Those scenes after the game were amazing. I was happy for the Dogs and their supporters, empathized with the conflicted feelings of Bob Murphy but my overwhelming emotions were a mixture of jealousy and hope. Our time is coming.

Bob Murphy was all class at the end of the match.

The Bulldogs possess great heart, maximum effort & application, abundant energy and teamwork in spades.  Especially the teamwork.  So much about footy is about having a strong will and an unrelenting belief system.

To have a chance next week the Doggies will need to start well but it might just be their time to shine.  To make a GF is a great achievement but they won't win the big one if they're only satisfied with just making it. 

Sydney aren't the Hawks of '88, the Blues of '95, the Cats of '07 or the Bombers of 2000.  They are quite beatable and if it bleeds you can kill it.  Beveridge will have his own theme to motivate his players but to default to the Matthews mantra is perfectly ok. 

GWS ran the Swans off their legs 2 weeks ago and the Doggies play a very similar game ... a light week on the track and get 'em ready mentally. 

The swans are taller tough and talented. They may feel entitled to win.

The Dogs just endure an absolute furnace to get the ball forward.

Under enormous pressure they find a way through. Hugely admirable.

34 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

Got it. The Year at the Dogs.

Doggies?

If Simon Goodwin is anywhere near as good as Luke Beveridge we will go places.

1 hour ago, Return to Glory said:

They can go all the way. Sydney's also banged up. This may truly be the 'Year of the Dog'

I think you might be right RTG

My fido has been tearing it up all year on the park also which is surely an Omen!

These doggies are like a pack of wild African dogs around the pill and no one has ever played this manic handball method to this level before.

If Sydney don't bust them open with a 4 plus goal lead by quarter time, and they will throw the sink at em, i reckon the doggies will swarm allover them. Pretty slow team across the ground the Swannies. Will need the Bont and the Package to have better games than tonight though.

The Bulldogs remind me so much of the Demons of '87. Fanatical running  and tackling machines. I half expected them to be beaten by a goal after the siren when they were 5 points up with a couple of minutes to go.

They'll be rank underdogs next week. If they beat Sydney, I reckon it will add weight to the argument that we'd have beaten Carlton in the '87 GF.

Wonder how stevie J is feeling. He would have been handy around the packs today. 

3 hours ago, chook fowler said:

Poor Scully

Snuggle up to the Money Sculldog!! its cold hard cash !! Just like tommorrow morning! Cold hard reality of the fact that in spite of your money! You have suffered a fiscal Crash! Footy style annnd.......  Don't we all LUURVE IT!!?

Oh, and one oher thing... Cheeapee outside possesions do not ever make up for winning a hard ball in an ultra hard do or die contest!

Enjoy a pie next saturday with your old man!! 

Jimmy is lovin this outcome!!

So am I !!

Edited September 24, 20168 yr by picket fence

15 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Snuggle up to the Money Sculldog!! its cold hard cash !! Just like tommorrow morning! Cold hard reality of the fact that in spite of your money! You have suffered a fiscal Crash! Footy style annnd.......  Don't we all LUURVE IT!!?

Oh, and one oher thing... Cheeapee outside possesions do not ever make up for winning a hard ball in an ultra hard do or die contest!

Enjoy a pie next saturday with your old man!! 

Jimmy is lovin this outcome!!

So am I !!

He really does SFA with his possessions. He's a good runner, that's about it. 

35 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

He really does SFA with his possessions. He's a good runner, that's about it. 

racks it up and turns it over - just like dangerfield.

1 hour ago, DemonAndrew said:

racks it up and turns it over - just like dangerfield.

Know who I would rather have in the side

Libba senior pretty excited.

Was wrestling his wife in the last moments.

31 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Libba senior pretty excited.

Was wrestling his wife in the last moments.

You're not suggesting another father/son's on the way at the Bulldogs are you?

They have great F/s picks who actually care about the club.

we are lucky with Viney,Stretch and Smith looking good.

Libba Jnr ,Wallis,McLean add a lot of passion to their club.

Geelong were lucky to get Hawkins,Abletts at the same era. 

The genetic X factor is shaping the comp more each year.

11 minutes ago, Biffen said:

They have great F/s picks who actually care about the club.

we are lucky with Viney,Stretch and Smith looking good.

Libba Jnr ,Wallis,McLean add a lot of passion to their club.

Geelong were lucky to get Hawkins,Abletts at the same era. 

The genetic X factor is shaping the comp more each year.

Toby McLean isn't Magic McLean's son, but Zaine Cordy is a F/S pick, being Brian's son, and Lachie Hunter is Mark's son.

3 minutes ago, mo64 said:

Toby McLean isn't Magic McLean's son, but Zaine Cordy is a F/S pick, being Brian's son, and Lachie Hunter is Mark's son.

Ok thanks-quite a few there who are handy.

I forgot Scarlett who brought the steely resolve to the Cats in my opinion.

Edited September 24, 20168 yr by Biffen

9 hours ago, Petraccattack said:

If Simon Goodwin is anywhere near as good as Luke Beveridge we will go places.

I was thinking the same thing.

It also shows that if you nail a couple of drafts the rebuild time is three or four years, not six or seven.

Don't know about anyone else but I was happy that scum bag didn't get to a grand final. 

Hopefully Jonesy does before him but I know that might be a bit of a stretch. 

1 hour ago, Biffen said:

Libba senior pretty excited.

Was wrestling his wife in the last moments.

She's a bit of alright , mrs libba. I would like to have been wrestling her too. 

With the family at the Royal Melbourne Show yesterday (sheer torture) and noticed disproportionately large number of people in bulldogs gear. Now I realise the show grounds are out west but the numbers seemed to be greater than one would normally expect. So, lots of support, lots of merchandise sales.

No matter what the result next Saturday, this on field display by the Western Bulldogs/ Footscray will mean $$$$$ security for some years to come and a supporter base of well over 40K.

14 minutes ago, Dee Dee said:

With the family at the Royal Melbourne Show yesterday (sheer torture) and noticed disproportionately large number of people in bulldogs gear. Now I realise the show grounds are out west but the numbers seemed to be greater than one would normally expect. So, lots of support, lots of merchandise sales.

No matter what the result next Saturday, this on field display by the Western Bulldogs/ Footscray will mean $$$$$ security for some years to come and a supporter base of well over 40K.

You'd hope so after they have been on the knife each of folding a couple of times. Hopefully they can turn it into fans not like Norf.

At the end of the match I had that uneasy feeling that the Dogs were celebrating their premiership. It was the same feeling I had watching the Demons and their celebratory lap after their win over Port in Adelaide. Swans in a canter next week I think

10 minutes ago, fndee said:

At the end of the match I had that uneasy feeling that the Dogs were celebrating their premiership. It was the same feeling I had watching the Demons and their celebratory lap after their win over Port in Adelaide. Swans in a canter next week I think

I got a similar feeling. Even Beveridge did not seem to put a lid on the euphoria after the game. Then again this team has defied a lot of the accepted perceptions of how the game is played both on the ground and in the head. They are not like us. The only real poor game they played was against Freo in the last round when they had absolutely nothing to gain by trying to win.

Edited September 24, 20168 yr by america de cali