bont away from being given the flick

 

[r_boy]

Have the list but its not coming together in a premiership winning style lately.

Hard to say from the outside why that is but the same was the case for Geelong but they persisted and innovated from within and it paid off despite a way older team.

 

[The 747]

Have the list but its not coming together in a premiership winning style lately.

Hard to say from the outside why that is but the same was the case for Geelong but they persisted and innovated from within and it paid off despite a way older team.

This is going way back but one of the key rules Geelong reportedly adopted in 2006 - after a highly talented list crashed and burned - was to play everyone in their natural position.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

This is going way back but one of the key rules Geelong reportedly adopted in 2006 - after a highly talented list crashed and burned - was to play everyone in their natural position.

Bevo loves to be “flexable" and move the magnets.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

This is going way back but one of the key rules Geelong reportedly adopted in 2006 - after a highly talented list crashed and burned - was to play everyone in their natural position.

I don't think this is a problem at the Dogs anymore, prior to 2021 i'd agree. The issues are more about how we set up at the centre bounces, how our zone defence works (it doesnt) and forward 50 entries. Solve 2 out of those 3 and we're flying

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Think Naughton has too go back.
Their defence is very vanilla

 

[TheBigHorne]

Think Naughton has too go back.
Their defence is very vanilla

The defence is actually terrible.

Last year they were 14th in terms of defending goals once the ball was inside their defensive 50. They were also the worst team at stopping marks per I50.

Doesn't seem like too much has changed as well.

 

[timokane]

Time to go Bevo.

Times past and yep time to prepare for life after Bevo and more importantly life after 2016.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

The defence is actually terrible.

Last year they were 14th in terms of defending goals once the ball was inside their defensive 50. They were also the worst team at stopping marks per I50.

Doesn't seem like too much has changed as well.

Juh & Naughton are very similar.
Think that's stalling JUHs development.
JuH & Darcy up fwd has a jr8 & Lynch balanced feel about it.

 

[TheBigHorne]

Juh & Naughton are very similar.
Think that's stalling JUHs development.
JuH & Darcy up fwd has a jr8 & Lynch balanced feel about it.

I guess JUH needs some protection at least. It might be a better idea to throw Sam Darcy back.

 

[master bate]

Juh & Naughton are very similar.
Think that's stalling JUHs development.
JuH & Darcy up fwd has a jr8 & Lynch balanced feel about it.

That has the early years of GWS or Gold Coast feel about it. Maybe Sam Day and Tom Lynch.

Everything about Naughton besides his goal kicking is fantastic. He can play FF, he can play CHF, he chases and tackles, he contests.

JUH is a 3rd tall who has worked pretty well at his defensive game from a terribly low base, but still has a heap of work to do on his contested game, which is hardly a surprise.

The issue is the other tall next to them, which was meant to be Lobb. Who then had a stinker first up. If he's fit and ready to go I'd probably throw Bruce forward again because even if he doesn't get a touch he's a decent competitor, although he might be needed back this week, so possibly Buku Khamis, who's a bit underrated. When Lobb is healthy they can't bend to his desire to rarely ruck either, he needs to do a decent stint so they can use English forward at times.

That leaves Gardiner, Jones, Keath and Darcy as backline options once everyones fit. Gardiner's a solid lock down defender and Jones by all reports has come back well. Keath was an excellent intercept player for the Crows, whether or not he's still got it is hard to know. Darcy should get his chance in time. I don't think talls are the problem though, it's defensive set up.

 

[gringo2011]

Bev doesn't tag, ever. That's not an exaggeration.

To me he's the anti Ross Lyon, players that move to other clubs talk about how much more intense training is away from the Kennel. Bevo is meant to be a skills coach who practices in close work and wants players to take to game on and lets them play to their strengths. Ross Lyon is a systems over skills and the unit over the individual. They train the players to be super fit but don't care about disposal as long as you are running 2 ways at 100%. Collingwood are more like a Bevo side with real individual agency.

Last year Sydney and Geelong were systems over individuals sides and it seems to be a bit of the latest trend like all recent premierships tend to do. The Dogs list is excellent but losing Dunkley and Hunter is going to hurt and their young talls will take some time to become peak players.

Getting smashed in a GF seems to leave scars on some sides and you feel like the mental carnage hasn't left them. It probably is a mini reset period for them so it really comes down to what Bevo is like with kids and if he won a flag with a youth heavy list you'd think he goes alright. I don't think he has a flag side this year but he could definitely have them playing finals while developing the kids and setting them up for another crack in a year or two with JUH and Darcy types with games under their belt.

 

[Nat Fyfe]

I think the Dogs need to enforce a more collective coaching team on Bevo, seems to be allowed to do as he pleases and he is kinda stubborn. If they don't do that perhaps he needs to go.

Also noting that they have had two absolute gifts by getting top 5 KPP in the draft for way unders.

I think if anything, JUH and Darcy have caused a short term setback. Both are borderline best 22, but getting games for the sake of our long term, at the expense of being slightly less competitive. Grabbing them in the draft has meant less opportunity to inject much needed youth through our midfield and flanks that other teams have been doing in the meantime. Bailey Smith is our only best 22 midfielder under 27…

Obviously you take it every day of the week. Any other club would kill to have been given draft rights to either of those two. I just don’t think it should serve as a criticism of our performance when neither will be ready to really solidify their spot for at least another year or two

 

[The 747]

I think if anything, JUH and Darcy have caused a short term setback. Both are borderline best 22, but getting games for the sake of our long term, at the expense of being slightly less competitive. Grabbing them in the draft has meant less opportunity to inject much needed youth through our midfield and flanks that other teams have been doing in the meantime. Bailey Smith is our only best 22 midfielder under 27…

Obviously you take it every day of the week. Any other club would kill to have been given draft rights to either of those two. I just don’t think it should serve as a criticism of our performance when neither will be ready to really solidify their spot for at least another year or two

Wasn't meant as critiicsm, more that the club is nicely set no matter what happens.

 

[bresker]

I don't think he has a flag side this year but he could definitely have them playing finals while developing the kids and setting them up for another crack in a year or two with JUH and Darcy types with games under their belt.

Problem is most our key midfielders will be 30 or over by then, and some of our key defenders even older. We’ll replenish the list but that talent is unproven . Geelong have shown you can win with older players, but I feel our premiership clock has struck 12 already.

We really need a top 4 finish this year but looking at the confused game plan we’ve stuck to for many years , I feel that it is beyond us.

 

[HTPunter]

There’s a lot of try-hard Sheedy with him. Him trying to play shenanigans with Lachie Hunter round 1 last year was an utter debacle and an embarrassment that he let a journalist reporting on mere team selection get under his skin. If anything, he should have been mad that the news had leaked - reporting, and even speculating, on selection news is fair game.

He tries all these different positions with players as if he’s going to crack the code and be a master genius with all these different players. But he misses a lot of simple things too
-need a decent small forward, not 4 talls
-need a decent last line defender, not the shortest guy in the comp
-need to be able to deploy a defensive stopper if one player on the other team gets loose - can still have Bont, Macrae, Libba trying to win their own ball.

On this - does anyone actually think Bont, Macrae, Libba & Smith (and previously Dunkley) play as a “unit”? I don’t. It’s 4 guys trying to win the ball first and then if they don’t trying to get the handball 2nd.

-definitely has his favourites to play which is overall I’d say a detriment to the team

Does that mean he should be sacked? I don’t know. I don’t know if a new coach would have more flaws? I do think it means he needs to do something different, and by different that could still be something more mainstream/normal. If the rumours are true re: his arrogance, it could be as simple as conversing with a senior assistant and pooling ideas. It’s that simple. Of course that rumour might be false but I still don’t think fixing this Dogs team is going to be extremely hard - it’d just be a different fix.

 

[TRP1996]

I know ... incredible work.

Real lucky Essendon got stripped of points in both years, I guess?

 

[franjon]

I wonder how much of the defensive unaccountability of the Bulldog's mids is a personnel issue or a coaching one. It seems to be common knowledge that it's one of the best midfield groups in the competition but they are a bottom 4 side in terms of stopping opposition transitioning it from D50 to F50.

They beat Melbourne comfortably in contested possession and clearance numbers but still had 10 less inside 50s and conceded a whopping 117 marks.

Offensively it's great, if games were to be judged by the clearance that they would've won 19 games last year. The second most since 2016 is 17 wins. They lost the clearance count in 2 games last year, both were losses and the other 2 games the clearance count was tied they also lost.

They are the only team since the start of 2022 that has had to win the clearance count in order to win the game. Yes, this includes West Coast and North Melbourne who have won a combined 5 games since the start of 2022.

To me it seems something unsustainable. If one metric that goes against (or breakeven) you can spell a loss that tells me the formula isn't consistent.

In 2021, the Bulldogs won less games in terms of clearances but were defensively a lot stronger. At the end of the H/A they had the 4th best defense. By the end of next year it dropped to 11th and there's no signs of improvement.

So to me it leans as a coaching issue more than anything.

They remind me a bit of Geelong in the 90's. They'll smash you on the offensive if you give them a chance, but can be found out a bit if teams can shut them down and hold up defensively off half back and transition.

 

[WillHayward]

Have the list but its not coming together in a premiership winning style lately.

Hard to say from the outside why that is but the same was the case for Geelong but they persisted and innovated from within and it paid off despite a way older team.

Hard to get rid of C Scott when he's batting at 70% though

 

[WillHayward]

Think Naughton has too go back.
Their defence is very vanilla

Totally agree..
Play Lobb Jamara and Darcy fwd and then some mediums and smalls.

Most goals come from half back launches anyway so Naughton can set them up there.

I'm not even totally convinced U can play all Lobb, English and Darcy together.

Maybe Darcy needs a development year in the VFL.

 

[FakeTaxi]

Comes across as insufferable tosser to be honest who through some miracle snagged the unlikeliest of flags.

 

[franjon]

Comes across as insufferable tosser to be honest

Yes, a bit like the late John Elliott.