POSTGAME: Rd 13 vs Western Bulldogs

[Jerry Lundergard 420]

4 minutes ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

Doggies played very well today; they’re a hot and cold side and today they brought their best.  We weren’t able to match them.

 

 

 

I disagree. I think we made them look good with our ordinary play. I never felt like we got dominated by them like I did with Port.

[Wiseblood 24,637]

Just now, Watts the matter said:

No I am not kidding. Melksham kicking into the man on the mark 20m out, giving away a stupid 50, missing other goals. Fristch kicking on the full from 30 meters out and missing a couple of others and trying to get Melskham knocked out with a ridiculous pass. Not to mention how easily they could move the ball from kick outs which wouldn't have occurred without missing these easy goals.

We were outplayed yet right in the game.

There is some merit in this, however, bad kicking is bad football.  Against good sides you need to take the simple chances and dob a few of the tough ones.  While we might have kicked a few of the tough ones, we missed some gettable shots all day and it hurt.  

It doesn't hide the fact that we were smashed around the contest, though.

[Sir Why You Little 37,034]

Why is Harmes wasted every week

He should have been used hard tagging today

Goodwin does not learn

[olisik 4,060]

2 minutes ago, Watts the matter said:

No I am not kidding. Melksham kicking into the man on the mark 20m out, giving away a stupid 50, missing other goals. Fristch kicking on the full from 30 meters out and missing a couple of others and trying to get Melskham knocked out with a ridiculous pass. Not to mention how easily they could move the ball from kick outs which wouldn't have occurred without missing these easy goals.

We were outplayed yet right in the game.

Bunch of spuds who can’t concentrate to get the basics right. We would have to be the team with the most goals missed from 20-30m out. Minimum 4 per week we miss from that distance directly in front.

Edited August 22, 2020 by olisik

[Tom Dyson 1,633]

Two major reasons we lost; Inside 50 to goal efficiency and defending kick ins. Granted the wind seemed to play havoc but the bulldogs seemed to adapt better I guess. But letting them waltz out of defensive 50 is unforgivable. 
 

this club kills me, builds up hope and then let’s it shatter, I’m starting to wonder whether there is something seriously wrong mentally with the playing group. Not taking a swipe at them but they just don’t seem to stand up when the pressures on. 

[The heart beats true 18,123]

Structures worked out at half time, Bulldogs players adjusted to it, and we simply don’t have a counter plan.

If anyone knows I’d be fascinated by how many games we’ve lost since Goodwin took over where one quarter of being completely out structured cost us the game? It has to be over 20. 

Our coach is not dynamic enough for the modern game. I want him gone. Why? Because we have a better list than that this. We are far too one dimensional. He’s got the balance of the list wrong, which also helps reinforce our one dimensionality, and makes us easy to coach against.

[Half forward flank 1,022]

4 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

The Dogs are a side who have a game style that we can't handle.  They love to flick out that quick handball to a player on the outside, and they are a terrific team off half back.  Their man three - Daniel, JJ and Crozier - cut us up all day when the ball hit the deck.  Not only are they clever players, but they use the ball very well and were able to hit targets in these conditions.

At half time you could tell that there were a few signs that we weren't playing all that well, but we lifted our intensity and lifted our pressure in the second term and we took our chances.  We just had to keep that up.

And then we fell in a hole, both on the field and in the box, in the third term.  Bevo made some changes, such as English deep and Bruce into the ruck as both had been ineffectual to that point, and he clearly implored his players to look for the switch and run hard at every opportunity.  They did exactly that and too often they took the ball from one end to the other and they made us look second rate.  Goodwin didn't prepare enough for it, but then the players also didn't run hard enough either.

Our midfield was smashed today.  Trac was off, Oliver looked like he was gassed, Viney tries but today it didn't really pay off, and Gus didn't have the same influence as previous weeks.  Preuss was good in the ruck but, really, we should have had more influence out of the guts than we did.

Overall, this was a big test for the club after three wins against teams we should be beating, and we failed miserably.  And it really hurt to watch that.

People will try and pick out individuals in this game, but I don't see that as the problem.  People were pinging Fritsch for goodness sake.  The bloke aint the problem.  Our problem, against good sides, is that they cut us up on the outside and when the pressure drops they run it out without any issue and make us pay.  Our gameplan is too rigid and inflexible to change for it and, unless we put massive amounts of pressure on for pretty much the whole game, we struggle.

One positive from today was, again, the back line.  We could have had the greatest back line in the world in that third term and it wouldn't have stopped the ball the way it came in.  I thought May, Lever and Tomlinson were all excellent throughout the game and gave their tall forwards an absolute bath.  Hibberd was off and Wallis kicked 4 on him but, again, he had A+ delivery without any pressure.

Season is on the line next week against a side who have even more leg speed and run than the Dogs - the Saints.  We will need to make some adjustments and prepare ourselves as if we lose next week, then we're gone.  I won't write us off just yet as many here did after the Port game and then three games later we are in the 8.  However, roll over against the Saints and it will be very, very hard.

Very disappointed after that game but I'm not giving up on the season just yet.  While the Dogs were better, we more than had our chances to not only be further in front at different stages, but to also bridge the gap in the last term.  

Not rocket science. I said pre game we will know when the pressure comes on. It did and we reverted to usual style.

[Jaded No More 68,913]

Just now, Redleg said:

You wouldn’t if you had a Coach. Beveridge sh-t all over Goody today. 

Not for the first or last time, a smart coach with a similar quality list has destroyed ours. It’s a bloody rinse and repeat story. 

[Return to Glory 8,436]

3 minutes ago, olisik said:

Goodwin that’s why, he always has the team try win shoot outs against the wind opposed to turning it into a bog for a nil nil draw. Absolutely rubbish coaching.

The smart play was surely to turn it into a scrap so that we were within reach at the start of the fourth. I don't think this is a disaster (compared to our top 50 shamozles) but it's classic 'loss at the wrong time' stuff

 

[Die Hard Demon 1,224]

Just now, Jerry Lundergard said:

I disagree. I think we made them look good with our ordinary play. I never felt like we got dominated by them like I did with Port.

I agree. Dogs were very ordinary today. We were awful tbh & made them look better than they were. I don’t rate the dogs, which speaks volumes about us.

[WERRIDEE 5,478]

Weak as water. Another bad quarter under Goodwin. When will it stop? McDonald is cooked. Harmes needs to be dropped. Forward line disgusting. Spargo showed why he shouldn't play. Pickett will be lucky not to be dropped and Hannan will be dropped. The midfield was disgusting. Got smashed. If Petracca and Oliver play like that again we won't win a game.

[grazman 7,432]

2 minutes ago, Greendale said:

Positives:

• Steven May absolutely superb

I think Lever and Salem were pretty good as well.  The only reason we weren't really belted. 

[DeePressed 114]

[titan_uranus 25,016]

Let's get the glass half full bit out of the way. We were never any good but never really out of the contest, even in the fourth quarter we were challenging at various times. The Dogs were also wildly accurate in the third quarter. I reckon we got really unlucky with the wind: they were slotting them dead straight on the angle, but look at what the wind did to Fritsch's kick in the fourth. IMO that's not technique, that's the wind picking up. They only had 3 more scoring shots but their accuracy hurt us.

OK. Now for the glass half empty bit.

How predictable was that. The Dogs are a level above our previous three teams and brought the pressure, and we crumbled. They out ran us and they carved us up on transition. Petracca, Oliver, Viney and Brayshaw all had poor games under that pressure, with their old habits coming back again (dinky handballs, lack of two-way running, missed kicks).

We had the same number of inside 50s. But our small/mid forwards, Fritsch aside, put in shockers. I said in the Game Day thread that every week Pickett feels like he's close to dominating, but never actually does. We can't keep carrying small forwards who neither impact the game nor pressure.

Goodwin blatantly outcoached. We've had a strong defensive zone that was broken to pieces today, largely through the Dogs switching repeatedly. They've played a lot of footy at Metricon (we've only played once there before today), so maybe they knew it well, but it was clear from the start that they had a plan and it worked. 

Preuss was beaten by Bruce. Can we end the whole "we're good without Max" thing? We're not.

We only get one let off in this run home. It was today. If we want to be a finals side, we need to bounce back next week.

Given the opportunity we had today to solidify our top 8 spot, today was horrendously disappointing.

[3183 Dee 2,853]

Yep - Doggies looked fresh and comfortable. We looked second rate all game. Midfield beaten easily. Honourable mentions to May and Weideman, but that’s about all. Where was the ferocity and tackling pressure?
 

This team needs to have a kick up the bum to start playing, which is a recipe for disaster.

Edited August 22, 2020 by 3183 Dee

[dazzledavey36 54,889]

Geez Bailey Smith for them is going to be a Star. Love the way he goes about it.

[drdrake 3,163]

3 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Why is Harmes wasted every week

He should have been used hard tagging today

Goodwin does not learn

Because he is no good, another player gettinh games on 2018 form, stop backing him

[FireInTheBennelly 4,072]

Out-coached in the box

Out-coached at the selection table

Out-coached on the training track

[ding 5,126]

4 minutes ago, Deemania since 56 said:

But wait! There are learnings to be made. Has he seen a dermatologist over his itchy left leg? Same game plan well researched and countered. Ring a bell?

Reckon the leg-scratch count will be off the charts in the Post Match presser tonight.

He is always worse after a bad loss.

 

[Half forward flank 1,022]

2 minutes ago, grazman said:

I think Lever and Salem were pretty good as well.  The only reason we weren't really belted. 

I must have missed salems contribution

[Moonshadow 17,676]

Inaccurate in front of goal, and accept it.

Let Dogs get outside run and spread too easily

Hibbo was a poor choice for Wallis

Bont should've been tagged from Q1. Harmes was otherwise useless, he was the obvious one to do it

Too many passengers: Kozzie, spargo, Hannan, Lockard and tmac

If not for May and Lever the margin would've been 10 goals

Weid tried hard but drifted in and out too easily

 

[Sir Why You Little 37,034]

Just now, drdrake said:

Because he is no good, another player gettinh games on 2018 form, stop backing him

He is a good hard tagger but is being totally wasted

[Wiseblood 24,637]

Just now, titan_uranus said:

Let's get the glass half full bit out of the way. We were never any good but never really out of the contest, even in the fourth quarter we were challenging at various times. The Dogs were also wildly accurate in the third quarter. I reckon we got really unlucky with the wind: they were slotting them dead straight on the angle, but look at what the wind did to Fritsch's kick in the fourth. IMO that's not technique, that's the wind picking up. They only had 3 more scoring shots but their accuracy hurt us.

OK. Now for the glass half empty bit.

How predictable was that. The Dogs are a level above our previous three teams and brought the pressure, and we crumbled. They out ran us and they carved us up on transition. Petracca, Oliver, Viney and Brayshaw all had poor games under that pressure, with their old habits coming back again (dinky handballs, lack of two-way running, missed kicks).

We had the same number of inside 50s. But our small/mid forwards, Fritsch aside, put in shockers. I said in the Game Day thread that every week Pickett feels like he's close to dominating, but never actually does. We can't keep carrying small forwards who neither impact the game nor pressure.

Goodwin blatantly outcoached. We've had a strong defensive zone that was broken to pieces today, largely through the Dogs switching repeatedly. They've played a lot of footy at Metricon (we've only played once there before today), so maybe they knew it well, but it was clear from the start that they had a plan and it worked. 

Preuss was beaten by Bruce. Can we end the whole "we're good without Max" thing? We're not.

We only get one let off in this run home. It was today. If we want to be a finals side, we need to bounce back next week.

Given the opportunity we had today to solidify our top 8 spot, today was horrendously disappointing.

I agree with all of that, titan, except for the bit I've bolded.  Pickett laid 5 tackles for us today, more than anyone else.  

He needs to hit the scoreboard more - his two chances in the first term are ones he should be eating for breakfast, but he put on more pressure than most today.  I know some might ask for him to be dropped, but Bennell is a totally different player to him and I don't really think they are like for like.  We stunk it up pressure wise and Bennell isn't exactly known for that.

[My name is legion 158]

4 minutes ago, Jerry Lundergard said:

I disagree. I think we made them look good with our ordinary play. I never felt like we got dominated by them like I did with Port.

Unfair. Similar scoring shot numbers.

[KysaiahMessiah 725]

Just now, drdrake said:

Because he is no good, another player gettinh games on 2018 form, stop backing him

I thought differently for a while but I'm starting to agree with you on Harmes.  2018 and not much else.