bornadog
29-04-2015, 11:09 PM
Link (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/better-balance-gives-dogs-more-bite-20150429-1mwaxg.html)
http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/w/d/j/9/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.1mwaxg.png/1430304962738.jpg
Chalk and cheese is the expression that immediately comes to mind when comparing the listless Western Bulldogs who finished 2014 with the exciting team that has made such a big impression already this season.
And superficially at least, it's a contention pretty hard to dispute. With three wins from their four games, and some decent scalps in Richmond and Adelaide, the Bulldogs already have won nearly as many games as they did for the entire second half of last season.
Rightly or wrongly, the Dogs projected the image last year of a dour bunch of scrappers. That's appeared anything but the case so far in 2015.
New coach Luke Beveridge has allowed his players to back themselves a little more, giving them a more free-flowing, attacking look. There's more run and creativity out of defence and more young, fresh faces popping up making more regular contributions to the mix.
But it's too simplistic to suggest Beveridge has waved some sort of magic wand and turned a drab-looking team into a more skilful excitement machine. Having come from Hawthorn, he knows as well as anyone that the best sides in the AFL are all about balance, and if there is a magic word to be associated with their improvement, that is it.
What his predecessor Brendan McCartney was able to do in his three seasons in charge was at least establish some non-negotiable fundamentals. And the Bulldogs' defensive foundations have played an important part in their recent progress. Last year, the Bulldogs averaged only 81.1 points per game, a ranking of 13th. So far this season, they're averaging nearly two more goals per game, 91 points, for a ranking of equal sixth. But it's how those higher scores this season are evolving that is instructive.
The Dogs are getting far more value from their hard work at the stoppages and in capitalising on the relentless pressure that causes opposition turnovers.
In 2014, they ended up ranking fifth overall for clearances, yet consistently scored less than their opponents from them, on the differentials conceding nearly a goal per game in the same area for a ranking of just 14th. This season, they're scoring nearly a goal more than their opposition at the stoppages, their ranking consequently rising to seventh.
The Dogs' ranking for scores from turnovers has climbed from 13th to second, behind only reigning premier Hawthorn. Beveridge has freed up his midfielders a little, sacrificing stoppage wins away from the centre bounces.
It is something to which he alluded when, after the first game of the season, he spoke candidly about his coaching philosophies to SEN, predicting most coaches in trying to score more would "maybe give up on some defensive mechanisms that they've held close to their heart for a while".
In an attacking sense, the Dogs are kicking more often and more directly than they did previously. That's giving forwards like Jake Stringer and Tom Boyd more space, the Dogs' efficiency inside 50 vastly improved, their ranking for scores per inside 50 climbing from 15th to third.
But the defensive elements haven't been shunned, the Bulldogs, helped by Michael Talia's good season as a key defender, conceding exactly two goals fewer per game so far this season. And tackling is another strong point, the Dogs leading the tackle differentials thus far.
That's one area you would have expected to fall away with the loss for the season of Tom Liberatore, the AFL's leading tackler last year, to a serious knee injury. But Marcus Bontempelli, as much as he's been feted for his brilliance, has also proved a tough nut, leading the tackle count in Libba's absence, the much-improved Lin Jong also providing plenty of help. "It's a lot easier to coach a group whose endeavour can't be questioned because you can really branch out and explore the outside world," Beveridge says. "To be able to put your head over the ball and still compete in the air and at ground level is absolutely crucial and most of our boys do that pretty well."
The Bulldogs could already defend. Now with a bit of tweaking, they're attacking as well. And a better balance has clearly given an entire team a lot more bite.
http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/w/d/j/9/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.1mwaxg.png/1430304962738.jpg
Chalk and cheese is the expression that immediately comes to mind when comparing the listless Western Bulldogs who finished 2014 with the exciting team that has made such a big impression already this season.
And superficially at least, it's a contention pretty hard to dispute. With three wins from their four games, and some decent scalps in Richmond and Adelaide, the Bulldogs already have won nearly as many games as they did for the entire second half of last season.
Rightly or wrongly, the Dogs projected the image last year of a dour bunch of scrappers. That's appeared anything but the case so far in 2015.
New coach Luke Beveridge has allowed his players to back themselves a little more, giving them a more free-flowing, attacking look. There's more run and creativity out of defence and more young, fresh faces popping up making more regular contributions to the mix.
But it's too simplistic to suggest Beveridge has waved some sort of magic wand and turned a drab-looking team into a more skilful excitement machine. Having come from Hawthorn, he knows as well as anyone that the best sides in the AFL are all about balance, and if there is a magic word to be associated with their improvement, that is it.
What his predecessor Brendan McCartney was able to do in his three seasons in charge was at least establish some non-negotiable fundamentals. And the Bulldogs' defensive foundations have played an important part in their recent progress. Last year, the Bulldogs averaged only 81.1 points per game, a ranking of 13th. So far this season, they're averaging nearly two more goals per game, 91 points, for a ranking of equal sixth. But it's how those higher scores this season are evolving that is instructive.
The Dogs are getting far more value from their hard work at the stoppages and in capitalising on the relentless pressure that causes opposition turnovers.
In 2014, they ended up ranking fifth overall for clearances, yet consistently scored less than their opponents from them, on the differentials conceding nearly a goal per game in the same area for a ranking of just 14th. This season, they're scoring nearly a goal more than their opposition at the stoppages, their ranking consequently rising to seventh.
The Dogs' ranking for scores from turnovers has climbed from 13th to second, behind only reigning premier Hawthorn. Beveridge has freed up his midfielders a little, sacrificing stoppage wins away from the centre bounces.
It is something to which he alluded when, after the first game of the season, he spoke candidly about his coaching philosophies to SEN, predicting most coaches in trying to score more would "maybe give up on some defensive mechanisms that they've held close to their heart for a while".
In an attacking sense, the Dogs are kicking more often and more directly than they did previously. That's giving forwards like Jake Stringer and Tom Boyd more space, the Dogs' efficiency inside 50 vastly improved, their ranking for scores per inside 50 climbing from 15th to third.
But the defensive elements haven't been shunned, the Bulldogs, helped by Michael Talia's good season as a key defender, conceding exactly two goals fewer per game so far this season. And tackling is another strong point, the Dogs leading the tackle differentials thus far.
That's one area you would have expected to fall away with the loss for the season of Tom Liberatore, the AFL's leading tackler last year, to a serious knee injury. But Marcus Bontempelli, as much as he's been feted for his brilliance, has also proved a tough nut, leading the tackle count in Libba's absence, the much-improved Lin Jong also providing plenty of help. "It's a lot easier to coach a group whose endeavour can't be questioned because you can really branch out and explore the outside world," Beveridge says. "To be able to put your head over the ball and still compete in the air and at ground level is absolutely crucial and most of our boys do that pretty well."
The Bulldogs could already defend. Now with a bit of tweaking, they're attacking as well. And a better balance has clearly given an entire team a lot more bite.