Fixture Round 1 Dees V dogs 16 March 2022 MCG

[BulldogMuscle]

Well, the missus got us tickets, i was 50/50 on going but now looks like we'll be there, and she doesn't even go for the Dogs...
Cede Nullis!

 

[LondonBulldog]

A lot of things can happen from one season to another.

Yet at full strength, there is no reason why the Dees and Dogs shouldn't be the dominate teams for the next 3 years.

 

[DognBones]

Assuming right or wrong that Schache will play CHB, would a left field selection of Sweet mostly as a tall deep forward be a useful idea?
The reason I suggest this is it offers us a tall marking target to take a bit of pressure off Naughton. Also, during a VFL game last year when the team was way behind on the scoreboard, he was shifted to FF where he marked very well and kicked a couple. He's also a reliable kick on goal.
He could contribute most of the ruckwork at stoppages in the forward half, leaving English to be positioned further up the ground.
Would Martin play in such a scenario? Probably not, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing anyway.
The surprise factor alone might be worth watching.
Please ignore this post if Sweet's pre-season form has been very ordinary, on this, I have no idea.

 

[weltschmerz]

Assuming right or wrong that Schache will play CHB, would a left field selection of Sweet mostly as a tall deep forward be a useful idea?
The reason I suggest this is it offers us a tall marking target to take a bit of pressure off Naughton. Also, during a VFL game last year when the team was way behind on the scoreboard, he was shifted to FF where he marked very well and kicked a couple. He's also a reliable kick on goal.
He could contribute most of the ruckwork at stoppages in the forward half, leaving English to be positioned further up the ground.
Would Martin play in such a scenario? Probably not, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing anyway.
The surprise factor alone might be worth watching.
Please ignore this post if Sweet's pre-season form has been very ordinary, on this, I have no idea.

I'm not against it. He's a goal kicker in the VFL.

 

[Martyn_30_]

I'm amazed how many people don't seem to understand the concept of a new season. In 2009/10 the top four remained unchanged which historically is a freak event. Most years a team comes from outside the top 8 into the top 4, which happened to last year be the all conquering Melbourne who played in a grand final against 8th from the previous year. Whatever happened last year quickly becomes irrelevant when sides get a look at each other in the new season.

 

[Northernsoul74]

Assuming right or wrong that Schache will play CHB, would a left field selection of Sweet mostly as a tall deep forward be a useful idea?
The reason I suggest this is it offers us a tall marking target to take a bit of pressure off Naughton. Also, during a VFL game last year when the team was way behind on the scoreboard, he was shifted to FF where he marked very well and kicked a couple. He's also a reliable kick on goal.
He could contribute most of the ruckwork at stoppages in the forward half, leaving English to be positioned further up the ground.
Would Martin play in such a scenario? Probably not, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing anyway.
The surprise factor alone might be worth watching.
Please ignore this post if Sweet's pre-season form has been very ordinary, on this, I have no idea.

I’ve replied on this in the best 22 thread. Sweet does seem to have been given a lot of match sim time forward and I guess that’s the area the club want him to develop/improve.

 

[CarnTheScray]

I'm amazed how many people don't seem to understand the concept of a new season. In 2009/10 the top four remained unchanged which historically is a freak event. Most years a team comes from outside the top 8 into the top 4, which happened to last year be the all conquering Melbourne who played in a grand final against 8th from the previous year. Whatever happened last year quickly becomes irrelevant when sides get a look at each other in the new season.

I just hope our form is more consistent this year. Our second half of last year, excluding finals, was pretty average in comparison to the first half and our performance cost us top 4.

Hope we aren’t that team that drops out of the 8.

 

[Virgin Dog]

I’ve replied on this in the best 22 thread. Sweet does seem to have been given a lot of match sim time forward and I guess that’s the area the club want him to develop/improve.

If that's the case, surely we're not seeing Darcy up forward long term. I'd love to see it tested in the early stages of the season - if we can viably have English and Sweet playing together and being at least remotely competent in both ruck and forward, it really improves our spine. I'm not optimistic though

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Yeah we are going on Wednesday, taking a visitor from Ireland with us, thought it to good an experience to miss.

 

[Northernsoul74]

If that's the case, surely we're not seeing Darcy up forward long term. I'd love to see it tested in the early stages of the season - if we can viably have English and Sweet playing together and being at least remotely competent in both ruck and forward, it really improves our spine. I'm not optimistic though

I didn’t mean they are trying to turn Sweet into a forward. Just that seems to be the area they are putting most development in. If he can be serviceable resting up there they may have more confidence playing him.

 

[Northernsoul74]

Yeah we are going on Wednesday, taking a visitor from Ireland with us, thought it to good an experience to miss.

Big game under the lights at the G is a great experience to take a visitor.

 

[MYOB]

Yeah we are going on Wednesday, taking a visitor from Ireland with us, thought it to good an experience to miss.

With >80,000 it will rock his socks.

 

[Virgin Dog]

I didn’t mean they are trying to turn Sweet into a forward. Just that seems to be the area they are putting most development in. If he can be serviceable resting up there they may have more confidence playing him.

I wouldn't expect us to go 100% forward, just meant if we tried to get him to a point where him "resting forward" isn't going to leave a gaping hole in our forward line, and he can spend a reasonable (i.e. 30%+) portion of the game there while actually doing something, it at least puts us ahead of the English + Martin arrangement we had last year. Every time Martin went forward, it was like we had a 5-man forward line

 

[Northernsoul74]

I wouldn't expect us to go 100% forward, just meant if we tried to get him to a point where him "resting forward" isn't going to leave a gaping hole in our forward line, and he can spend a reasonable (i.e. 30%+) portion of the game there while actually doing something, it at least puts us ahead of the English + Martin arrangement we had last year. Every time Martin went forward, it was like we had a 5-man forward line

Agreed. Martin has never been a very good chop out forward. It ain’t going to change now.

 

[Virgin Dog]

Agreed. Martin has never been a very good chop out forward. It ain’t going to change now.

Best case scenario he becomes the emergency choice fairly early in the year. If we can get English and Sweet partnering up, it at least means we have a 2nd KPF on field majority of the time to partner with Naughton, because the thought of our forward setup relying on Naughton + Cordy + Hannan as key targets leaves me little hope for finishing up the top end

 

[Kennel Master]

We are flying in on Monday and have tickets for Wednesday's game.
Very interested in the team's makeup.
Concerned about our backline against their tall marking forwards.
Very important we cut off supply which means controlling Petracca, Oliver and Gawn.
We need to win the midfield and give our forwards plenty of opportunities.

Can we win? Sure.
Will we win? Not sure.

But it will be fun to be at the MCG with 80,000+ people.
Go Dogs.

KM

 

[Northernsoul74]

We are flying in on Monday and have tickets for Wednesday's game.
Very interested in the team's makeup.
Concerned about our backline against their tall marking forwards.
Very important we cut off supply which means controlling Petracca, Oliver and Gawn.
We need to win the midfield and give our forwards plenty of opportunities.

Can we win? Sure.
Will we win? Not sure.

But it will be fun to be at the MCG with 80,000+ people.
Go Dogs.

KM

Dunkley is key for me for trying to control their mids. No idea why he wasn’t sent to do that in the GF when things were going badly.

 

[Merlins Revenge]

Dunkley is key for me for trying to control their mids. No idea why he wasn’t sent to do that in the GF when things were going badly.

Something I also hope to see this game. I want to see a more defensively-minded midfield. Someone tag Petracca or Oliver for the whole game. I don’t care who.

 

[Leon]

I got general admin tickets.

Anyone have any idea where these seats are?

 

[Merlins Revenge]

I got general admin tickets.

Anyone have any idea where these seats are?

I’m in the same boat. I’ve heard level 1 or level 4. No idea

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

I have forked out a bit for tickets and have a horrible suspicion it will be in the middle of a bunch of Dee supporters. I hope they choke on their Brie and fig paste

 

[hazza21]

FB: Crozier, Keath, Williams
HB: Dale, Gardner, Richards

R: English, Bont, Macrae
C: Hunter, Libba, Daniel

HF: Treloar, Hannan, B.Smith
FF: Johannisen, Naughton, Weightman

IC: Schache, Dunkley, Vandermeer, R.Smith


Martin looked cooked and Zaine won't cut it up front. Gardner/ Schache to share second ruck/ KPD duties.

Crozier and Richards seem to be ahead of Duryea in selection atm.

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

When will the actual team be announced? (Rather than posters’ predicted teams.)

 

[MYOB]

When will the actual team be announced? (Rather than posters’ predicted teams.)

Tuesday night

 

[bobs head soup]

Most of us in here (myself included) get so caught up in the minutae of team selection, list balance, fitness etc that we can sometimes fail to appreciate the big picture.

I remember the round ones of the 70s and 80s where a few snatches of radio commentary between races, a few paragraphs 6 pages from the back in the Sunday papers and 90 seconds of highlights on The Winners was about all we could expect.

Even in the 90s and 00s when we were playing finals as often as not, most round ones were either playied interstate or versus Freo in front of less than 10k on a Sunday afternoon.

To be given the season opening slot in front of what will apparently be the biggest home and away crowd we have ever played before is a pretty big occassion and something we should all savour.

It's a great testament to how far we have come in recent years.

There's always room to get better, but we should appreciate more that we have appeared in 2 GFs in 5 years and still somehow have one of the best young lists in the comp and what should be a bright few years ahead

Once the ball is bounced, I'll ride every contest, curse every fumble, missed opportunity, umpiring mistake, opposition mismatch and revel in every small victory, but pre-match I'm gonna just smell the roses for a bit.