2018 Season Preview - Zero Tackle

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Oatley Dog

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Let's see we played rubbish for all but the last 3 games last year and finished what 2 points out of the 8. Now we have an organising half, the Australian frontrow and a lightning bolt at FB and we are somehow going to go worse? Throw in a fitness regime in the off season they haven't had for a few years, a new coach and a right centre who can actually attack and defend and I can't see how we miss the 8 and would expect us to push for the 4 if we stay fit.

The other side is which teams have gone backwards in the off season - Storm have lost 2 absolute guns, Manly have signed no-one, Penrith will always have problems, Sharks have lost Maloney and Bird and bought Dugan (hahaha), Broncos have lost a lot of depth and Raiders have done nothing. All those teams were above us last year. There is no reason for us to not have plenty of confidence about this season.
 

Dognacious

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2016 same ppl picked us to come 13th. We came 7th. 2017 they picked 13th or 14th. Had a terrible year and the players didnt even try for half of it, still finished 11th. Same ppl picked canberra to finish top 4 last year. So credibility = 0. Its more they hate the dogs. I reckon we finish 5th. Hope for top 4.
 

dogwhisperer

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2016 same ppl picked us to come 13th. We came 7th. 2017 they picked 13th or 14th. Had a terrible year and the players didnt even try for half of it, still finished 11th. Same ppl picked canberra to finish top 4 last year. So credibility = 0. Its more they hate the dogs. I reckon we finish 5th. Hope for top 4.
Totally agree
 

NickT

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I don’t care about the predictions. Each season is different and we hit week 1 with the same chance as any other team.
Injuries happen. It’s football and you will get hurt. This team will be defined by the way it copes with difficulties throughout this season.
I am looking forward to watching the dogs for the first time in years.
 

terrylamb4lyfe

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In terms of odds of making the 8 from the bookies, we're not within the top 8 sides.

This article is realistic. Fans are inherently bias and wearing blue and white goggles.

Of course we're a chance of turning things around and doing anything this year; the comp is pretty open. Theres tons of roster swapping this year. Theres alot of new coaches. You must take all information available in and then compare it to all the other clubs though. Every single team's fans can also provide reasons why they will make the top 4 this year for whatever reason, it doesn't mean a thing until we see what the club puts on the field.
 
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Baseball Furies

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Let's see we played rubbish for all but the last 3 games last year and finished what 2 points out of the 8. Now we have an organising half, the Australian frontrow and a lightning bolt at FB and we are somehow going to go worse? Throw in a fitness regime in the off season they haven't had for a few years, a new coach and a right centre who can actually attack and defend and I can't see how we miss the 8 and would expect us to push for the 4 if we stay fit.

The other side is which teams have gone backwards in the off season - Storm have lost 2 absolute guns, Manly have signed no-one, Penrith will always have problems, Sharks have lost Maloney and Bird and bought Dugan (hahaha), Broncos have lost a lot of depth and Raiders have done nothing. All those teams were above us last year. There is no reason for us to not have plenty of confidence about this season.
That'd be 3 "guns" - Cronk, Harris and McLean.
 
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steeliz

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I think in part the preview was pretty well written. But I think we're going to be pushing for inclusion in the finals at 9-10. If the team get some confidence in the early rounds we could finish high in the eight. There are questions still to be answered about how well Pay will transform our attack, whether Lichaa will produce more than DH running, Mbye's performance in a new position and untested depth. But hopefully anyone that isn't performing well at any stage won't get a free ride in the top grade through the season. Whoever wrote the article seems to have hedged their bets a little by emphasizing that we have some individuals in the side who can do great things on their day. But it's really anyones guess about where we finish.
The review may be well written but his conclusions are drawn from flawed assumptions. Doesn't take the absence of desball into account. Brenko Lee may have been a great attacking option but also a very poor defensive one, an unrestricted Lichha from dummy half, M'Bye at FB and by his own admission good recruitment. Foran has a question mark but you know what you will get with Woods and Brown has been improving every season.

Must have been one of the last he wrote when he was tired (and a little emotional) and just wanted to get it over and done with.

How can he come to the conclusion that we will finish worse than last year. Overall I think it was a lazy piece of writing.
 

BMOC

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Making any predictions about us is just throwing darts there’s so many unknown quantities.
-Can Pay actually coach?
-Can Mbye excel at fullback?
-Will Foran last the year and who is his halves partner?
-Can Lichaa back up his form of late last year?
If they all come off we will make the 8 but if they don’t we will be bottom 4.
I think we will find out in rounds 1 and 2. The first few games of 2017 i knew it was going to be the same shit. This year i am expecting something different from the dogs. I think Mbye's shift to fb and Woods' offloads will make quite a significant difference and will be noticeable in these rounds. Mark my words Mbye will score 3 tries by the end of round 2
 

Spoonman84

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I think we will find out in rounds 1 and 2. The first few games of 2017 i knew it was going to be the same shit. This year i am expecting something different from the dogs. I think Mbye's shift to fb and Woods' offloads will make quite a significant difference and will be noticeable in these rounds. Mark my words Mbye will score 3 tries by the end of round 2
I’m not too worried about Mbye in terms of chiming into attacking plays at fullback, I agree he will be great at backing up offloads. The biggest concern is how he organises the defence from the back and how he handles kicks.
 

Alan79

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The review may be well written but his conclusions are drawn from flawed assumptions. Doesn't take the absence of desball into account. Brenko Lee may have been a great attacking option but also a very poor defensive one, an unrestricted Lichha from dummy half, M'Bye at FB and by his own admission good recruitment. Foran has a question mark but you know what you will get with Woods and Brown has been improving every season.

Must have been one of the last he wrote when he was tired (and a little emotional) and just wanted to get it over and done with.

How can he come to the conclusion that we will finish worse than last year. Overall I think it was a lazy piece of writing.
Agreed. I did only think it was well written in part. I think he's pretty accurate with his summary of who who we bought in. I still think we've potentially lost out in the forwards (only potentially). Graham for Woods was probably a pretty close trade off with us getting a player who's probably good for a few additional years, but if Kasiano fires we're one great creative bench forward down, alternatively he could still be a pain in the ass at melbourne even if his fitness levels are better and he doesn't use some sense when offloading. I lost count of the offloads to nobody last year that killed off our momentum and at times lost us posession when we were approaching great attacking positions. Kasiano can be a great asset or a great liability depending on the day.

Foran at best is one of the better halves in the comp, and at worst a good half. Brown covers more than one specialist position and seems like he may have a big impact. I know it could have been better written, but all these types of articles are pretty random really. The fact is that even sides that go great one year and retain most of their key players can flop in a huge way the next year. I think he's under-rated us in a big way, but only time will tell.
 

justdogs

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https://www.zerotackle.com/2018-season-preview-cantebury-bankstown-bulldogs-31163/

2017 was a disaster for the Bulldogs. Missing the finals is an almost unthinkable prospect for the club after a long period of sustained success in terms of qualifying for the finals. Des Hasler has paid the price as a result, meaning club legend Dean Pay has the reigns for 2018.

The club lost the heart and soul of their side as Josh Reynolds and James Graham departed, however in Foran and Woods they’ve arguably upgraded in both positions. I was really surprised to see Brenko Lee released to the Titans following some impressive efforts in 2017.

Many fans across social media turned on their once legendary coach in Hasler following two seasons of sub par attacking football. I love mentioning the fact that the Dogs halves would rather take the tackle on the last play other than risking a misplaced kick.

The Dogs need to improve in a big way in 2018 if they want to be anywhere near finals footy. Sides around them have improved, and while the Dogs have recruited two superstars, it’s the change at the top that may make or break their season.

Recruitment Grading: B

On paper the Dogs have recruited an international, premiership winning five-eighth and the first prop picked in any representative side. They’ve also picked up the criminally underrated Nu Brown from the Sharks. Although they’ve lost James Graham, Josh Reynolds, Sam Kasiano and Brenko Lee, I’d say the Dogs came out in front overall. The Bulldogs 2018 season relies so heavily on Kieran Foran. If he can rediscover his best form there is no doubt he can lift this talented side to great heights. The question is, when was the last time Foran hit that level of form, consistently? His Warriors stint was ok, but injuries and off-field distractions summed up his tenure. So too his time with the Eels. No doubt there were some brilliant performances mixed in, but overall the Dogs need only the positive side of Foran’s game or this B turns very quickly into a D or worse.

Star Player: Moses Mbye

So much was expected of Mbye when he moved into the halves. I’d argue the move was too quick and too much pressure was placed on him, but I absolutely love the publicly announced shift to fullback. Mbye is a running player with clever ball skills. He is a textbook fullback in an attacking sense. His game in the halves lacked a kicking option and he forced to make too many tackles in 2017. The shift negates both deficiencies. I expect a brilliant season by the man once touted as a future Maroon superstar. He played some magical football in the centres but fullback should suit him given his ball playing abilities. Certainly one to watch.

Strength: Big, talented, aggressive pack

The Bulldogs boast the two starting Kangaroo props in Aaron Woods and David Klemmer. Throw in Aiden Tolman, Adam Elliott and Josh Jackson and you have a powerful forward pack capable of matching any side in the competition. Greg Eastwood recently had a positive injury update and should be back to his best in 2018. Woods has been brought in to be a pack leader, a role he should flourish in. He was seen as a workhorse for the Tigers and should provide very similar numbers in defense to the man he replaced in James Graham. Klemmer is the key. He is one of the game’s most impactful forwards on his day and I’m backing his 2018 to be a career best season.

Weakness: Lack of attacking options

Despite the addition of Foran and Brown I still don’t see where regular points come from in this Dogs lineup. Michael Lichaa looked a far better player in the final rounds once the leash was taken off so perhaps he will inspire a point scoring frenzy. Mbye at fullback provides a better option, but Brown/Frawley and Foran have pressure on them from literally day one. If Foran doesn’t fire, or suffers injury, where does that leave the Dogs? The answer is somewhere around the ‘in big trouble’ area. The Morris boys are fantastic but are the wrong side of 30. Brenko Lee was arguably their best attacking back but has departed. It all comes back to Foran, whoever partners him at halfback, Mbye and Lichaa. Perhaps a move back to the centres for Hopoate will spark something.

Prediction: 13th

Placing the Bulldogs is a difficult task. As mentioned above the Dogs season heavily relies on the performances of Kieran Foran and whoever partners him in the halves. It will likely be either Frawley or Brown playing halfback, although the club is trying to convince the Knights to allow Cogger to move across having signed to move to the club from 2019 onward.

There is no doubt the Dogs will win plenty of battles in the middle. Klemmer, Tolman and Woods are as good a middle three forwards as any side can put forward. Josh Jackson is a rep mainstay and should cause havoc again running wide.

It all comes down to the question: ‘can the Dogs score enough points in 2018’?

Unfortunately I just can’t see it. I like Mbye to fullback and I believe Lichaa is a better player than we have seen. Hopoate moves back to the centres but has yet to re-find the form that made him a New South Wales rep extremely early in his career.

If Foran can play all 24 games, then who knows? If Brown or Frawley can hit peak form early on, then who knows? If Mbye can position himself well from round one, who knows?

Too many questions in my view. I don’t see the Dogs playing finals footy. They can really finish anywhere from 10th to 14th for mine. 13th.
13th LOL, I predict between 7-9, hopefully 7th or 8th
 

Horse

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13th won't be far from the mark.

Our key position players are still too much of a concern.
- Foran hasn't delivered the goods for years, his body an ongoing issue.
- Mbye has been given a crack at every other key position on a silver platter and has failed each time. Fullback, I don't see working for him either. To me he just doesn't look like a natural footballer. All I see is a guy who's quick with a couple of basic skills. His in-game awareness is sorely lacking and I don't think he's as agile or elusive as people seem to think he is.
 

KiwiDog7

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Every year since 1991 I have expected our team to compete and make the finals (anything can happen from there).

It’s an expectation borne from the fact our club has a history and strong culture of success where mediocrity is not an option.

This year I expect nothing less
 

Dognacious

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In terms of odds of making the 8 from the bookies, we're not within the top 8 sides.

This article is realistic. Fans are inherently bias and wearing blue and white goggles.

Of course we're a chance of turning things around and doing anything this year; the comp is pretty open. Theres tons of roster swapping this year. Theres alot of new coaches. You must take all information available in and then compare it to all the other clubs though. Every single team's fans can also provide reasons why they will make the top 4 this year for whatever reason, it doesn't mean a thing until we see what the club puts on the field.
Personally i see the good odds for us making the 8, 4 or winning it as a good investment opportunity. A lot of people will want to see us run before putting money on it. We have a good start and we will shorten quickly.
 

terrylamb4lyfe

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No doubt. Hopefully we start out strong and that feeling that we can go into any game and be competitive comes back again. Shit, it's feeling like that now but I'm trying to temper expectations a bit...

Storm in round 1 is going to be a big test.
 

Bluebody

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Making any predictions about us is just throwing darts there’s so many unknown quantities.
-Can Pay actually coach?
-Can Mbye excel at fullback?
-Will Foran last the year and who is his halves partner?
-Can Lichaa back up his form of late last year?
If they all come off we will make the 8 but if they don’t we will be bottom 4.
Yes there are questions, but many teams are dependant on new recruits, being injury free, combinations working, coaches not being outdated. So while I agree we have a lot of questions, in the past we have a track record of surprising everyone! I like that pattern and will lean on that with a modest level of confidence. :grinning:
 

Gabe

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"Too many questions in my view" sums it up fairly.

-Will Mbye work out at fullback? Yes
-Will Foran stay fit? 50/50
-Can Foran get back to his best? Yes, if fit
-Can whoever partners Foran go to a level that they have not shown yet? Not likley
-Can Leicher play better in a new system? 50/50
-Do we have the squad quality and depth required to make the 8?
-What style / structure will we play? ?
-Can we score more points?
-Rookie coach's first year? ITS PAY DAY

If all the above turn out to be yes, we could go top 4. But can you confidently answer yes at this stage to even half of them?
 

chisdog

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-Will Mbye work out at fullback? Yes, probably
-Will Foran stay fit? 50/50
-Can Foran get back to his best? Yes
-Can whoever partners Foran go to a level that they have not shown yet? Yes, good players make others around them look better.
-Can Leicher (Lichaa) play better in a new system? Undoubtedly
-Do we have the squad quality and depth required to make the 8? Yes - it will be completely different under Pay. Strangely, I think he will promote players in form rather than keep playing under performing players - What a masterstroke - hey Des?
-What style / structure will we play? Hurt & attack in & with our defence & move the ball around with players backing up the ball carrier. How innovative!
-Can we score more points? Couldn't possibly score less!
-Rookie coach's first year? He couldn't do worse than Des & I also expect players to develop under him & juniors to excel. We will be competitive in almost every game although it could be a slow start because of new combinations & style.

Top 8 is a real possibility. After that who knows?

Go getum boys!
 

fiordog

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Looking at the draw again, I’m guessing around 30 points, with 14 maybe 15 wins optimistically, plus the bye.

All contingent on what everyone has already said ie Foran staying healthy, Lichaa carrying on end of 2017 form and Mbye doing well at FB. My concern is how using a revamped Dogs of War style game is going to go.

That said, might put some money on doggies for top 8
 
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