Game Day - Bulldogs vs Saints

[GVGjr]

This is the game day thread for tonights encounter.

We haven't got a great record against them.

I'll go with Akermanis to get the first goal tonight.

The teams are:

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Cameron Wight, Brian Lake, Ryan Hargrave
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Dale Morris, Ryan Griffen
C: Josh Hill, Scott West, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Brad Johnson, Daniel Giansiracusa
F: Scott Welsh, Mitch Hahn, Jason Akermanis
Foll: Ben Hudson, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney
Int: Dylan Addison, Tim Callan, Will Minson, Nathan Eagleton
Emg: Peter Street, Jarrod Harbrow, Callan Ward

In: Eagleton
Out: Higgins (Injured)

ST KILDA
B: Jason Blake, Max Hudghton, Jarryn Geary
HB: Jason Gram, Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert
C: Xavier Clarke, Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo
HB: Adam Schneider, Nick Riewoldt, Robert Harvey
F: Fraser Gehrig, Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne
Foll: Stephen King, Lenny Hayes, Luke Ball
Int: Brendon Goddard, Leigh Fisher, Michael Gardiner, Aaron Fiora
Emg: Raphael Clarke, Charlie Gardiner, Clint Jones

In: Goddard
Out: Raphael Clarke

[LostDoggy]

First goal - Welsh.

Goddard in and, from what I've heard, hasn't been bought back via the seconds. Saints always fancy themselves over us of late - let's bring in a knee reco without a test run, after all it's only the Bulldogs. I really, really hope we win tonight.

[LostDoggy]

Ive also gone with Aker for the first goal.

[LostDoggy]

Johnno to kick the 1st.
Boydy to be our best.
Welsh to kick 3.
Should be a good tight match, but i can see the saints comin away with the win, geez i hope im wrong about that.

[bornadog]

First Goal = Gia

Win by 25 points

BOG = Cooney

[Go_Dogs]

Hahn for the first goal. Really looking forward to this one, pity I have to wait until 8.30 for the delayed telecast... I don't like to cheat and listen to the radio, but I'll be pretty nervous tonight and might have too - just to make sure we're doing ok.

[The Underdog]

Big Will to snag the first!

From a contested mark inside 50 I suppose :rolleyes:

Gia for first goal.
Westy to have a blinder.
Cooney's emergence as a true superstar in front of a Friday night audience.

Result - um heart says Dogs, head says maybe not.

[Rocket Science]

Ack, pains me to say it but a creditable 10 point loss is on the cards.

Murph to bag our first major.

[LostDoggy]

Johnno to kick the first to kickstart the Dogs after the Saints kick the first two (from soft freekicks, of course, the umps like to kick the first goal).

Arm wrestle for first half, Dogs pull away in third term, Saints come back at Dogs in final term but Dogs kick away to win by 30+ points to end the Saints hoodoo and stamp ourselves as a genuine contender and burst the Saints' pre-season bubble.

Welsh, Murph and Gia to kick 3 each.

[LostDoggy]

First goal - Welsh.

Goddard in and, from what I've heard, hasn't been bought back via the seconds. Saints always fancy themselves over us of late - let's bring in a knee reco without a test run, after all it's only the Bulldogs. I really, really hope we win tonight.


Brendan played the last three weeks for Casey.

But I also really, really hope we win tonight.

ps. We will. ;)

[hujsh]

Hahn.

Lake to smash the G-Train. Kosi beaten by 2 and Riewoldt not able to do it on his own

[immortalmike]

Murphy with the first.
And Saints players with alot after I'm feeling uneasy about this game.

[Mofra]

We must be a good chance to knock them off, provided we can provide enough pressure in the middle to effect delivery into the opposition F50. I'm pretty confident in our ability to rebound from our defence once the ball gets to ground.

[1eyedog]

Eagleton first goal
Boyd Dog's best
Saints by 24 points

[LostDoggy]

just heard on the radio. Eagleton out, Harbrow in

[1eyedog]

just heard on the radio. Eagleton out, Harbrow in

Dammit

[FrediKanoute]

37 points down at the first change......hardly the start we were looking for.....is this the last 7 rounds starting again?

[LostDoggy]

37 points down at the first change......hardly the start we were looking for.....is this the last 7 rounds starting again?

Made me feel sick watching it, I switched the T.V off for now.

I'll check the progress later.

[GVGjr]

Just walked in the door and what a game. Once we got our act together, we gave them a pants down spanking.

[GVGjr]

Eagleton first goal
Boyd Dog's best
Saints by 24 points

You get the first goal by default

[LostDoggy]

Well people what a result!!! That 1st quarter was a disgrace but what happened after that? We are now capable of not only playing pretty football but also playing hard contested football. Here's hoping we can continue this form.

[GVGjr]

Well people what a result!!! That 1st quarter was a disgrace but what happened after that? We are now capable of not only playing pretty football but also playing hard contested football. Here's hoping we can continue this form.

We took over in the midfield and pretty much dictated the game. Plenty of players lifted, they needed to, and we kept the scoreboard ticking over. The Saints got a goal late in the 2nd quarter which I thought might hurt us. We kicked another 5 in 3rd quarter and 8 in the last.

Gehrig was a long way off it tonight and Morris battled on bravely against Riewoldt.

[LostDoggy]

I'll say what I think is on most of the Doggies supporters minds;

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! We beat the Saints finally, and we done it well.

[1eyedog]

Yeah Morris knuckled down really well after quarter time. Actually, everybody did. I was particularly pleased with Hill and Hahn in the 2nd quarter, I thought these two players more than anyone provided the necessary spark. Cooney continued his good form, Gia got plenty of the ball and Griffen was again very good breaking lines and kicking goals. Addison's performace tonight deserves special mention. I thought tonight he really came of age, showed glimpses last week but really became part of the 22 tonight. Excellent performance dogs, SEN already talking us up as number one contender now, geez keep a lid on it:cool:

[LostDoggy]

OH MY GOODNESS, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN???

YEAH BABY, WOOOHOOO WILLYBOY KICKED A GOAL NEW HE WOULD.

Wow ive got no words right now except, GO DOGGIES WOOOHOOOO.

[LostDoggy]

I was very impressed with the forward line today. I know I have read elsewhere that people questioned the merit of David Schwartz coming over especially without getting paid but the forward line is functioning well so he certainly hasn't harmed them.

Also people were critical of Barnes but even allowing for Hudsons addition, the midfield and stoppages have improved substantially.

A credit to Wayne Campbell as well.

[hujsh]

Hill's free in the square main negative and took the shine off an otherwise very good game.

Gee I'm remembering why i love Hahn. Just the way he shrugs off those tackles is awesome.

Addison's pressure was probably what got us back into the match, can now see why he is like by Eade.

Cooney keeps going, Griff is becoming a real midfielder (that goal from the square where he steped around the Saint was classic Griff), Minson's screamer had my pumped and the late shot made up for the miss.

Finally, we won without a significant Johnson contribution.

[The Coon Dog]

I was very impressed with the forward line today. I know I have read elsewhere that people questioned the merit of David Schwartz coming over especially without getting paid but the forward line is functioning well so he certainly hasn't harmed them.

Also people were critical of Barnes but even allowing for Hudsons addition, the midfield and stoppages have improved substantially.

A credit to Wayne Campbell as well.

Well said Sunshine!

I was hoping those on another forum who took cheap shots might have shown some good grace! Never mind, they'll surface when we lose one.

[LostDoggy]

Wight was probably the most inconsistent player we had on the park tonight. He had a couple of purple patches and a couple of freezes. I'm not sure if he has the footy brain that is needed but I hope he is getting more confident in his ability.

I was rapt with a couple of marks that Hill took tonight and that one on defense was a strong one and that goal that he kicked really got us on a roll.

I didn't rate Harbrow's game tonight but I was surprised that Callan was solid again.

[LostDoggy]

That 1st qtr was horrible, then it was either late in the 1st qtr or early in the 2nd he laid an awesome tackle, and i jsut yelled out something like great worl dyl, great to finally see a player do something, now use that doggies and start playing footy.

How awesome was daaale morris, just heard he kept kosi to 5 touches after qtr time, awesome work.

[1eyedog]

That 1st qtr was horrible, then it was either late in the 1st qtr or early in the 2nd he laid an awesome tackle, and i jsut yelled out something like great worl dyl, great to finally see a player do something, now use that doggies and start playing footy.

How awesome was daaale morris, just heard he kept kosi to 5 touches after qtr time, awesome work.

He spent the night on Riewoldt

[hujsh]

How awesome was daaale morris, just heard he kept kosi to 5 touches after qtr time, awesome work.

A couple of lucky breaks in contests with Reiwoldt got him some confidence and he then stated to outmark him

[LostDoggy]

The thing that is really impressing me this year is the intent on the ball the guys are getting in an under fighting for it insted of waiting for it to happen. And its good to see that its not west just doing it for a change, by that i mean being on the bottom of the pack.

This is alowing us to get a run on and play good footy.

Also the patience that they have on the HBF wing area they seem to be happy to just maintain control of the ball and wait for a option to appear. Signs of maturity I feel.

3 and 0 Great platform but thats all it is at this stage. Enjoy the win but remember there is still many more games to go.

Any unsigned people out there that were waiting to see if the guys were going to put in an effort this year you just saw it. Sign up now I don't know how much proof you want but the guys are doing everything they can and we need to show them we are too.

[BulldogBelle]

l have just got back home what can l say but - WOW!!!

l was impressed tonight. l am sure our flag odds will change dramatically after that effort.

lf anyone has not bought a membership 'BUY IT NOW' the boys have proved themselves 3 from 3.

[Dogs 24/7]

Wight was probably the most inconsistent player we had on the park tonight. He had a couple of purple patches and a couple of freezes. I'm not sure if he has the footy brain that is needed but I hope he is getting more confident in his ability.

I was rapt with a couple of marks that Hill took tonight and that one on defense was a strong one and that goal that he kicked really got us on a roll.

I didn't rate Harbrow's game tonight but I was surprised that Callan was solid again.

I tend to agree with everything here. Good goal by Wight on the run, bad miss from a set shot. Messed around a bit with the ball but then there was a couple of examples of him setting up the play. Hard guy to fathom.

Harbrow was a bit scratchy tonight and I suppose eagle will be his replacement if he is available next week.

Any problems with Johnson and West for next week injury wise?

[1eyedog]

Any unsigned people out there that were waiting to see if the guys were going to put in an effort this year you just saw it. Sign up now I don't know how much proof you want but the guys are doing everything they can and we need to show them we are too.

Yep well said

[LostDoggy]

Anyone know what happened 2 lakey? He wasnt himself again tonight, was bending down taking breaks, and at one stage i saw him wave to the bench and they made a quick swap, a friend i was with said he was having some work done on his back, hopefully its nothing much to worry about,and he was jsut a bit tired from al lthe work he was doing.

[Dogs 24/7]

Anyone know what happened 2 lakey? He wasnt himself again tonight, was bending down taking breaks, and at one stage i saw him wave to the bench and they made a quick swap, a friend i was with said he was having some work done on his back, hopefully its nothing much to worry about,and he was jsut a bit tired from al lthe work he was doing.

I think he is nowhere near the right sort of fitness and hasn't been impressive in any games yet which might be a good sign for us if it is just a lack of match fitness.

[alwaysadog]

What an incredible Jeckle and Hyde performance. The doggies have been well known for keeping their supporters' heart surgeons busy but after tonight we need a trick cyclist to examine the team, an advanced case of schizophrenia was evident.

In the first 1/4 we were slow, couldn't win a clearance, gave their runners heaps of space to work in and their forwards too much lattitude. Result a 6 goal deficit and it looked like how far the Saints.

Second 1/4 we looked competitive and started to put the pressure on and halved the deficit by the long break. In fact they were lucky to score a late goal as we had got their measure by then, and bested them in the 3rd and finished them off in the last.

An impressive display but this is the 3rd week we have played sloppy football in the 1st 1/4. Still we have beaten 3 teams that have had the wood on us in the recent past. Admittedly the Dees looked pretty ordinary but the win over the Crows gained more substance after their emphatic display last week.

No cause to get too excited but a very good start to the season.

In response to some critics of certain players' performances; if we had perfect players we would never lose. None of them are perfect and to my observation even our lesser lights put in and contributed.

[westdog54]

From a contested mark inside 50 I suppose :rolleyes:


Care to revise that statement Underdog?:p

[The Underdog]

Care to revise that statement Underdog?:p

I swear it was an accident:D More accidental than his goal though?

God, Will slots one from a 60 degree angle, Cam Wight kicks one from 45 on the run.
Life is wierd

[The Coon Dog]

An impressive display but this is the 3rd week we have played sloppy football in the 1st 1/4.

I think our first quarter v Adelaide was good. 5.4.34 to 2.1.13. The second term of that game, well, that's another matter.

[LostDoggy]

Wight was probably the most inconsistent player we had on the park tonight. He had a couple of purple patches and a couple of freezes. I'm not sure if he has the footy brain that is needed but I hope he is getting more confident in his ability.

I was rapt with a couple of marks that Hill took tonight and that one on defense was a strong one and that goal that he kicked really got us on a roll.

I didn't rate Harbrow's game tonight but I was surprised that Callan was solid again.

I'd have to disagree there. Yes he made some mistakes but he's still very raw. I thought he gave us a bit of spark and unpredictability in the forward line.

Callan seems to be the type of player who does well when he has a task to do on an opposition player. He's tough and he backs himself. With regular senior footy he could become a solid player. He would still be adjusting from VFL pace.

[LostDoggy]

I think our first quarter v Adelaide was good. 5.4.34 to 2.1.13. The second term of that game, well, that's another matter.

Yeah our 1st quarter against the Crows was good. The boys showed great character to come back last night.

[Go_Dogs]

As I was saying at Qtr time, when a lot of the people I were watching with (Non-Dogs supporters) were starting to write off our season - it's only Rd 3. It was a fantastic win, and one that we really needed, however the players need to remember it's Rd 3 and there is a long way to go.

The signs last night were very pleasing though, and if we continue to play with the intensity, determination and will to win that we have displayed over the first 3 weeks, we'll go quite far this year.

Top work to everyone involved last night, a polished, professional performance against a very strong side.

[westdog54]

I swear it was an accident:D More accidental than his goal though?

God, Will slots one from a 60 degree angle, Cam Wight kicks one from 45 on the run.
Life is wierd

When he took that mark I proclaimed to all and sundry that I would gladly bear Will's children if he slotted it. ErnieSigley and Sockeye were witnesses.

Surely enough...

[Desipura]

Wight was probably the most inconsistent player we had on the park tonight. He had a couple of purple patches and a couple of freezes. I'm not sure if he has the footy brain that is needed but I hope he is getting more confident in his ability.

I was rapt with a couple of marks that Hill took tonight and that one on defense was a strong one and that goal that he kicked really got us on a roll.

I didn't rate Harbrow's game tonight but I was surprised that Callan was solid again.
Great win, to come back from where we did in the 1st qtr.
Have to agree with Wight, his decision making needs a fair bit of work. I have my heart in my mouth everytime he gets the ball. At least he kept creeping up fwd and providing another target. The Saints would not mark him until he received that free kick in the fwd line.
I look fwd to Williams and Everitt coming back and this will allow Wight to play on a smaller type player. As you say, hopefully he can build on his confidence.

[ledge]

When he took that mark I proclaimed to all and sundry that I would gladly bear Will's children if he slotted it. ErnieSigley and Sockeye were witnesses.

Surely enough...

They witnessed you bearing his children? my that was quick!

[LostDoggy]

Johnno to kick the first to kickstart the Dogs after the Saints kick the first two (from soft freekicks, of course, the umps like to kick the first goal).

Arm wrestle for first half, Dogs pull away in third term, Saints come back at Dogs in final term but Dogs kick away to win by 30+ points to end the Saints hoodoo and stamp ourselves as a genuine contender and burst the Saints' pre-season bubble.

Welsh, Murph and Gia to kick 3 each.

Totally wrong except that the Saints DID kick the first two (and three and four and five and six), Dogs DID pull away in the third term, and they DID kick away to win by 30+ points to end the Saints hoodoo and burst the Saints' pre-season bubble.

I was telling everyone I knew that we would win by 30+ and no one believed me, and by the end of the first quarter, even I didn't believe me.

Yet, there were always signs that we weren't playing badly -- we were keeping possession well, even though it was all out wide, and it wasn't as if any of our players were fumbling or dropping the ball, they were just letting the Saints' midfielders and backs run straight through the lines. The moment Rocket rectified that we were always going to be in the contest.

And substitute Hill, Griff and Aker for where I wrote Welsh, Murph and Gia and it would have been good forecasting! How could I have left Aker off?!

Great win by the team.

ps. Mark my words, I said this in my pre-season forecasts, and I'll back it up, the Saints will NOT make the 8 this year. The media have no flippin' idea.

[bornadog]

First Goal = Gia

Win by 25 points

BOG = Cooney


Missed on Gia and 25 points wasn't a bad guess, and Cooney well BOG

[LostDoggy]

When he took that mark I proclaimed to all and sundry that I would gladly bear Will's children if he slotted it. ErnieSigley and Sockeye were witnesses.

Surely enough...


Im still waiting to get a dvd of the game so i can see his reaction, i was to busy making a fool of myself by jumping up and down and screaming :D:D:D.

[LostDoggy]

Aahh brian whats goin on here mate :):)

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9137/1001937tv2.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001937tv2.jpg)

[katemeehan]

Aahh brian whats goin on here mate :):)

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9137/1001937tv2.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001937tv2.jpg)


was that when Hill went down and one of the Saints players bent over and gave him a mouthful?

[westdog54]

Aahh brian whats goin on here mate :):)

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9137/1001937tv2.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001937tv2.jpg)

That's Kosi getting manhandled there, surprisingly enough.;)

Brian dead set threw him about 5 metres. Piss funny to watch.

[Raw Toast]

Obviously a really impressive game, just wanted to make a few comments.

I actually think the game turned towards the end of the first quarter - we upped our pressure and though we didn't get any immediate results from it (partly because of the crap decision against Akermanis), the Saints were clearly struggling with it.

We've now played our two bogey teams and have been the ones to put pressure on them, when it's previously been their intensity and contested skills which have helped kill us. Our belief has been a feature of these two games - very different from last year.

Cam Wight has shown the really pleasing ability to just work and fight his way back into games. He won't be the last to be smashed early by Kosi, but he kept going, and to hurt him the other way is a tribute to both his character, potential, and Eade's coaching. Dog Town said last week Wight had to get something out of this game against one of the top forwards in the comp, and though it took him some time, he did show something.

Hill keeps on delivering, but he looked like he lacked a bit of awareness around packs in the Saints goal-square where he let first Milne, and then I think Schneider get a bit too much space - it seemed like he got caught ball-watching.

I was one of those questioning the recruitment of Callan, and while he still has limitations, his game was also an example of how important confidence can be. He was so much surer around the ball, and after the first quarter, he read the ball coming in so much better than seemed possible during the pre-season.

Addison is another to show what is possible with a bit of confidence. He still needs to adjust a bit more to the speed of the game imo, and while his decision-making still needs work, he is starting to show the dash and ability that seemed evident in his first season with Werribee when a fair few of us were raving at Clayton pulling another one out of the nether regions of Australia (sorry Dry Rot).

Minson is another who is improving. Actually showing that he can play pretty smart footy. When he's out of position he still gets the ball to ground, and he's starting to put himself in position a bit more. And I think he's really enjoying having less pressure on his ruck-work, which has been much better than last year as well. He got 19 taps, as many as King and more than double Hudson's 9, though Hudson has been a vital addition.

Cross seemed much more willing to move the ball on quickly by foot.

Morris was clearly incredible and all our defenders showed that if we can get our midfield pressure right, then size and strength are not as big an issue as everyone has made out. That said, it'd still be nice to have a fit Williams and Everitt as well.

[dog town]

Clearly our best win since we beat Collingwood last season and probably even our best since we beat them in the final.

Just thought our pressure on the ball carrier lifted all over the ground and that was the major factor in shutting down the saints forward line. To keep a side with as many weapons as the saints to 6 goals in 3 quarters is pretty much unheard of for us even if they rarely score heavily.

I really enjoyed the way we supported each other down back with players chipping in to help out in the marking duels and also pushing over to support with numbers for the ground level ball. At times we simply overwhelmed them for numbers and then once we were winning enough contests the confidence filtered through to our running department. We were able to take alot more running risks to come up from behind and break the lines/create switches because the numbers we were getting around the contest gave us the confidence that we would win the ball.

It is quite clear that we are more organised at stoppages so far this season. Adding Griff and Hudson to the mix has helped alot but the main factor has been how much more organised we seem. If we get beaten we are not getting belted. Alot more hard outs from those types of situations.

The forward line is functioning pretty well with a couple of different types of set ups. In some ways we have added 4 players to the mix in Murphy, Hahn, Welsh and Minson. All of them add different things.

Some players who I found interesting on the night were

Cross- Just getting better and better. Agree with RT that he is moving the ball on alot quicker. Seems to be a conscious effort amongst the entire side.

Welsh- Had a quiet game himself on the scoreboard but has really boosted the forward line. His use of space is quite brilliant and he takes the pressure right off our other targets. The reason he is dangerous is that he can get you in so many ways. He took a number of marks leading right up the ground on friday and then he can stand in the square and pull down a contested mark. If you have him covered in those areas he will turn you around and run back towards goal. Just a very clever technician who absolutely demands a good opponent.

Hahn- Early days for him because realistically he has only played 1 and a half good games this season but he was extremely important on the weekend. I could probably name 4 goals that he was involved in that we just would not have got last year without the presence that he gives at full fitness. The goal Aker kicked to put us in front was really a defining goal for us in the match and hopefully for him in the season. 2 big tackles and then a third effort to handball out to Aker was a brilliant effort. His pure size is worrying opponents in the air as well.

Callan- Surprising effort from Callan. Needs to keep stringing them together but anyone who throws themselves back into packs like that will always get a game in my side. Must have been 4 or 5 marking contests where he just launched himself at the footy and if you were a fellow bulldog it must have been team lifting. Really seemed to add an ingredient to our team the other night. Challenge for him is to back it up now.

Minson- Not a huge night statistically but he is playing his part. He has stopped giving away those annoying and pointless free kicks and is providing a very competitive long option up forward.

Murphy- How much did we miss that ability to lead up around CHF and take a grab? It is not so valuable when we are forced to bomb to a contest (most of those kicks go towards Hahn anyway) but when we become stagnant and held up across half forward his agility makes him pretty much impossible to stop on the lead. Welsh has allowed him to play further out as well.

West- Has taken a bit more of a back seat but is still having a huge contribution. Getting plenty of handball recieves which shows he is still covering the ground.

Griffen- Not getting huge numbers but I think he has given us that little bit extra punch in the middle. On a number of times he got first hands went to barge through got gang tackled and then the ball fell out to one of our other guys. That is the difference he is making with his unique style as is Hudson.

Guido- Best footy he has played since mid 2005.

Wight- It was a strange game for him. He certainly fought back brilliantly and even gave us a bit up forward for a patch. Wasn't really in many one out contests with Kosi so that part of his game is hard to judge. Good to see his confidence rising which can be a problem for him.

Boyd- I think the best part about the start that West, Cross and Boyd have had is that although they are still putting out huge numbers they are taking a back seat to guys like Cooney, Griff and Hill. Gives us that group of ultra reliable professionals just underneath our game breakers in midfield. Bit like Stenglein and Braun at the eagles or Thompson and Edwards at the crows. I say it all the time but I have never misjudged a player more than I did with Boyd. Amazed at the player he has become. Would be confident of him getting the job done no matter what role Eade throws at him.

[alwaysadog]

Clearly our best win since we beat Collingwood last season and probably even our best since we beat them in the final.

Just thought our pressure on the ball carrier lifted all over the ground and that was the major factor in shutting down the saints forward line. To keep a side with as many weapons as the saints to 6 goals in 3 quarters is pretty much unheard of for us even if they rarely score heavily.

I really enjoyed the way we supported each other down back with players chipping in to help out in the marking duels and also pushing over to support with numbers for the ground level ball. At times we simply overwhelmed them for numbers and then once we were winning enough contests the confidence filtered through to our running department. We were able to take alot more running risks to come up from behind and break the lines/create switches because the numbers we were getting around the contest gave us the confidence that we would win the ball.

It is quite clear that we are more organised at stoppages so far this season. Adding Griff and Hudson to the mix has helped alot but the main factor has been how much more organised we seem. If we get beaten we are not getting belted. Alot more hard outs from those types of situations.

The forward line is functioning pretty well with a couple of different types of set ups. In some ways we have added 4 players to the mix in Murphy, Hahn, Welsh and Minson. All of them add different things.

Some players who I found interesting on the night were

Cross- Just getting better and better. Agree with RT that he is moving the ball on alot quicker. Seems to be a conscious effort amongst the entire side.

Welsh- Had a quiet game himself on the scoreboard but has really boosted the forward line. His use of space is quite brilliant and he takes the pressure right off our other targets. The reason he is dangerous is that he can get you in so many ways. He took a number of marks leading right up the ground on friday and then he can stand in the square and pull down a contested mark. If you have him covered in those areas he will turn you around and run back towards goal. Just a very clever technician who absolutely demands a good opponent.

Hahn- Early days for him because realistically he has only played 1 and a half good games this season but he was extremely important on the weekend. I could probably name 4 goals that he was involved in that we just would not have got last year without the presence that he gives at full fitness. The goal Aker kicked to put us in front was really a defining goal for us in the match and hopefully for him in the season. 2 big tackles and then a third effort to handball out to Aker was a brilliant effort. His pure size is worrying opponents in the air as well.

Callan- Surprising effort from Callan. Needs to keep stringing them together but anyone who throws themselves back into packs like that will always get a game in my side. Must have been 4 or 5 marking contests where he just launched himself at the footy and if you were a fellow bulldog it must have been team lifting. Really seemed to add an ingredient to our team the other night. Challenge for him is to back it up now.

Minson- Not a huge night statistically but he is playing his part. He has stopped giving away those annoying and pointless free kicks and is providing a very competitive long option up forward.

Murphy- How much did we miss that ability to lead up around CHF and take a grab? It is not so valuable when we are forced to bomb to a contest (most of those kicks go towards Hahn anyway) but when we become stagnant and held up across half forward his agility makes him pretty much impossible to stop on the lead. Welsh has allowed him to play further out as well.

West- Has taken a bit more of a back seat but is still having a huge contribution. Getting plenty of handball recieves which shows he is still covering the ground.

Griffen- Not getting huge numbers but I think he has given us that little bit extra punch in the middle. On a number of times he got first hands went to barge through got gang tackled and then the ball fell out to one of our other guys. That is the difference he is making with his unique style as is Hudson.

Guido- Best footy he has played since mid 2005.

Wight- It was a strange game for him. He certainly fought back brilliantly and even gave us a bit up forward for a patch. Wasn't really in many one out contests with Kosi so that part of his game is hard to judge. Good to see his confidence rising which can be a problem for him.

Boyd- I think the best part about the start that West, Cross and Boyd have had is that although they are still putting out huge numbers they are taking a back seat to guys like Cooney, Griff and Hill. Gives us that group of ultra reliable professionals just underneath our game breakers in midfield. Bit like Stenglein and Braun at the eagles or Thompson and Edwards at the crows. I say it all the time but I have never misjudged a player more than I did with Boyd. Amazed at the player he has become. Would be confident of him getting the job done no matter what role Eade throws at him.

Agree with just about every point dt, would just add that at one point in either 3rd or 4th quarter Kosi got benched for not chasing Wight after he had run hard to win the ball, run down the wing and delivered the ball deep into our F50.

In one sense just a small part of the whole team lifting and this was the most pleasing aspect, we didn't rely on a few to get us out of trouble or to keep us going, and as you point out the contribution of the lesser lights and those who didn't have great nights was significant. As Bernard Toohey used to say, "It might not be my night but it can always be my minute."

It was the performance of a mature team; let's hope they can maintain this degree of committment throughout the season.

[Mantis]

Some really good points raised by RT and dt.... Good work.

Just adding my two bobs worth to there posts, after watching the replay on a number of occassions, and no I'm not getting sick of watching it:

* Minson efforts in the 2nd half were huge. He played a sensational last qtr. Presented well, scrambled hard. Really solid effort from a maturing player.

* Hudson is just a very smart footballer. His ruck work and 2nd efforts were/ are fantastic. How big a difference has it made having a good ruckman in our team.

* Gilbee - his ability to continue to work hard and back up with 2nd, 3rd and even 4th efforts should not be forgotten. We all know that he is a fantastic running player, but he works bloody hard too.

* Addison - really found his feet over the past 2 weeks. His defensive ethos is still there, but he is now starting to hunt for the ball and get involved in general play and adding another option to our run and carry game. And he has a fair bit of mongrel in him too, doesn't take any shit and likes to get involved in little skirmishes.

* For me the best past of the game was that our spark came from the young guys - Cooney, Griffen, Hill, Addsion and Callan were the guys that lifted there intensity and the rest followed. Bit of changing of the guard in that we have always relied on the old guard to carry the team. The geniune delight shown by Johnson when Hill kicked his great follow up goal in the 3rd was very good to see.

[Raw Toast]

Great report DT.

The other thing that Welsh has added is an impressive defensive work-ethic. I remember when it looked like we would pick him up one of the Crows bf posters said that he defensive pressure was under-rated, and that seems to be a good call. Welsh certainly seems pretty committed to contests at the moment, and it was telling how many pats he got after taking the contested mark backing back to pretty much ice the game.

Good point about our stoppage work. It has been noticeable that apart from the 1st quarter v the Saints, opposition players have not been streaming forward from clearances as much - I'm pleased, but it also seems about time as well. Must make the defenders pretty happy as well.

Why did you rate Giansiracusa's game so highly?

[alwaysadog]

* Addison - really found his feet over the past 2 weeks. His defensive ethos is still there, but he is now starting to hunt for the ball and get involved in general play and adding another option to our run and carry game. And he has a fair bit of mongrel in him too, doesn't take any shit and likes to get involved in little skirmishes.


Agree, you have just left out one point that he now carries and delivers into F50 setting up at least 2 goals with excellent foot disposal.

[dog town]

Why did you rate Giansiracusa's game so highly? I didn't rate it through the roof or anything I am more just pleased with him stringing 3 consistent games together. He seems closer to the form he showed in the first half of 2005 when he was probably pushing for our B&F half way through the year.

He is finally causing real damage to sides again and that is what I am enjoying about his game at the moment. Probably has more to do with the team lifting across the board and additions of guys like Welsh than anything he has changed but its pleasing to see reward for effort. I have been an occasional critic of his when warranted but he has always been a good professional. Guido works pretty hard.


Agree that Welsh and his defensive pressure have been an added bonus.

[Mantis]

I didn't rate it through the roof or anything I am more just pleased with him stringing 3 consistent games together. He seems closer to the form he showed in the first half of 2005 when he was probably pushing for our B&F half way through the year.

He is finally causing real damage to sides again and that is what I am enjoying about his game at the moment. Probably has more to do with the team lifting across the board and additions of guys like Welsh than anything he has changed but its pleasing to see reward for effort. I have been an occasional critic of his when warranted but he has always been a good professional. Guido works pretty hard.



In agreement that Gia is working hard both offensively and defensively, but his disposal was extremely disappointing against St.Kilda especially in the 2nd half. With almost every possession he made an error, either in not hitting a target or taking the wrong option. This may be because he has missed a fair bit of footy and his execution skills aren't quite there yet, let's hope this is the case because he can't afford to make so many errors in tight games.

[alwaysadog]

In agreement that Gia is working hard both offensively and defensively, but his disposal was extremely disappointing against St.Kilda especially in the 2nd half. With almost every possession he made an error, either in not hitting a target or taking the wrong option. This may be because he has missed a fair bit of footy and his execution skills aren't quite there yet, let's hope this is the case because he can't afford to make so many errors in tight games.

I think his lack of conditioning caught up with him. It was easily the most taxing game so far.