Stop encouraging this ■■■■ club.
Stop victim blaming
Watching from my seat at Marvel…
Onto the tactics..
I’ve got nothing. You can’t really ■■■■■ what we do.
Last week we had 9 players who hadn’t played 20 games. 10 if you want to count Roberts. We took out two of them and brought in one. The Bulldogs have a total of two.
It’s a VFL team versus and AFL team.
And because of that we’re carrying too many passengers who just don’t get enough the ball and force others to have to carry the load. This week it was Kako, Goldy, Perkins, McMahon, Zak Johnson, Clarke, Blakiston, Loal and Guelfi. The Bulldogs had McNeil, Lobb, O’Donnell and Paulter in the same range of disposals. That means our 12 other players (I won’t count the sub and the guy subbed off) needs to not only outplay their opponent but also an extra 5. We had 6 players reach 20+ possessions to their 9. And ours were pretty worthless compared to theirs. We got 4 goals from our bottom 4 possession winners, so it’s not all bad I guess.
Quite frankly, if the Bulldogs felt like it they could have smacked up by 150 points.
This is what playing the kids brings.
Onto individuals…
El-Hawli. He was pretty poor. It is what it is. I don’t think wing is for him and I also don’t think the backline is for him either. Half forward flank is about his best chance. I don’t know how he could stay around flat footed in the back line when Laverde handball to him. A few times as a wingman, he seemed to get sucked into a ground ball contest, but he could have been following his man. Usually, wingman running is pocket to pocket on your side of the field. He seemed to get caught out closer to the opposite. Again, maybe he was following his opponent. His out of bounds on the full was a replica of what I’ve seen at VFL level. He tried to thread a needle and missed. There’s a player there, but I doubt it’ll be found with us. In a good organised setup, he can be used well. We are nowhere near an organised setup.
Perkins. There was one play where I thought ‘maybe there is something there’. He took a mark on the wing, turned and hit Kako on the chest. There was a Bulldog player between Perkins and Kako, so it wasn’t a rubbish possession. Then the rest of the game showed there isn’t something there.
Smartt. I doubt he makes it. Someone his body shape could make it in the AFL, but he has to be elite at a few things. He isn’t. His contested marking is better than players his size, but that’s about it. He was worth a shot though.
Clarke is looking okay. He’s getting more confident. I don’t know what he’s done to the umpires though. He seems to get a rough call against him at least once every game. I think he’s important to us as a wingman. So it’s important we have enough tall lanky defenders who aren’t injured to not have to shift him into the backline. I think with him and Duursma, we trying to have our version of Ollie Dempsey who can be a marking target when we’re attacking from the other side of the field.
Zak Johnson. He’s still trying to get to the finish line, but it’s clear he needs a break. If we weren’t so farked with injuries, he’d get some meaningful VFL time so he can see what he’s learned in his time at AFL level.
Lual. Another low possession game. It is what it is. He’s a great runner though. I think he’s done well to get this far. His kicking (when he does kick it) isn’t a total liability.
We’ve only got Archer May, Vigo, Menzie, Davey Jnr, Nguyen, Gerryn and ADW at VFL level. May has been okay, Vigo overwhelmed and outmatched, but the rest are low possession footballers who are barely smashing down the door to get into the team.
Four more rounds to go and unfortunately we’ve got that extra game against Gold Coast too. Still don’t see another win this year. And I’m fine with that.
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Again, I am sorry.
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But 5 more games for Essendon.
A 6w 17L season is one better than I expected for 2025.
I’m
with you on that one. Actually didn’t even watch the game. Mental health feels much better for it. Sad for the football club.
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How good does it feel. No screaming and the swearing at the TV. Love it
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Brake away league, c’mon…who’s with me…???
Ive watched V Richmond, Giants, Bullflogs so far, overseas on the afl watch app.
Money well spent.
The issue with that injury list is there only really about 6-7 on that who can play and a lot of them are inconsistent. Ridley is cooked and Duursmas body struggles as well.
Our list is ■■■■. I was there tonight til the end as well.
There’s only 3 drafts til Tassie and we have one of the worst midfields and forward lines in history. We are horribly ■■■■
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The umps throwing gift goals to Naughton in the first 5 mins is like someone kicking the crutches from under a crippled polio victim who’s been drawn to race Usain Bolt in the 100m Olympic Final.
Neither necessary or fair
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Most of the kids have shown a bit, but they’re not going to have consistency. Bulldogs bullied us tonight which was completely expected.
Just limping to the line.
I’m tired Robbie.
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Why can’t any of our blokes ever stick a tackle?
Andrew McGrath has been in the league for what feels like 13 years and can’t tackle anyone. Or won’t.
Or can’t.
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The thing that frustrates me is watching the Dogs just fling it out of contests, without looking, and they hit team-mates in space and they’re off. It looks like luck is on their side, but they do it so often, it can’t be.
At the other end of the spectrum, we fumble, we shoot a handball at the ankles of a stationary team-mate, and then turn it over. Yuck.
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Flicked on the telly last night expecting to be able to watch the carnage last night not realising that the Sydney derby was on a Friday as well, so that took precedence up here in Sydney. I wasn’t at all disappointed.
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Last live game I attended was the Geelong match (only because it was played at the MCG) and the last I watched on TV was the GC game. I’ve switched off and feeling much happier for it.
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You mean like ten weeks ago when the same team beat us by the almost exactly the same margin.
We had Ridley Draper and Gresham missing from best 22.
Same ■■■■ in that game too. Witches hats no game plan. No ability to stop transition. No effort.
Want to roll back to round 2. Same thing against Adelaide? Did our team resemble our best 22 then?
Facts are regardless of the soldiers on the field. We are a shambles and injuries in the back half of the year are just papering over the third straight year of below average performance and no sign if any game plan/style we want to play.
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This isn’t the game thread for round 10 or round 2. Three of the players in the field last night weren’t even on the list. People are complaining about our forward line looking unstructured!
I saw plenty of effort last night.
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It’s not round 2 or 10, but the game plan which IS the responsibility of Brad remains a train wreck, hence why he shouldn’t be free from criticism.
The effort cams from the youngsters as usual. Still saw plenty of half arsed tackle attempts and jogs from the usual suspects who are our senior players.
Anyway I’ll leave it at that. Agree to disagree.
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