Nab Cup Round 1 vs Collingwood and GWS

[kookadog]

I was at the game, we were a bit rusty early, GWS defended well and had help from the umpires in their scoring. Against the pies we controlled the ball more and defended well. A few big efforts from Swan and Daisy got them over the line.

I was happy with Hargrave though he had the fumbles a few times. He reads the play well and is very reliable back there. Murph was very good. Skinner looked great. Jones was a good target but GWS managed to get numbers into the contests.

In terms of game plan, we really held the ball up at times, and went really wide even when we were holding the ball in the middle of the ground which was frustrating.

It was good to see us winning some tough contests v pies who are very good at that. I'm looking forward to seeing our game develop over the season.

 

[VitalDread]

i will only judge Bulldogs when we play Blues in two weeks since we will be playing quarters and not halves.

 

[GiantDog]

I was at the game, we were a bit rusty early, GWS defended well and had help from the umpires in their scoring. Against the pies we controlled the ball more and defended well. A few big efforts from Swan and Daisy got them over the line.

I was happy with Hargrave though he had the fumbles a few times. He reads the play well and is very reliable back there. Murph was very good. Skinner looked great. Jones was a good target but GWS managed to get numbers into the contests.

In terms of game plan, we really held the ball up at times, and went really wide even when we were holding the ball in the middle of the ground which was frustrating.

It was good to see us winning some tough contests v pies who are very good at that. I'm looking forward to seeing our game develop over the season.

I was at the game too, and i agree with all of your comments above. I'd just like to add that i thought Gia played a great game. He worked so hard off the ball it was crazy. Sam Reid was playing on him for a while couldn't stay within 10 m of him... Don't think we lost anything there..

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

I thought our game against Collingwood was much better. But it would seem that the Fox commentating team just love to stir the pot, constantly stated that Collingwood had 13 premiership players out and were playing kids.

We had Smith, Dickson, Talia & Panos playing their first games, Skinner and Cordy playing their second game, and a handful of kids only into their second year, Wallis, Libba, Howard etc - virtually not far off Collingwood in terms of inexperience.

We also played GWS with their senior players in Ward, Scully, Power etc while Collingwood only just won playing without them - a little bit of unbiased commentating if you please.

 

[Ricky_Lake]

I thought our game against Collingwood was much better. But it would seem that the Fox commentating team just love to stir the pot, constantly stated that Collingwood had 13 premiership players out and were playing kids.

We had Smith, Dickson, Talia & Panos playing their first games, Skinner and Cordy playing their second game, and a handful of kids only into their second year, Wallis, Libba, Howard etc - virtually not far off Collingwood in terms of inexperience.

We also played GWS with their senior players in Ward, Scully, Power etc while Collingwood only just won playing without them - a little bit of unbiased commentating if you please.

100% agree, didnt catch the umpires im sure Mclaren must have been out their. Gerard Healy is a flog

 

[dogwatch]

We'll get no respect from commentators until we start winning games. Simple as that.

 

[100action]

I think people are underestimating how much advantage recent former senior coach in Eade is able to provide, with his kind of inside knowledge even with 3/4 of the team out it is still enough to win a game.

Also its no coincidence that we broke our long hoodoo against Carlton and have beaten them in the last 2 meetings correlated with assistant coach Montgomery arriving here, now imagine what a senior coach can do.

I was content with the match vs Collingwood as they played us fresh, obviously unhappy about the GWS game but I wont look into it too much.

 

[TMoney22]

From the training I have seen, this is exactly how they plan to play. It was very obvious in the drills and match practice I saw. They want to go sideways, hold it up if required and not rush.

I was suprised when against GWS we seemed to go away from that. As you say they certainly played more that way against Collingwood.

I thought we played far better against the Pies as a result.

While i dont like that style i'm happy to trust Macca's plan and take some pain in the next year or two until it comes off.
We've tried the run and gun offensive style which got us close. Happy to try a more defensive and patient attack.

And yes i noticed thsi in the intra club match too.

 

[who_let_the_dogs_out]

I think people are underestimating how much advantage recent former senior coach in Eade is able to provide, with his kind of inside knowledge even with 3/4 of the team out it is still enough to win a game.

Also its no coincidence that we broke our long hoodoo against Carlton and have beaten them in the last 2 meetings correlated with assistant coach Montgomery arriving here, now imagine what a senior coach can do.

I was content with the match vs Collingwood as they played us fresh, obviously unhappy about the GWS game but I wont look into it too much.

Good point. He'd know pretty much every one of our players' weaknesses.

 

[LondonBulldog]

Biggest thing I noticed and have been saying for a while:

Onballers are too slow.

Cross, Boyd, Libba, Wallis even Smith isn't known for pace.

Really need to hope players like Dalhaus, Tutt and Griffen have big years.

They need to get the correct blend of in and unders versus geniune pace to break lines.

I've said before you only need 1 or Cross or Boyd on ball at once.

 

[Minnow27]

May be completely wrong, but have we found (hopefully i don't jinx this) our new dale morris in Talia. When watching he'd punch keep his man somewhat guarded and did things we got from a younger morris??

 

[Butabi Brothers]

[quote=LondonBulldog;23401203]Biggest thing I noticed and have been saying for a while:

Onballers are too slow.

Cross, Boyd, Libba, Wallis even Smith isn't known for pace.

Really need to hope players like Dalhaus, Tutt and Griffen have big years.

Agree with you that we have slow onballers LB, however this really means bugger all if your game plan now revolves around a contested in and under style.

We have never had a quick team, even when we were contending a few years back when we supposedly had the quickest team going around. We still had guys like Cross, Boyd, Gia, Higgins, Ward etc playing in the midfield then, the same few we have now, whilst retaining speed in coons & griff and adding dahl.

What we had back then is quick ball movement and a lot of rotations which created space for our mids to run into. Continuous rotations caused confusion amongst defenders so they didn't know who to pick up. our ball users from the backline would then spot up a loose mid, who'd handball to another running player or run himself. This is why everyone said we were quick, not because of leg speed. They, like you, say the opposite now because we changed our game plan to a mark, push back, kick long to jones, hudson, minson, hall or any other tall. Take Geelong or Collingwood for example, hardly a quick midfielder between the two teams, yet they are always running hard to create space and moving the ball as soon as they have it.

 

[who_let_the_dogs_out]

My highlight from both matches was seeing Big Minnow putting the 'don't argue' on Luke Ball. Was old-school Will Minson stuff.

Would like to see a bit more of that

 

[josh the gent]

My highlight from both matches was seeing Big Minnow putting the 'don't argue' on Luke Ball. Was old-school Will Minson stuff.

Would like to see a bit more of that

That was GOLD!

I took these thoughts out of watching the games:

Pros

• Team seems 'harder', not just harder at the ball, but harder to score against and everything was a slog. Slippery conditions may add to that, but I have to say that it's that sort of style that wins finals, so very impressive on that front.
• Our run out of defence generally looked solid. Hargrave looked to be returning to some sort of form, Christian Howard actually looks like a former 1st round pick, and Easton Wood performed ok. Can't see Gilbee getting into the team unless he really picks up form.
• Gia, Murph and Boyd. Our three best players and looked a cut above every other player out there. Swan and Daisy included (bearing in mind this is only nab Cup).
• Panos and Dickson look to be AFL standard forwards. Don't think they got the delivery, nor the conditions to suit, but I think if one/both can play as our deeper forward targets we might be onto something. Dickson might even be good up the ground too.
• Liberatore is a rippa.
• Roughy and Cordy look to be ready for AFL action now.
• We beat GWS (would have been an embarrassment otherwise)!

Cons:

• Disappointed with Jarrad Grant. Easily thrown around, and I just can't see him doing much deep in the forward line. Needs desperately to play as an up the ground HFF, or even on a wing. Great hands, but not our solution as FF (even with better delivery).
• Forward line delivery. I actually thought we should have beaten Collingwood, but just could not kick to our forward's advantage on forward entry. Interested to know the inside 50 count, but I am thinking we might have pipped the Pies on that one...
• Callan Ward is a pretty big loss
• Didn't play any rookie listed players.

Overall I was quite happy with the games, hopefully we can continue in the same vein...

 

[Sween54]

Was totally depressed after the first game GWS on 2 fronts we just won and ward played well, then watch the collingwood better effort but we lost, felt alittle better when to my surprise GWS matched it with the magpies. Still hope there is always hope

 

[stefoid]

Quality > speed.

Which of the geelong 1st choice midfield are quick?

 

[who_let_the_dogs_out]

That was GOLD!

I took these thoughts out of watching the games:

Pros

• Team seems 'harder', not just harder at the ball, but harder to score against and everything was a slog. Slippery conditions may add to that, but I have to say that it's that sort of style that wins finals, so very impressive on that front.
• Our run out of defence generally looked solid. Hargrave looked to be returning to some sort of form, Christian Howard actually looks like a former 1st round pick, and Easton Wood performed ok. Can't see Gilbee getting into the team unless he really picks up form.
• Gia, Murph and Boyd. Our three best players and looked a cut above every other player out there. Swan and Daisy included (bearing in mind this is only nab Cup).
• Panos and Dickson look to be AFL standard forwards. Don't think they got the delivery, nor the conditions to suit, but I think if one/both can play as our deeper forward targets we might be onto something. Dickson might even be good up the ground too.
• Liberatore is a rippa.
• Roughy and Cordy look to be ready for AFL action now.
• We beat GWS (would have been an embarrassment otherwise)!

Cons:

• Disappointed with Jarrad Grant. Easily thrown around, and I just can't see him doing much deep in the forward line. Needs desperately to play as an up the ground HFF, or even on a wing. Great hands, but not our solution as FF (even with better delivery).
• Forward line delivery. I actually thought we should have beaten Collingwood, but just could not kick to our forward's advantage on forward entry. Interested to know the inside 50 count, but I am thinking we might have pipped the Pies on that one...
• Callan Ward is a pretty big loss
• Didn't play any rookie listed players.

Overall I was quite happy with the games, hopefully we can continue in the same vein...

Great rundown on the matches.

 

[Werewolf]

We beat GWS (would have been an embarrassment otherwise)!

That would have been depressing. That said, does anyone remember that Gold Coast beat Sydney in last year's pre-season?

Was totally depressed after the first game GWS on 2 fronts we just won and ward played well, then watch the collingwood better effort but we lost, felt alittle better when to my surprise GWS matched it with the magpies. Still hope there is always hope

And GWS played their best side against us. They rested all their experienced players (except Phil Davis) against the Pies.

 

[adam10]

Really liked Howard and Libba's games.

Think there is two forward pocket positions up for grabs and I think it will be Dickson/Skinner/Grant/Sherman

I think Dickson will make it at AFL level as mentioned before, the service to our forwards was dreadful.

 

[cosmicr]

I was only half watching it because I was in a noisy place but FWIW the things that stood out to me were:

- Game plan seems to favour accuracy over speed
- Impressed with some of the size players have put on esp. Jones and Cordy
- Hargrave looks set to have a ripper year
- Skinner, he looks great when it doesnt count, can he back it up when it does?
- Minson looks better than last year

- We need senior players who can get goals
- I had such high hopes for Grant, I'm not sure if he'll ever get any better
- Like others have said Gia, Murphy and Boyd are our best players by far.
- How much longer has Crossy got? He seems to be on the decline.

- We looked knackered by the end of the Pies match. Could be the heat?

 

[tonydean]

From what I saw in the game V Collingwood Reserves, our "new defence" mindset that B. McCartney has got the boys playing, was working well. We kept them goalless until the last minute of the first half. The new "don't give up the football until you find an open option" was executed very well. Having you guys been reading the press about the coaches new gameplan? For what it's worth, I thought the forward line is still gonna struggle, and like a few posters have said here, delivery into the forward line is atrocious, continuing on from last year, I thought they would have focused on that, very dissapointed, however, it is only pre season, so you can never REALLY take too much out of the form, or lack thereof!

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

In terms of our midfield looking slow, we will be adding Sherman who gives a lot of run. I don't think he had a good start with us (which he admits himself) but a good pre season and learning a new game plan along with the rest of the team, will make a lot of difference I think.

 

[stefoid]

In terms of our midfield looking slow, we will be adding Sherman who gives a lot of run. I don't think he had a good start with us (which he admits himself) but a good pre season and learning a new game plan along with the rest of the team, will make a lot of difference I think.

And DJ, Dal, Tutt

 

[LondonBulldog]

Butabi Brothers

you say Pies and Cats hardly a quick midfielder between them?

You got to be kidding

Swan, thomas in the middle, many smallish quick forward who attach at pace, Krakour, Didak, Sidebottom, the midget.
Run from defence O'brien and Shaw.

Geelong run in waves from defence and run strong breaking line not sideways like us. I would argue Ablett (when he was there), Bartell, Selwood, Kelly, Corey and Enright are all quicker than Boyd, Cross, Libba and Wallis

Yes we were a lot quicker from 2007 to 2009 - Cooney firing, Harbrow, Hargrave, Acker and Johnon all had burst of speed.

Granted we need a more contested style yet we need to get the mix right. I think on average our list is a little slow so we are going to rely a lot on the growth of our potential players with pace.

 

[Mr. Walker]

And DJ, Dal, Tutt

trouble is, IMO, only one of those is in our best 22 at the moment. Maybe Greenwood is our great fast hope (couldn't find anything on him on Dog Tags) but until someone else comes through I think our midfield will continue to lack that one class and quick player who could lift us above the pack.

from what I have heard Smith is similar in pace to Boyd, Cross, Libba, Wallis, Higgins, Moles, Picken (there is a lot of them and i think all but Moles are in our best 22) and maybe a hobbled Cooney. Of the others Griffen is our only pacy A grade mid. Hopefully some one comes through but without that happening I don,t see September action this year.