Training 2025 Pre Season and Training Reports Thread

[Charlie Bucket]

Headline:
“Bulldogs pass up option to sign overweight VFL ruckman, who hasn’t had a look in at any other club over the last 8 years, and who wasn’t even in our radar prior to Jan 2025”

Dogs fans:
Ahh Death, Taxes, Crossley starting round 1??? How the **** has this fallen through???

 

[Doggy]

Headline:
“Bulldogs pass up option to sign overweight VFL ruckman, who hasn’t had a look in at any other club over the last 8 years, and who wasn’t even in our radar prior to Jan 2025”

Dogs fans:
Ahh Death, Taxes, Crossley starting round 1??? How the **** has this fallen through???

I don't think anyone is surprised that we are going with the same plan for the millionth time that hasn't worked pretty much every time.

Noone is accusing the club of making smart decisions.

 

[Mofra]

Neither really stood out in the praccy match, maybe they’d been told the spot was there if they grabbed it

Brew had 13 touches and 3 tackles in a half.

I'm surprised we're taking neither player.

 

[Mofra]

Jamarra will make it as a Bulldog legend.

He has to.

I named my daughter born in May last year Mara.

He has to make it.

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Brave.

I had to put my son Baileysmith up for adoption.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

Jamarra will make it as a Bulldog legend.

He has to.

I named my daughter born in May last year Mara.

He has to make it.

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Some ummm yeah about that... I may have a kid with Griffin in their name. At least my wife made us use the mythical creature spelling, but I was arguing for Griffen!

 

[flyingfishdang]

Some ummm yeah about that... I may have a kid with Griffin in their name. At least my wife made us use the mythical creature spelling, but I was arguing for Griffen!

I’ve got a son named Easton.. born feb 2016!

 

[grassman75]

haha. So back to the same structure of English being pantsed in the middle.

Maybe it will work after the 100th time

And Crossley getting pantsed around the ground.

Don’t deny we need a good back up ruck, but we need a fit one.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Crossley has been told to go and get fit and we take him mid season

 

[grassman75]

Brew had 13 touches and 3 tackles in a half.

I'm surprised we're taking neither player.

He was playing Essendon….nuff said

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I don't think anyone is surprised that we are going with the same plan for the millionth time that hasn't worked pretty much every time.

Noone is accusing the club of making smart decisions.

I had the use of this as a measuring stick. If anything short of winning a flag is a failure, then 17 teams fail, 17 teams should be sacking their coach, 17 teams have nothing to offer in terms of analysing strategy and tactics, etc. etc.

We have more or less consistently won more games than we've lost for a decade, which to me suggests we're making more smart decisions than dumb ones, in a zero sum league where other clubs are making relatively dumb decisions.

 

[Wizard17]

Honestly with how deep the draft was last year I could easily see quite a few 19yo's really piss for the MSD so it is not a bad choice to keep our options open for now.

 

[Doggy]

And Crossley getting pantsed around the ground.

Don’t deny we need a good back up ruck, but we need a fit one.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Crossley has been told to go and get fit and we take him mid season

He couldn't do that in a professional environment with our fitness guru?

Or does the club not have faith in its fitness team

 

[Pugz89]

Yeah I'll eat my shoes if Hawthorn don't finish top four. The acquisitions they've brought in are ridiculous.

They've comfortably got the best back line, a very good midfield group and a hugely talented, albeit small forward line.

And a coach who is pretty handy as well.

 

[Mojorisin]

He couldn't do that in a professional environment with our fitness guru?

Or does the club not have faith in its fitness team

Maybe sheezel could give him a good diet plan?

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

And Crossley getting pantsed around the ground.

Don’t deny we need a good back up ruck, but we need a fit one.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Crossley has been told to go and get fit and we take him mid season

Why couldn’t Lobb ruck? Introduce Croft and / or Busslinger in defence?

 

[weltschmerz]

Why couldn’t Lobb ruck? Introduce Croft and / or Busslinger in defence?

With Jones out injured, Lobb's the senior guy in the back line. JOD, Buss/Croft, and Khamis is a very young and inexperienced trio.

 

[Testekill]

Why couldn’t Lobb ruck? Introduce Croft and / or Busslinger in defence?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul. It's really leaving our defence in the lurch without Jones.

 

[Pagnoccolo C]

I would almost guarantee that McNeil, Vandermeer or Jones gets first crack at the small forward role with Weightman out, but I'd much rather give Dolan first crack, or even Hynes.

I'm so tired of McNeil and Vandermeer. McNeil has a lot to work with but just never delivers and Vandermeer has only had a handfull of serviceable games.

Harmes played some great footy in a forward role before he was injured. I don’t see him getting midfield opportunities now so maybe worth a try. Offers more than some we’ve given plenty of chances to.

 

[Dog 36]

Makes missing out on Boyd from SA so much worst

we need another ruck Timmy was is will be timid we need a decent big ruck who can tap and use his size

Amateur hour at the Dogs

 

[Iamspock]

Jamarra will make it as a Bulldog legend.

He has to.

I named my daughter born in May last year Mara.

He has to make it.

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Well... maybe your daughter takes up footy, and becomes a Bulldogs AFLW legend...

 

[Pagnoccolo C]

On top of fitness and conditioning there is the team mate connection and gamestyle shifts that happen during the off season. For a game plan that has shifted since last year he will need a bit of a crash course on that and to re gel with his team.

After watching Saturdays practice match I’m not convinced anyone understands our game plan yet.

 

[Mofra]

After watching Saturdays practice match I’m not convinced anyone understands our game plan yet.

Zac Merrett picked it up pretty quickly...

 

[Deadly Darcy]

Horrified.

 

[Norm De Guerre]

He couldn't do that in a professional environment with our fitness guru?

Or does the club not have faith in its fitness team

Not even Asclepius would take on that gig with the time remaining until the season commences.

It would take many months to get the required level of match fitness into him.

By which time the entire point would be moot.

 

[Optimistic Dog]

jUH looks pretty fit to me as far match fitness goes, I am not sure. The reason given on channel 7 for not being available for the first few games was selection integrity, I took this to mean he does not deserve a game in front of players with lesser ability who have done the work and it does not matter how match ready he maybe. You cannot argue with this the team is bigger than the individual.

His return looks to be a lot sooner than the ITK's have been speculating in this post. Just hope his selection does not have a negative effect on team spirit.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I would rather play Busslinger in defence and Lobb in the ruck, than Lobb in defence and Crossley in the ruck. I think the former is stronger than the latter, even if Lobb out of defence is not ideal.