Elimination Final 2010 - Bulldogs v Swans Game day thread

[Matty10]

I have now watched the broadcast of the game - and I now have closure. It's done, it's dusted. The game always looks different when you know the result.

Totally agree, Kennelly should be cut, use the saving of his wages to buy someone good and young.

Kennelly was good all year and we have been a better team with him back. He is not on big money anyway. Besides, the likelihood of any team successfully entering into a bidding war for someone "good and young" with the introduction of the cashed-up GC Suns is extremely remote.

[Bas]

Kennelly was good all year and we have been a better team with him back. He is not on big money anyway.

Rumoured a hessian bag of spuds per win and packet of instant potato mash for a loss.

[AnnieH]

We lost because they gave away a 30 point lead.

You DO NOT win games by playing kick to kick half way through the second quarter.

As much as I adore Roosy; going straight into the sheds after the game smacked a little of sore loser. Maybe if you coached them to play better third quarters, we might have won.

I'm going back into the foetal position now.

[AnnieH]

Like the end to all good seasons, we will need to examine the list, and see who to cut.

Do you have a say?
Pray tell.

[Mr Magoo]

I think its a bit silly to suggest we need any cuts. Premierships are a mixture of a good playing list with a lot of luck thrown in. If Geelong had taken the same view after the 2005 prelim loss it would have robbed them of a premiership dynasty.

As we reached the top teams , we were always going to be tested. We were missing two of our best backman in LRT and Bolton, reg had his worst game of the season and we had many senior players quite obviously carrying injury. I agree that ROK was next to useless on the night but disagree with many peoples assessment of moore and kennelly.

Bradshaw had seven shots on goal which is I would hazard a guess probably more than White has had in any game this year, and yes he missed the gettable shots but one off incidents are not the reason I feel for the loss which were :
1. Going to sleep before half time and straight after, particularly in the centre.
2 Mumfords injury at that time that meant we won very little ruck after that.
3. Woeful kicking by all at goals in the third term - not just Bradshaw.

As a result we let the bulldogs believe they were a chance and we kept digging ourselves deeper into a hole. With more experience next year, hopefully a better run with injury and more players coming through the future should be good.

[Jesse Richards]

No recriminations. I just want to acknowledge all the Swans players this year. All contributed to where we ended up. All played their part.

I also want to acknowledge Paul Bevan and Jesse White's contribution in the Carlton Final, and, while it must have been hard for them not to take the field in the final showdown, they were a major part of the effort that got us to that final against the Dogs.

My hopes now are for injuries to heal, fitness regained and/or maintained and the fire in the belly rekindled for another terrific year in 2011.

[giant]

Well, that wasn't the best $500 I've ever spent...

Still bloody cranky - you just don't get that many chances to play in a prelim and we stuffed it. Reminded me so much of the Richmond loss, which was previously our worst performance of the year. Coasting in on a 5 goal margin and then coughing up two soft goals in time on to give the opposition a chance.

Anyway, I guess I'll deal with the pain. Other than that craaaaap, we've had a mighty year and there's much to be excited about. Just hope the players feel the pain like I feel it.

[AnnieH]

Well, that wasn't the best $500 I've ever spent...

Still bloody cranky - you just don't get that many chances to play in a prelim and we stuffed it. Reminded me so much of the Richmond loss, which was previously our worst performance of the year. Coasting in on a 5 goal margin and then coughing up two soft goals in time on to give the opposition a chance.

Anyway, I guess I'll deal with the pain. Other than that craaaaap, we've had a mighty year and there's much to be excited about. Just hope the players feel the pain like I feel it.

The players are at Mad Monday ... I hope to god they're not feeling ANYTHING by now!!

[liz]

Well, that wasn't the best $500 I've ever spent...

Still bloody cranky - you just don't get that many chances to play in a prelim and we stuffed it. Reminded me so much of the Richmond loss, which was previously our worst performance of the year. Coasting in on a 5 goal margin and then coughing up two soft goals in time on to give the opposition a chance.

Anyway, I guess I'll deal with the pain. Other than that craaaaap, we've had a mighty year and there's much to be excited about. Just hope the players feel the pain like I feel it.

It may not be a bad thing if the players are left thinking they slightly underachieved in their final game - the hurt might be a good thing. Given we weren't genuine premiership contenders this year, a bit of pain and a sense that things don't come too easily could be good.

[Matty10]

Just hope the players feel the pain like I feel it.

Well said. That appreciation of why we lost is critical to the players not getting ahead of themselves. Certainly Kirk understood that in his comments after the game (but then he and Roos won't be there next year).

While it is certainly understandable to want to look back and appreciate / celebrate the efforts of the entire season, like you, I hope they also realise that the year ended at least one week too early.

[Captain]

If Bevan was in for Moore we would have won the game.

Moore has been the player most out of form for a month and yet still holds his spot.

1 tackle, no possessions in the last qtr, no goals and terrible efficiency.

A total joke.

[dimelb]

Through the season "Father Fev's Sanctuary for Sinners" has been a regular feature on the back of The Age's sport section each Monday. Guess who was admitted today.

FATHER FEV'S SANCTUARY FOR SINNERS
Father Fev has had one of those weeks that test a man's faith. A time when every fluttering of a South American butterfly's wings seems to set off a tsunami that zeroes in on one poor soul, intent on knocking him to the ground and waterlogging his heart and soul. Such was the deluge, so relentless were the waves crashing down upon him that he found himself thinking selfish, uncharitable thoughts. Like, where are all the footballers taking drugs when you need them? Hasn't Sam Newman called anyone a monkey this week? What about Jeff Kennett ? why pick now of all times to shut his trap? Isn't there a Ben Cousins film on the telly? But no, the traffic was all streaming in the one direction, and everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that line about a man being innocent until proven guilty. But even in the face of such personal torment, Father Fev could not neglect his vocation to extend a guiding hand. And so he looked to Saturday night, and saw a man who used to wear robes that have become familiar to Father Fev. And he reached out and asked Daniel Bradshaw to join him in the stained glass gallery, because surely hitting the post from 15 metres out in a cutthroat final is the greatest sin of all.

From here: Tagger

[Melbournehammer]

It may not be a bad thing if the players are left thinking they slightly underachieved in their final game - the hurt might be a good thing. Given we weren't genuine premiership contenders this year, a bit of pain and a sense that things don't come too easily could be good.

Liz, I hate to say it but that is crap. We were premiership contenders. We were not favourites and fair enough. But that game was there to have been won and the saints are simply not that good individually (I think they are a great team and incredibly well coached - but schneider and dempster are regular starters or stars for them - lets not say they're something special). We could easily have beaten the saints - we've played them a lot over the past two years and the games have always been close and but for a couple of shots we should have won a few of them.

True we look repeatedly well behind geelong and collingwood - but so what - adelaide should have bee spanked by north but bad kicking kept them in the game, hawthorn could have been spanked by geelong but bad kicking kept them in the game. and they may have absolutely destroyed each other....the reality is that we won't know because we threw away a really good chance- its all what ifs but we had a lot open for up us because of the saints defeat of geelong and we threw it away with bad kicking when we were dominant in the third quarter on sat night.

i repeat what i have said elsewhere. Preliminary finals come around very rarely for most clubs and to be playing against a club which was virtually out on its feet...and there is simply no guarantee that we won't do a port which is rise for a single season before falling back. there is no guarantees about any of this and we are going to have two new clubs enter the comp soon which will throw even more complexity into it.

we will be challenging melbourne, fremantle, hawthorn, to displace one of the existing top four, north, essendon and richmond for spots 6-10 and there is nothing there to say that each of those clubs won't be back bigger and stronger.

[jono2707]

Thats footy - we lost. We could have done so much better, but sometimes it just doesn't come together as well as you'd like. Congratulations to the Dogs for hanging in there and not giving up and taking advantage from some lapses from the opposition.

I'm proud of my team and I for one will not be calling for anyone's head, or demanding trades or retirements. The team have given us some great experiences through the year, some ups and a few downs as well. Footy is like that but I am left with the feeling that my team gave their all for the season and on Saturday night, but things didn't quite work out as we would have hoped.

I hope they have a nice (and well deserved) 8 weeks off, then get down to work to try to win the whole bloody thing next year!

[AnnieH]

Thats footy - we lost. We could have done so much better, but sometimes it just doesn't come together as well as you'd like. Congratulations to the Dogs for hanging in there and not giving up and taking advantage from some lapses from the opposition.

I'm proud of my team and I for one will not be calling for anyone's head, or demanding trades or retirements. The team have given us some great experiences through the year, some ups and a few downs as well. Footy is like that but I am left with the feeling that my team gave their all for the season and on Saturday night, but things didn't quite work out as we would have hoped.

I hope they have a nice (and well deserved) 8 weeks off, then get down to work to try to win the whole bloody thing next year!

Well said Jono. (Except the congratulations to the dogs bit ... they can go to hell in a handbasket.)

(It was pretty cool finally putting a face to your name as well!!)