Game Day Round 9 2015 - Western Bulldogs V GWS Giants

[Eastdog]

Margin: Dogs by 15 points - We are due for a win and this is our last match in Victoria before the bye as next week we are interstate.
First Goal: Stevens to get our first
Best On Ground: Wallis - Been very solid

[FrediKanoute]

Hoping for a win.

Hoping we really give to Griff both physically and verbally - that's the guys on the ground and us in the stands.....worry about the pleasantaries post game.

[Eastdog]

Hoping for a win.

Hoping we really give to Griff both physically and verbally - that's the guys on the ground and us in the stands.....worry about the pleasantaries post game.

Will be interesting to see how our fans react when Griffen gets the ball.

[bornadog]

I have a feeling we will knock the plastics over.

Dogs by 26 points
First Goal T Boyd of course
BOG: Picken

[Ghost Dog]

Giants by 30
First goal Boyd
BOG: Wally

We are not quite playing as a team.

[Go_Dogs]

Dogs by 27
BOG Macrae
First goal Dahlhaus

I'm hopeful of a much better showing than last week. Good inclusions and playing at Etihad bodes well for us. Plus the whole revenge for last seasons loss and Griff leaving etc.

[Twodogs]

Dogs by 16.
First goal. Dalhaus
BOG. Murphy

[LostDoggy]

Dogs by 21
First Goal - Dickson
BOG - Wallis

The 4 players for GWS that need to be shut down to effect their game plan
Heath Shaw Rebound 50's 6.12 a game , Callan Ward Inside 50's 5 a game
Dylan Shiel Effective Disposals 22.75 a game , Lachie Whitfield Uncontested Possessions 19.29 a game

[LostDoggy]

Giants by 52
First Goal Cameron
BOG Cement Head

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Dogs by 15 points
First goal: Dale
BOG: Bonts - he's due!

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Dogs by 21.
First goal: Bontempelli
BOG: Wallis

[F'scary]

I am only hoping for a win. But we are still trying some new things. This week it looks like Minson and Roughead will be changing ruck in the forward line. Maybe Boyd will play a little further up the ground more and fill the hole at CHF that has been very evident for weeks. Hamlet gets a go. It will be interesting to see how he and Roberts go as the KPB's. Maybe Grant, Hrovat and Webb can impact positively on the side's performance from last week. Maybe Stringer can kick straight from set shots this week.

Maybe we can get our Men of Mayhem mojo back for the entire game.

Dogs by 1 point
1st Goal: Tom Boyd
BOG: Bontempelli

And have they found Crameri yet?

[GVGjr]

Drawn game.
First goal - Lukas Webb
BOG - M. Boyd

[Twodogs]

Drawn game.
First goal - Lukas Webb
BOG - M. Boyd

GVG with the controversial call! It's paying $61.

[bornadog]

Roof Closed

[Doc26]

Did I just hear correctly on radio that Stringer is a late out ?

[GVGjr]

Did I just hear correctly on radio that Stringer is a late out ?

Yes Jong in, Stringer out with a virus.

[bornadog]

Biggs sub

[bornadog]

No Crameri and no Stringer

[kruder]

Forward Line setup will be interesting without Stringer and Crameri.

[GVGjr]

Forward Line setup will be interesting without Stringer and Crameri.

Jarrad Grant will answer the challenge. Dickson might play closer to the goals as well.

I'm worried about the athleticism of GWS so the inclusions of Hamling, Grant andd jong might help us balance this a bit.

[Doc26]

No Crameri and no Stringer
As well as being more limited this week in moving Roughead or Roberts forward for periods without Talia.

[GVGjr]

By the way, I have Jarrad Grant inthe first goall kicker of the quarter raffle.$200 coming my way if he answers the challenge :)

[Go_Dogs]

Crowd looked small entering the ground.

Going to need Boyd and Dickson to kick 6+ between them today.

[bornadog]

Crowd looked small entering the ground.


Going to need Boyd and Dickson to kick 6+ between them today.

we will be lucky to get 12000 today

[Go_Dogs]

we will be lucky to get 12000 today

Pretty disappointing. Hopefully we make it sound like 30k.

[G-Mo77]

What a kick in the teeth, no Stringer. Going to be an unorthodox forward line there today. Boyd who apparently needed a rest is going to have to do it alone.

[G-Mo77]

Crowd looked small entering the ground.

Going to need Boyd and Dickson to kick 6+ between them today.

Fashionably late. I'm almost there

[Doc26]

Crowd looked small entering the ground.

Going to need Boyd and Dickson to kick 6+ between them today.

Looks to be a very poor turnout, noticeably smaller turnout of our fans from the St.Kilda game.

Very disappointing Dogs.

Will just had a big applause from our fans on being introduced.

[boydogs]

Dogs by 12
First goal Dahlhaus
BOG Dahlhaus

[Webby]

Dickson. Does. Not. Miss!

[Doggy]

Woo hoo, put $20 on Tory to kick the first goal at $14

[LostDoggy]

Good start by the dogs, lots of pressure.

[LostDoggy]

Switched on early.

[Jasper]

Great start Doggies

[Jasper]

Nice throw from Hrovat too lol

[LostDoggy]

What a grab Woody. The umps are looking after Boyd.

5 goals in 9 minutes!

[lemmon]

Stuck at work 30 seconds from the ground, listening on the radio, yelling my head off

[LostDoggy]

What's this pressure factor the TV commentators are talking about? They said its up around 200. We certainly are ferocious without the ball.

Minson has been influetial and just kicked a great goal, 43 to 6!

[GVGjr]

Shame they got that last goal but a great quarter.

[The Underdog]

Stuck at work 30 seconds from the ground, listening on the radio, yelling my head off

I'm stuck at the MCG...

[FrediKanoute]

Yep, good first quarter. Need to keep it going. GWS will come back hard and have the talent to overhaul this. Have a match winning lead, need to keep working hard.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Great start. Lets hope we can keep it going and smash these guys. Wallis and Dahlhaus have been fantastic and Hrovats hustle has been good.

[GVGjr]

Great goal by Minson. Very happy for him.

[Greystache]

Excellent first quarter, ball movement was back and so was the pressure. Need to maintain it.

That late goal was the only disappointment.

[Greystache]

Dahlhaus looking very sharp and Dickson playing forward which is good.

[Rocket Science]

Great start. Lets hope we can keep it going and smash these guys. Wallis and Dahlhaus have been fantastic and Hrovats hustle has been good.

How ferocious has Wallis been in and under? Just relentless.

Salivating at the prospect of both he and Liberatore working the packs once the latter returns.

[GVGjr]

Just an observation but does the GWS cheer squad remind anyone else of the Clevland Indians fans from the first Major League movie? I keep excepting them to lead a "Wild Thing" chant.
Probably more for the older folk.

[FrediKanoute]

Feel we have wasted some chances this quarter. Dominant around the ground, but not translating this to scoreboard dominant - GWS winning the quarter!

[G-Mo77]

Feel we have wasted some chances this quarter. Dominant around the ground, but not translating this to scoreboard dominant - GWS winning the quarter!

Yeah think we did as well. Still we slowed it down when they got a bit of a run on and got a couple ourselves. Saints game we didn't do that which burnt us. 3 goals to 4 that quarter so we didn't get hurt due to wasted entries that much. Got to come out this quarter and put this one to bed. Give these guys a sniff and we're in for a tough battle.

Edit: Sorry 2 - 4 quarter.

[Rance Fan]

Wood and Dahl are stars!

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

35 points is a good lead, but just thought GWS were starting to get a better amount of clearance ball & they were spreading better. On top of that we really blew a few opportunities.

We would not want them to get 2 or 3 consecutive goals early lest they get a confidence boost and we start thinking about the Saints game.

[Rance Fan]

Gotta win the 3rd quarter. GO DOGS!

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Terrible start. M Boyd two great efforts to win the ball and then blows it with his disposal.

[FrediKanoute]

Good 3rd quarter. Showed good composure not to panic.

Interesting - Tom Boyd = 40 Dream team points; Griffin 34 Dream Team points.....

[GVGjr]

I really want us to keep the scoreboard ticking over in tge last quarter
Wallis has done some great things today

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Great effort from M. Boyd to dominate that qtr after two early shockers.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

We really need to address our goalkicking. We should be another 3 or 4 goals at least ahead.

[lemmon]

How have we liked Roughead's game? Mostly ruck/forward?

[LostDoggy]

Beautiful effort dogs!

Griff has been awful.

[ReLoad]

Beautiful effort dogs!

Griff has been awful.

Wayne Carey can shove his article from the age up his a$$.

[Bulldog4life]

Wayne Carey can shove his article from the age up his a$$.

Is there a link?

[bornadog]

Great win but disappointed in the inaccuracy after quarter time

[hujsh]

Loved the Roughead Minson combo. Didn't miss anything Ayce would have provided and we looked much more dangerous at the stoppages.

[Mantis]

Picked a crap week to head off for the weekend with no TV or radio coverage.

Great win from the sounds of it.. Look forward to catching a replay during the week.

[GVGjr]

Its a race between Picken, Wood and Johannisen as the most improved player this season. They have been impressive.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Roughead Minson Combo. Evolving into a Campbell Roughead combo will be a potent force.
Sorry Ayce but.............. today was just a stark illustration of how playing Ayce was holding us back.

[SlimPickens]

624624

Will after the game.

[GVGjr]

Are we holding back our emotions? Such an important game for us as the amount of people I talked to at the game thought we didnt have a chance without Stringer and Crameri. Our backline was brilliant but I thought our forwards were very good as well. Grant provided a spark, T.Boyd the target and of course Dickson the finishing skills. Minson getting a couple as well was a huge bonus.

Great debut game for Hamling who should remember the night for a long time.

[Rocket Science]

Also, a dip of the lid to Matty. Effing. Boyd.

What a warrior in a game that meant a little more to us than just the four points.

[Rance Fan]

Thats the 1two combo! Roughy n Will!

[The bulldog tragician]

Are we holding back our emotions? Such an important game for us as the amount of people I talked to at the game thought we didnt have a chance without Stringer and Crameri. Our backline was brilliant but I thought our forwards were very good as well. Grant provided a spark, T.Boyd the target and of course Dickson the finishing skills. Minson getting a couple as well was a huge bonus.

Great debut game for Hamling who should remember the night for a long time.
I thought it was a win chock full of character and courage. The goal from Murf, the emotion towards Will's return, and the feeling that our club stood up proudly against a meaningless franchise. It was a game we just had to win to show that we stand for something. Go you mighty mighty Western Bulldogs!!!!

[The Bulldogs Bite]

A great win for many reasons, and with still a lot to improve on - mainly accuracy.

Wood was enormous. He has to be All Australian as of right now, absolutely superb in the air and on the ground. His improvement has been astounding, and JJ isn't too far behind with his defensive efforts and run/carry. Great to watch.

Pleased with Hamling's debut. Some little errors but for a first game it was a great performance. Props to Roberts too - he's looking a lot more comfortable at AFL level.

Super game from Wallis, you sensed this meant a lot to him and I loved Picken (and co) getting stuck into Griffen who was almost worst on ground. Must highlight Minson and Roughead - they carved Mumford up when the game was up for grabs, and both were decent up forward too. Given we had no Stringer and Crameri we really needed them to stand up and they certainly did. Hopefully this ends any other experiment - these two need to share the ruck duties, albeit sometimes Roughy will need to play down back.

[Remi Moses]

I was actually disappointed I didn't lose my voice .
If Griffin had touched the ball more often !!;)
Terrific performance, and was an equivalent of a 15 goal win .
Nice yo beat those gobby upstarts

[LostDoggy]

Oh how sweet it is !!
High Five to Bevo and the Coaching Staff for a great night of entertainment :D
Now that I,m back home , just a beer or three while I rifle through the stats , I havn't checked but I,m sure there were 6 players over 20 possessions

[Sedat]

Are we holding back our emotions? Such an important game for us as the amount of people I talked to at the game thought we didnt have a chance without Stringer and Crameri. Our backline was brilliant but I thought our forwards were very good as well. Grant provided a spark, T.Boyd the target and of course Dickson the finishing skills. Minson getting a couple as well was a huge bonus.

Great debut game for Hamling who should remember the night for a long time.
Strangely I was confident all week that we would win and win well. That was reinforced when we made a statement of intent at the selection table with 6 changes. Looking forward to seeing the replay.

[GVGjr]

Strangely I was confident all week that we would win and win well. That was reinforced when we made a statement of intent at the selection table with 6 changes. Looking forward to seeing the replay.

I was certainly more confident than I was against the Dees. Yep, the ins performed pretty well and it made a huge difference.

[SonofScray]

Today was a great day. The game had its fits and sports, with the inaccuracy for goal taking a little bit of wind out of our sails, but on the whole a spirited, strong performance from the Club at every level. Passionate crowd, determined play, physical presence, smart tactics. Really pleasing result. I feel like we've strong armed our way back into the mix against the AFL's pre determined narrative that a club like GWS would just go past us by design.

[Eastdog]

Yes! I love going to the footy most weeks to watch us play but days like today are just great. That was a great team performance from the start. Our pressure was great. Some great players from today ill say Wood, T Boyd, Dickson, Minson, M Boyd, JJ, Hrovat, Bonts got more into I thought as well. Macrae lifted today. What did you guys make of Hamling's debut?

Also even though there wasn't the biggest crowd in today I really loved the atmosphere we generated.

Go Dogs!

[Twodogs]

Yes! I love going to the footy most weeks to watch us play but days like today are just great. That was a great team performance from the start. Our pressure was great. Some great players from today ill say Wood, T Boyd, Dickson, Minson, M Boyd, JJ, Hrovat, Bonts got more into I thought as well. Macrae lifted today. What did you guys make of Hamling's debut?

Also even though there wasn't the biggest crowd into today I really loved the atmosphere we generated.

Go Dogs!


Days like today at the footy like today are like gold.

[Greystache]

Did Dickson only play forward because Stringer was a late withdrawal? He played midfield last week and was named in the wing, I don't understand the desire to play him away from goal.

[Eastdog]

Days like today at the footy like today are like gold.

Right with you there Twodogs :)

We will experience highs and lows this year but one thing for sure is that we are on the tracks correctly.

[Sedat]

I was certainly more confident than I was against the Dees. Yep, the ins performed pretty well and it made a huge difference.
We are a tipsters nightmare in 2015. That's 5 wins against top 8 teams, an almost win against undefeated Freo and 2 poor losses against bottom 6 teams. The only game that's gone to type is the loss to Hawthorn.

[Eastdog]

We need to start beating bottom 8 sides.

[LostDoggy]

It might have cost him $7,500 to be there but it was great to see the big Minnosaur back on the park
( Scott Barbour/Getty Images AsiaPacific )

http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/AFL+Rd+9+Western+Bulldogs+v+GWS+772gJlXs3Fox.jpg

[GVGjr]

We are a tipsters nightmare in 2015. That's 5 wins against top 8 teams, an almost win against undefeated Freo and 2 poor losses against bottom 6 teams. The only game that's gone to type is the loss to Hawthorn.

It's really only that loss against the Saints that hurt us but we are a hard team for outsiders to back.

They were way too athletic for us in the final game last season but we certainly played the game on our terms today and stymied their prime movers. Keeping their key forwards under control helped as well.

[G-Mo77]

What a wonderful day at the footy. My heart sank when we lost Stringer and thought we would be in a lot of trouble but they were back to their best today and sent that plastic team back to their hovel with their tails between their legs.

[Eastdog]

Love the pics you put up West-Dog. Top effort.

[G-Mo77]

It might have cost him $7,500 to be there but it was great to see the big Minnosaur back on the park
( Scott Barbour/Getty Images AsiaPacific )

http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/AFL+Rd+9+Western+Bulldogs+v+GWS+772gJlXs3Fox.jpg

He signed a football saying Best $7500 I ever spent. The picture of the ball is on Facebook and Twitter. I'll post it later when I get to my PC.

[BulldogBelle]

What a great game, may have been a small crowd but there was plenty of noise.
Love the interceptor (Wood) what a absolute gun.
Love the booing of there #32 - shame he could not touch enougth of it to get a few more.

After a great game we went into Footscray to a chinesse resturant and met a few more very happy supporters on our travels.

[KT31]

God's in his heaven; all's right with the world

[GVGjr]

Better to be fantastic than plastic

;)

[SonofScray]

There were some really exhilarating tackles tonight, a few from Matty Boyd. Hard, but fair, where players were able to to pick off the ball carrier from a long chase and absolutely nail them ball and all. That type of stuff is a real barometer for us isn't it? Manic, in your face tackling. It must be demoralising for the opposition to experience it when it is sustained for extended periods.

[GVGjr]

There were some really exhilarating tackles tonight, a few from Matty Boyd. Hard, but fair, where players were able to to pick off the ball carrier from a long chase and absolutely nail them ball and all. That type of stuff is a real barometer for us isn't it? Manic, in your face tackling. It must be demoralising for the opposition to experience it when it is sustained for extended periods.


They wanted to play play wide open rebound football but we never let them dictate the game. As you say a manic in your face performance.

[LostDoggy]

Great shot of the GWS players leaving the ground , just a few heads swiveled to have a look at the graphic :)
( Scott Barbour/Getty Images AsiaPacific )

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/AFL+Rd+9+Western+Bulldogs+v+GWS+k8ajGFrSAHLx.jpg

[Eastdog]

Seemed very lively looking from Level 1 SonofScray with all your banners up there on Level 3. I notice some weeks you have more out than others :)

[AndrewP6]

Great shot of the GWS players leaving the ground , just a few heads swiveled to have a look at the graphic :)
( Scott Barbour/Getty Images AsiaPacific )

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/AFL+Rd+9+Western+Bulldogs+v+GWS+k8ajGFrSAHLx.jpg

Just looking at that pic... two former students of mine were in that side (Scully and Buntine). Still enjoyed beating them!!!!

[SonofScray]

Seemed very lively looking from Level 1 SonofScray with all your banners up there on Level 3. I notice some weeks you have more out than others :)

Was a special game today Easty, so all of them them came out. Chris Grant portrait to remind Griffen of what a true Captain and club champion looks like, also the face he lied to. The Bulldog went missing for a few weeks after I left it with a friend post game. The FFC flag always get a gig, it is coming to Adelaide with me.

[1eyedog]

I wonder how much GWS pay those 100 supporters to attend each match. Surely they're a rent a crowd???

[Eastdog]

Was a special game today Easty, so all of them them came out. Chris Grant portrait to remind Griffen of what a true Captain and club champion looks like, also the face he lied to. The Bulldog went missing for a few weeks after I left it with a friend post game. The FFC flag always get a gig, it is coming to Adelaide with me.

Lets hope there presence in Adelaide next week gets us the victory.

[Twodogs]

Was a special game today Easty, so all of them them came out. Chris Grant portrait to remind Griffen of what a true Captain and club champion looks like, also the face he lied to. The Bulldog went missing for a few weeks after I left it with a friend post game. The FFC flag always get a gig, it is coming to Adelaide with me.

It would have great to find a way to point that out.

[bornadog]

That first quarter was just sensational, you could tell from the body language we weren't going to lose this one.

Games experience we were on average 5 games less than GWS.

[jeemak]

What an awesome day at the footy. Having arrived late after spending an entire day moving furniture and boxes, I missed the majority of the first quarter dominance, and while we dominated the remainder of the game in general it would have been nice for us to convert more through the rest of the day.

Easton Wood is playing like a star. I haven't been as confident in a player when the ball is in dispute in the air as I am with Wood, for a long time. He's genuinely unique to the Bulldogs, and a massive reason why we are a different side this year to the last few.

Mitch Wallis in my view was always going to have a breakout year given more responsibility over the side. I knew big performances were likely to come from him, but I didn't think he'd pull out a performance like today, though now I'll be disappointed if he doesn't repeat it going forward.

Tom Boyd just doesn't get free kicks. I can't wait until he's stronger as it will mean he'll take more marks than he does currently, and also mean he'll have defenders hanging off him even more unfairly than he does presently which will hopefully result in more favourable treatment from the umpires.

GWS will be frighteningly quick and pretty much unstoppable if they can instill a system similar to that of Fremantle. Even though we beat up on them today, and probably had a win in coaching influence and structure, they showed at times just how fast and skilled they are. Once they get their set ups sorted defencively they'll be unbelievably difficult to stop in transition.

Tonight I found myself with Medallion Club tickets and after scanning in with my WB membership card I got up to level 2 on the wing. I was really impressed with the volume and heart screaming at me from the other side of the ground in the members section. It was great to sit with a couple of mates and be impressed by the passion of our members and their voices.

[boydogs]

Just to underscore what a performance it was from Wallis today

http://puu.sh/i62rZ/bf79f08f15.png

[chef]

That first quarter was just sensational, you could tell from the body language we weren't going to lose this one.

Games experience we were on average 5 games less than GWS.

And yet the commentators kept banging on about how young the Giants are.

[comrade]

And yet the commentators kept banging on about how young the Giants are.

They had more 100+ game players than us, but were younger on average by about a year.

If yesterday was anything to go by, it's going to be fun beating them in Grand Finals in years to come ;)

[GVGjr]

And yet the commentators kept banging on about how young the Giants are.

It's probably a reflection of a young list being fast tracked before they really earned it. The likes of Hamling and Biggs could have played a lot more games if they had been part of a GWS list.

[LostDoggy]

Just watched the replay, what a fantastic effort. 8.16 after quarter time I think it's easy to say they got lucky we could've absolutely smashed them.

Walking off the ground our old number 16 looked a mess can't believe how terrible he looks.

[Go_Dogs]

Fantastic day at the footy, after bursting out the blocks we controlled the balance of the game very well.

Luke Dahlhaus - This kid is currently in the AA side. His effort, work rate, defensive, offensive - he does it all. Yesterday he just kept willing himself to the next contest with repeat efforts. He has seriously good overhead ability for a small player, he's quick, and recovers incredibly well after winning a ball at ground level. There is one other bloke who'd be challenging him for B&F honours at the moment, but Dahl is currently our high production midfielder who does it all.

Easton Wood - Another who is currently in the AA side. He must be leading the competition for intercept marks - can anyone get the stats? His effort yesterday was huge, he just continued marking everything that came near him, reaching and impacting contests he had no right to be in and generally marshalling our defensive troops.

Mitch Wallis - He's had an interesting career to date, with quite a few writing him off at various stages, but he has now reached a level where he's able to consistently impact the game with his contested ball winning ability, defensive efforts, overhead marking and goal kicking ability. He's developed into a well rounded player who is happy doing the grunt work, but capable of doing more and impacting the game without doing just heavy lifting.

Many others who played cracking games yesterday, too.

It's great to be back on the winners list.

[Twodogs]

Fantastic day at the footy, after bursting out the blocks we controlled the balance of the game very well.

Luke Dahlhaus - This kid is currently in the AA side. His effort, work rate, defensive, offensive - he does it all. Yesterday he just kept willing himself to the next contest with repeat efforts. He has seriously good overhead ability for a small player, he's quick, and recovers incredibly well after winning a ball at ground level. There is one other bloke who'd be challenging him for B&F honours at the moment, but Dahl is currently our high production midfielder who does it all.

Easton Wood - Another who is currently in the AA side. He must be leading the competition for intercept marks - can anyone get the stats? His effort yesterday was huge, he just continued marking everything that came near him, reaching and impacting contests he had no right to be in and generally marshalling our defensive troops.

Mitch Wallis - He's had an interesting career to date, with quite a few writing him off at various stages, but he has now reached a level where he's able to consistently impact the game with his contested ball winning ability, defensive efforts, overhead marking and goal kicking ability. He's developed into a well rounded player who is happy doing the grunt work, but capable of doing more and impacting the game without doing just heavy lifting.

Many others who played cracking games yesterday, too.

It's great to be back on the winners list.

There were times yesterday when I had to look back down the ground to make sure there wasn't another Luke Dalhaus recovering from winning the contest 60 metres away from the contest he'd just won 10 seconds later.

[Mantis]

How did Macrae go on his return?

His output looked ok on the stats sheet (26 disposals, 5 tackles), but he wouldn't have been dropped a few weeks back if we were just looking at numbers.

Anything noticeably different in his defensive positioning and ball use?

[Go_Dogs]

How did Macrae go on his return?

His output looked ok on the stats sheet (26 disposals, 5 tackles), but he wouldn't have been dropped a few weeks back if we were just looking at numbers.

Anything noticeably different in his defensive positioning and ball use?

It was a fairly standard Macrae game, for mine.

[F'scary]

How did Macrae go on his return?

His output looked ok on the stats sheet (26 disposals, 5 tackles), but he wouldn't have been dropped a few weeks back if we were just looking at numbers.

Anything noticeably different in his defensive positioning and ball use?

I thought he played that valuable link between transitioning from defence to attack well. He led up the ground a number of times to provide an option when everyone looked covered. He is an accumulator, which should not be under rated. His kicking was much better last night. But I am in the 'surprised that he was dropped in the first place' camp.

[Twodogs]

I thought that Macrae unflinchingly did a few things yesterday that he'd been reluctant to do in the past. When it was his turn to go he really went.

[GVGjr]

How did Macrae go on his return?

His output looked ok on the stats sheet (26 disposals, 5 tackles), but he wouldn't have been dropped a few weeks back if we were just looking at numbers.

Anything noticeably different in his defensive positioning and ball use?

I thought he was really good. He wore a couple of bumps and used the ball well.

[LostDoggy]

I thought that Macrae unflinchingly did a few things yesterday that he'd been reluctant to do in the past. When it was his turn to go he really went.

Bevo put the challenge to Macrae that he had to balance his work on the outside with doing his share of the grunt work on the inside , 50% of his stats were on the inside including 7 contested possessions , his decision making was much more focused and his disposal efficiency back up to almost 80%
( Robert Prezioso/AFL Media/Getty Images AsiaPacific )

http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/AFL+Rd+9+Western+Bulldogs+v+GWS+5qtpdAecL5bx.jpg

[Scorlibo]

Macrae played well, went in hard but also used the ball well - which I think is ultimately why he was dropped. Fine if he's not a contested player (and he's not) but he has to use the ball well on the outside. Before being dropped he was guilty of kicking without looking and opting to handball to no one in particular instead of copping the tackle. Something that's really left his game in recent times is hid ability to find space where there isn't any. When he first came in he had the best sidestep in the team and an uncanny sense of where players were around him. Hopefully he can bring those skills back because disposing of the ball under tight pressure or else running 40 metres sideways Nathan Eagleton style doesn't seem to be his go.

[merantau]

I didn't get to see the game as the electricity was down all afternoon. It came back on just in time for me to see Luke Dahlhaus being interviewed post match so was very happy to see the result. Luke can really play. I first saw him on TV playing for Willy. After watching him for half a game I knew that he would make it at the higher level because he had that essential ingredient - DESIRE FOR THE BALL - in spades. Easton Wood - an absolute dasher. The Bulldog equivalent of cricketing great Keith Miller (who BTW was born in Benjamin St, Sunshine) The epitome of grace under pressure.

[Twodogs]

Bevo put the challenge to Macrae that he had to balance his work on the outside with doing his share of the grunt work on the inside , 50% of his stats were on the inside including 7 contested possessions , his decision making was much more focused and his disposal efficiency back up to almost 80%
( Robert Prezioso/AFL Media/Getty Images AsiaPacific )

http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/AFL+Rd+9+Western+Bulldogs+v+GWS+5qtpdAecL5bx.jpg


That's a fantastic photo. Jackson hanging on for dear life and yon Leon has a lean and hungry look in the bit of his eye you can see. I fear for Cameron(?)

[EasternWest]

That's a fantastic photo. Jackson hanging on for dear life and yon Leon has a lean and hungry look in the bit of his eye you can see. I fear for Cameron(?)

It's Shiel isn't it?

[lemmon]

I thought that Macrae unflinchingly did a few things yesterday that he'd been reluctant to do in the past. When it was his turn to go he really went.

Has that ever really been the problem with Jack though? He's never struck me as soft or unwilling to go when it's his turn, my issue has always been that he'd pick up 30 on the stats sheet but it would be an 'anonymous' 30 on his bad days. He reminds me a little bit of Brent Stanton in that regard. I think the coaching staff and Joel Corey need to keep challenging him to be continually at the inside ball and to take the damaging, even adventurous option by foot; a little more John Lennon, a little less Ringo