CHF

I think we already have our third tall forward and that is Watts. To my mind he is a perfect fit in that role. He is versatile and reads the play well in both attack and defence. He can run all day, take a mark and has great delivery by foot and hand. he is the hardest in the team for the opposition to get a matchup on. What we need to be looking at is a second forward to work close with Hogan. Hogan is very mobile and a good one on one mark. I personally have a question mark over his possessions when he gets them up the ground as he seems to take an age to make a decision on what to do. That part of his game does not seem to be instinctive as yet. At this stage I would be looking at Pedersen to step up along side Hogan, in the early stages of the season at least. It may well be a case of selecting horses for courses as we have a number of other options. Tim Smith is an interesting addition to the forwards as I think, from the little I have seen of him that he could add an element of defensive pressure that would be a step up. He also can take a mark and kick a goal. There will be teams we will play where that defensive pressure will be a real advantage. Weeds will get a run or 4 in the team and I think he will perform well. I liked what I saw in the Hawthorn game and I like that we do not need to rush him and push him to perform. We are giving him a chance to develop at the right pace. Will Hulett get a run there in 2017? They might give him a taste if they have the opportunity and he is showing something. With the additions and development of players in the middle I think we will get better and more frequent delivery into the forward 50 and we have to make sure we get the structures right at the pointy end to ensure we get the rewards.

Old Dee, the difference being that when the WA or any other interstate team returns home after a trip, 9 times out of 10 they are playing a team that is travelling interstate. For us, 9 times out of 10 we are playing a Victorian team after an interstate trip.

With the list completed for the next season with the finalization of the rookies, I wanted to know the realistic expectations people have for next season. For myself, I can see a very improved list with the removal of a few NQR players and the introduction of a lot of experience and potential. After the trading and draft periods I would say we have a list that is 10 to 15% better than it was this time last year. I will add into my expectations improvements to lot of our younger players that are coming into their 2nd or 3rd seasons and i expect us to be in the bottom half of the 8 with 13 or 14 wins. I will nominate 6th with no limit placed on the finals.

I think this a a good thing. Wagner was selected in the rookie draft last year and ends up playing 14 games in his first season. a proper reward for a kid that achieves as much as he has in his first season. I am sure he will not rest there and will be looking to play as many games as he can no matter what the competition is for a place in the 22. Well done that man.

The expectation this year has to be to win the whole bloody thing right from the first bounce. No limit on ambition. Make then8 and then win every game. Then do the same in 2018

Not a bad observation Jack, but I am not sure we have very much time. Look at the bulldogs this year. Young team, injuries and 7th at the end of the season yet they stepped up,and took their chance. We need to work hard now and take every chance we create.

I don't think his form was that bad. It was more that the coaches looked to last season to get some games into a couple of the young backs. This season I think we will be playing to win as many as possible and selection will be on form. Col is good when he is on and I expect him to step up.

I think I see our forward half improvement coming as much through the improvement of delivery from the midfield as I do from individual improvement. In the back line I see it as a bit inexperienced and fragile even with the injection of Hibberd and Melksham. We may be playing Garland a bit more than anticipated.

This is a long read that I have put together over the last few days mainly so I can think through where I believe the team is at and where the improvement for next season may come from. It is, of course, my opinion and it may generate a bit of discussion before the drafts. It is not like years gone by when we looked at low first round draft picks and there was a lot of discussion and speculation about who, where and why. There was a lot to like about our last season but, given the heights that the Bulldogs rose to, in retrospect, our season was a disappointment. I think that the Bulldogs showed everyone that you play with the ultimate ambition in mind at all times and do not compromise no matter what the circumstances. With that in mind I have decided to have a critical look at our list now that the trading period is over. I do not expect us to look at any delisted players and I do not think any first year players we draft into the list at the end of November will have an impact. You never know, they might ship in a mature aged player from the boonies that is a gem. They have done so in the past. Forwards: Hogan will only be in his third season and he still has a lot of development left in him. Development of not only his footy skills but also his physicality. I expect him to improve a lot next season with a further pre-season under his belt and a bit of work on making his set shot run up a lot more straight forward. I believe he will be a better player this season. Watts had a very good season and I would expect him to at least maintain that quality this coming season. Not expecting a lot of development of his game but with a general improvement in the team, I could see him having greater impact because he will get the ball more in more damaging positions. He does use the ball so well. Would rather we had a different option as relief ruck. Garlett had an up and down season and I sort of do not expect much more from him. I wish I did but I just seems that last season he was not switched on 100% of the time. I liked his short runs in the middle but we really do need him crumbing at the feet of Hogan and Co. He could be a factor in our improvement but I will not be counting on it. Pedersen has another 1 year contract and I agree with this move over and above Dawes. Has a bit of versatility about him as he can ruck a bit and fill a hole down back if required. No improvement expected but with him, what you see is what you get – a big body that can take a mark and kick a couple. Kent is developing well and I can see that he will improve a bit more with a good pre-season and with a developing midfield delivering to the forwards. I can also see him getting a bit more time in the midfield where his physicality and speed will give us a bit. Weideman had a taste last season and I, for one, liked what he presented. Will be a bit better next season but I think he will make a real individual impact from 2018 onwards. Maybe 10/12 games next season. Hulett had a full season in the VFL and with a good preseason he may well begin to make some sort of an impact. I only saw him in a couple of Casey’s televised games But I think he might do ok in the future. Need Max to get hold of him over a cup of coffee and tell him about the value of a good pre-season and good mindset. Similar to Weid…. 2018 onwards for some significant impact. Kennedy-Harris was injured a lot of last year and had little impact. We get anything out of him this season and it will be an improvement. I think this year is a year for him to get himself back on his feet with a view to 2018 and beyond. Patracca has a lot going for him in the talent department and I expect him to show a lot of improvement next season as long as he can keep toes unbroken. One of the players I will be looking to drive personal and team improvement. Will benefit from having Lewis there. Will spend a lot of time in the midfield next year, in the early part of the season in particular. I can see a lot of our midfield rotating through the forward setup and will cover those on the midfield section. Individual improvements from Hogan, Kent and Patracca with Garlett improving his form and Watts and Pedersen holding station and I think we will have very effective unit up forward. Improved delivery to the forward 50 will make them look better as well. Midfield Jones is Jones, we only have one Jones now. Will enjoy having a bit more quality experience around in the middle and will be more effective because of it. At least as good as last season and looking to see him enjoying his footy. Heading into his 12th year at the club and will start next season as a 29yo. Vince was quality and I hope he can maintain his form and fitness for the next season. Can see him switching more forward and, in some cases back to the HBF where he can use his long kicking to effect. Lewis will bring a lot to the midfield and I look forward to him in Red and Blue for the next few years. If he plays with the same commitment and hardness he brought to the Hawks, our midfield will really step up. Will slot into the forward line at times as well. Viney will improve again next season because he is the type that will not entertain standing still or going backwards in his development. He will also drive others to improve. Tyson was very good this last season and I think he has a bit more improvement in him to reach his best. The next few years I would expect him to make small steps in improving his skills and stamina. Would not be looking for a huge stepping breakout season as such. Vandenberg has a lot going for him but needs to polish his skills to keep up with others in the team. Will add to the improvement as long as he works hard. Oliver had an exceptional first season and there is not limit on what he could become. Needs to drive and consolidate this second season and I could see the coaching team looking to hold him back a little for his long term development. Will be better next season and it will add to the team’s midfield. Stretch I like. I like the way he seems to play a simple game. He positions himself well and has good speed of decision making and movement. I think his improvement will come from experience and physical development. I think he will be a better player next season as he settles into a position and game plan. Trengove made a great return to the game this last season. Just to get back on the ground at the highest level was a huge win for him. Want see what he is like after a full, complete pre-season and I have my fingers crossed that he can compete for a spot and make an impact. Brayshaw had an unfortunate run with concussion and injury last season and he was not at this best, Hopefully he will have a good pre-season that will allow him to step up from the quality of his first season. Has the potential to add quality to the team and is another that can develop to the very highest levels of the game if he gets a good run with injury. Harmes seems to me to be inconsistent from game to game. Seems to wander in and out of games. I like what I see when he is ‘on’, up and about. Probably just my perception. Want to see more of his high level consistency but he may have reached his potential. Neal-Bullen I have a lot of time for. I like the way he looks clean when he has the ball. Problem is that he does not get the ball enough. Really needs to work super hard so that he can step up and not fall into the category of “good quality VFL player”. Has the goods but is in serious competition with a couple of others that are a couple of steps in front of him. Salem had a few health setbacks in the last season and I hope that he can manage them this season and give himself a good crack at a long string of games. I have him in the midfield but, like a few others, he will spend time in the back six depending on circumstances. Love his running and balance. Hunt showed speed and courage and I like to watch him. I do scratch my head and wonder where and into what he will develop into. Could be anything or could crash and burn in a short time. Hope it is the former as I want to see his development as the team improves. Bugg I have in the midfield but he can annoy any opposition player anywhere on the ground. I am not sure he can get any more annoying but I am sure he will try. I think every team needs a Bugg. Backs Tom McDonald is central to our defensive structure. Takes a great mark and reads the play well except when he decides to sidestep an opponent. If they can coach that out of him I would count that as an improvement. Oscar McDonald has a lot of improvement in him. To be honest, I did not see much potential in him during his first few games but he did look better and better as the season progressed. Want to see a big step up after this pre-season. I now think the ability is there. Frost is not a forward. He is, however a good young developing athletic back. Will develop over the next couple of seasons and will be a key player in seasons to come. Looking towards improvement this season. Jetta. More of the same from him this next season and I will be happy. While I do not think he has reached his full potential, I do like what he delivered with consistency last season. Garland. There was not a lot of joy for Col last season as there was a movement to get games into the developing young defensive players. When he gets the opportunity next season I expect him to rip into it. I think his opportunities may be limited. Melksham I look forward to seeing how he goes after a year out. Should bring a bit of experience and nous to the team but he will need a good pre-season to knock the rust off. I can see him moving forward into the midfield on occasion as well as moving forward to kick a few. Hibberd will be interesting to watch and, if he hits good form he will add a lot to the team. Looks to be a smart, composed player that has courage. Will be interested to see where we play him as I think he has potential to play back, mid or forward. Wagner. I will be interested to see how he progresses this season. Played well in concert with Hunt last season but I had the feeling he was playing a bit light. Again, probably my perception. To my mind he needs a bit more weight to do the things his mind wants him to do. Want to see him succeed and I expect he will be on the main list next season. Lumumba had a very difficult season with concussion and I hope he is fully recovered. He has a lot of ground to make up on other team members that stepped up last season and filled his role. Hope he gets back to playing footy and I hope he enjoys it. Not expecting a lot from him. McKenna…. Sorry but I do not know a lot about him. Not even sure I have spelt his name correctly. We look a little thin at the back and will need individual improvement in the young players to ensure we have a capable unit back there. Melksham and Hibberd will be critical to their success. We have Pedersen and Watts that can go back if required. Rucks Gawn and then daylight for two reasons. One, Max decided that he was going to be the best ruckman in the country and went and did it and, two, The rest of our ruck stacks stood still in development and skill. We will need another outstand year from Max so it is a good thing that he looks like he thrives on hard work. Spencer is a good backup to Max. As above, Max moved up into the stratosphere while Spencer kept plying his trade in the VFL waiting for his chance, a chance that never eventuated. I like having him on the list as he is an honest footy player and I think when he is called upon he will do his best. Mitch King just rising 20 years old and need a lot of development. I hope he spends a lot of time having coffee with Max. personally I have not seen a lot of him but feel he needs to begin to show something. I think we need to draft a ruckman this season. Rookies. White needs to work hard and develop quickly. Have liked what I saw in the very, very limited opportunities he has had at the highest level but there are a few others that are moving ahead of him. Smith has had a few good wraps recently and I hope he develops to his potential. Will not have a huge impact next season but I will be watching to see how he goes. So with good individual improvement from the likes of Hogan, Patracca, Viney, Brayshaw, Stretch, OMac and Frost and with the addition of Lewis, Hibberd and Melksham I can see us stepping over a few teams and making the lower reaches of the 8.

Soberish...... a couple of glasses into a bottle of Sancerre watching the Grand Prix

I'm sober in Brussels at the moment.

I hope when we play against WestCoast that Patty picks off a pass from Naitanui and scores a goal. Can just hear the commentary, "Nic Nac, Paddy Mac gifts the Dees a goal". is the door that way?

With the word that Pedersen looks like getting a new contract that I would expect to be another 12 month one, it is interesting to look at the situation next year. Of those coming out of contract it has already been flagged that Weideman and Salem will be being looked at to extend contracts early in the next season. Next off the rank I would think are Stretch, Vandenberg, Frost, Hulett and Neal-Bullen. Vince will be a year older by then into his 33rd year and will be judged on his year's performance and what the future looks like. it could be that there are a number of players that go past him in the team. Kennedy, Kennedy-Harris, Trengove and Pedersen(assuming he gets a 1 year extension) will all be year to year prospects and will be judged on their performance. I do not expect Dunn to be there after this trade period and Spencer, who is UFA at the end of next season, may find he has not played many games and be looking for a new home. To me it looks like the Footy department and list managers are doing their jobs well in keeping the list together. Edit: Forgot Lumumba. How could I do that. I do not expect him to be at the club beyond the end of next season.

For mine, Michie in for Harmes with Stretch, Pedersen and Oliver to round out the bench. If Garlett does not come up bring in ANB and Weeds for Hogan if he is not up to it. Looking at the team it is a very strong team and any players that step in will not weaken it with their presence. B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville JettaHB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Tomas BuggC: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom TysonHF: Angus Brayshaw, Jack Watts, Aaron vandenBergF: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Dean KentFOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack VineyI/C : Viv Michie, Clayton Oliver, Cameron Pedersen, Billy Stretch EMG: Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman Dees by 45pts.

Which is exactly what the coaching team do to be able to give constructive critique.

If Goodwin was coming in from outside I could see him wanting to reshape or adjust the list to his own liking. Given that he has been Roos right hand for a couple of seasons I don't see a bigg change being made in the list. I think that we will not move both Grimes and Trengove. Strong possibility of one being moved on but not both. We only have to look back at recent history to see the effects of forcing out long time clubmen.

So? What do think will be our strategy and outcome? forward stocks look good if Hogan stays with Weed and the Hulk ready to step up. I think we will keep Pedo around as he can cover, not just forward and ruck, but can also go back and do a reasonable job. Indefence we have the Big Macs and Frost with Frost and OMac with a lot of upside and development. Melksem to debut for us and with others to cover down there and one of Dunn or Garland hanging around I can see we need a couple of fillers in there. Hibbard ahead of Hurley for me as I think we can cover the key positions in the back half. Mdfield is looking good with talent and depth. Late picks for speculation. The talent spotters have a good record with later picks. Trust them. in the ruck we have the best with Max. Spencer is adequate but we will need to look to the future and draft a couple of prospects. Let Max mentor them. summary; Dawes out the door. Look to natural development of the young brigade to step up with Pedo covering in short term. Hibbard and Milkshake to bolster the defence with the possibility of a bigger, more mature body coming in. Put work into selecting and developing a young ruck and look,to,natural development of the mids. Dawes, Garland, Lumumba and Grimes to retire/be traded of the older brigade and Wagner to be upgrade off the rookie list. Trade or whatever for Hibberd and look for a value for money trade to fill holes or, if an elite player is available and wants to come to us chase hard. in the draft, upgrade Wagner, look for ruck prospects and speculate for the midfield.

I believe that we need to manage Weeds and Pedo so that they remain eligible to play finals for Casey. I think it would be important for them to play in a finals series and it would get a couple more hard games into, not just Weeds' body but also into a couple of the other young/recovering bodies.

If the umpires carry their form into the dressing room they will not just give Rioli the 3 votes, they will give him the 2 and 1 as well. That was the worst I have seen them perform.

Only 3 bad decisions against, us in the last quarter and I learnt a few things today. Rio like can duck into a tackle and win a free. He can tackle around the head and not give away a free and he can throw the ball as much as he likes. He can also,be on the losing team and the commentators will still call him as if he is walking on water.

Q3 replayed and 5 bad ump calls against us. Total 14 in the first 3 quarters.

See earlier post. 5 bad ones in the first.

Just watched 2nd quarter. 4 bad decisions against us. Umps..... I shakes me head

Just watched a replay of the first quarter and there were 5 bad ump decisions that went against us and we still won the quarter by 11 points. I usually do not comment on the umps, but for the first 3 quarters of the game every bad decision they made went against us.

Woke at 6am over here to watch the game without too many hopes of a win. My neighbours are now aware of the great win by the Dees. Still only 9.15am here but I may have to have a drink..