The Bulldogs Bite
29-04-2010, 12:05 AM
2010 AFL Season – Round 6 Match Preview
Western Bulldogs v St. Kilda
Etihad Stadium
Friday 30 April 2010, 7:40pm
Head To Head
Western Bulldogs: 70 wins
St Kilda: 74 wins
Draws: 3
Previous Encounters:
2010 NAB Cup Grand Final – Etihad Stadium
Western Bulldogs – 2.13.8 (104)
St Kilda – 0.9.10 (64)
The Western Bulldogs were quick to jump out of the blocks, finding themselves 29 points up before St. Kilda even scored. The Dogs’ pressure was a real highlight on this night, but as expected the Saints rallied. The margin narrowed down to two points in the third quarter before The Dogs were able to kick away and take in a 15 point lead to three quarter time. The last term was all one way with Barry Hall leading the charge, finishing off with 7 goals and being awarded the Michael Tuck Medal for ‘Best On Ground.’
2009 Preliminary Final - MCG
St Kilda – 9.6 (60)
Western Bulldogs – 7.11 (53)
Heartbreak. The Dogs went down to St. Kilda by 7 points, missing out on yet another Grand Final birth. The Bulldogs began the game in no uncertain terms, threatening to blow the game out of the water in the first quarter. Ryan Griffen and Robert Murphy were sensational but due to some inaccurate kicking, the door was left ajar. The Dogs run, carry, skill and pressure was fantastic all night but we failed to take our opportunity at key moments. Lenny Hayes and Nick Riewoldt were the saviors for St. Kilda – both played remarkable second halves that kept their side within reach. Morris had done a commendable job on Riewoldt, but the tall forward capitalized on some forward thrusts late in the game to kick two absolutely crucial goals. The Dogs got a very ordinary deal from the umpires, most noteably the Lake bump on Riewoldt. Having said all that – The Dogs lost the game through poor kicking for goal and a tendency to bomb the ball late in the match. Another pre-season of anguish for Dog supporters, whilst St. Kilda experienced that same fate one week later v Geelong in a losing Grand Final.
Round 17, 2009 Home & Away Season – Etihad Stadium
St Kilda – 16.10 (106)
Western Bulldogs – 9.7 (61)
Disappointing night for The Dogs who were close enough at three quarter time, but fell away badly in the last quarter. Much of that can be contributed to injuries to Higgins (groin) and Murphy (hamstring), whilst Welsh was the infamous 19th man on the field to cost us the opening goal and ultimately – any chance of victory. Goddard proved deadly with 37 disposals, whilst Dal Santo dominated with 39. On the other side of the field, Boyd finished with 39 of his own and Griffen picked up 26 disposals. Johnson was kept goalless by Hudghton, whilst Riewoldt ran Lake ragged whilst opposed to one another.
Preamble
The Dogs have had an indifferent start to the year after a compelling Nab Cup series. Victories have come against Richmond, Hawthorn and Adelaide – two of them winless, and the other having only secured the one win. The Bulldogs were well beaten in Round 1 against Collingwood and were comprehensively out-played in Brisbane against The Lions. Form has fluctuated throughout the matches, with most players having contributed at some point in time.
Last week, The Bulldogs found encouraging form in the second half to blow Adelaide away. Barry Hall was brilliant again up forward with 5 majors. Giansiracusa had arguably a career best game, picking up 35 disposals. 12 of those were contested, he had 5 inside 50’s and provided 3 goal assists. Griffen continued his strong form by finishing with 32 touches at 82% efficiency, 4 clearances and 2 goals.
St. Kilda have been most impressive once again this season, their highlight coming in Round 3 against Collingwood. Riewoldt badly injured his hamstring and Fisher was taken off the ground on a stretcher, but St. Kilda flexed their muscle and dominated Collingwood in the last quarter to run out winners by 28 points. Fisher made an inspiring return to the field, whilst Gilbert was close to best on ground.
The Saints have overcome strong opposition in Sydney, Collingwood and Fremantle. Their first loss came against Port Adelaide this past Saturday Night, going down by 10 points. It was a very scrappy game and whilst it appeared the Saints would be able to answer the challenge, the absence of Riewoldt was telling. Koschitzke was very poor in his first game back, whilst Milne barely got a sniff besides one miracle goal.
With the competition so even in 2010, the contest between these two heavyweights is vital. The Dogs need to keep up with the group to ensure a top four position never leaves sight. St. Kilda will be determined to atone for last week – two losses and the doubt of whether or not they can overcome sides without Riewoldt begins. Expect both sides to leave nothing to chance, throwing everything they possibly can at one another.
Selection Table - Bulldogs
Matthew Boyd - Hand - Test
Ayce Cordy - Shoulder - 2 weeks
Andrew Hooper - Shoulder - To be assessed
Christian Howard - Hip - 3 weeks
James Mulligan - Hamstring - Test
Liam Picken - Ankle - 4-5 weeks
Shane Thorne - Knee - 12 weeks
Jason Tutt - Ankle - 2 weeks
Callan Ward - Groin - 4 weeks
It’s an interesting week at the selection table for the Dogs. Boyd has been given the all clear by his surgeon to play, but Eade said he’s still no certainty. The decision may come back to Boydy himself and you’d think he would elect to play, given the opposition. Hargrave has recovered from last week and if fully fit should be another inclusion. He hasn’t been in good form, but he’s a fantastic player that makes our back six look complete. Other possibilities include Minson, Hill and Wood – but all three are very unlikely to play.
Grant, Addison and Moles are the three who will find it tough to keep their spots. Grant played well last week but we may be tempted to drop him in favour of a Boyd/Hargrave to suit St. Kilda’s physicality. Addison has done a job the last two weeks but his spot will be looked at with a similar, more effective player (Hargrave) coming back. Moles responded well to originally being dropped last week, but his disposal will be in question against a pressuring, disciplined St. Kilda outfit.
Selection Table – St. Kilda
Jason Gram (hip) - TBA
Luke Miles (stress fracture fibula) - TBA
Farren Ray (ankle) - TBA
Nick Riewoldt (hamstring) - 11-15 weeks
Jesse Smith (ankle) – TBA
The Saints have a few options up their sleeve. Gram and Ray are expected to return after missing last week’s game, whilst McEvoy is a likely inclusion too. Stanley is a young KF/Ruck option who that may be tempted to play due to their forward line woes last week. He impressed in the NAB Cup and is pretty agile for a big guy, having won the 2009 Grand Final sprint. Jack Steven is an outside chance to play too, if the Saints are looking for extra speed.
There are a number of players in the gun. Eddy, Peake, King, Clarke and McQualter are the five in trouble of keeping their positions. Expect three changes at the least – but a Stanley/Steven inclusion wouldn’t surprise us either, for logical reasons.
Key Match-ups
Lake vs. Kosi: This is a pivotal match-up, made more important by Riewoldt’s absence. Last week Kosi had no impact on the game, and they lost. They are desperate for the maligned forward to step up – but Lake is certainly one player in the past that has embarrassed him. The 09 PF is another example of Brian’s dominance as not only did he quell the big forward, he set up numerous attacks for us too. It’s a huge problem for St. Kilda – do they try to take Lake out of the play, ‘double team’ a full back or hope Kosi bucks the trend?
Morris vs. Goddard: They may elect to play Goddard in the midfield for periods of the game, but I’d expect them to play him forward as much as possible. Without Riewoldt, Morris is the perfect match-up. He’s got the size (for once), strength and pace to match it with Goddard who has been in blistering form so far this year. Goddard id undoubtedly their trump card; if we can’t contain him, we’ll find it difficult to win.
Hargrave/Harbrow vs. Milne: Last week aside, Milne’s been very damaging thus far in 2010. In previous years, Hargrave has done a pretty good job keeping the small forward quiet. However – it’s not certain Ryan will play, and even if he does, his form has been well down on previous years. Harbrow will get a crack at some stage – he has to play tighter. Whilst we love Harbrow’s run, he can cough up goals against the smart small forwards and Milne is definitely one of those.
Addison? vs. Montagna: Picken injured leaves a massive hole in our side. He’d usually go to Montagna, and with Ward out too – we’re light on for options. Addison may get a game based purely on this. He’s been playing OK and generally plays well when given a specific role to play. Moles might be another asked to do the job, whilst I wouldn’t be surprised to see us use Griffen in a head to head role. This is a problem for us either way. Montagna runs the lines and can really get St. Kilda moving – we’ll need to rotate a few players on him to ensure his influence is limited.
Cooney/Griffen vs. Jones: These two usually play on one another, but with Griffen’s great form perhaps Jones will break the trend. In any case, Jones has established himself as one of the best taggers in the game. He has a decent record on Cooney and if we’re to get over the line, Adam will play an integral part in that. Likewise Griffen – who if he gets on top of the Saints, will probably get Jones at some stage.
Boyd vs. Hayes: Last year, Hayes helped drag the Saints over the line and into a Grand Final. Had it not been for his efforts – they wouldn’t of made it. Cross played on him and was unfortunately beaten badly. This time around, expect Boyd (if he plays) to go head to head. Both are absolute gems at finding the ball and creating space for others.
Hahn vs. Fisher: Seems the suitable type. Mitch is usually stuck with opposition players who love to be third man up. Fisher plays this role better than anybody and creates plenty of drive off half back. Hahn hasn’t been in great form and will really need to lift to make Fisher accountable. If he doesn’t, expect Fisher to make life very difficult for Hall. Hahn may not be our best forward – but arguably he’s our most important one this Friday Night.
Akermanis vs. Baker: Most likely to eventuate and despite their age, again – it’s a key match-up. Aker is yet to register a major so far this year which is most unlike him. In 2008, he booted six against them in a vintage Aker display. Whilst that’s a bit of a pipe dream to happen again, Aker is still very capable of turning a match. Against a tough side like St. Kilda – we need to finish off our work and Aker’s probably the best at that. Baker has done a fairly good job on him in recent times so Aker will be hoping to get involved in a greater capacity.
Hall vs. Dawson: Barry has been in great form offensively and defensively. Dawson has been ordinary and as we saw in the NAB Cup, Hall has the ability to really out-smart and out-body the Saints defender. Pivotal match-up; Hall might only have to kick 4 for us to win provided it’s not a high scoring game. Dawson will need a chop out and Fisher/Gilbert will supply that – but they have to be weary of their opponents. Hall has the ability to win it off his own boot or draw all the attention to himself, thus allowing the likes of Johnson, Hahn and Higgins to blossom.
X-Factor
Brad Johnson: Much like Aker, Johnson is yet to kick a goal in 2010. Most unusual and if somebody told you that both these players would be goalless after Round 5, you’d be calling them insane. Having said that – Johnson has only played the two games and looked good last week despite a few turnover kicks. From St. Kilda’s point of view, Johnson isn’t really their biggest worry. Down back they’ll be trying to curb Lake, Harbrow and Gilbee. In the middle they’ll be paying attention to Cooney and Griffen. Up forward, Hall, Murphy and Higgins will probably be their main targets. It means Johnson – for the first time in his career – can get under the guard a little.
Adam Schneider: When you think of stopping St. Kilda, Schneider doesn’t spring to mind. The likes of Riewoldt, Hayes, Montagna, Goddard, Dal Santo, Milne, Fisher and Gilbert do. Quite often, Schneider is able to sneak under the radar and really hurt sides. He’s developed a bigger engine over the pre-season so that he can push up to the midfield at times. He’s a clever player, runs hard and can kick goals. Similar to Eagleton in that he finds space by dropping off packs or running hard forward. He’s booted 9.3 so far in 2010, coming off 34 goals in 2009. He’s definitely the type of player that could bob up with 20 disposals and 2-3 goals to create a buffer.
Western Bulldogs v St. Kilda
Etihad Stadium
Friday 30 April 2010, 7:40pm
Head To Head
Western Bulldogs: 70 wins
St Kilda: 74 wins
Draws: 3
Previous Encounters:
2010 NAB Cup Grand Final – Etihad Stadium
Western Bulldogs – 2.13.8 (104)
St Kilda – 0.9.10 (64)
The Western Bulldogs were quick to jump out of the blocks, finding themselves 29 points up before St. Kilda even scored. The Dogs’ pressure was a real highlight on this night, but as expected the Saints rallied. The margin narrowed down to two points in the third quarter before The Dogs were able to kick away and take in a 15 point lead to three quarter time. The last term was all one way with Barry Hall leading the charge, finishing off with 7 goals and being awarded the Michael Tuck Medal for ‘Best On Ground.’
2009 Preliminary Final - MCG
St Kilda – 9.6 (60)
Western Bulldogs – 7.11 (53)
Heartbreak. The Dogs went down to St. Kilda by 7 points, missing out on yet another Grand Final birth. The Bulldogs began the game in no uncertain terms, threatening to blow the game out of the water in the first quarter. Ryan Griffen and Robert Murphy were sensational but due to some inaccurate kicking, the door was left ajar. The Dogs run, carry, skill and pressure was fantastic all night but we failed to take our opportunity at key moments. Lenny Hayes and Nick Riewoldt were the saviors for St. Kilda – both played remarkable second halves that kept their side within reach. Morris had done a commendable job on Riewoldt, but the tall forward capitalized on some forward thrusts late in the game to kick two absolutely crucial goals. The Dogs got a very ordinary deal from the umpires, most noteably the Lake bump on Riewoldt. Having said all that – The Dogs lost the game through poor kicking for goal and a tendency to bomb the ball late in the match. Another pre-season of anguish for Dog supporters, whilst St. Kilda experienced that same fate one week later v Geelong in a losing Grand Final.
Round 17, 2009 Home & Away Season – Etihad Stadium
St Kilda – 16.10 (106)
Western Bulldogs – 9.7 (61)
Disappointing night for The Dogs who were close enough at three quarter time, but fell away badly in the last quarter. Much of that can be contributed to injuries to Higgins (groin) and Murphy (hamstring), whilst Welsh was the infamous 19th man on the field to cost us the opening goal and ultimately – any chance of victory. Goddard proved deadly with 37 disposals, whilst Dal Santo dominated with 39. On the other side of the field, Boyd finished with 39 of his own and Griffen picked up 26 disposals. Johnson was kept goalless by Hudghton, whilst Riewoldt ran Lake ragged whilst opposed to one another.
Preamble
The Dogs have had an indifferent start to the year after a compelling Nab Cup series. Victories have come against Richmond, Hawthorn and Adelaide – two of them winless, and the other having only secured the one win. The Bulldogs were well beaten in Round 1 against Collingwood and were comprehensively out-played in Brisbane against The Lions. Form has fluctuated throughout the matches, with most players having contributed at some point in time.
Last week, The Bulldogs found encouraging form in the second half to blow Adelaide away. Barry Hall was brilliant again up forward with 5 majors. Giansiracusa had arguably a career best game, picking up 35 disposals. 12 of those were contested, he had 5 inside 50’s and provided 3 goal assists. Griffen continued his strong form by finishing with 32 touches at 82% efficiency, 4 clearances and 2 goals.
St. Kilda have been most impressive once again this season, their highlight coming in Round 3 against Collingwood. Riewoldt badly injured his hamstring and Fisher was taken off the ground on a stretcher, but St. Kilda flexed their muscle and dominated Collingwood in the last quarter to run out winners by 28 points. Fisher made an inspiring return to the field, whilst Gilbert was close to best on ground.
The Saints have overcome strong opposition in Sydney, Collingwood and Fremantle. Their first loss came against Port Adelaide this past Saturday Night, going down by 10 points. It was a very scrappy game and whilst it appeared the Saints would be able to answer the challenge, the absence of Riewoldt was telling. Koschitzke was very poor in his first game back, whilst Milne barely got a sniff besides one miracle goal.
With the competition so even in 2010, the contest between these two heavyweights is vital. The Dogs need to keep up with the group to ensure a top four position never leaves sight. St. Kilda will be determined to atone for last week – two losses and the doubt of whether or not they can overcome sides without Riewoldt begins. Expect both sides to leave nothing to chance, throwing everything they possibly can at one another.
Selection Table - Bulldogs
Matthew Boyd - Hand - Test
Ayce Cordy - Shoulder - 2 weeks
Andrew Hooper - Shoulder - To be assessed
Christian Howard - Hip - 3 weeks
James Mulligan - Hamstring - Test
Liam Picken - Ankle - 4-5 weeks
Shane Thorne - Knee - 12 weeks
Jason Tutt - Ankle - 2 weeks
Callan Ward - Groin - 4 weeks
It’s an interesting week at the selection table for the Dogs. Boyd has been given the all clear by his surgeon to play, but Eade said he’s still no certainty. The decision may come back to Boydy himself and you’d think he would elect to play, given the opposition. Hargrave has recovered from last week and if fully fit should be another inclusion. He hasn’t been in good form, but he’s a fantastic player that makes our back six look complete. Other possibilities include Minson, Hill and Wood – but all three are very unlikely to play.
Grant, Addison and Moles are the three who will find it tough to keep their spots. Grant played well last week but we may be tempted to drop him in favour of a Boyd/Hargrave to suit St. Kilda’s physicality. Addison has done a job the last two weeks but his spot will be looked at with a similar, more effective player (Hargrave) coming back. Moles responded well to originally being dropped last week, but his disposal will be in question against a pressuring, disciplined St. Kilda outfit.
Selection Table – St. Kilda
Jason Gram (hip) - TBA
Luke Miles (stress fracture fibula) - TBA
Farren Ray (ankle) - TBA
Nick Riewoldt (hamstring) - 11-15 weeks
Jesse Smith (ankle) – TBA
The Saints have a few options up their sleeve. Gram and Ray are expected to return after missing last week’s game, whilst McEvoy is a likely inclusion too. Stanley is a young KF/Ruck option who that may be tempted to play due to their forward line woes last week. He impressed in the NAB Cup and is pretty agile for a big guy, having won the 2009 Grand Final sprint. Jack Steven is an outside chance to play too, if the Saints are looking for extra speed.
There are a number of players in the gun. Eddy, Peake, King, Clarke and McQualter are the five in trouble of keeping their positions. Expect three changes at the least – but a Stanley/Steven inclusion wouldn’t surprise us either, for logical reasons.
Key Match-ups
Lake vs. Kosi: This is a pivotal match-up, made more important by Riewoldt’s absence. Last week Kosi had no impact on the game, and they lost. They are desperate for the maligned forward to step up – but Lake is certainly one player in the past that has embarrassed him. The 09 PF is another example of Brian’s dominance as not only did he quell the big forward, he set up numerous attacks for us too. It’s a huge problem for St. Kilda – do they try to take Lake out of the play, ‘double team’ a full back or hope Kosi bucks the trend?
Morris vs. Goddard: They may elect to play Goddard in the midfield for periods of the game, but I’d expect them to play him forward as much as possible. Without Riewoldt, Morris is the perfect match-up. He’s got the size (for once), strength and pace to match it with Goddard who has been in blistering form so far this year. Goddard id undoubtedly their trump card; if we can’t contain him, we’ll find it difficult to win.
Hargrave/Harbrow vs. Milne: Last week aside, Milne’s been very damaging thus far in 2010. In previous years, Hargrave has done a pretty good job keeping the small forward quiet. However – it’s not certain Ryan will play, and even if he does, his form has been well down on previous years. Harbrow will get a crack at some stage – he has to play tighter. Whilst we love Harbrow’s run, he can cough up goals against the smart small forwards and Milne is definitely one of those.
Addison? vs. Montagna: Picken injured leaves a massive hole in our side. He’d usually go to Montagna, and with Ward out too – we’re light on for options. Addison may get a game based purely on this. He’s been playing OK and generally plays well when given a specific role to play. Moles might be another asked to do the job, whilst I wouldn’t be surprised to see us use Griffen in a head to head role. This is a problem for us either way. Montagna runs the lines and can really get St. Kilda moving – we’ll need to rotate a few players on him to ensure his influence is limited.
Cooney/Griffen vs. Jones: These two usually play on one another, but with Griffen’s great form perhaps Jones will break the trend. In any case, Jones has established himself as one of the best taggers in the game. He has a decent record on Cooney and if we’re to get over the line, Adam will play an integral part in that. Likewise Griffen – who if he gets on top of the Saints, will probably get Jones at some stage.
Boyd vs. Hayes: Last year, Hayes helped drag the Saints over the line and into a Grand Final. Had it not been for his efforts – they wouldn’t of made it. Cross played on him and was unfortunately beaten badly. This time around, expect Boyd (if he plays) to go head to head. Both are absolute gems at finding the ball and creating space for others.
Hahn vs. Fisher: Seems the suitable type. Mitch is usually stuck with opposition players who love to be third man up. Fisher plays this role better than anybody and creates plenty of drive off half back. Hahn hasn’t been in great form and will really need to lift to make Fisher accountable. If he doesn’t, expect Fisher to make life very difficult for Hall. Hahn may not be our best forward – but arguably he’s our most important one this Friday Night.
Akermanis vs. Baker: Most likely to eventuate and despite their age, again – it’s a key match-up. Aker is yet to register a major so far this year which is most unlike him. In 2008, he booted six against them in a vintage Aker display. Whilst that’s a bit of a pipe dream to happen again, Aker is still very capable of turning a match. Against a tough side like St. Kilda – we need to finish off our work and Aker’s probably the best at that. Baker has done a fairly good job on him in recent times so Aker will be hoping to get involved in a greater capacity.
Hall vs. Dawson: Barry has been in great form offensively and defensively. Dawson has been ordinary and as we saw in the NAB Cup, Hall has the ability to really out-smart and out-body the Saints defender. Pivotal match-up; Hall might only have to kick 4 for us to win provided it’s not a high scoring game. Dawson will need a chop out and Fisher/Gilbert will supply that – but they have to be weary of their opponents. Hall has the ability to win it off his own boot or draw all the attention to himself, thus allowing the likes of Johnson, Hahn and Higgins to blossom.
X-Factor
Brad Johnson: Much like Aker, Johnson is yet to kick a goal in 2010. Most unusual and if somebody told you that both these players would be goalless after Round 5, you’d be calling them insane. Having said that – Johnson has only played the two games and looked good last week despite a few turnover kicks. From St. Kilda’s point of view, Johnson isn’t really their biggest worry. Down back they’ll be trying to curb Lake, Harbrow and Gilbee. In the middle they’ll be paying attention to Cooney and Griffen. Up forward, Hall, Murphy and Higgins will probably be their main targets. It means Johnson – for the first time in his career – can get under the guard a little.
Adam Schneider: When you think of stopping St. Kilda, Schneider doesn’t spring to mind. The likes of Riewoldt, Hayes, Montagna, Goddard, Dal Santo, Milne, Fisher and Gilbert do. Quite often, Schneider is able to sneak under the radar and really hurt sides. He’s developed a bigger engine over the pre-season so that he can push up to the midfield at times. He’s a clever player, runs hard and can kick goals. Similar to Eagleton in that he finds space by dropping off packs or running hard forward. He’s booted 9.3 so far in 2010, coming off 34 goals in 2009. He’s definitely the type of player that could bob up with 20 disposals and 2-3 goals to create a buffer.