Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has despatched a delicate warning shot to underperforming gamers after his facet was as soon as once more unable to cease a flood of objectives.
After giving up 10 of 11 objectives in opposition to a shiny begin in opposition to Collingwood final week, the Bulldogs as soon as once more undid a lot of their exhausting work by leaking six of seven objectives to the Swans by means of the second quarter and after halftime.
Beveridge is adamant his staff can nonetheless get on a cost in the direction of the finals regardless of the very fact the Bulldogs might now discover themselves exterior the highest eight by the top of the spherical after the agonising 78-76 defeat to Sydney on the SCG.
Although the coach stopped in need of naming names, Beveridge made it clear there are key people who have to carry if the Bulldogs are to go along with skipper Marcus Bontempelli and make a finals run.
“It wasn’t as big a run of goals as last week, but ultimately … when you’re reading that momentum you’re asking yourself, ‘why is it happening?’” Beveridge stated.
“Is it because as a collective we’re not doing something together, or has there been a couple of individual moments that have cost the team? And it was the latter.
“One or two boys who just didn’t have good nights and we fed them some easy goals that we didn’t get from them.”
The Bulldogs’ bombed a golden alternative in opposition to a struggling Swans staff to maneuver to fifth on the ladder and severely problem for a prime 4 berth.
Now they’re bracing to be swamped by the logjam of groups in the midst of the ladder jostling for the ultimate spots within the eight.
But Beveridge is refusing to panic.
“We’re still confident we can win every week,” Beveridge stated.
“It’s still a long way out. So we’ve just got to focus on Essendon and put together another strong team to play against them this week.”
Beveridge lamented the lack of key defensive gamers James O’Donnell (concussion) and Sam Darcy (cork) and believes it finally was the distinction within the match because the Swans’ ahead line finally uncovered their loss in dimension.
“Losing the two keys in James and Sam was going to be difficult to cover and I think that told in the end with their bigger forwards,” Beveridge stated.
“They started to mark it. We only had the two talls and we couldn’t quite defend some of those balls and it was costly.
“Credit to Sydney. The intensity in the game and the fight from both teams was credible.
“If we had won they’d say it was one that got away and we probably feel like that. At the end I still thought we were going to win it.
“It’s really disappointing from that point of view.”
Originally printed as Western Bulldogs says a number of gamers have to carry after loss to Sydney
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
