There are a few of us in the BDP that have been around for a very long time and let me just say to all the young supporters in here that during the Bulldogs most successful years our catchcry was "bred not bought". Think about it before posting stuff about " if we bought this player or that player etc etc etc".  When it comes to buying and not developing Easts and especially Manly have been trying to do it for years, it fails more than it works.

I think it is, and always has been, a combination of development and astute buying. As good as your deveopment is, If you have a hole you have to fill it. You can't  wait 5 years to develop someone. 

Of course, astutely.

Elite money for playmakers, who are generally halves, or players who can win you games especially GF’s on their own, Turbo, Latrell maybe a few others.

“This is literally a war, and we know it has been a war for some time”...
#ministryofpeace...

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong

It's a COMBINATION of development SUPPLEMENTED by key acquisitions in areas of development that you either dont have or dont have in the required timeframe.

Everyone knows about 'windows of opportunity' in the SC era to try and win a premiership, and then try to keep that team together.

Only 2 clubs in the last 20 odd years have managed to keep their premiership teams or premiership winning form together (Storm and Roosters). Everyone else in that time (Dogs, Panthers, Cows, Broncos, Dragons, Manly, Sharks) have won a premiership but could not sustain it and SC pressure tore their roster apart.

So stop trying to make yourself right Zef.
Micko and I have identified a key weakness in the team and found the exact solution to it. If the club has a fekking clue on how to become a top team again, they'll also figure it out. But if they think they can wait until the next Cleary, Tedesco or Grant will come through the ranks and close the door on selective acquisitions, then they are more fekked up than you and I will ever be....

Thank you.
There IS some sanity amongst us.....

I think the NRL should consider a 4 week knockout comp in late October - early November as both a money spinner and also help us through lockdown in the month of November....

They can start with the teams out of finals contention in Oct and then bring in the top 8 teams. 

Players who have had enough of bubble can exit and it can give reserve graders a chance to get some matchday fitness before next season...

With any luck we’ll get a few test matches...

Obviously don’t know what astute means.

Yes we all know that you develop what you can and buy what you need to fill the gaps and done properly a salary cap can be successfully managed. But all I'm hearing is " buy, buy, buy", now that's well and good if you are the chooks because in recent times they've never had to account for their salary pergola.

That’s OK... Gladdy doesn’t know what war is... or what literally means...

Sometimes astute means making the purchase knowing full well it might be above market value, but its importance cannot be underestimated or you cant afford to lose the opportunity.

Picking up Burton when we did was astute. Plugging a hole with a player that can be your best hooker and 2nd rower at the same time is equally astute. Even if you pay slightly over for him

..but shes following the health advice...!!!!

Should they want to do this, they can just gave a nines comp and play some games as lead ups to semis. 

Adding players to the pool would be tricky, they would need to have a 2 week quarantine somewhere.
Maybe fly them to  a qld resort island and book the joint.
Daily temp checking, and rapid test. Suspect players evacuated to hotel quarantine.
Covid all clear required.
So they need all the plans in place now.
For a 9s comp you don't need 17 players each game, teams can just run with what they have.

Teams in the NRL semis have a bye and an  automatic 2 points each week.
Those teams can add players through the quarantine process.
The teams in the GF don't play.
The rest start knock out semis on GF day.
Nines runs 2-3 weeks after the GF.

After the footy GF and before cricket ramps up there is a bit of a lull.
With Covid, it is a bit of an open question how the cricket will go.
I don't think we want teams from the UK or India touring here before we have good vacination rates. 
So cricket probably starts boxing day.

Fans who want the club to sign a particular player merely need to stump up a hefty TPA sufficient to get that player over the line.

Buying elite talent  always costs significantly more than developing it, and the very best players are not only expensive, they are hard to get, becuase all clubs want them.

I'm happy with JAC, TPJ, Burton, Naden and Vaughan, that is a good start to recruitment and is probably 80% of recruitment.

We don't know what is left in the kitty, maybe there is money for on star player and 2 talented young kids, and the same money would buy 3 solid experienced NRL players. We can't definitely say one choice is better than the other or even what the choices are.

In last nights game a player who impressed me was Keighran for the Roosters.
He was in our system, even then I thought he was ok, but he seems improved and ready for NRL now.
If he is on the market we know that the price is right and a player like that adds to our depth in several positions. 
I'm sure that there are others who a good value for money and NRL standard.
There are also young kids with a lot of potential, we need the right mix of youth and experience.

He was brilliant that Keighran. 
Not just his cool under pressure goal kicking, but his actual game. I think he's keeping JMoz out of that team isnt he?

"the best health advice". Ha ha ha

If you look through our history we haven't been great breeders. Developers maybe but breeders no.

Thing is Marki, Cheese is just your latest thing. Every player that catches your eye for a moment you must have damn the salary cap damn the list, but it’s just fantasy league every time.

You want to pay a bloke who’s not a playmaker, not an organiser, he couldn’t organise the current play let alone a set of six and thinking sets in advance he wouldn’t even know what that means. Can’t kick in general play or conversions, can’t win a game for you on his own, can’t lead by decision.

You want to pay this bloke the sort of money reserved for those that can, just because you want him.

The smartest bloke in the game has him down for $600k, the smartest clubs in the game are topping about at $800k, and somewhere between that is what he’s really worth, $800k overpaid but in the limit.

Just because you want him is what the stupid clubs do. 

Anyway….

Gus won’t do it.

Unfortunately your logic is flawed. During the salary cap era. We cheated the cap during our most successful era. Melbourne cheated the cap during their most successful era. Roosters signed every young player and established star during that same time for their most successful era. 

I always wondered if it was possible to start a group for all Bulldogs fans to put money into to help sign players for our club. I’m assuming it’s not rorting the cap as long as the club has no affiliation. 

I have this strange feeling that he will. But that could just be the wine

They cheated the cap to keep players not buy them.

And Easts, in case you didn’t notice, only started becoming a powerhouse when they abandoned the transit lounge, starting way back in Gus’s GM days. They do dip into the market more than Melb do for the SB, Teddy and Cronk types yes, but they are very much a development club.

It’s actually a good model, pains me to say it but there it is.

He's a match winner.
A proven match winner. Not by kicking goals, not by throwing that halfback pass, but by breaking the game open with a tackle busting run. By inspiring his team with a big tackle. By a rushing play.

It's not all halfback plays.
It's the lead up plays to allow the halfback and fullback to win the plaudits.

And he's not the flavour of the month. I have been bashing down this page (and previous incarnations) that we needed to fix the hooker position ever since your mate Des let Damien Cook go.

I made it clear back then, that he'd be the biggest loss since Jonathon Thurston. 

....and you know. He was. And I was right.
And I'm right again. 

We need the cheese or someone like him.
If that means paying big, then paying big is what we must do.

The Roosters have developed their more unheralded players (Aubusson, Cordner, Liu, Takeato, Tupou, Tupenua) but their key spine players (Teddy, Keary) were bought and at high prices.

There is no shame in recognizing you need a proven and established player in a certain position.

I feel Cheese-Grant is one of the best 1-2 hooker combos ever to play the game. And i reckon a Cheese -BBO can be nearly as good.

And that IMO is worth paying abit more to find out....

I  think JMoz is injured.

Up to know Keighan was more of a half, he did well in the centres.

Scouting is part iif it, but from time to time good players come through our juniors.

Some of our good young players end up playing NRL elsewhere.

In the Des era I wasn't happy with recruitment, retention, scouting and development. No surprise that we needed up with an average side and a busted cap. We know Des can coach.
The blame rests 100% with the board and management in that era, WTF were they thinking, it was a shambles.

Now I am fairly happy with recruitment and retention, scouting and development seem ok, but are hard to judge, we need a few more seasons. But in particular I can't think of any player we let go who I would keep, Atoni is the only one, but he isn't playing to his potential and I think needs a move.

We are going to find out if Baz can coach, the 22 side is the best we have had since 2015, we should be 12th or higher, and our game should be improving, attack and defence.

I will not be surprised if JMoz retires and doesn't play another game.
Very unlucky not to get a premiership Brett got 2 I can think of, JMoz always at the wrong club.

Great servant for the Dogs, top guy, deserves it more than most who miss put.

Jacko is the guy for us, the clock is ticking, his career might be up before we can win.
He deserves it, he is fit enough to have a long career so might just hang on.

Both Jacko and Jmoz had 2 cracks it while with us. It's bad luck we didnt do it in 2012. We werent really a chance in 2014.

With Jmoz, he wasnt rated by Bennett at all and so was let go before they won it in 2010. I guess you could say he moved to the Roosters 1 season too late..

Premierships arent for everyone.