The Coon Dog
05-07-2008, 08:09 AM
Western Bulldogs can dare to dream (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23971747-19742,00.html)
Garry Lyon | July 05, 2008
WITH just one loss after 14 games, the Bulldogs are virtually guaranteed a top-four position, with a top-two finish a distinct possibility.
What makes them legitimate contenders is their back half, with a mix of players now capable of handling most forward-line combinations they may confront in September.
Brian Lake is the bedrock. It is a great comfort for Rodney Eade that he can pencil in Lake for the likes of Barry Hall, Cameron Mooney, Jarryd Roughead, Jonathan Brown or Daniel Bradshaw and Brendan Fevola, if the Blues make it.
Tom Williams was the missing piece in the puzzle that has frustrated the Dogs for so long.
All of a sudden they have a match-up for Lance Franklin, Nick Riewoldt, Travis Cloke, Ryan O'Keefe and maybe even Steve Johnson.
These roles have been bravely handled by Dale Morris in the past. The fact that he can now go to the opposition's third tall, or most dangerous mid-size, forward, transforms this backline from serviceable to formidable.
Like the Hawks, the Dogs midfield is beautifully balanced.
The silk is provided by Adam Cooney, Ryan Griffen, Nathan Eagleton and Farren Ray and the impressive Callan Ward, while the inside grunt work is carried out by two of the best in the business, Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd.
Scott West still has a role to play in this set-up and if can make it back he will have a voracious appetite for the football when finals swing around.
The Bulldogs have the best group of medium-size forwards in the competition.
Robert Murphy and Jason Akermanis are out-and-out stars capable of tearing any defence to shreds.
Scott Welsh is better than average playing out of the square, and relishes the fact that opposition teams are not really sure who the ball is going to be directed through.
If those three are quiet, Brad Johnson is likely to kick five goals. Or Daniel Giansiracusa.
Simply, the Dogs are a very difficult side to plan against because their plethora of forward-line options makes them highly unpredictable.
And with a super-skilled midfield that will hit a leading target 80 per cent of the time, defenders can't drop off their man in the hope of providing some zone coverage.
Mitch Hahn, while not as skilful as the others, is as important as anyone. He is a magnificent competitor. They would hate to lose him.
WHY CAN'T THEY WIN IT?
THE Dogs were the third-highest scoring team in 2006, on the back of an exciting group of mid-size forwards.
They were hard to stop for many of the same reasons they are doing well this year. The question was whether their precise, hit-up-the-leading-forward style would stand up under the pressure of finals.
The Dogs were too quick for the Pies in their first final, but against West Coast at Subiaco the game plan unravelled.
There is no question the 2008 model is an infinitely better Dogs outfit, but the jury is still out as to whether a side can win a premiership without at least one, and preferable two, big, powerful key forwards.
The form of Hahn and, to a lesser extent, Will Minson, suggests that the Dogs will not be left as badly short as they were a couple of years ago.
This midfield is more polished and Murphy and Aker have a touch of genius, so Bulldog fans have cause for great optimism. I hope they are right.
One thing is certain: if Cooney, Akermanis, Cross, Boyd, Murphy, Morris, Harris, Griffen and maybe even Lake can maintain their career-best form for the next eight weeks, the Dogs are a very real chance to contest their first Grand Final since 1961.
Garry Lyon | July 05, 2008
WITH just one loss after 14 games, the Bulldogs are virtually guaranteed a top-four position, with a top-two finish a distinct possibility.
What makes them legitimate contenders is their back half, with a mix of players now capable of handling most forward-line combinations they may confront in September.
Brian Lake is the bedrock. It is a great comfort for Rodney Eade that he can pencil in Lake for the likes of Barry Hall, Cameron Mooney, Jarryd Roughead, Jonathan Brown or Daniel Bradshaw and Brendan Fevola, if the Blues make it.
Tom Williams was the missing piece in the puzzle that has frustrated the Dogs for so long.
All of a sudden they have a match-up for Lance Franklin, Nick Riewoldt, Travis Cloke, Ryan O'Keefe and maybe even Steve Johnson.
These roles have been bravely handled by Dale Morris in the past. The fact that he can now go to the opposition's third tall, or most dangerous mid-size, forward, transforms this backline from serviceable to formidable.
Like the Hawks, the Dogs midfield is beautifully balanced.
The silk is provided by Adam Cooney, Ryan Griffen, Nathan Eagleton and Farren Ray and the impressive Callan Ward, while the inside grunt work is carried out by two of the best in the business, Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd.
Scott West still has a role to play in this set-up and if can make it back he will have a voracious appetite for the football when finals swing around.
The Bulldogs have the best group of medium-size forwards in the competition.
Robert Murphy and Jason Akermanis are out-and-out stars capable of tearing any defence to shreds.
Scott Welsh is better than average playing out of the square, and relishes the fact that opposition teams are not really sure who the ball is going to be directed through.
If those three are quiet, Brad Johnson is likely to kick five goals. Or Daniel Giansiracusa.
Simply, the Dogs are a very difficult side to plan against because their plethora of forward-line options makes them highly unpredictable.
And with a super-skilled midfield that will hit a leading target 80 per cent of the time, defenders can't drop off their man in the hope of providing some zone coverage.
Mitch Hahn, while not as skilful as the others, is as important as anyone. He is a magnificent competitor. They would hate to lose him.
WHY CAN'T THEY WIN IT?
THE Dogs were the third-highest scoring team in 2006, on the back of an exciting group of mid-size forwards.
They were hard to stop for many of the same reasons they are doing well this year. The question was whether their precise, hit-up-the-leading-forward style would stand up under the pressure of finals.
The Dogs were too quick for the Pies in their first final, but against West Coast at Subiaco the game plan unravelled.
There is no question the 2008 model is an infinitely better Dogs outfit, but the jury is still out as to whether a side can win a premiership without at least one, and preferable two, big, powerful key forwards.
The form of Hahn and, to a lesser extent, Will Minson, suggests that the Dogs will not be left as badly short as they were a couple of years ago.
This midfield is more polished and Murphy and Aker have a touch of genius, so Bulldog fans have cause for great optimism. I hope they are right.
One thing is certain: if Cooney, Akermanis, Cross, Boyd, Murphy, Morris, Harris, Griffen and maybe even Lake can maintain their career-best form for the next eight weeks, the Dogs are a very real chance to contest their first Grand Final since 1961.