Review R12: Port v Bulldogs review

[Us against the rest]

Yeah... But they had similar outs. If they were full strength or close too, it'd be a different story.

Yes they did but i think we really were missing a good ruck today and could have made a huge difference, yes we can cover some guys like Gus and Carlile but Ryder, Schulz and Hombsch, are key position players and would be a massive loss to any team.

 

[raptalia]

Well learn to have a crumber front and Center. It's not hard. Better than Brett Ebert being out marked every week as our full forward under Primus.

That isn't the same thing though and I think you realise that. A strong contested mark often means a set shot and this can lift the team. In the first quarter today Charlie attempted two marks but didn't quite hold either. If he had marked either and kicked truly there is no telling what that might have done for the side. We don't want to rely on crumbers all the time, we want Charlie to hold a few big marks.

 

[Us against the rest]

Yeah... But they had similar outs. If they were full strength or close too, it'd be a different story.

Yes they did but i think we really were missing a good ruck today and could have made a huge difference, yes we can cover some guys like Gus and Carlile but Ryder, Schulz and Hombsch, are key position players and would be a massive loss to any team.

 

[Interstater]

Best we've played all year. Let it go with a few minutes of stupidity and by not taking our chances. Dogs cleaner. Good game, very disappointing result.

Nailed it.

The dogs are a very good side. If its not our year then I hope its theirs.
I'm not yet convinced that our year is over. That call can wait until the bye.

 

[Grandaddy J]

It's even more depressing to me because despite our leadership/clutch goalkicking issues in a purely literal sense if Stewart didn't kick it to a bloody two-on-one in our own defensive 50 in the first quarter and gift Redpath(?) a freebie we would've won. Same applies for Hammer's horrific handball in the middle.

 

[Byrons Firen]

We had the umpires 100%with us and still lost

Changes need to be made this list is going no where fast

Changes are being made, on the field at least and lets be fair in the box too.
We had Stewart DBJ Austin Howard S Gray OShea out there, going down to the Bullies in a nail biter.
Yeah we should have won . Maybe from today, we're now playing for boiled lollies n not chocolates
Keep the changes coming.

 

[b0ydman]

Pressure is amazing, just needs polishing. The comments here remind me of the dogs forum last year..

OK . You misunderstand

Imagine your dogs this year missing out on a grand Final by a kick

Then missing 2017 and 2018 finals

How would you feel losing and having a Melbourne Demons supporter say your time is just like they played in 2017?

 

[JAlexG]

Gee, some of you need to get off Dixon about him taking some of those grabs. Gold pass Hartletts clangers were ****ing horrendous. Missing handball after handball.
Constantly out numbered, bombed on top of his head.
How about a nice lace out sherrin, the doggies didn't seem to have too much problem delivering it to their forwards like that.
The difference in the quality of service was like chocolate and shit.

 

[raptalia]

Seems to me most times Dixon is being double teamed/triple teamed when goes for a mark. When he gets a one on one contest he holds the mark.

I am sure being double teamed/triple teamed is fun if you are Sasha Grey but not if you are a full forward.

But Charlie actually gets his hands on it and often his are the only hands near it but he simply does not hold the ball.

 

[neade2wingard]

I reckon that's about 15 losses under two goals in two and a half seasons now. Probably won less than 5 close ones in the same time. That's not bad luck.

From 2014 onwards we've lost 14 times by under 2 goals, and won only 4 times by under 2 goals. You were very close!

Basically a 22% win ratio in close games, that doesn't reflect well on us

 

[Portmanteau]

I feel like I'm definitely in the minority here - but the Redpath and Bont goals in the last on Stewart weren't really his fault. Great kicks and excellent marks by both Redpath and Bontempelli. No defender in the league would have stopped the Bontempelli mark and the Redpath one was a one hander using pure strength. He's a key forward, Stewart isn't a key defender. I think that might be getting lost in the reviews of his performance.

Not saying he had a good game by any stretch, but I felt sorry for him out there.

Edit: I also thought Austin was on Redpath for the first quarter, but I might be wrong.

One of those goals (think it was the Redpath one) DBJ coughed the ball up in the middle when he hesitated on the first give. As a result Stewy got caught one out with the midfielders unable to provide any pressure. It happens.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

We outplayed them today...

But **** me, have you ever seen a side kick so many set shots from 50m and make them ??

I'm not going to pack it in after this one... We have made massive strides structurally and with effort.
Keep working hard, keep playing the 3-4 kids we've got in and continue to have a crack at finals.

 

[PAFC66]

From 2014 onwards we've lost 14 times by under 2 goals, and won only 4 times by under 2 goals. You were very close!

Basically a 22% win ratio in close games, that doesn't reflect well on us

That's indicative of the style of play we go with every week. All out attack, risks risks risks.. turnover footy. Which is fantastic when we are coming from behind. It's never going to fair well in close games. We need to stop and have a look at what we are doing.. we've never had composure for years.

 

[b0ydman]

That was disappointing. It was a game we might have won but for a poor second quarter. In that quarter we had 70% of the play but could not convert enough of it. Beveridge pulled the old Rodney Eade trick of flooding our forward 50 and it worked. I have to say Hinkley was out coached again and has no answer to the flood. How hard would have been to have instructed the likes of Hartlett, Broadbent and Polec to position themselves on the defensive side of the 50? We direct the ball to them and they boost it over the entire Bulldogs team who were inside of our 50. It might not have worked but at least it was a plan.

Ken will doubtless have some philosophical answers at the post game presser but I would rather some tactical answers during the game.

I can 100% unequivocally guarantee Ken will do this. In 4 weeks time

Ken actually does the right thing, but 4 weeks too late

 

[Us against the rest]

We outplayed them today...

But **** me, have you ever seen a side kick so many set shots from 50m and make them ??

I'm not going to pack it in after this one... We have made massive strides structurally and with effort.
Keep working hard, keep playing the 3-4 kids we've got in and continue to have a crack at finals.

They did seem to have a compass today but that's confidence and good skills for ya.

 

[b0ydman]

Unfortunately 2 experienced people lost that game for us.

Ken for taking 5 mins to realise Stringer had pushed up onto the wing and that was all it took for Stringer to break the game wide open. Terrible coaching.

Boaky for that horrendous shot at goal. For such an experienced player you have to think your way through it better then that!

On a positive Krak was BOG i thought today. Destroyed Stringer when he was on him and we saw what happened when he wasnt. On top of that i thought he also provided a bit of run and good disposal (his kick to Doogs on the 3/4 time siren was the only time we hit a lead up option in our F50 all day).

Frankly that game shows exactly where we are at. We have a few injuries and suspensions but so do they. On our home deck against a top 8 side when they lose a quality player early and we are getting the rub of the umpires you HAVE to win that game. We didnt.

Probably a discussion for another thread but when you arent playing finals but you arent in a rebuild mode you are nowhere. Very interesting (delicate position we are in). Personally i think the coaches box needs an overhaul. not sure if that means Ken out or not (the players are clearly still playing for him) but our forward entries are amateur stuff. No-one leads up and when Dixon is not there to create a contest we dont even look like scoring. Desperately need a lead up forward (like a Tom Lynch or even that Tory Dickson bloke). I dont think we can rely on Schulz being that player so we need to find one from somewhere (and then actually use him).

This post should have 50 likes it is the best post in this thread

 

[b0ydman]

On a day of dry conditions with no breeze to speak of against an undersized backline how many marks did our big guys take in the forward 50? Westhoff was putrid today.

Well Dixon probably has the worst completed mark % in the afl did have westhoff fly against him every time

 

[Zakk Wylde]

If Dixon took every mark that he got his hands to, he'd kick 250 goals. He's a 200cm, 110kg, super mobile pack crashing brute of a man. He arguably drops more marks than we'd like, but most KPF's in the league (Schulz included) wouldn't even get their hands to a lot of those marks. I'd rather have Dixon dropping it at the feet of our crumbers than have opposition KPD's marking it.

Word.

 

[Portmanteau]

On Stringer moving to the wing. It shouldn't take the coach to make the move to be honest. Someone should've stepped up and take responsibility. It must take at least 2 minutes for a message to be sent out and then implemented. By then the damage is done. He's hardly a low-profile opponent that we aren't aware of his capability, or wouldn't have gameplanned for as either a forward or mid. Someone should've taken responsibility for him.

 

[neade2wingard]

That's indicative of the style of play we go with every week. All out attack, risks risks risks.. turnover footy. Which is fantastic when we are coming from behind. It's never going to fair well in close games. We need to stop and have a look at what we are doing.. we've never had composure for years.

Yep you are right. In 2013 it worked wonders and we had a lot of luck go our way as well, but since then, so many moments and so many games where just a little composure would have changed results. It all adds up.

Lack of composure cost us in the '13 semi against Geelong, a top 4 spot in 2014 and the prelim against the Hawks, making finals in 2015...now we're in mid-2016 and lack of composure is killing us again.

 

[b0ydman]

Hamish Hartlett 5 kicks, 3 tackles.

If that is real he should be fired

 

[MrMeaner]

On Stringer moving to the wing. It shouldn't take the coach to make the move to be honest. Someone should've stepped up and take responsibility. It must take at least 2 minutes for a message to be sent out and then implemented. By then the damage is done. He's hardly a low-profile opponent that we aren't aware of his capability, or wouldn't have gameplanned for as either a forward or mid. Someone should've taken responsibility for him.

That's the real missing on-field leadership, not Boak missing a goal.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

Westhoff should stay off the bongs too.

 

[Byrons Firen]

Weren't all their first quarter goals (6) came from forward leads?

Are you there Ken

 

[b0ydman]

Said it before, gonna say it again to an unpopular response.

When Dixon begins to stick all those marks he gets first hands to, we're a 5 goal better team. When we learn to kick the ball to his advantage, maybe a 6 goal better team. Everything they did forward of centre was deliberate, assured, and executed well. Everything we did was the opposite. Sheer will power and fight kept us in the that. There's probably still a few structural and coaching issues but we just didn't do anything with the ball as well as they did. Butterfingers Port.

That's shit coaching, basically