Season 2016 - Western Bulldogs

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Footscray

Coach – Luke Beveridge

2015 –
Points For – 4th
Points Against – 7th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Easton Wood
  2. Robert Murphy
  3. Marcus Bontompelli
  4. Luke Dahlhaus
  5. Matthew Boyd

2015 Rising Star Noms

Mitch Honeychurch (Round 2)
Thomas Boyd (Round 12)

Ins – Matthew Suckling, Bradley Lynch, Luke Goetz, Jed Adcock, Josh Dunkley, Keiran Collins, Marcus Adams, Bailey Williams,

Outs – Ayce Cordy, Sam Darley, Matthew Fuller, Jarrad Grant, Michael Talia, Brett Goodes, Jordan Kelly, Daniel Pearce

My Prediction

Quite the surprise packet last year, not many would have predicted the Doggies to make the finals let alone threaten the top four for so much of last year. They have found some really good talent and a couple of players stepped up. That being said, there is still much work to do.

The forward line they hope is sorted for the future. Boyd should hold down FF and the likes of Stringer, Dickson and Crameri (next year) gives them a good range of marking forwards. This year however Boyd is still learning and Crameri isn’t playing at this stage which makes them a little light on.

They are set for mids, Libba coming back this year adds to an already exciting line up. Wallis finally started to find his way, the Bont is a monster and then you throw in Boyd, Dahlhaus, and Murphy. They do lack a really good ruckman and I think they certainly need to find one in the long term.

The backline isn’t as set. They would have liked Talia to have come along better than he did and he may hurt them from Sydney (probably not as much as he did chatting to his brother). They picked up Collins with an eye to the future but despite Rougheads development, they just seem to need more height back there. They do set up attacks well from down back through Wood, Murphy and Picken which makes the picking up of Adcock and Suckling a little surprising. It wasn’t a need as far as I could see.

It is hard to say a team had a relatively soft draw and that they probably ended up above where their list and talent indicates they should. It will be a big effort for them to repeat the effort again this year. I liken them a little to Port the year before although I don’t expect the same level of drop. I think they should still finish in the 8 although one or two key injuries could see that change. For mine they should be 7-9

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Now can people see why I hate the bulldogs their supporters here are scummy they honestly look like housos

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Turned up to work one of the bulldogs supporters said the only way this year could get better is if Jobes Brownlow is taken

That didn’t happen.

4

For a team with only 30k members they sure have alot of people claiming to be supporters. Maybe the next time they have to get financial assistance from the afl they should get the contact details of these people and hit them up for memberships.

Seriously great effort to win the flag and I am very happy for them. But it ■■■■■■ me off when people come out of the woodwork when a team has success, but in the hard times are nowhere to be found. The exact same thing happened with Hawthorn, i.e. almost merging with Melbourne in the 90s after being so successful in the 70s and 80s and won the flag in 91.

That is what I love about Essendon, go through the darkest four years any club has faced and still crack 50k members each year. Whatever does not kill us will only make us stronger! When we taste success again it will be oh so sweet.

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Turned up to work one of the bulldogs supporters said the only way this year could get better is if Jobes Brownlow is taken

If I was you I’d be in front of HR after punching someone

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It's a shame such a good team and great coach play for such a pissant club.

Poor comment. They deserved it and lot of more “pissant” clubs that could have won it.

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Turned up to work one of the bulldogs supporters said the only way this year could get better is if Jobes Brownlow is taken

Man you work with some ■■■■ people


Clearly lying. What bulldogs supporter has a job?
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Turned up to work one of the bulldogs supporters said the only way this year could get better is if Jobes Brownlow is taken

Just tell them to fark off.

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Turned up to work one of the bulldogs supporters said the only way this year could get better is if Jobes Brownlow is taken

Man you work with some ■■■■ people

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For a team with only 30k members they sure have alot of people claiming to be supporters. Maybe the next time they have to get financial assistance from the afl they should get the contact details of these people and hit them up for memberships.

Seriously great effort to win the flag and I am very happy for them. But it ■■■■■■ me off when people come out of the woodwork when a team has success, but in the hard times are nowhere to be found. The exact same thing happened with Hawthorn, i.e. almost merging with Melbourne in the 90s after being so successful in the 70s and 80s and won the flag in 91.

That is what I love about Essendon, go through the darkest four years any club has faced and still crack 50k members each year. Whatever does not kill us will only make us stronger! When we taste success again it will be oh so sweet.

Guess you do not realize how economically depressed most of the Western Suburbs are. Doggies may have only 37000 or so paid up Members, but there are a few thousand supporters in our small Town. Most in the West don’t have enough money to pay for a membership, and can maybe afford to see one or two games a year. Go to the Footy or feed your kids, that is the choice for some.

Well won’t yesterday be a rare ray of sunshine that those western folk can pass down through the generations via their cave wall paintings…

FFS.

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Turned up to work one of the bulldogs supporters said the only way this year could get better is if Jobes Brownlow is taken

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Need Redpath to step up this year.
Far more upside than down.
7th-4th

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Imo Adcock (if he plays at all) will be forward of centre more than back

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we’ll be interesting to see what libba ads to their midfield this year and whether minson can keep his head screwed on straight and give them a proper ruckmen. Will boyd show some development or will he be a total bust? how will clubs handle their run and gun style, certainly they will not take them as lightly early on. Do they play an extra tall with crameri gone or will they stick with one key forward. it will be an interesting year for them.

Their backline relies pretty heavily on Wood to give their undersized KPs a chop out and i think team will be a bit more awake to that this year. It will be interesting to see if Collins or the other guy they got from the WAFL can push into the side. FWIW i think hamling and roberts both show potential as mobile and versatile key defenders even if both are slightly undersized. At 22 both could still use a bit more weight.

I’d like to see some stats but i reckon they rotated their young squad (week to week) more than just about anyone else in the comp. I’m not sure Adcock/Suckling walk straight into this side though i think they’ll rotate them through several roles over the course of the year to give important players a spell. As i said, they did that a lot last year .

Regardless, they can still run the pants off just about every other side in the comp. They’ll be good to watch again and they improvement will come naturally for what it is a pretty young best 22 (age in brackets).

boyd (33) roberts (22) morris (33)
murphey (33) Hamling (22) Wood (26)

Dahlhaus (23) McCrae (21) Hunter (21)
Minson (30) Libba (23) Wallis (23)

Bontempelli (20) Stringer (21) Picken (29)
Dickson (28) Boyd (20) Daniel (19)

Stevens (24) Johannisen (23) Jong (22) Roughhead (25)

Emerg: Suckling (27) Adcock (30) Redpath (25)

15

Bulldogs best 22

B Boyd Roughead Roberts Morris
HB MurphyWood Collins Suckling
C Wallis Liberatore Johanissen
HF Wood Murphy Stringer Dalhaus
F Dickson Boyd AdcockRoughead
R Minson Bontempelli Macrae
Int Picken Jong Dunkley Hunter RedpathAdcock
Emg: Daniel, Honeychurch, Hrovat
Outs: Crameri
New: Collins, Suckling, Adcock, Dunkley (probably a stretch squeezing Dunkley in best 22 given 2nd-3rd year players missing)

I expect Collins to come in and make an impact probably similar to Hurley first season in defence.
If it leaves backline smalls of - Morris/Murphy/Suckling/Boyd they will all be able to get over and help out…just worry with them playing on really speedy small forwards given age I guess.

Need big years from Boyd + Stringer up forward.

Not sure if minson is in favour, but theres not much else in the ruck cupboard.

Crameri loss will be overshadowed by additions of suckling, Collins, and improvement from Libba + Boyd
Great optimism with this group. Ideally Redpath can step up and take a KPP spot to free up stringer to have a run in the midfield at times.

Some would argue that picken should start midfield given great year last year, but I have high hopes for Macrae.

Prediction 4th to 12th. If injuries hit they will miss the 8. Have a lot of the Port Adelaides about them, losing that first final last year may drive them to make sure they get back to finals and win one.

16
Bulldogs best 22

B Boyd Roughead Morris
HB Murphy Collins Suckling
C Wallis Liberatore Johanissen
HF Wood Stringer Dalhaus
F Dickson Boyd Adcock
R Minson Bontempelli Macrae
Int Picken Jong Dunkley Redpath
Emg: Daniel, Honeychurch, Hrovat
Outs: Crameri
New: Collins, Suckling, Adcock,

I expect Collins to come in and make an impact probably similar to Hurley first season in defence.
If it leaves backline smalls of - Morris/Murphy/Suckling/Boyd they will all be able to get over and help out…just worry with them playing on really speedy small forwards given age I guess.

Need big years from Boyd + Stringer up forward.

Not sure if minson is in favour, but theres not much else in the ruck cupboard.

Agree with the Collins comment. I’m a big fan.

17

Wood was the best intercept mark in the comp last year, why the hell would they move him forward to accomodate suckling. nope, will not happen. ROughhead was a hopeless key defender (someone kicked 8 on him once without breaking a sweet or cracking a smile) but he came on leaps and bounds as a 2nd ruck/fwd last year. i expect he’ll have that role again. They placed a lot of faith in hamling and roberts late last year, neither of whom were disgraced in the elimination final (morris on betts wasn’t the right rein to pull though). Collins and the wafl bloke may jump the cue on one of them but i’d be very surprised if neither one of them were in the team.

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Hunter averaged 29 possessions a game after round 17, he’s best 22.

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I initially had hamling in down back but he squeezed out cause put Morris back pocket
You could swap Roughead out for Roberts. put roughead forward and drop Adcock.
But to swap Wood back means Murphy needs to go forward. Or suckling does. I don’t believe suckers will be playing VFL.
I guess I thought after such a good year last year Wood could create more damage on the HFF rather than HBF. And is the issue of having 3 good HBF’s - Suckling/Wood/Murphy

Isnt Hooker always the best intercept mark in the comp?, I guess its a bit hard when you are playing forward.

20

Hope they fail

They wanted us guilty and fully backed the AFL’s attempt to destroy us. Now of course they are pretending to actually be on the right side because they are affected by this situation. They can blow it out their %&&^%%.