What They're Saying - The Bulldogs Media Thread - Part 4

[Royale]

I know there's comparisons to dogs 2016, but this has a Richmond 2017 feel to it.

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Similar story on the ABC:

'A long way off': Major questions raised over Sydney's premiership credentials after SCG meltdown against Bulldogs

Major questions have been raised surrounding Sydney's premiership credentials after the Swans were manhandled by the Western Bulldogs at the SCG on Sunday.

www.abc.net.au

What I thought was interesting was this quote from Longmire (and others have made similar comments in the media recently):

I find it interesting because the same sorts of things were said about Geelong (and by Geelong) last week, and I think the same with Carlton the week before. None of the geniuses in the media have had a look at those three events and worked out what the common thread was. Us. They're looking in the wrong place. The Bulldogs are the common ingredient. We're the ones making it happen to each of those top three clubs.

Maybe one of them will read this board this week and the penny will drop.

ABC didn't send a journalist to the game either, despite the fact that the Swans are the biggest team in Sydney these days and are obviously still top of the ladder and premiership favourites. You'd think there'd be a bit of local interest and traction, but no.

 

[geoffjennings79]

Posted in the game day and review/autopsy threads. As I was on the road for most of the game (and Triple M is flaky on the outskirts and region outside Ballarat) I was forced to listen to the ABC Sydney feed thru the AFL app.
Saddington and Sinclair spent the whole second half focussing on why Sydney were behind, but the geniuses didn't cotton on that there was another team playing! Fatigue, injuries, blah, blah, blah. Not one piece of analysis that identified the intent and coaching and commitment by the opposition.
I reckon you'd struggle to get a more one sided commentary if you had Longmire, Heeney and Gulden calling the game!

 

[SPower]

Same here ! Birthday party for the Daughter in law today so only update was via the App.Settling down now for the replay and may watch the First Crack review for extra enjoyment before bed.
Cheers
S

 

[Sharpiesadog]

Posted in the game day and review/autopsy threads. As I was on the road for most of the game (and Triple M is flaky on the outskirts and region outside Ballarat) I was forced to listen to the ABC Sydney feed thru the AFL app.
Saddington and Sinclair spent the whole second half focussing on why Sydney were behind, but the geniuses didn't cotton on that there was another team playing! Fatigue, injuries, blah, blah, blah. Not one piece of analysis that identified the intent and coaching and commitment by the opposition.
I reckon you'd struggle to get a more one sided commentary if you had Longmire, Heeney and Gulden calling the game!

I had to pop out during the 3rd quarter to collect my daughter. 3AW was my only chance to listen as I drove. Whoever those numpties were, focussed entirely on the Swans ‘off day’. Spent 3 minutes carrying on about Gulden missing a shot, how unlike him it is, blah blah blah. Happened to mention JUH just kicked a goal.
Worst commentary I have ever heard.
For the first time in my life, I was happy to get back to the tv, and good old BT.

 

[ScragCity]

Kingy made some good points about us on First Crack (the only footy show I watch). Our biggest strength and point of difference is the number of quality talls we have. We dominate other teams in the aerial game. Longmire also mentioned this in his post game - "we didn't even try to win the aerial game, but we didn't get the ball to ground enough." Then King made another good point, when he asked rhetorically: "How do you take that away from them?" We took away Sydney's ball movement today because we defended the corridor ferociously. Height and raw marking power isn't something our opposition can nullify through planning, and the fact that our talls are all so mobile means that we aren't giving up any run or ground ball game by playing them.

 

[Dogs Rule]

Posted in the game day and review/autopsy threads. As I was on the road for most of the game (and Triple M is flaky on the outskirts and region outside Ballarat) I was forced to listen to the ABC Sydney feed thru the AFL app.
Saddington and Sinclair spent the whole second half focussing on why Sydney were behind, but the geniuses didn't cotton on that there was another team playing! Fatigue, injuries, blah, blah, blah. Not one piece of analysis that identified the intent and coaching and commitment by the opposition.
I reckon you'd struggle to get a more one sided commentary if you had Longmire, Heeney and Gulden calling the game!

The injuries/off day or night commentary is incredibly lazy, but standard for commentators these days. Much easier to roll out a few excuses than any real insights into the team belting the top of the ladder side.

We're the team that played in a bog heap at Geelong, we're the team that had to travel yesterday, that's fatiguing, right?

Papley, Rampe, Rowbottom, that's who they were missing. That wasn't the reason for their loss.

Sydney people. Always an excuse.

Anyway, nothing will harsh this buzz.

 

[Mofra]

I know there's comparisons to dogs 2016, but this has a Richmond 2017 feel to it.

I was actually thinking that when McNeill, Garcia & VDM were buzzing around the HF line. We've arguably taken pressure, defensive types to lock the ball in rather than guys who are more attacking. It was the Tiger blueprint

 

[Mofra]

Kingy made some good points about us on First Crack (the only footy show I watch). Our biggest strength and point of difference is the number of quality talls we have. We dominate other teams in the aerial game. Longmire also mentioned this in his post game - "we didn't even try to win the aerial game, but we didn't get the ball to ground enough." Then King made another good point, when he asked rhetorically: "How do you take that away from them?" We took away Sydney's ball movement today because we defended the corridor ferociously. Height and raw marking power isn't something our opposition can nullify through planning, and the fact that our talls are all so mobile means that we aren't giving up any run or ground ball game by playing them.

The fact that Darcy, Marra & Naughton are so mobile means we aren't lumbering when the ball hits the ground either. If they were more 'traditional' talls I'm not sure the strategy would work.

 

[In Repair]

The fact that Darcy, Marra & Naughton are so mobile means we aren't lumbering when the ball hits the ground either. If they were more 'traditional' talls I'm not sure the strategy would work.

And even English (who lumbers compared to those 3 mentioned) is nowhere near as lumbering as other teams ruckman

 

[grassman75]

I was actually thinking that when McNeill, Garcia & VDM were buzzing around the HF line. We've arguably taken pressure, defensive types to lock the ball in rather than guys who are more attacking. It was the Tiger blueprint

And it’s only taken 7 years to copy what the tigers copied off us….now if we can get 3 flags in the next 4 years…..

 

[Unorth]

I was actually thinking that when McNeill, Garcia & VDM were buzzing around the HF line. We've arguably taken pressure, defensive types to lock the ball in rather than guys who are more attacking. It was the Tiger blueprint

Naughton going step for step with one of the fastest in the comp was beautiful. Marra is applying his pressure more consistently and his eyes light up when he gets to crunch someone. Darcy is too tall to be that quick but great agility for someone his size and will smother and tackle hard.

If Naughts can improve his field kicking I’m not even sure what position he nails down, he’s basically everything everywhere all at once.

West, Garcia, McNeil and VDM also did their part but we have extremely talented and (importantly) modern talls, contested marking is everything and to get that from KPPs that aren’t dinosaurs makes us so much more dangerous.

 

[stefoid]

Marra a complete forward now - groundballs, snaps, and defensive work. Very satisfying to see.

If he continues in this form, it will be some contract resigning in 2026

 

[Curly5]

At least, and at last, we got a mention

SWANS DIVE IN BRUTAL DOGS FIGHT

SWANS DIVE IN BRUTAL DOGS FIGHT

todayspaper.theaustralian.com.au

 

[JohnnySteel]

Marra a complete forward now - groundballs, snaps, and defensive work. Very satisfying to see.

If he continues in this form, it will be some contract resigning in 2026

Hopefully we can revisit it earlier - would like to locked him in on a longer term deal at the end of next year.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Outback Footy]

Similar story on the ABC:

'A long way off': Major questions raised over Sydney's premiership credentials after SCG meltdown against Bulldogs

Major questions have been raised surrounding Sydney's premiership credentials after the Swans were manhandled by the Western Bulldogs at the SCG on Sunday.

www.abc.net.au

What I thought was interesting was this quote from Longmire (and others have made similar comments in the media recently):

I find it interesting because the same sorts of things were said about Geelong (and by Geelong) last week, and I think the same with Carlton the week before. None of the geniuses in the media have had a look at those three events and worked out what the common thread was. Us. They're looking in the wrong place. The Bulldogs are the common ingredient. We're the ones making it happen to each of those top three clubs.

Maybe one of them will read this board this week and the penny will drop.

Sometimes you only play as well as the opposition lets you

 

[Angak]

Marra a complete forward now - groundballs, snaps, and defensive work. Very satisfying to see.

If he continues in this form, it will be some contract resigning in 2026

We should open contract negotiations before the Tassie team truly comes into play. Can see them offering him 2m+

 

[Norm De Guerre]

The wider football media grading Sydney on a curve just goes to show that they are little more than weather vanes blowing with the wind and they have no idea what they're talking about. One only needs to look at their recent form line to understand that a combination of being unable to sustain the incredible high tempo of early in the season and regular type injuries that all teams encounter was always going to see them come back to the field. Im not sure that they can just flick the switch and get that early season momentum back. Given how reliant they are on their midfield running the ball through the middle of the ground to generate scoring opportunities and how teams have worked out how to stop them doing so.

Because my bigfooty persona is in a perpetual state of adolescence. I like to make fun of Kingy the beady eyed bastard, but he along with Gerard Whateley and to a lesser extent Garry Lyon have been all aboard the dogs train for a while now. And now that the momentum of recent results finally have us arriving into the 8. They won't be the last to jump aboard.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

The wider football media grading Sydney on a curve just goes to show that they are little more than weather vanes blowing with the wind and they have no idea what they're talking about. One only needs to look at their recent form line to understand that a combination of being unable to sustain the incredible high tempo of early in the season and regular type injuries that all teams encounter was always going to see them come back to the field. Im not sure that they can just flick the switch and get that early season momentum back. Given how reliant they are on their midfield running the ball through the middle of the ground to generate scoring opportunities and how teams have worked out how to stop them doing so.

Because my bigfooty persona is in a perpetual state of adolescence. I like to make fun of Kingy the beady eyed bastard, but he along with Gerard Whateley and to a lesser extent Garry Lyon have been all aboard the dogs train for a while now. And now that the momentum of recent results finally have us arriving into the 8. They won't be the last to jump aboard.

I'd much rather be the third or so best team in it but entering finals top of the ladder with at least two home finals before the GF, than being a 40% chance of making top four even if we're the best team in it at the end of the H&A season (which is a reasonable proposition for us).

Agreed that the criticism for the Swans hasn't come quickly enough though.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

I'd much rather be the third or so best team in it but entering finals top of the ladder with at least two home finals before the GF, than being a 40% chance of making top four even if we're the best team in it at the end of the H&A season (which is a reasonable proposition for us).

Agreed that the criticism for the Swans hasn't come quickly enough though.

I really don't think it's going to matter that much.

We're going to steamroller our way to this year's premiership.

For a deeper analysis...

 

[X_box_X]

I'd much rather be the third or so best team in it but entering finals top of the ladder with at least two home finals before the GF, than being a 40% chance of making top four even if we're the best team in it at the end of the H&A season (which is a reasonable proposition for us).

Agreed that the criticism for the Swans hasn't come quickly enough though.

Swans aren't as good as most people originally thought.

Let's look beyond their past five matches which has included four losses. Prior to that, they looked like losers against Geelong & Adelaide in consecutive weeks. It was only incredible fourth quarters that won them those games (convincingly in the end).

The Swans could do us a massive favour by knocking off PA this week, but at this stage I'll be tipping PA. Their form is more reliable than the Swans.

 

[flipper83]

Fixture analysis: Pies, Bombers face brutal runs in finals chase

Check out how difficult your team's run home is

www.afl.com.au

Article analysing the difficulty of each clubs fixture so far and remaining fixture. The striking thing about it is just how poorly the AFLs 3 tiered fixturing model works.

For anyone who is unfamiliar, essentially the top 6 teams from last year should have the hardest fixtures this year, the middle 6 a medium level of difficulty and the bottom 6 the easiest.

The 3 teams that have had the hardest fixtures are Richmond, us and North Melbourne. Both North and Richmond were bottom 6 last year and we were middle.

On the flip side Brisbane and Port who were top 6 have had the 4th and 3rd easiest fixtures and Essendon who was in the middle tier had the easiest.

I can imagine that there is any other sporting competition in the world that has such an ad hoc and uneven fixture.

 

[Sentinel]

Fixture analysis: Pies, Bombers face brutal runs in finals chase

Check out how difficult your team's run home is

www.afl.com.au

Article analysing the difficulty of each clubs fixture so far and remaining fixture. The striking thing about it is just how poorly the AFLs 3 tiered fixturing model works.

For anyone who is unfamiliar, essentially the top 6 teams from last year should have the hardest fixtures this year, the middle 6 a medium level of difficulty and the bottom 6 the easiest.

The 3 teams that have had the hardest fixtures are Richmond, us and North Melbourne. Both North and Richmond were bottom 6 last year and we were middle.

On the flip side Brisbane and Port who were top 6 have had the 4th and 3rd easiest fixtures and Essendon who was in the middle tier had the easiest.

I can imagine that there is any other sporting competition in the world that has such an ad hoc and uneven fixture.

The fact that the ladder order never stays the same from one year to the next unfortunately means you'll never have a perfectly balanced fixture whilst teams play each other a disproportionate number of times (and commercial requirements dictate many of those double ups). The current system is backwards looking and based on last year's ladder, rather than predictive as to which teams are going to rise and fall - and it's also a bit of a feedback loop.

The only real way to make it balanced is an EPL style system where every club plays each other twice per year. I guess this is why they can get away without finals, unlike the AFL.

 

[X_box_X]

The fact that the ladder order never stays the same from one year to the next unfortunately means you'll never have a perfectly balanced fixture whilst teams play each other a disproportionate number of times (and commercial requirements dictate many of those double ups). The current system is backwards looking and based on last year's ladder, rather than predictive as to which teams are going to rise and fall - and it's also a bit of a feedback loop.

The only real way to make it balanced is an EPL style system where every club plays each other twice per year. I guess this is why they can get away without finals, unlike the AFL.

EPL has 38 fixtures per team over nine months. This doesn't include teams playing two domestic tournaments a season and a third of them playing European competitions. It's not unusual for some teams to play 50 games in a season which is insane.

To achieve this balanced approach, every team would have to play 34 games. Add an additional four weeks of finals, and we'd be looking at 38 weeks which would replicate European football.

There's no way the AFLPA would sign off on that. It's way too taxing.

Assuming the average length of a quarter is 30 minutes, each team currently plays 2,760 minutes per year. If we're looking to maintain that figure but extend each team's matches from 23 to 34, we'd have to reduce the playing time from 30 minutes a quarter to 20. This would allow for only 13 minutes of actual playing time per quarter. Would that be supported by the AFL, sponsors, players, fans, etc? There's a lot to consider.

If matches were reduced from 120 minutes to 80 minutes, it would allow for 10 midweek matches per season. That's achievable with reduced playing time and the season will still run from mid-March to late September.

I'll even go a step further and say if matches were reduced from 120 minutes to 80, there'd be no need to have quarters. Just two halves of 26 minutes playing time. That allows for fatigue to set in at the end of each half.

Legit question, would you support something like this knowing the fixture will be balanced?

 

[ScragCity]

The current system is backwards looking and based on last year's ladder, rather than predictive as to which teams are going to rise and fall - and it's also a bit of a feedback loop.

I'd love to see how accurate the AFL's predictive model would be