Our opponents this week: Richmond

[Dry Rot]

Anyone watch the Tigers last weekend? What did you think of them?

For them to beat us, what do they have to do?

And vice versa for us to beat them?

[GVGjr]

Anyone watch the Tigers last weekend? What did you think of them?

For them to beat us, what do they have to do?

And vice versa for us to beat them?

They are not playing badly but can't finish out the games. Stopping Richo is one of the keys for us. Exploiting the Tigers back line is a big challenge for our disorganised forward line and this is Eade's biggest challenge.

[Dry Rot]

Looking after Richo, Symmonds and Schultz up forward should be fun - wonder which tall Hargrave will cop?

[GVGjr]

Looking after Richo, Symmonds and Schultz up forward should be fun - wonder which tall Hargrave will cop?

Harris on Richo
Wight on Simmonds (if he plays)
Hargarve on Schultz

[BulldogBelle]

Stopping Richo is one of the keys for us. Exploiting the Tigers back line is a big challenge for our disorganised forward line and this is Eade's biggest challenge.

Yes, that is a concern Richo from memory always kicks a bag against us - curbing him to no goals would be great - so Harris is the logical choice I would think. We will have to try something very different on the field this week, I would think Eade would have done a lot of extra homework this week.

[Mantis]

Harris on Richo
Wight on Simmonds (if he plays)
Hargarve on Schultz

I am get sick of Hargrave having to give away not so much height, but strength. I would expect Richmond will play 4 talls in there forwardline: Richo, Schultz, Simmonds/ Pattison and P.Bowden. With the players we have in the side at present we cant match all these up suitably. In the game at G last year (Grant's 330th) P.Bowden should have kicked 4 in the 1st qtr as he had a mismatch on Gilbee, his bad kicking for goal saved us.

We cannot continue to play short in the backline, it is killing us time and time again.. I think we have to bring in Williams this week, he could match up quite well on Pattison or even P.Bowden. I know we need to improve our midfield defensive skills, but an extra tall in defence is required against Richmond who's only chance of beating us is via there talls inside 50 dominating our smaller defence.

[aker39]

I think we need to get off to a good start. I know the Tigers have started well and faded in their 1st 3 games, but if we give them a sniff, then we will be in trouble.

[Go_Dogs]

Tambling played very well last week for them.

[GVGjr]

I am get sick of Hargrave having to give away not so much height, but strength. I would expect Richmond will play 4 talls in there forwardline: Richo, Schultz, Simmonds/ Pattison and P.Bowden. With the players we have in the side at present we cant match all these up suitably. In the game at G last year (Grant's 330th) P.Bowden should have kicked 4 in the 1st qtr as he had a mismatch on Gilbee, his bad kicking for goal saved us.

We cannot continue to play short in the backline, it is killing us time and time again.. I think we have to bring in Williams this week, he could match up quite well on Pattison or even P.Bowden. I know we need to improve our midfield defensive skills, but an extra tall in defence is required against Richmond who's only chance of beating us is via there talls inside 50 dominating our smaller defence.

Even if the Tigers load up on talls I don't think they have the quality to hurt is. Morris could cover Bowden and even Griffen could.
I'm not convinced that Williams sould be rushed into the line-up. We have been very patient with his recovery and now that he is back on the park I would push my luck. In two more weeks we will know if he is fit enough and in good form.

[GVGjr]

I think we need to get off to a good start. I know the Tigers have started well and faded in their 1st 3 games, but if we give them a sniff, then we will be in trouble.


Agreed. Their confidence can't be good and if we got the first 3 or 4 goals against them they could fold very quickly. A good start this week is vital.

[Mantis]

Even if the Tigers load up on talls I don't think they have the quality to hurt is. Morris could cover Bowden and even Griffen could.
I'm not convinced that Williams sould be rushed into the line-up. We have been very patient with his recovery and now that he is back on the park I would push my luck. In two more weeks we will know if he is fit enough and in good form.

I along with many others thought the same against Adelaide. Who would have thought Stevens, Welsh, Perrie and Bock would take us to the cleaners. I know the Adelaide midfield and defence is much stronger than Richmond's, but I still dont wont to be exposed up back if things go pear shaped up field.

[LostDoggy]

The new jumper looks good- except, having grown up watching Collingwood vs Kangaroos on The Winners on a back and white TV and still being able to tell them apart despite Victoria Park being a mudbath I see no clash with Richmond. However, I can understand that a Friday night game would enable maximum exposure.

I assume we would be wearing white shorts as the away team, but would someone either:

a) please, please, PLEASE tell me that we don't have to wear white socks, like the Kangaroos all white outfit, or Tottenham Hotspurs, or any other girlymen forced to wear white socks, at least without hoops, or

b) if we do have to wear white socks without hoops... shoot me.

[bornadog]

The new jumper looks good- except, having grown up watching Collingwood vs Kangaroos on The Winners on a back and white TV and still being able to tell them apart despite Victoria Park being a mudbath I see no clash with Richmond. However, I can understand that a Friday night game would enable maximum exposure.

I assume we would be wearing white shorts as the away team, but would someone either:

a) please, please, PLEASE tell me that we don't have to wear white socks, like the Kangaroos all white outfit, or Tottenham Hotspurs, or any other girlymen forced to wear white socks, at least without hoops, or

b) if we do have to wear white socks without hoops... shoot me.

GUERNSEY – New white base utilising existing Bulldogs guernsey design. Red, white and blue colours, Bulldog head and horizontal hoops are maintained.
SHORTS – As per previous years away shorts design (white)
SOCKS – As per guernsey design, white base with red and blue horizontal hoops.

[GVGjr]

This is how the teams are listed to line-up

RICHMOND v WESTERN BULLDOGS
Friday, 7:40pm AEST, MCG

RICHMOND
B: Raines, Gaspar, McGuane
HB: Newman, J.Bowden, Deledio
C: Tambling, Tuck, Tivendale
HF: Pettifer, Polak, Hyde
F: Krakouer, Richardson, Schulz
FOLL: Simmonds, Johnson, Foley
I/C: Polo, P.Bowden, King, Edwards
EM: Jackson, Oakley-Nicholls, Riewoldt
IN: King, Edwards, P.Bowden
OUT: Moore, Pattison, Howatt
NEW: Shane Edwards, selection No.26 2006 NAB AFL Draft from North Adelaide; Jake King, 2006 Rookie Draft from Coburg Tigers

WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: McMahon, Harris, Morris
HB: Gilbee, Wight, Hargrave
C: Eagleton, S.West, Cross
HF: Giansiracusa, Johnson, Griffen
F: Murphy, Darcy, Higgins
FOLL: Minson, Boyd, Cooney
I/C: Addison, Williams, Harbrow, Ray
EM: Robbins, Faulkner, Montgomery
IN: Williams, Harbrow,
OUT: Power (hamstring), Street
NEW: Tom Williams, selection No.6 2004 AFL Draft from Morningside Qld., Jarrod Harbrow, 2006 AFL Rookie Draft, from Murray Bushrangers

Field umpires: Vozzo, Margetts, Chamberlian

[GVGjr]

This from AFL.com

Forward scout: Western Bulldogs (http://afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=41623)

Exclusive, for Richmond Football Club
News

OUR BACKS:When things aren’t going our way we need to tighten things up a bit. We feel as though when we haven’t been winning the ball and when the opposition is coming back at us we leave our defense out to dry and they are forced to compete in situations they shouldn’t have to.

Their forwards: The last few weeks Johnno (Brad Johnson) has probably been their main target but there are some blokes who are equally as damaging if we give them some space. We have got to put a lot of time into blokes like Adam Cooney, if he goes forward, and young Jarrod Harbrow, who has just come in and is pretty dangerous around goals. We will also have to watch Darcy or Will Minson if they play deep.”

Midfield battle: Clearly their strength is across the ground. They have Nathan Eagleton, Daniel Cross, Scott West and possibly Ryan Griffen all going through the midfield and generating a lot of ball. So we are going to have our hands full, in one, trying to curtail those players, and two, to be able to go and win our own ball.

The ruck duel: Troy Simmonds will be our number one ruckman while the back up ruck position is likely to be filled by a couple of players such as Graham Polak who has done well in the past couple of weeks. They will be up against pretty hard conditioned ruckman in Minson and Darcy so we will need a good honest contest out of our guys.

Our forwards: We’re number one in conversion in the competition but we are well down on inside 50s. So I think it’s showing that when we get it in there we know how to put them through. We just need to generate a bit more ball both in the forward line and the midfield.

Their backs: If you go through the statistics, they are the number one rebound-50 side and number one in handball receives, so their run and link up with the handball is their strength. Brian Harris is critical to their line-up.

Lessons from last week

How to curb momentum. Also, we have been in winning positions for three games in a row so we need to sustain the style of play and the work ethic that got us there in the first place.

What the coaches say

Terry Wallace “I think both clubs have had some good players not in their best form. What you’ll probably find is that on Friday night one of the two clubs will get those players back into good form and obviously we’re hoping that’s us.”

Rodney Eade "They've played some good footy over the three weeks and probably could have won any one of those games. It will be a fairly physical game between two teams that are desperate to win.”

What our players say

Troy Simmonds “It wouldn’t matter what side we’re playing at the weekend. Playing with zero wins out of three is enough to get me and the boys up and motivated for the game.”

Adam Pattison “We have been in winning positions in the first three games so we are going to be desperate. It will be pretty attacking but we do not want to have a shoot out with them as that may play to their strength.”

A few stats

Richmond v Western Bulldogs in 2006; Bulldogs by 115 points at Telstra Dome in round one, Bulldogs by 22 points at the MCG in round 22.

Richmond win percentage against Bulldogs, 53.93%; at the MCG 55.33%

Note to Self

We have lost the last three games against the Bulldogs. However, in the last five games, we have only lost once to them at the MCG.

[Bulldog Revolution]

We dont want Deledio having shots on goal - he seeems to get a lot against us and convert. Tuck has played well against us previously, Raines doesn't appear to have started the season in great touch but is a young player who I rate very highly. I also thought Polo showed good signs last year, as did the jockey Foley. So they do have some developing runners, but we should be a bit too deep in that area if we are desperate enough in defensive work.

We have to try and stop Bowden zoning off on his man and getting easy marks and starting attacks. Our forwards have to attack the ball in the air and make contests.