Mantis
30-07-2008, 10:12 AM
Match: Western Bulldogs vs Sydney – Manuka Oval – Sun August 3 – 1.10pm
Recent Form: Sydney have won just 1 of there past 4 games, that being Carlton by 2 pts a few weeks back. The Bulldogs have lost there past 2, against ladder leaders Geelong by 61pts at the Cattery and then followed this match with a disappointing 28pt loss against Carlton, squandering a 37pt lead in the 3rd quarter in the process.
Most recent match between these 2 teams:
Rd 7 2008 – SCG – Sydney 14.10.94 def by Western Bulldogs 18.4.112
- Adam Cooney was the star with a stunning 5 goal performance as the Bulldogs on the back of a 7 to 1 goal 2nd qtr ran out winners in an entertaining affair.
Players missing/ At the selection table:
Western Bulldogs – West & Higgins continue there long lay off, abit they are getting closer to selection. Injury prone CHB Tom Williams is set to return in the VFL after an extended lay off due to a shoulder injury. Dylan Addison looks set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against Carlton.
With quite a few players down on form it will interesting to see if the match committee keep the faith with the players who performed so well earlier on in the season, I suspect they will.
Sydney - Two time Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes looks set to miss with a persistent groin injury. He will join key players O’Loughlin and Barry and possibly Malceski on the sidelines.
Style of play:
Western Bulldogs – For much of the year the Bulldog’s have been one of the best contested ball winners in the competition, but over the past month the ability to win the hard ball has dropped. Without quick ball movement from clearance wins the small forward line has struggled to get enough ‘clean’ ball such to use there one on one abilities.
The run and carry that has been a major factor in the Dogs success this year has dropped away over the past month, especially in the latter part of the games. Talk out of Whitten Oval is that the player’s maybe a bit flat after a heavy training load to ready the player’s for finals actions, but without this run and carry the Bulldogs look vulnerable.
Sydney – Summed up with one word, “BORING”. Sydney are the shut down kings. They play man on man across the ground and deny the opposition time , space and the ball. They are ranked no.1 in the competition in least possessions conceded in all the main categories, kicks, marks and handballs. Helping them achieve this is the fact that Sydney are ranked the no.1 tackling team in the competition.
With O’Loughlin out of the team and Hall low on confidence and form the Sydney forwardline looks quite weak. O’Keefe is a gun, but there doesn’t look to be much firepower down there to help him out. Bit players like Bevan and Grundy have picked up some of the slack, but the ability of Sydney to kick a winning score over the past 4 or 5 weeks has been a struggle.
Sydney rely on there strong contested ball winners in the midfield in Kirk, Bolton and Ablett to force the ball forward or to deny the opposition first use through there ferocious attack on the ball or the player with the ball. McVeigh, Bird and Jack have added to the midfield depth and there ball winning abilities certainly appear a worry for the Bulldogs running players.
Sydney’s backline looks vulnerable without Barry down there, but in reality his form hasn’t been that great this year. Sydney rely on the run from defence from the likes of Kennelly (sore shoulder) and Mattner, but neither have been in sparkling form of late and with Malceski struggling with injury and Swans have missed there drive from defence.
Key Match-Ups:
Adam Cooney vs Brett Kirk – Cooney was the difference between the teams earlier this season. Kirk after keeping Judd to just 9 possessions a couple of weeks back will be looking to nullify the impact and influence Cooney has on the game. Cooney on the other hand after an exceptional start to the season has seen his form slip over the past month and will be looking to have a big impact on this one.
Ben Hudson vs Darren Jolly – Jolly has had a fantastic year and is one of the premier ruckmen in the competition with his season go from strength to strength. Hudson who has been a great pick up for the Bulldogs has had his colours lowered in his past 2 outings and will be looking for an improved performance against Jolly who in the past has put in some match-winning efforts against the Bulldogs.
Brian Lake vs Barry Hall – Hall will be primed for a big performance against a player who’s form has ebbed and flowed this season. For Sydney to have a chance in this one they will need Hall to have a big influence up forward.
Who will win and why:
After exceeding all expectations in the first 15 rounds the Bulldogs form has wavered over the past few weeks. The reason’s for this could vary, but what is known is that there ability to play a full 120 minutes of hard contested footy just hasn’t been there. This week see’s them match-up against a team who may lack the flair and finesse of a Geelong, but by and large are the hardest team to break down.
Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has publically stated that the Dogs need to get back to winning the contested footy, something that was done to great effect earlier in the season. Preaching this is one thing, but against the Swans if there isn’t a concerted effort across the board then this will not be a reality.
The Swans look vulnerable with several key players out and I would hope that a fired up Bulldogs would be able to match Sydney’s hardness through the midfield and then with it’s superior pace and skill be able to penetrate Sydney’s under strength backline.
A big test to where the Bulldogs are at and although panic buttons haven't been pressed just yet another poor perfomance could see serious questions being asked.
In saying that the I expect the Dogs to bounce back strongly this week and win by 27pts.
Recent Form: Sydney have won just 1 of there past 4 games, that being Carlton by 2 pts a few weeks back. The Bulldogs have lost there past 2, against ladder leaders Geelong by 61pts at the Cattery and then followed this match with a disappointing 28pt loss against Carlton, squandering a 37pt lead in the 3rd quarter in the process.
Most recent match between these 2 teams:
Rd 7 2008 – SCG – Sydney 14.10.94 def by Western Bulldogs 18.4.112
- Adam Cooney was the star with a stunning 5 goal performance as the Bulldogs on the back of a 7 to 1 goal 2nd qtr ran out winners in an entertaining affair.
Players missing/ At the selection table:
Western Bulldogs – West & Higgins continue there long lay off, abit they are getting closer to selection. Injury prone CHB Tom Williams is set to return in the VFL after an extended lay off due to a shoulder injury. Dylan Addison looks set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against Carlton.
With quite a few players down on form it will interesting to see if the match committee keep the faith with the players who performed so well earlier on in the season, I suspect they will.
Sydney - Two time Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes looks set to miss with a persistent groin injury. He will join key players O’Loughlin and Barry and possibly Malceski on the sidelines.
Style of play:
Western Bulldogs – For much of the year the Bulldog’s have been one of the best contested ball winners in the competition, but over the past month the ability to win the hard ball has dropped. Without quick ball movement from clearance wins the small forward line has struggled to get enough ‘clean’ ball such to use there one on one abilities.
The run and carry that has been a major factor in the Dogs success this year has dropped away over the past month, especially in the latter part of the games. Talk out of Whitten Oval is that the player’s maybe a bit flat after a heavy training load to ready the player’s for finals actions, but without this run and carry the Bulldogs look vulnerable.
Sydney – Summed up with one word, “BORING”. Sydney are the shut down kings. They play man on man across the ground and deny the opposition time , space and the ball. They are ranked no.1 in the competition in least possessions conceded in all the main categories, kicks, marks and handballs. Helping them achieve this is the fact that Sydney are ranked the no.1 tackling team in the competition.
With O’Loughlin out of the team and Hall low on confidence and form the Sydney forwardline looks quite weak. O’Keefe is a gun, but there doesn’t look to be much firepower down there to help him out. Bit players like Bevan and Grundy have picked up some of the slack, but the ability of Sydney to kick a winning score over the past 4 or 5 weeks has been a struggle.
Sydney rely on there strong contested ball winners in the midfield in Kirk, Bolton and Ablett to force the ball forward or to deny the opposition first use through there ferocious attack on the ball or the player with the ball. McVeigh, Bird and Jack have added to the midfield depth and there ball winning abilities certainly appear a worry for the Bulldogs running players.
Sydney’s backline looks vulnerable without Barry down there, but in reality his form hasn’t been that great this year. Sydney rely on the run from defence from the likes of Kennelly (sore shoulder) and Mattner, but neither have been in sparkling form of late and with Malceski struggling with injury and Swans have missed there drive from defence.
Key Match-Ups:
Adam Cooney vs Brett Kirk – Cooney was the difference between the teams earlier this season. Kirk after keeping Judd to just 9 possessions a couple of weeks back will be looking to nullify the impact and influence Cooney has on the game. Cooney on the other hand after an exceptional start to the season has seen his form slip over the past month and will be looking to have a big impact on this one.
Ben Hudson vs Darren Jolly – Jolly has had a fantastic year and is one of the premier ruckmen in the competition with his season go from strength to strength. Hudson who has been a great pick up for the Bulldogs has had his colours lowered in his past 2 outings and will be looking for an improved performance against Jolly who in the past has put in some match-winning efforts against the Bulldogs.
Brian Lake vs Barry Hall – Hall will be primed for a big performance against a player who’s form has ebbed and flowed this season. For Sydney to have a chance in this one they will need Hall to have a big influence up forward.
Who will win and why:
After exceeding all expectations in the first 15 rounds the Bulldogs form has wavered over the past few weeks. The reason’s for this could vary, but what is known is that there ability to play a full 120 minutes of hard contested footy just hasn’t been there. This week see’s them match-up against a team who may lack the flair and finesse of a Geelong, but by and large are the hardest team to break down.
Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has publically stated that the Dogs need to get back to winning the contested footy, something that was done to great effect earlier in the season. Preaching this is one thing, but against the Swans if there isn’t a concerted effort across the board then this will not be a reality.
The Swans look vulnerable with several key players out and I would hope that a fired up Bulldogs would be able to match Sydney’s hardness through the midfield and then with it’s superior pace and skill be able to penetrate Sydney’s under strength backline.
A big test to where the Bulldogs are at and although panic buttons haven't been pressed just yet another poor perfomance could see serious questions being asked.
In saying that the I expect the Dogs to bounce back strongly this week and win by 27pts.