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View Full Version : MATCH PREVIEW: Round 11, 2010 -- Western Bulldogs vs. Collingwood



LostDoggy
02-06-2010, 01:56 PM
Etihad Stadium
Sunday, June 6
4:30pm

http://images.theage.com.au/2010/03/28/1266661/svHAHN-420x0.jpg

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HAVE WE MET BEFORE?
Looking at comrade’s fantastic preview to round 1, it would be fair to say that the mood around the place has changed somewhat since then.

In Round 1 we were coming off a 40+ point win against a Nick Riewoldt led St. Kilda, just given our lonely 1954 AFL premiership cup a little night premiership cousin, were warm flag favourites with the bookies and punters, had ‘enviable depth’ making all of us wonder how 25 were going to fit into 22, re-signed Aker, Lake and Eagle in the off-season, and Williams, Gia and Murph had just had their best ever pre-seasons.

Come Round 11, wins in glorified practice matches have been long forgotten, we are coming off a loss to Essendon in an insipid performance, we have been exposed for midfield running depth all season as our midfielders have either broken down with injury or been found wanting form/fitness wise, we barely have enough fit players to field a competitive 22, and Eagle, Aker, Williams, Gia and Murph have all had up-and-down seasons (like the team itself), and our superstar captain can’t get on the park after being hit by a stray golf buggy.

What a difference a few points make. If the Dogs had held on to win against St.Kilda, and snuck out the win against Essendon last week, we would all be abuzz about the resilience and ability to win of the group. We did get out of jail against Melbourne to sit at 6-4 in a crazy season which we could plausibly have been 8-2 (and top 2), or 5-5 (and as low as 10th). As it is, we’re 5th, which looks about right.

WHERE ARE COLLINGWOOD AT?
Basically, in pretty much the same place as we’ve been all season. They started the season as top 4 contenders, beat us in round 1, then barely got over Melbourne (hey, sound familiar?), looked in red-hot form against a couple of mid-table teams and went to premiership favouritism, had their players' tyres pumped up by the media, which were then flattened by Geelong and Brisbane the last two rounds. Suddenly, it’s crisis time down at Magpie land, and it’s fair to say that if Akergate hadn’t been front and back page news all week, there would have been more over-the-top media “analysis” of the Collywobbles. Medhurst, our tomentor from Round 1, and Leon Davis are both missing/injured/sooking, and their much vaunted forwardline doesn’t stand up in big games (again, sound familiar?). They look good beating up on weaker teams (again, sound familiar??) because their mids all cheat and play forward of the ball, but if a team can win the inside ball against them (ie. Geelong, or Black/Power for Brisbane) they are stuffed. Malthouse knows this, so against the better teams he reins in the running-forward-of-the-ball a bit, which then affects their goalscoring ability. These guys also love kicking more behinds than goals, especially after half-time in big matches (again, sound familiar???).

DANGER! DANGER!

Harry O’ Brien and Nick Maxwell – the twin towers down back. Both big, strong and super-athletic, both read the play well, both have good disposal skills. If these guys are unaccountable, they will run the ball out 30 times and set up 20 scoring shots off their own boots. WHAT TO DO? We just have to play through their opponents as often as possible, who have to move around like buggery to keep them honest. Fev towelled up Maxwell last week when Nick wouldn’t pay him any respect.
Travis Cloke – Like everyone else, I don’t know what to make of this guy. On his day he is unplayable, big enough and fast enough and has a large enough tank to be a nightmare match-up, but his ‘days’ are as rare as an uncooked leg of lamb. On his bad days (which are many) he is the ideal player to run off, as he seems to get lost in traffic, lose sight of the ball, forget how to kick etc. It is not a stretch to say that if Cloke doesn’t show up, Collingwood are 50% of the way to losing. If he does show up, though, they usually win. WHAT TO DO? Morris/Williams. Our best stopper on him to start, but if he’s out-marking him on the lead, Williams to stay with him. Lake to help out as 3rd man up if Travis is playing deep.
Dane Swan – No secret that I have a man-crush on this guy. He’s as good, hard and clear-headed a player as you will ever want to have in your team. If Collingwood had two Dane Swans it would be game over red rover. WHAT TO DO? EDIT (thanks EJ and TBB): Boydy to beat him one-on-one. Matthew also looks better with a clear role to play, and can leave the fancy stuff to Coons and Griff. Also, if you get the ball first then he can’t. He’s smarter than you, though, so watch out for his sneaky positioning. He’ll also try to steal the ball off you when you get it inside, so make sure you get the handball out to the right guy.
Sharrod Wellingham - This kid has been in white-hot form all year. He gets his hands clear, has great vision in traffic, and is as clean as the day is long. Hey, he’s Aker minus the magic. WHAT TO DO? Addison/Wood?
Alan Didak – biggest front-running cheat in the game, but so very good at it. The other guys (Ball etc.) block for him to get it at the back of the pack, so we have to watch him closely. WHAT TO DO? Picken was made for guys like this. He is also unaccountable, so Liam to look to hurt him going the other way.
Darren Jolly – dangerous resting ruck. WHAT TO DO? Williams, or Lake to run off him.


GIVE THESE GUYS THE BALL

Heath Shaw – this bloke can’t kick. Teams get scared because he gets the ball a lot and runs fast, but if you corral him and make him run to the wings (which is where he likes to go anyway) instead of straight up the ground, he’ll turn it over.
Dale Thomas – okay, don’t let him get near the goals because he knows how to find them, but anywhere else on the ground, just cover his next option and you’ll get the ball back. Also, if you put pressure on this guy (even referred pressure) he’ll just kick it any old how, usually off the side of his boot. Griff/Harbrow should play on him (depending on where he is) and towel him up as Thomas is as unaccountable as they come.
Chris Dawes – again, not near the goals, because he’ll score, but anywhere else on the ground, this guy’s disposal (especially by hand) is a liability. He likes to lead up to the wing at the top of the 50 (all the Collingwood guys do) but once he’s too far out to score, let him have it and cover the most obvious handball option.


BULLDOGS SELECTION TABLE
Well, Aker is out so someone else (Moles? Wood?) comes in. Higgins played like an old man last week, but Eagleton IS an old man, so that’s much of a muchness. Then there are the rumours that Johnno is ready to come back in, but the ins-and-outs have been discussed ad nauseum in its own thread anyway, so I’ll just focus on Rocco’s favourite topic – are we too top heavy with 2 ruckmen? Well, what ARE our options and what are the consequences of each?


OPTION 1, go in with 2 ruckmen: Well, we would still be short on running depth, ESPECIALLY if Everitt comes in, so some other tall would have to go out of the side. Hahn is the most obvious candidate, but it would be a very un-Rocket like decision to drop Mitch. So we’ll probably go in top heavy.
OPTION 2, Huddo rucks, Minnow goes back to Willy, Williams/Everitt share ruck duties: Essentially Everitt would be coming in for Minson, so we’ll gain a bit in mobility but Everitt is no Minson in the ruck. Everitt isn’t a runner as such either, so we may still need to get Moles into the side to replace Hahn or Grant.
OPTION 3, Huddo rucks, Minnow goes back to Willy, Williams rucks sometimes: Everitt doesn’t come in for Minnow, instead, we bring a runner (Moles, Eagleton, Wood) directly in for Minson. Horses for courses – Lake/Morris can probably cover Cloke/Dawes, but we were burnt by resting ruckmen last week, so if Jolly comes forward, Williams must go back.
OPTION 4, Huddo rucks, Minnow plays 60% upfront, Hahn dropped for a runner: My preferred option. Hahn isn’t offering much up forward that Minnow wouldn’t be able to anyway, but we get a quality second ruck option without having to sacrifice either Williams or Everitt, PLUS we get extra run.
OPTION 5: Exactly the same as Option 4, but with Roughhead instead of Minson: May actually work better, as Jordan offers more up forward than Minnow does, and probably more than Hahn does at this point.


WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON THIS SEASON?
It would be fair to say that most Dogs supporters are confused, emotionally and rationally. We don’t come close very often, so when we are told that we are ‘favourites’, we want it to be pain-free and easy, and are prone to over-reacting when things don’t quite go our way. Stepping back, however, it would be fair to say that it has been a topsy-turvy season for EVERYONE bar Geelong, who remains the competition yardstick.

LANTERN’S HYPOTHESIS
All clubs would have planned for the upcoming list/draft rape by GC17 and GWS, and foreseen that seasons 2011 – 2013 have to be flag-chasing seasons, not rebuilding ones. As such, ALL clubs have been timing their rebuilds to ensure that their lists are at their most competitive through these years. Essendon, Carlton, Fremantle and Melbourne are all now starting to see the fruit of their efforts, with North, the Eagles and Port not too far behind. Brisbane and Sydney are recycling heavily to remain competitive. They won’t all end up at the same level of strength during the next few years, but with all teams timing their windows to the same time, this has ensured that the next few years will be very even and competitive seasons. This will be even more pronounced as the stronger teams of this last few years ie. St.Kilda, Geelong, Collingwood, Hawthorn and yes, the Dogs, who haven’t blooded as many youngsters in our respective 'windows', come off our respective peaks.

Season 2010 is the cusp of that future, with teams like Carlton and Essendon, while not strong or consistent enough yet to be genuine contenders, still having the talent to beat Geelong, St. Kilda and the Dogs.

This long-winded hypothesis has hopefully showed that the yo-yo results (how many of us have picked 8 winners consistently?) of the season are probably more a by-product of the evenness of the competition than any particular strength or weakness of individual teams. Hawthorn 2008 and St Kilda 2009 have probably skewed the perception that strong teams go through seasons unbeaten, but that was probably again a by-product of many teams choosing to go through their rebuild phases at the time (to be ready for 2011-2013) so were at their weakest.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE DOGS?
Basically, no “gimmes”. I think we know this already. There are no favourites in the brave new multi-contender world. Other than North and Richmond this season, every team is capable of beating every team on any given day, so we just have to show up to play. Also, it's better to peak in the second half rather than the first half of the season, as long as this isn't just 2007 repeated.

I think it is fair to say that Rocket has tweaked our game-style to hypothetically better suit finals footy – low-scoring, pressure based, slower and more deliberate. It remains to be seen if it will work, but basically Rocket is getting the same criticism that Pim Verbeek has been getting for 2 years, and their defence would basically be that they are both building a team for the pointy end: “Sure, it looks bad when you struggle to break down Indonesia/New Zealand/Essendon, but you’ll be glad when the time comes and Geelong/Denmark/Germany can’t score against us and we eke out a one/two goal win.”

Well, the proof will be in the pudding, and we’ll just have to wait till the end of the season to see if Rocket is right by:
a. Making top 4, and
b. Making the GF/winning the damn thing

WHERE IT WILL BE WON OR LOST
Not rocket science, but:

In the middle – if Coons, Griff, Boydy, Cross, Huddo and Gia beat Jolly, Didak, Ball, Wellingham and Swan, well, the game will at least be on our terms.
On the rebound – Lake, Harbrow, Gilbee and Hargrave aren’t running the ball out as much as they used to. This seems to be part of the defensive game plan. This is fine, but if Maxwell and O’Brien run out unimpeded, it will be ugly.
Uncontested disposal, especially entries into forward 50 - If we turn it over regularly, we lose. If we don’t we win. I think it really is that simple.
Across half forward - We are really missing the class of Murph and Gia's move into the middle has been robbing Peter to pay Paul. Grant has the opportunity to really stamp his mark, but it's probably asking too much of a 10-gamer. Gia has to get back to what he does best, and we select another runner (Wood?) to play in the middle.
In the mind – both teams have a lot to think about. Who will come out with the determination and desire to stamp their class on a season that is up for grabs? Who wants it more? This game will provide some answers, and it won’t be pretty for one team. Hopefully it’s not us.


VERDICT
A draw. No, the Dogs by 12 points after letting the Pies get out to a 32 point lead. No, I really have no idea at this point.

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PS. A SPECIAL MENTION TO A WONDERFUL FORTNIGHT
Of course, no preview of this week’s match would be complete without a mention of Aker’s column and Bazza’s headlock. There, mentioned. (There was also a Hall of Fame dinner in there somewhere...)

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Mofra
02-06-2010, 03:05 PM
Great review. I'd expect Dawes to be taken by Lake given his propensity to stay closer to goal, and Lake should have enough smarts to cover him.

I'm really worried about their rebound. Maxwell normally takes Hahn, which is a worry given his current form.

Ozza
02-06-2010, 03:12 PM
Last time we played them - Lake went to Anthony and Anthony was starting high up at Centre Half forward which minimised Lake's ability to stay deep and mark the long balls coming in. Hopefully we can avoid that this time.

LostDoggy
02-06-2010, 03:15 PM
Great review. I'd expect Dawes to be taken by Lake given his propensity to stay closer to goal, and Lake should have enough smarts to cover him.

I'm really worried about their rebound. Maxwell normally takes Hahn, which is a worry given his current form.

Thanks Mofra -- Dawes is the classic Lake matchup: slow/immobile marking target. Unfortunately, it's exactly the same in reverse with Maxwell/Hahn.

LostDoggy
02-06-2010, 03:17 PM
Last time we played them - Lake went to Anthony and Anthony was starting high up at Centre Half forward which minimised Lake's ability to stay deep and mark the long balls coming in. Hopefully we can avoid that this time.

Last time we played Hargrave had Medhurst and Morris was missing. With Dale back and Medhurst probably still out, our structure down back should be a lot better.

Desipura
02-06-2010, 03:21 PM
I hope that Davis does not play, would allow Harbrow to be a little more adventurous. Davis tends to pull goals out of nowhere against us, even when he is having an ordinary game.

Mofra
02-06-2010, 03:31 PM
I hope that Davis does not play, would allow Harbrow to be a little more adventurous. Davis tends to pull goals out of nowhere against us, even when he is having an ordinary game.
Both are a chance of coming back.
Lockyer could come in as well, been out due to selection rather than injury issues.

Collingwood have the ability to play a similar gameplan to Essendon which means we should be worried, but now the chips are down this is the sort of game we are able to pull off. Strange club.

LostDoggy
02-06-2010, 03:42 PM
Have to dispute that Cross is the man for Swan, particularly with respect to pace. Swan would run off Cross everyday of the week.

Picken needs to go with him and give him nothing

LostDoggy
02-06-2010, 04:00 PM
Have to dispute that Cross is the man for Swan, particularly with respect to pace. Swan would run off Cross everyday of the week.

Picken needs to go with him and give him nothing

Probably, but Crossy would have the tank to go with him, yeah? Pickers has to take Didak, surely... and Rocco would tell you that Picken is an 'outside tag', while Swan plays mostly inside.

The Bulldogs Bite
02-06-2010, 04:03 PM
Have to dispute that Cross is the man for Swan, particularly with respect to pace. Swan would run off Cross everyday of the week.

Agree with this part but I would assign Boyd the 'run with' role. Swan is dificult to completely shut down because he can find his own ball but Boyd is a similar player that could at least negate his influence on a contest. Would much rather see Boyd get back to playing with a defensive edge as opposed to trying to be creative - which he isn't.

Cross should match up on Ball/O'Bree as he won't be exploited for pace but can seriously overwork these two.

I'd have Picken sent to Didak first, Wellingham second. Depending on the night.

LostDoggy
02-06-2010, 04:09 PM
Agree with this part but I would assign Boyd the 'run with' role. Swan is dificult to completely shut down because he can find his own ball but Boyd is a similar player that could at least negate his influence on a contest. Would much rather see Boyd get back to playing with a defensive edge as opposed to trying to be creative - which he isn't.

Cross should match up on Ball/O'Bree as he won't be exploited for pace but can seriously overwork these two.

I'd have Picken sent to Didak first, Wellingham second. Depending on the night.

Agreed. Boydy to take Swan, Cross to go with Ball. Pickers to Didak, someone else with Wellingham (Callan Ward would have been perfect), maybe Addison/Wood. Edits made to OP.

choconmientay
02-06-2010, 04:15 PM
Both are a chance of coming back.
Lockyer could come in as well, been out due to selection rather than injury issues.

Collingwood have the ability to play a similar gameplan to Essendon which means we should be worried, but now the chips are down this is the sort of game we are able to pull off. Strange club.

I just hope they are sticking with their big/slow players like they did against Brisbane. We always struggle to play their sneaky small forwards. Specially Leon Davis, Paul Medhurst and Alan Didak seems to pull out their best games against us.

mjp
02-06-2010, 05:12 PM
If our best player list reads 'Cooney, Griffen, Gia...' we will have won the game.

If it says 'Lake, Morris, Boyd' we have been beaten.

Sedat
02-06-2010, 05:16 PM
Fantastic preview Lantern.

Picken's match-up is a critical part of how we ultimately structure up in the midfield. He took Lockyer in Round 1 which was really a waste of Picken's talents and allowed all the other Collingwood skunks to run ahead of the play and profit in yards of space accordingly. If you want him to go to an out-and-out skunk who runs ahead of the play but can cut you up doing so, Didak is your man. But if you want him to go to a more death-by-a-thousand-cuts type skunk then Swan is the man. Collingwood are one team that you would love to have two Picken's up your sleeve.

Harry Obama and Nick Maxwell are school yard bullies who by and large (especially Maxwell) do not play tightly on their direct opponents and can be exploited if the right mis-match can be created (as Geelong and St Kilda have showed with monotinous regularity in recent seasons). To be fair, Harry is pretty good with his rebound drive but I actually think Maxwell is very poor in this area - he just boots it the hell out of his zone and lets his teammates deal with the mess further up the field (no, I'm not a Maxwell fan and his AA in 2009 was nothing more than a populist vote - Hargrave, Gilbert, Fisher, Mackie and Enright were all much better than him playing a similar role). Their real architect across half back is Shaw, and he has had a field day in recent matches playing on Johnno - he gives them genuine quality rebound drive if he isn't pressured enough. I would really love to see Hahn dropped this week purely because he is money for jam for a Maxwell type, and bringing in someone with more athleticism and defensive pressure will actually unsettle the Collingwood's defensive structure - dropping Hahn will also allow us an extra runner whilst keeping two ruckmen.

Their best clearance midfielder is Pendlebury, and it's no surprise that he was missing when Collingwood limped across the line late last season. He is a qulity distributor of the ball in heavy traffic and makes sound decisions when he does.

chef
02-06-2010, 05:17 PM
Last time we played Hargrave had Medhurst and Morris was missing. With Dale back and Medhurst probably still out, our structure down back should be a lot better.

Shaggy and others in the back line were sick last time, so hopefully with everyone fit and healthy we reverse the result.

And excellent preview:).

Mantis
02-06-2010, 10:00 PM
Agreed. Boydy to take Swan, Cross to go with Ball. Pickers to Didak, someone else with Wellingham (Callan Ward would have been perfect), maybe Addison/Wood. Edits made to OP.

I reckon Wellingham will go to Cooney and try to make him accountable.

Surprised no-one has put some time into finding a match-up for Pendlebury, he is a bloody good player and someone we must keep quiet.

Great preview Lantern, a really good read.

Dry Rot
02-06-2010, 10:16 PM
Very enjoyable read Lantern. Thanks.

Scorlibo
03-06-2010, 08:54 AM
I reckon Wellingham will go to Cooney and try to make him accountable.


Agreed, Wellingham was excellent on Judd earlier in the year, and he will go to Cooney hoping for a similar result. If Coons can pull another North Melbourne out of the hat we will be a long way towards victory, at the very least he needs to kick goals, same goes for Higgins and Griffen.

Great read, Lantern.

Mofra
03-06-2010, 09:14 AM
I remember in the middle part of the game in round 1 we put Griffen 10-15m off the ball, defensive side of any ruck contest and it completely stopped their run.
Hopefully we consider something similar to this as Collingwood's fleet of smalls are downhill skiiers who destroy teams that aren't concentrating.

I would have gone Cross to Swan (roll the dice he can run hard to make up for the pace issue) and run Boyd with Pendlebury (as Mantis points out, he can really turn it on when on song). I'd roll the dice on Ball and have him marked just by normal rotation, simply because he isn't damaging by foot.

I hope we have a strategy to try and isolate our rebounders/better ball users, because if we can do this our delivery into the F50 will improve and make us look like a cohesive unit down there.

stefoid
03-06-2010, 09:34 AM
I would like to see Stack place a heavy, heavy tag on Shaw, resulting in a nil-all draw for the both of them. Saying Shaw cant kick is one thing, but his workrate just presenting as an option all the time when collingwood is under pressure trying to clear the ball from defence... We need to close that release valve.

Stack is never going to get a tonne of possession anyway, and if Shaw is constantly leading him to the ball, he may worry a few contested possessions out of him and snag a goal anyway.

LostDoggy
03-06-2010, 10:19 AM
I remember in the middle part of the game in round 1 we put Griffen 10-15m off the ball, defensive side of any ruck contest and it completely stopped their run.
Hopefully we consider something similar to this as Collingwood's fleet of smalls are downhill skiiers who destroy teams that aren't concentrating.

I would have gone Cross to Swan (roll the dice he can run hard to make up for the pace issue) and run Boyd with Pendlebury (as Mantis points out, he can really turn it on when on song). I'd roll the dice on Ball and have him marked just by normal rotation, simply because he isn't damaging by foot.

I hope we have a strategy to try and isolate our rebounders/better ball users, because if we can do this our delivery into the F50 will improve and make us look like a cohesive unit down there.

Pendlebury! I knew I forgot someone.. but having said that, Collingwood have a lot of dangerous players and we could be sitting here listing them all day.

Actually, I'll still have Boydy on Swan as they both play similar roles inside and out, and Boydy has the pace to stay with Swan and is dangerous enough to keep Dane honest. Crossy would then go to Pendlebury, who is slightly slower than Swan, and they can both fight out the hard ball gets, and Crossy can gut run him off his feet. With these two match-ups I think breaking even is a good outcome as we should outclass them elsewhere.

You're right about Ball -- he can barely kick these days so whoever is left (Eagle? Higgins? Gia) should just go toe to toe with him and expose him for pace and/or positioning. If Swan gets it 30 times we're in trouble. If Ball gets it 30 times -- meh.

LostDoggy
03-06-2010, 10:36 AM
Agreed. Boydy to take Swan, Cross to go with Ball. Pickers to Didak, someone else with Wellingham (Callan Ward would have been perfect), maybe Addison/Wood. Edits made to OP.

Hats off to you guys - these match ups seem pretty good! How far away is Ward BTW? Thanks for an amusing (but always knowledgeable) preview Lantern :D

LostDoggy
03-06-2010, 10:57 AM
I would like to see Stack place a heavy, heavy tag on Shaw, resulting in a nil-all draw for the both of them. Saying Shaw cant kick is one thing, but his workrate just presenting as an option all the time when collingwood is under pressure trying to clear the ball from defence... We need to close that release valve.

Stack is never going to get a tonne of possession anyway, and if Shaw is constantly leading him to the ball, he may worry a few contested possessions out of him and snag a goal anyway.

This is not a bad idea (putting a forward tag on Shaw), we all know that he doesn't handle it well.

Not sure that Stacky is the man for the job though. I mean, he would be if he ever showed any propensity to tackle (other than that one time against Freo in Johnno's record breaking game at Etihad that no one showed up to, where Stacky kicked 4 and him and Hill put on a brutha' show that made us all excited, well the 19,000 of us who were there anyway).

Also, a forward tag on Shaw tends to mean that Harry O gets off the leash. I know who I'd rather have the ball in the hands of. Shaw runs to the wings, Harry highsteps straight up the guts.

stefoid
03-06-2010, 11:05 AM
This is not a bad idea (putting a forward tag on Shaw), we all know that he doesn't handle it well.

Not sure that Stacky is the man for the job though. I mean, he would be if he ever showed any propensity to tackle (other than that one time against Freo in Johnno's record breaking game at Etihad that no one showed up to, where Stacky kicked 4 and him and Hill put on a brutha' show that made us all excited, well the 19,000 of us who were there anyway).

Also, a forward tag on Shaw tends to mean that Harry O gets off the leash. I know who I'd rather have the ball in the hands of. Shaw runs to the wings, Harry highsteps straight up the guts.

Last time we played them, they both got off the leash. And it wouldnt hurt Stack to be given a mission - "doesnt matter if you get 0 posessions and 0 goals, as long as Shaw gets less than 10 very hard earned disposals."

ledge
03-06-2010, 11:55 AM
The Aker thing scares the bejeebers out of me this week with the leadership group, head honchos having meetings about what to do with him.
Solicitors bought in to resolve it (how workable is it when it comes to that?)
Time that probably would have been spent on getting ready for Sundays game.
Are the boys a close unit or will this unravel behind closed doors and become a messy season?
No doubt a shelacking or even just a loss puts our season nowhere near where we expected.
I am SCARED!
A win and its a big WOW from me.

All coaches no matter how good come to an end when players dont respond, I hope this isnt the game that starts that ball rolling, player unrest, etc, we saw Gia upset, Akers lies, not good.
Please, please win this one and not give anyone any ammunition.

Doc26
03-06-2010, 12:19 PM
Hats off to you guys - these match ups seem pretty good! How far away is Ward BTW? Thanks for an amusing (but always knowledgeable) preview Lantern :D

Suggest Willy this week and assess from then.

Desipura
03-06-2010, 01:20 PM
Suggest Willy this week and assess from then.

All being well, Ward will be playing at Willi 2nds for a few weeks (starting this week) followed by a few at Willi firsts before he comes under consideration for the Dogs

LostDoggy
03-06-2010, 01:26 PM
The Aker thing scares the bejeebers out of me this week with the leadership group, head honchos having meetings about what to do with him.
Solicitors bought in to resolve it (how workable is it when it comes to that?)
Time that probably would have been spent on getting ready for Sundays game.
Are the boys a close unit or will this unravel behind closed doors and become a messy season?
No doubt a shelacking or even just a loss puts our season nowhere near where we expected.
I am SCARED!
A win and its a big WOW from me.

All coaches no matter how good come to an end when players dont respond, I hope this isnt the game that starts that ball rolling, player unrest, etc, we saw Gia upset, Akers lies, not good.
Please, please win this one and not give anyone any ammunition.

Absolutely. A coach isn't there to win over supporters, he's there to win over the players, and at the moment, this isn't happening to the degree it should. Hopefully he can turn it around, because I believe Rocket is the man to deliver us a flag, but in the end, I just want a flag. We all do. We've waited long enough and seen enough chances pissed into the westerly wind.

Remi Moses
03-06-2010, 02:45 PM
Good preview and it's time the EXCUSES ended and we take this game. Tired of hearing distractions of Aker and illness and every excuse made it's time to perform

The Coon Dog
03-06-2010, 02:51 PM
Good preview and it's time the EXCUSES ended and we take this game. Tired of hearing distractions of Aker and illness and every excuse made it's time to perform

Thought you liked some of those; the ref didn't play enough stoppage time, it was a penalty, etc.... :D

Remi Moses
03-06-2010, 02:54 PM
Thought you liked some of those; the ref didn't play enough stoppage time, it was a penalty, etc.... :D

Settle down Europa MINNOW Club:p:p

LostDoggy
03-06-2010, 09:56 PM
This game is akin to a lactose-intolerent person drinking a litre of full cream milk - fraught with danger!!

Our season started with promise back in Round 1, then the dreams turned to nightmares when the Pies took us to the town.

Will this be "Revenge of the Nerds" or "Nightmare on Elm Street"? Which Bulldogs team will turn up? Will they be switched on? Will they be working for each other? Will it be every man for themselves, or "all for one, and one for all"?

Gotta win this one - if only so we can stop those ferals!! Plus my IT manager is a Collingwood supporter, and I don't know if I can go another week without getting IT support (couldn't face him if we lost!!)...

Fingers crossed we don't play Eagleton, and go with one of the young boys - Eagle needs some more time at Willy. Hope they also play Everitt.

ledge
04-06-2010, 09:02 AM
This game is akin to a lactose-intolerent person drinking a litre of full cream milk - fraught with danger!!

Our season started with promise back in Round 1, then the dreams turned to nightmares when the Pies took us to the town.

Will this be "Revenge of the Nerds" or "Nightmare on Elm Street"? Which Bulldogs team will turn up? Will they be switched on? Will they be working for each other? Will it be every man for themselves, or "all for one, and one for all"?

Gotta win this one - if only so we can stop those ferals!! Plus my IT manager is a Collingwood supporter, and I don't know if I can go another week without getting IT support (couldn't face him if we lost!!)...

Fingers crossed we don't play Eagleton, and go with one of the young boys - Eagle needs some more time at Willy. Hope they also play Everitt.

Talk about plugging your hero:D

mighty_west
04-06-2010, 11:54 AM
Talk about plugging your hero:D

Oh, you should wait till you see him bring out the big Minson wig on game day! ;)

Ghost Dog
04-06-2010, 01:40 PM
What is going on with Callan Ward these days? He would be really useful to have.
Liam Picken will be really important in this game.
After seeing our poor effort against Essendon, we definitely need more of these smaller, faster players. More speed.

Mantis
04-06-2010, 01:42 PM
What is going on with Callan Ward these days? He would be really useful to have.
Liam Picken will be really important in this game.
After seeing our poor effort against Essendon, we definitely need more of these smaller, faster players. More speed.

Have a read of posts #26 & 27 in this thread for answer.

LostDoggy
07-06-2010, 03:42 PM
Just reviewing my own preview with the benefit of hindsight:


[
DANGER! DANGER!
Harry O’ Brien and Nick Maxwell – the twin towers down back. Both big, strong and super-athletic, both read the play well, both have good disposal skills. If these guys are unaccountable, they will run the ball out 30 times and set up 20 scoring shots off their own boots. WHAT TO DO? We just have to play through their opponents as often as possible, who have to move around like buggery to keep them honest. Fev towelled up Maxwell last week when Nick wouldn’t pay him any respect.

GIVE THESE GUYS THE BALL
Heath Shaw – this bloke can’t kick. Teams get scared because he gets the ball a lot and runs fast, but if you corral him and make him run to the wings (which is where he likes to go anyway) instead of straight up the ground, he’ll turn it over.---

Well, we chose to tag Shaw (with Gia no less) instead of these two guys, and they killed us.


OPTION 4, Huddo rucks, Minnow plays 60% upfront, Hahn dropped for a runner: My preferred option. Hahn isn’t offering much up forward that Minnow wouldn’t be able to anyway, but we get a quality second ruck option without having to sacrifice either Williams or Everitt, PLUS we get extra run.---

Looks like the match committee agreed with me on the day as Hahn eventually got dropped back and Minnow stuck up forward, and Lake came up a few times too. We may as well bite the bullet and at least get some value out of Hahn's current position by either bringing in a proper tall defender to allow Lake to spend more time up forward, a swingman like Everitt who can play upfront and down back to swing around with Lake, or an extra runner -- Ward/Wood/Reid -- to get on top in the middle.


On the rebound – Lake, Harbrow, Gilbee and Hargrave aren’t running the ball out as much as they used to. This seems to be part of the defensive game plan. This is fine, but if Maxwell and O’Brien run out unimpeded, it will be ugly.---

Again, I'm not the match committee, and maybe Malthouse had a magic plan to get Harry O and Maxwell free, but it doesn't take a genius to see that these guys have been their main men coming out the back. Everyone else has been letting Shaw run around getting his possessions because he doesn't hurt you, but we decided to tag him and let these guys get free instead.


VERDICT
A draw. No, the Dogs by 12 points after letting the Pies get out to a 32 point lead. No, I really have no idea at this point.
---

Well, if the Pies' lead HAD only gotten out to 32-points, we would have overrun them in the end. Maybe. We only turn up when the game is officially over.

Mantis
07-06-2010, 03:52 PM
^^^

What about my point on Pendlebury?... You know the bloke who was B.O.G. yesterday.

LostDoggy
07-06-2010, 04:02 PM
^^^

What about my point on Pendlebury?... You know the bloke who was B.O.G. yesterday.

Yep. And Swanny didn't exactly have a quiet one either.

I can't even think about the game -- makes me feel sick. Did some of those guys even have an opponent? Boydy's and Crossy's supercoach scores look massive but seriously, you would rather they break even with their opponents over 4 quarters than letting them run around doing whatever they like for 3 quarters before showing up and pumping up the stats in junk time.

Doc26
07-06-2010, 04:23 PM
Yep. And Swanny didn't exactly have a quiet one either.

I can't even think about the game -- makes me feel sick. Did some of those guys even have an opponent? Boydy's and Crossy's supercoach scores look massive but seriously, you would rather they break even with their opponents over 4 quarters than letting them run around doing whatever they like for 3 quarters before showing up and pumping up the stats in junk time.

Agreed Lantern.

Pendlebury and Swan did cut us up. The contradiction being that Boyd and Cross were widely acknowledged (by me as well :confused:) as being in our best 4 which is troubling. Why would say a Harbrow be judged so poorly based on his first half performance on Davis and yet Boyd and Cross rewarded as being in our best four with the damage that Collingwood's midfielders did to us when it mattered most.