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View Full Version : Round 4: Bulldogs vs GWS - Match Preview Thread



The Underdog
10-04-2014, 07:55 PM
The Underdog’s Match Preview (of sorts)

Where & When: StarTrack Oval, Saturday April 12 @ 4.40pm
No, seriously, where? StarTrack Oval? Where’s that? Oh it’s Manuka Oval in Canberra you say? Maybe StarTrack can courier Canberra to Western Sydney.

Weather: Cloudy. Chance of showers. Winds northwesterly and light increasing to 15 to 25 km/h during the morning. Min: 11 Max: 19
Spells spectacle to me

Changes:

Western Bulldogs
In: K.Stevens, J.Tutt, T.Young
Out: J.Roughead (shoulder), L.Dahlhaus (calf), J.Johannisen

AFL’s Vietnam
In: J.Lamb, L.Sumner
Out: D.Addison, D.Smith (suspended)

Canberra specialist Tutt gets a game for the Dogs, big loss of Dahlhaus takes away some run and goal-kicking.
Addison is omitted ruining a couple of jokes further down that i’ve left in anyway

All-time record:

Super AmazeBulldogs 2 – AFL manufactured franchise 0

That’s right, we’ve never been beaten by them, EVER.

R15, 2013, Western Bulldogs 13.9 (87) d GWS 12.11 (83) at Manuka Oval
R5, 2012, Western Bulldogs 15.14 (104) d GWS 9.8 (62) at Manuka Oval

We’ve struggled to convincingly beat the Giants when they were really quite bad, so not sure how that plays out now that they seem to be improved.
We played not particularly good football in 2012, going goalless in the first quarter before righting the ship somewhat to win fairly comfortably.
We fell over the line last year in what most thought was the start of the apocalypse. Turns out that it was the start of an apocalypse…of awesomeness (or at least free-flowing, promising football in the final 6-8 weeks, including quite a few games we actually won)

Strengths & Weaknesses

Bulldogs:

Aesthetics – Sure there’s all the fancy stats and playing style and analysis and stuff, but man the Giants jumper is awful. Orange and charcoal. Charcoal? Plus they add a crucifix or something to it when they play in Canberra, probably in honour of Tony Abbott’s Catholic leanings. Our jumper on the other hand, is awesome. Classic, traditional, elegant.
Unless we wear the white jumper. Then we’re screwed.
Also, their song sounds like a bunch of Russians singing folk songs after a bender. Whereas our song…did I mention our awesome jumper?

Midfield – I’m actually not sure if this is a strength at this point. Minno has been ok so far, but Mumford is a pretty good match for him and while we should have an advantage from the middle, they have this guy Ward who is pretty solid in a contest…grumble. He really cracks in.

Tall defenders – The GWS have some good young tall forwards, Unfortunately with Roughy out, Williams playing like a tiny weakened kitten and Talia and Young “learning to play the right way” in the two’s, this is a problem. Looks like Dale Morris will play on everybody, all at once.

Jackson Macrae – did you know he’s the best, most composed, awesomest draft pick ever and we got him with the Callan Ward compensation pick / Jordan McMahon trade family tree that keeps on giving. He’ll probably win the B&F.
Best AFL internet forum- that’s right people of WOOF. We’re ace, good looking, dapper, witty, always keeping things in perspective while having civilized discussion about tactics and fish & chip shops. I’m not sure the GWiants have enough supporters to fill a fish & chip shop, let alone a forum about one.

GWS Croissants:
All the draft picks! – That’s right, the GWSer’s had pretty much every pick in the first round of the draft for a couple of years, plus access to 17 year old’s, getting to wax picks with the Suns for guys from WA with the initials JM and access to all babies born in NSW forever, probably. As a result they have a fast rising young group that have been augmented this season by some older, wiser heads like Mumford & AddiSon’s and some total geese like Josh Hunt and Heath Shaw.

Tall forwards – No wonder we haven’t been able to uncover a young one in the last few years. GWS have them ALL. Cameron, Patton, Boyd-on, Jaksch, McCarthy. Jeremy Cameron is obviously the most developed and best of them, even Wayne Carey thinks he’s going to be as good as Wayne Carey.

Supporter – they have one. His name is Tony. He used to barrack for Collingwood, but didn’t like crowds that much so changed.

The patronage of the AFL – the Giantons will win a premiership in the next 5 years…by any means necessary. I’m sure Andrew will be brought back to hand them the cup. Then they can really pretend they never wanted Buddy.

Subplots:
Coaches- Former Bulldog player Leon Cameron was the clear favourite for the Bulldogs coaching job after the dismissal of Eade. That was until Brendan McCartney came from nowhere to get the job. Pretty sure Leon’d like to notch up a win and then stand cackling maniacally over the Bulldogs race while triumphal music plays in the background. To be fair, GWS look much improved since he took the coaching reins from the head of the marketing department.

Callan Ward – did you know he used to play for the Bulldogs? But left for a chance to be make a boatload of cash, oh sorry, I meant, be part of building a team from scratch and experiencing a new city. Yeah, really. That’s disappointing. Oh well, he’s no Jack Macrae.

Dylan Addison- also played for us, but losing DFA was more like the equivalent of telling the kids that we sent our mangy favourite dog to a “farm”.
“Yeah kids, since DFA bit Timmy, we had to send him to Sydney, where he gets to be a Giant. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
(And now GWS have sent him to the "NEAFL")

I have no idea who matches up on who. I haven't really watched NWA play this year.

Prediction:
Bulldogs by 23 points, but I’m secretly a bit worried. Have the Western Sydney Wandering Giantists already stepped ahead of us and towards their premiership patio?

bulldogtragic
10-04-2014, 07:58 PM
Bravo! :)

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
10-04-2014, 08:08 PM
Nice work a perfect blend of poignant info and humour.
I too am worried about this game because of how much GWS seem to have improved. You can no longer mark a game against GWS as a definite win.

The Underdog
10-04-2014, 08:47 PM
Bravo! :)

Thank you sir. I does what I can.


Nice work a perfect blend of poignant info and humour.
I too am worried about this game because of how much GWS seem to have improved. You can no longer mark a game against GWS as a definite win.

Yeah, that's a serious question at the end. If they improve at this rate now it's not going to take them long to really be challenging good teams. I think the Sydney win is still pretty hard to comprehend given where they were at last year.
This won't be easy at all.

bornadog
10-04-2014, 10:43 PM
Very enjoyable read and different preview - thank you UD.

We must take this game seriously, GWS are playing well and should have beaten the Saints as well. They will be confident, but lets see how they go with real contested footy.

Doc26
10-04-2014, 10:44 PM
Love the write up and thanks for taking the time to pull this together.

I tend to see this mob as AFL's version of Gattaca but I do like your analogy to 'them' being AFL's Vietnam.

I really loathe eveything about this artificial concoction and see this battle as one of good versus evil.

Go Dogs, cast them off into oblivion before they take over the planet.

Greystache
10-04-2014, 11:30 PM
Great job UD, fresh and funny. Let's hope we stick it to this monstrosity masquerading as a football club.

jeemak
10-04-2014, 11:49 PM
Excellent effort U-dog. Really enjoyed reading that.

If we put it together like we did in the first half of the Richmond game then I think they'll struggle to go with us. If we stink it up like last time we played them then they'll run all over us. We're still an inconsistent side, but so are they. Makes it really hard to pick how it will go.

1eyedog
10-04-2014, 11:50 PM
Hey you're really funny...well done one of the more entertaining previews. What odds that Addison has been omitted from the squad to sit in the coaches box?

Twodogs
11-04-2014, 03:00 AM
"Took the coaching reins from the head of the marketing department."

Love it.

LostDoggy
11-04-2014, 08:45 AM
Devon Smith is a huge out for them. Especially if the match is played in wet conditions like expected.

Against us in 2013 he had 25 touches and kicked 2 goals.

Has kicked 7 goals in the first 3 games which is very respectable. Picken would have had his hands full. Handy out!

The Underdog
11-04-2014, 08:59 AM
Love the write up and thanks for taking the time to pull this together.

I tend to see this mob as AFL's version of Gattaca but I do like your analogy to 'them' being AFL's Vietnam.

I really loathe eveything about this artificial concoction and see this battle as one of good versus evil.

Go Dogs, cast them off into oblivion before they take over the planet.

The AFL's Vietnam was from a quote when they were introduced. Can't remember who it was by but they referred to GWS as the "AFL's Vietnam"


"Took the coaching reins from the head of the marketing department."

Love it.

I have Sheedy issues, particularly latter half of his career


Thanks for the positive words. I really didn't have time to spend watching some GWS games back as I'd planned when I volunteered, plus I suck at analysis, so I played to my strengths, which obviously is inside work at stoppages and defensive structure.

LostDoggy
11-04-2014, 09:48 AM
Anyone else a little disappointed we won't get to see DFA having a run?

Happy Days
11-04-2014, 10:27 AM
Amazing.

I'm more pissed off that they traded Taylor Adams, would have liked to see Stringer tackle him through the boundary fence.

Raw Toast
12-04-2014, 06:10 AM
Brilliant work Underdog, had me chuckling in that maniacal manner that hopefully Leon Cameron will only get to do against Sydney and Hawthorn (or really, anyone else in a hopefully unimportant game).

I was there last year, and it was diabolical - the most dispiriting win I've attended. The bone-chilling conditions made it clear winter was truly coming. They smashed us physically which was just embarrassing, roughing us up but fortunately lacking the composure to put us to the sword. I walked away feeling like I'd seen us at our lowest ebb and that it couldn't get worse, but with little hope - still cannot quite believe the way we improved after that game.

This game feels like a pretty big test for us. The team seemed a bit complacent against West Coast and got touched up, found something last week, but will only beat the AFL's latest stock-market venture if we can bring that combination of intense pressure and attack-first mentality from (much of) last week's game. Count me among the nervous ones, defeat wouldn't be fun...

(Had a quick look at the stats (http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2013/072120130706.html) from last year. As I remembered Talia kept us in it with a monster game that earned him his first vote for the midfielder's medal, while Dahl was impressive, Goodes had a strong game and three late goals from the super-sub just got us over the line.

I do find it a bit reassuring as someone historically inclined, to note that we have a good record at Manuka, the best of any team to play there more than once (http://afltables.com/afl/venues/manuka_oval.html). And of course, I'm sure most of you remember the glorious comeback against the Roos to win it by a point at the death in 2004 (http://afltables.com/afl/venues/manuka_oval.html); it remains the best experience I've had watching footy in a pub, which after being horribly quiet, was rocking to roars of 'Doggie, Doggie, DOGGIE, Woof, woof, WOOF!')

Go_Dogs
12-04-2014, 07:46 AM
Thanks for the preview UD, great read.

westdog54
12-04-2014, 02:11 PM
I had to look at the OP twice to make sure it wasn't written by FDOTM. Funny stuff.

This is a must win for us, if for nothing else than to show that our development is keeping up with a club that WILL be a superpower in 5 years time. Plus, being a game clear of Richmond AND Carlton would be nice.

F'scary
12-04-2014, 02:30 PM
Enjoyed. Thanks.

LostDoggy
12-04-2014, 04:05 PM
I had to look at the OP twice to make sure it wasn't written by FDOTM. Funny stuff.

This is a must win for us, if for nothing else than to show that our development is keeping up with a club that WILL be a superpower in 5 years time. Plus, being a game clear of Richmond AND Carlton would be nice.

I think their time will come a couple of years earlier than that and clubs and fans will really get behind the team who takes them on...I hope it's us.

G-Mo77
12-04-2014, 04:22 PM
Mumford out. That is huge for us

bulldogtragic
12-04-2014, 04:24 PM
Mumford out. That is huge for us

Great! Minson should dominate, or at least I'm hoping.

Looks like beach footy.