The Bulldogs 2024 style of play & Game plan ..

[Lost Dog]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

 

[Chrisaaar]

Ideally Tolman on the 4th and an ineffective kick either out on the full or caught in goal

 

[LordSidious66]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

Because they have heart and a set of balls.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

Because relative power and a range of other factors exist.

 

[B-Train]

Because relative power and a range of other factors exist.

Because they're just better in every facet. Haha. Why are people debating size like that's the only factor? We could have a bunch of giants like Pele who are unfit, aren't FG material, miss a million tackles and don't maximise their size when they run..

It's quite obvious we don't have enough good forwards full stop regardless of size.

 

[CMP]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

They play hard and strong. They play for each other.

One simple fix to our team improving dramatically will be fixing our defence across the park.

I don’t think I have ever seen such an inept week in week out defence in any team in my years of following football.

The size of our middles is irrelevant to this. Be it attitude, structures or poor technique. This needs to be addressed as the first priority.

 

[2ndphase]

People say we lack size with our pack so I wanted to see how far we are off the average pack.

Panthers Leota 107kg/ 1.82m, Fisher-Harris 104 kg/1.87m and LIndsay Smith 106kg/1.94m.
Raiders Paps 110kg/1.83m, Tapine 106kg/1.89m and Guler 112kg/1.91m.
Cowboys Cotter 95kg/1.8 m. Coen Hess114 kg/1.9 m , Griffin Neame106 kg/1.93m.
Titans Fotuaika110 kg/1.85m, Tino 107kg/1.97 m, Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui 110 kg/1.91m.

Most of the other sides have only one bigh bopper and the rest are average

Broncos Payne Haas is big 117 kg/1.94m, Jensen 107kg/188cm and Baker 107kg/1.94m.
Roosters Hargreaves 116kg/1.92 m, Lindsay Collins 106kg/1.94 m, Spencer Leniu 110kg/1.83 m
Storm NAS 115kg/2m. Welch 110kg/1.95m ,Tui Kamikamica 110kg/1.95 m

There are a couple of teams with big all round packs like Knights, Tigers, Manly and Parra. But they are not dominating and depite big and all round good packs teams like Parra and Tigers didn't do well.

The Bulldogs props
Hughes 112kg/1.93m
Knight 106kg/1.94m
King 105 kg 1.88m
Mariner 110kg/1.90m
Patolo 110kg/1.85m
Kautoga 109kg/1.87m
Booth 127kgs/2m
Montgomery ? but I think he is around 110kg/1.87m

We also have a big bopper in the back row in Kikau 116kg/1.95m.

So as far as size goes we are not too far off. We need at least Hughes and Mariner and maybe for Montgomery to stand up or some new Klemmer type young gun mid in the lower grades to be unearthed. Hopefully Booth won't be too far away. But if Panthers can win the comp with such a light pack why can't we at least give it a shake.

Its not about the size its the post contact meters is what we need not getting dominated in a tackle.

Plus Montgomery is not that big low 90s if anything and he he wayyy off nrl.

 

[D.O.W.]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

Panthers middles run with great purpose, every carry is like their lives depend on it. They are also stronger and built more powerfully compared to say King and Knight… that also should be considered.

 

[Freakzilla]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

 

[Lost Dog]

We hired the Penrith defence coach and with that inherited their UFC team Panthers were using.

 

[Hound Dog]

They play hard and strong. They play for each other.

One simple fix to our team improving dramatically will be fixing our defence across the park.

I don’t think I have ever seen such an inept week in week out defence in any team in my years of following football.

The size of our middles is irrelevant to this. Be it attitude, structures or poor technique. This needs to be addressed as the first priority.

I feel let down by the team/ players from previous seasons, wearing that jersey and what the club stands for. But thinking about it, I probably let the team down too, not attending as many matches as I should have.

Us fans can't do too much, but we can create an atmosphere the players love and feel 7 feet tall in front of. You see it in overseas leagues, the atmosphere lifts the players, even when the goings tough or a player's in bad form and makes a miss, we need to encourage the players give it their all and that will be plenty.

 

[Hound Dog]

Panthers middles run with great purpose, every carry is like their lives depend on it. They are also stronger and built more powerfully compared to say King and Knight… that also should be considered.

What's been on my mind for a while and I can't get clarity on regarding training, is coaches (namely Hasler who himself coached at the Dogs), bring their own assistants and trainers etc.

I'm thinking Personal Best records, archives, aren't kept most times there's a change in coaches. Besides the honeymoon period, it's almost a step back each time a team changes coaches unless it's a professional coach/manager with decades of experience. Of course there'd be the generic exercises and drills, and hearsay, they can compare benchmarks to, but I feel a lot of it is wiped away when the refresh occurs.

 

[TwinTurbo]

What's been on my mind for a while and I can't get clarity on regarding training, is coaches (namely Hasler who himself coached at the Dogs), bring their own assistants and trainers etc.

I'm thinking Personal Best records, archives, aren't kept most times there's a change in coaches. Besides the honeymoon period, it's almost a step back each time a team changes coaches unless it's a professional coach/manager with decades of experience. Of course there'd be the generic exercises and drills, and hearsay, they can compare benchmarks to, but I feel a lot of it is wiped away when the refresh occurs.

The club's High Performance Team keep detailed records on every player, benchmarked against their KPI's, medical reports, injuries, surgeries etc including any counselling. Kinda like a personnel file that most employers have on their employees, in lot more detail of course and it can include x-rays, MRI scans, pictures, videos and recordings of interviews . They are kept on the clubs inhouse server, encrypted of course. A player sometimes asks for them to be deleted when he leaves a club, whether they are or not depends on his contract. Some players have it in their contract, some don't.

The players also have copies (hard and soft) of their personal data which they can keep or take with them to the next club. If a player needs to have a medical before joining a new club they will often ask for his personal data file from his previous club/s. Many players takes personal pride in their KPI's and can rattle them off on demand. Of course there is a lot of competition between players, they take it personally. A few clubs have a record wall where past and present players historical records are kept.


Always a Bulldog

 

[Berries]

Actually looking at that data, Panthers forwards arn,t bigger than ours. The question then may i ask is how are they winning premierships with an average size middle rotation?

Start on a good footing from To’o and others in backline, hooker who knew when to run and push the forwards through the advantage line, everyone knows their job for the backline sweeping play, halves could put second rowers into gaps massive boot from Cleary to end the set etc. We have 0 from 5

 

[D.O.W.]

What's been on my mind for a while and I can't get clarity on regarding training, is coaches (namely Hasler who himself coached at the Dogs), bring their own assistants and trainers etc.

I'm thinking Personal Best records, archives, aren't kept most times there's a change in coaches. Besides the honeymoon period, it's almost a step back each time a team changes coaches unless it's a professional coach/manager with decades of experience. Of course there'd be the generic exercises and drills, and hearsay, they can compare benchmarks to, but I feel a lot of it is wiped away when the refresh occurs.

I can only assume the club would have years of records of physical tests around certain drills measured by strength, speed, stamina and any incoming coach could benchmark against it (similar to a patients records at a GP, your records are stored in a consolidated database and any GP can review it).

What I can’t comprehend is professional footballers playing for their careers at times struggle for motivation (seem to amble in attack and generally show no urgency). Surely if you’re a middle forward playing NRL, you want to dominate your opponent and committed to running hard consistently (after all, these guys must have showed something to be in the frame)… is it potentially sh!tting the bed at this level or Just not being able to make the transition?? Or is it a mental issue?

 

[D.O.W.]

Start on a good footing from To’o and others in backline, hooker who knew when to run and push the forwards through the advantage line, everyone knows their job for the backline sweeping play, halves could put second rowers into gaps massive boot from Cleary to end the set etc. We have 0 from 5

Correction, we had 0-5 not have 0-5…. Critta, Tracey & a fit Kiraz will get our sets off in better shape. Reed won’t have to overcompensate for a Rookie class giving him more time to think about his own role, Burton has one of the biggest boots in the game and Sexton/Hutchinson are reliable adding Reed led the 40/20’s for a while last season… Preston on our edge was our second or third top try scorer, someone was putting him into holes and expecting the same this season (more so with Kik’s crossing the chalk)…

The one I’m concerned with is the “everyone knows their job and bodies in motion in attacking sets. We were so far off the mark it was NSW Cup level stuff.. improved when Sexton joined late last season - be interesting to see how this year goes

 

[Snake]

I think you’re right, but if we can maintain the ruck speed, create 2nd phases and maintain discipline in defence for 80mins we will cause some upsets. We get unstuck when the ruck speed dies after 20mins and we start falling off tackles, the latter being the big issue when we face big aggressive teams… we’re in big trouble against teams like the Roosters who will have JWH, Collins, Wong, May and Spencer Leniu running through us like a hot knife through butter

Completely agree. In patches last year the dogs showed great line speed in D and expansive footy in attack but inevitably in every game the wheels fell off after a few penalties against us, a mistake or two or tough call from the refs. We looked so far off an 80 minute performance it wasn’t funny. In saying that I looked at the predicted line ups for next year and there are 4-6 teams that on paper we can certainly beat.

 

[stevesonthebay]

No disputing the data and methodology - but with all due respect, size is rendered useless without heart and aggression…. those players in the other teams are naturally aggressive savages on the field and enjoy the thought of trampling over people. We have zero middles with that mentality

Yeah I agree and thats why I mentioned that on size alone we are not too far off matching most sides and that if this is the case then a couple of our existing players need to stand up.

If we can match the size then it comes down to as you said heart and agression and thats a head thing. I believe the current team under the new culture is gaining heart so it comes down to having that agression. Pangai had the agression but not the heart.

So the question is who in the current Bulldogs side can offer that agression. I don't think its King or Knight. Maybe Hughes. I think Mariner maybe as he is big and has played agressive before. I also think Montgomery may be good as he has shown that heart and agression in the lower grades and I think Kautoga got in trouble for a pretty agressive hit in the world cup for Fiji, not that that is good but may show he has some beast in him. I know Kikau has it as well.

 

[stevesonthebay]

Totally agree re size of our forward pack. Last year fitness was one of our biggest issues. I expect that to be different this year.
When the storm in a teacup was happening last year with regards to our training being too hard a commentator said that it takes time for that greater level of fitness to reap rewards, that it takes longer than a year. Some of our recruitment backs this up also with these recruits being known for there training ethics.
So size alone will achieve nothing. How many state of origin forwards are considered light weight. It's the old saying about the size of the fight in the dog.
Look at Cameron Murray I don't know his weight but he would be considered light as a lock I would think. He has a huge impact on south's go forward and his play the ball speed allows those incisive dummy half runs that can lead to breaks or six again rulings that Hound dog alluded to.
I believe fitness is the key to our 'small' middle forwards having an impact this year. I expect CC to have the team playing to our strengths and agree that we will cause some upsets this year.
No ladder prediction to many variables for a team like ours.

Steve Folks was a bit like Murray. Cotter is a pretty small mid as well but has great go forward through the line. It can also be about smaller forwards offering more mobility which can be an advantage.

I like that old saying "its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog" that should be a Bulldog quote.

I agree we are into our second year of CC coaching and changing our culture and we had a disruptive season last year partly because of the higher standards with injuries and some players finding it a hard adjustment. But so far so good, no injuries and no complaints so it must mean everyone is buying in.

I think this season may be a turnaround one in that we may not get in the 8 but we will begin to reap the benefits and improve a lot. Hopefully this can bring out the best in players and they stand up when needed.

 

[dawso047]

At least 2 of Hughes/Mariner/Patolo need to step up or the club is in trouble. Decent back ups or supplementary players in Morrin and Edawrds to cover injury crisis.