On 18/08/2015 at 05:59, bing181 said:

Our best two young players are Hogan and, arguably Tom McD (back to his best on the weekend). Bookends. The Dogs' best young players are ALL midfielders (Stringer aside).

Reckon Viney and Brayshaw would have something to say about that. Both have been phenomenal this year.

Bottom line with our team is that until the future pushes out the past it players there will still be serious deficiencies with the team. But at the same time they can't be gifted games as has been in the past.

I was cut up about watching another demolition and what really annoyed me was seeing them actually play well in the third term. To then concede 10 final quarter goals was a tough pill to swallow.

this bunch of pea hearts give up far to easily, not once have we fought hard to get back in a game from 3 or 4 goals down, shame on Roos to allow this to carry on for 2 years, building a culture of quitters, I'm expecting the same old Bail Jones rotations.

  On 18/08/2015 at 07:10, budge said:

this bunch of pea hearts give up far to easily, not once have we fought hard to get back in a game from 3 or 4 goals down, shame on Roos to allow this to carry on for 2 years, building a culture of quitters, I'm expecting the same old Bail Jones rotations.

Forgot about our win over Essendon last year when 33 points down in the 3rd quarter?

As much as McDonald has some fine traits as a footballer I never want the ball in his hands.

But it always seems to get into his bloody hands.

  On 18/08/2015 at 06:07, jnrmac said:

So that excuses a 137 point turnaround from 6 weeks ago does it?

You are delusional if you think that.

It's 12 weeks ago mate, but I understand what you're trying to say.

We created a 60 odd point turnaround against the Pies in our favour in less time than the above, so for us at the minute it works both ways. Close the gap and learn to link the defensive and offensive efforts better and what happened on the weekend simply won't happen.

I admire how much you enjoyed the loss on the weekend though. What happens when we start winning on a regular basis? What will you talk about then?

Roos recruited H and Terlich but he didn't recruit most of the other crap. We have players on the list that can't

- kick the footy

- stand up under pressure

- think for themselves

- be mentally ready to play each week

We have turned over 22 players in two years and are still two draft/trade periods away from having real depth.

Our two best players most weeks are Cross and Vince, it's a bloody disgrace.

And yet we still cling on with garbage like

"His kicking is starting to improve" what, after six-seven years on the list.

My personal favourite and you know who you are

"He's a great public speaker" so f'n what, who cares.

Mandatory boxing over the pre-season. Weekly sparing. We need to harden up.

  On 18/08/2015 at 09:27, Al said:

Roos recruited H and Terlich but he didn't recruit most of the other crap. We have players on the list that can't

- kick the footy

- stand up under pressure

- think for themselves

- be mentally ready to play each week

We have turned over 22 players in two years and are still two draft/trade periods away from having real depth.

Our two best players most weeks are Cross and Vince, it's a bloody disgrace.

Roo's didn't recruit Terlich, he came in 2013 along with (M)Jones.

He did get a new two year contract at the end of last year. I wonder why not just one, where was he likely to go?

It's the kicking sideways and backwards stuff that I hate, even when are 50 points down...we need to play quickly and directly so that it doesn't give the opposition time to flood back into our defence...especially when we have one of the best marking forwards in the game in Hogan.

The idea should be get the ball to Hogan or Dawes as quickly and as directly as possible....

  On 18/08/2015 at 10:12, xarronn said:

Roo's didn't recruit Terlich, he came in 2013 along with (M)Jones.

He did get a new two year contract at the end of last year. I wonder why not just one, where was he likely to go?

My bad but you get the idea. 22 players in two years....

People talk about 6-7 this year. Another 11 need to go. That includes 2-3 contracted for next year.

  On 18/08/2015 at 10:25, Henrietta Lumbago said:

It's the kicking sideways and backwards stuff that I hate, even when are 50 points down...we need to play quickly and directly so that it doesn't give the opposition time to flood back into our defence...especially when we have one of the best marking forwards in the game in Hogan.

The idea should be get the ball to Hogan or Dawes as quickly and as directly as possible....

And one of the best crumbers in Garlett. We've got serious confidence issues with running inside 50 and kicking at goal. It's been the same for 2 years but now we have the players to kick the goals but a lack of confidence in players kicking to one another. The game has evolved and teams (most teams at least) are very quick and efficient in filling up the holes in defensive 50, the sideways stuff looks stupider than ever nowadays

  On 18/08/2015 at 10:40, Je Roos Salem said:

And one of the best crumbers in Garlett. We've got serious confidence issues with running inside 50 and kicking at goal. It's been the same for 2 years but now we have the players to kick the goals but a lack of confidence in players kicking to one another. The game has evolved and teams (most teams at least) are very quick and efficient in filling up the holes in defensive 50, the sideways stuff looks stupider than ever nowadays

I honestly don't think the bulldogs have a better list of players than us...but they don't lack confidence and move the quickly, making it hard to defend..and making it easier for the forward line...

  On 18/08/2015 at 10:51, Henrietta Lumbago said:

I honestly don't think the bulldogs have a better list of players than us...but they don't lack confidence and move the quickly, making it hard to defend..and making it easier for the forward line...

I have to agree I don't think the lists are that much different but the game plans are. It takes time and acceptance of failure but the frenetic attack on the ball to keep it moving at all costs, the forward press that we saw from the Dogs this week makes sense. It doesn't give players time to think and second guess themselves too often. But it does require everyone to chase, tackle but just as importantly it demands that players run into space to create an option forward of the ball. And we are pathetic at that. It drives me nuts how our guys forward of the ball fail to present. The top sides always have options when challenged. All out attack when you have the ball, man up when you don't. Is it that hard?

  On 18/08/2015 at 10:12, xarronn said:

Roo's didn't recruit Terlich, he came in 2013 along with (M)Jones.

He did get a new two year contract at the end of last year. I wonder why not just one, where was he likely to go?

It's amazing to me that a regular on here thought Roos recruited Terlich.

  On 18/08/2015 at 12:06, Earl Hood said:

I have to agree I don't think the lists are that much different but the game plans are. It takes time and acceptance of failure but the frenetic attack on the ball to keep it moving at all costs, the forward press that we saw from the Dogs this week makes sense. It doesn't give players time to think and second guess themselves too often. But it does require everyone to chase, tackle but just as importantly it demands that players run into space to create an option forward of the ball. And we are pathetic at that. It drives me nuts how our guys forward of the ball fail to present. The top sides always have options when challenged. All out attack when you have the ball, man up when you don't. Is it that hard?

Apparantly Earl it is, and extremely frustrating to watch as supporters....we might see a few risks being taken this coming week against Carlton as they should really be tanking this game to get the number 1 draft pick ...

  On 18/08/2015 at 07:19, ProDee said:

But it always seems to get into his bloody hands.

That's because he's got the best trick in football. He get the ball.

Pity so many others don't.

  On 18/08/2015 at 13:00, Baghdad Bob said:

That's because he's got the best trick in football. He get the ball.

Pity so many others don't.

It wasn't lost on me.

But there's got to be a better way of delivery/decision making.

  On 18/08/2015 at 06:07, jnrmac said:

So that excuses a 137 point turnaround from 6 weeks ago does it?

Too difficult to follow the thread of an argument?

  On 17/08/2015 at 22:01, praha said:

So basically we went from competing for whole matches, to competing for 1 maybe 2 quarters, letting the opposition bang on 7-12 straight goals, and losing by 40-60 points.

Right. Gotcha. Selective.

The North game was won and lost in the first quarter. At the end of the season they started off flat. No excuse. Same against the Dogs.

Their losses this year have been bigger hits to confidence than most losses last year. Our wins are better this year but our losses are worse. Consider we have lost two games by 100 and more games by more than 50 this year.

The gap between best and worst is GREATER than last year because they have both grown.

Only Melbourne somehow gets better while also getting worse.

I don't agree that our worst is worse. I don't think it's better though, and that's not good enough.

Our best is better, which is the improvement I'm excited by. Bringing up the level of our worst but not touching the best was what Roos looked at from 2013 to 2014. This year, we've now added in a higher ceiling. It's not going as fast as I'd like, and obviously not nearly as fast as you'd like. But I expect in 2016 that we close the gap between our best and worst and start playing much more consistent football.

If we do that, given the level of football we've shown to be capable of playing this year, we'll be a much, much stronger side.

The other factor is that because our best is better, other sides take us much more seriously. They don't want to risk just turning up expecting to win and they now actually take the trouble to plan very hard against us.

That's why we get jumped in the first quarter - the opposition has made plans and they catch us on the hop.

Dogs, North, Saints outstanding examples.

  On 18/08/2015 at 21:56, Akum said:

The other factor is that because our best is better, other sides take us much more seriously. They don't want to risk just turning up expecting to win and they now actually take the trouble to plan very hard against us.

That's why we get jumped in the first quarter - the opposition has made plans and they catch us on the hop.

Dogs, North, Saints outstanding examples.

I think this is also the reason some teams jump from near the bottom to the top 6.

It's also why the year after they sometimes struggle to maintain it.

Paul Roos is perfect for our club because he doesn't panic. He isn't in a position where he needs to. He knows that he isn't going to be our next premiership coach and is, instead, trying to instill in this club that requirements that will one day get us there. So much of the club was rotten in the past and now Roos has, generally, changed much of that and we are in a far better position than we were 2,3,4,5 years ago.

Imagine if we had missed out on Roos and gotten an unproven coach who couldn't turn us around? Imagine if we hadn't been able to lure guys like Vince and Cross to the club and had instead merely invested in youth and only won 2-3 games again? I don't think we would be able to survive all of that.

The losses on the weekend hurt now because we KNOW we are capable of better. But this team is still going through the learning phase and thankfully Roos isn't straying from the course he has set us on. By the time Goodwin takes over he will inherit a team and a club that is truly beginning to thrive again in the industry. Roos will have well and truly done his job.

  On 18/08/2015 at 21:48, titan_uranus said:

I don't agree that our worst is worse. I don't think it's better though, and that's not good enough.

Our best is better, which is the improvement I'm excited by. Bringing up the level of our worst but not touching the best was what Roos looked at from 2013 to 2014. This year, we've now added in a higher ceiling. It's not going as fast as I'd like, and obviously not nearly as fast as you'd like. But I expect in 2016 that we close the gap between our best and worst and start playing much more consistent football.

If we do that, given the level of football we've shown to be capable of playing this year, we'll be a much, much stronger side.

I'm excited as well by our best.

Roos said yesterday that we need to "play like maniacs" against Carlton.

It took losing by 100 points to come out and drive that sort of narrative. I just want to see more of that.

  On 18/08/2015 at 09:03, Wiseblood said:

It's 12 weeks ago mate, but I understand what you're trying to say.

We created a 60 odd point turnaround against the Pies in our favour in less time than the above, so for us at the minute it works both ways. Close the gap and learn to link the defensive and offensive efforts better and what happened on the weekend simply won't happen.

I admire how much you enjoyed the loss on the weekend though. What happens when we start winning on a regular basis? What will you talk about then?

I'll talk about the way we are playing good football. Who will you try to bait then?