Western Bulldogs: Did they miss out on a flag?

[gerkin greg]

Could have drafted Buddy Franklin and Jordan Lewis.
Instead drafted the perennially injured and underachieving Ryan Griffen and Tom Williams.
Lack of a KPF then leads them to reach for Jarrad Grant at pick 5 instead of Patrick Dangerfield or Cyril Rioli.
Made 14 prelims in a row.
Then had to top up with the likes of Hall & Aker & Sherman & Vespremi.
Now their window is shut and they are back rebuilding.
Did the flogs eff it all up?
I say absolutely they did. EJ would be spinning in his grave.

[WilliamPowell]

Than you Mr Gerkin for highlighting something that no one (especially the media) ever want to acknowledge

And that is that the RFC were not the only club that over looked Buddy Franklin but we are the only one that ever get mentioned 

Have always wondered why that's the case

Though not sure if they've missed out on a flag but Sunday certainly proved yet again they have no KP forwards.

 

[wayne]

Don't forget they took Everitt ahead of Riewoldt. 

We still get canned for our recruiting, but in the past few years the Dogs, Saints and Demons have clearly drafted much worse than anyone else in the league.

[gerkin greg]

Don't forget they took Everitt ahead of Riewoldt. 

And Frawley

There is no doubting that if you add Franklin, Frawley, Cyril & Lewis to their prelim sides they would have made a GF or 2.

Should have won at least 1. Serious stuffed it up.

Poor Brad Johnson & Scott West 

[yellowandback]

Good thread Gerkamator.
Fact is, 2009 should've been their year with the list they had.
Had the Saints on toast and fluffed it.

[mightytiges]

Yep Y&B, 2009 was the year the doggies blew it. They would've won that Prelim easily over the Saints if they had Buddy or at least some quality key forward. It was the second time they have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a Prelim. In 1997 they just simply choked.

The only positive for the Dogs is they have a heap of father-sons picked coming through over the next few years. So unlike St Kilda who are totally stuffed list management wise, the Dogs could rebuild their list back into a finals contender again over the next 2-3 years if most of the Father-Sons live up to their young gun reputation.

[Hellenic Tiger]

2009 was their year. They beat Geelong late in the season and had St KIlda on the rack late in the prelim. They played 1 poor quarter (the first) in the qualifying final against the Cats and Riewoldt took a big mark and kicked a lucky goal in the last quarter of the prelim as well as missing some gettables in the last( I think Giansiracusa) was the main culprit.

From Terry Wallets era they have lacked a key forward to kick goals when it matters.
They tried

Simon MInton-Connell
James Cook
Jade Rawlings
and in 2010 they thought their list was complete with the acquisition of Bazza.

Yet they have missed out on Franklin, Riewoldt in modern times and have topped up with leg speed which under the scrutiny of September can get you so far but not the ultimate.

I think its a philosophy at the club under various era's and different coaches rather than a coach stepping in to make a decision and take a certain path.

In hindsight Barry at the Dogs in 2009 may have been the difference to them winning a flag as by 2010 after their Pre season and once the H/A started Collingwood, Geelong and St Kilda passed them and the teams premiership window although not officially closed was closing rapidly and they suffered heavy defeats to all of the aforementioned clubs during the season and in the finals.

[mightytiges]

Agree with all Tucky. Templeton over 30 years ago is the only quality key forward I can remember the Doggies ever having. They had Quinlan when he was younger but allowed him to cross to Fitzroy. Even when they made the finals - 1985, early 90s, Wallace years and under Eade - they have always had undersized teams which get pushed aside by the best sides when it counts. 1954 was such a long long long time ago. Makes 1980 look recent lol.

[Coach]

Chris Grant was a dud was he

[Penelope]

Wouldnt call him a dud, but i thought he was over rated.

[mightytiges]

Chris Grant was a dud was he

More a A-grade CHF/CHB swingman who was more effective and dangerous away from the goalsquare. Actually rated him higher as a CHB where he was brilliant than a CHF but the Doggies really needed two of him. That's why the doggies went with Minton-Connell types at FF. Grant wasn't the most reliable goalkicker either in big games.

[Loui Tufga]

More dangerous away from goal 554 career goals would suggest otherwise also let's not forget the poor bastard should have won a brown low as well!

[Dubstep Dookie]

More dangerous away from goal 554 career goals would suggest otherwise also let's not forget the poor bastard should have won a brown low as well!

Top work Boony 

[Loui Tufga]

I like my Brown Low on the the down low...

[Hellenic Tiger]

Simon Beasley in the 80's was a forward of note for Footscray and kicked 105 goals in 1985.
Chris Grant was not your monster like a Brown or a Sticks or a Carey who could kick 7 goals from CHF and take 20 marks in a game of which 10 had real game impact.

I thought he was overrated as well. Had a great year in 1997 when he was suspended and missed out on the Brownlow and the fact he declined big bucks to stay at the Dogs rather than move to Port has helped cement him as a legend at the kennel but IMHO he was not the elite forward many claim him to be.

Here are some stats for other notable CHF's in Grant's era

554 goals in 341 games   1.62 goals a game

Sticks 738 goals in 251 games   3.06 goals a game

Richo 800 goals in 282 games  2.83 goals a game

Carey  727 goals in 272 games  2.67 goals a game

Neitz 631 goals in 306 games  2.06 goals a game

Loewe 594 goals 321 games  1.85 goals a game

Not a great average considering his so called super stardom when compared to other notable CHF's of his era. Blokes like Neitz also played plenty of footy at CHB early in his career.

What was the biggest bag of goals Grant kicked?