PC2011/12RP Inside the Kennel - A Western Bulldogs story (GAME HAS CRASHED)

[Tigz_09]

Game Day

A fast start by the Dogs got them on the scoreboard first as Declan Hamilton fired one through from the opening clearance. North hit back with big man Ben Brown marking strongly and kicking straight to open his account. Both sides trading the next goal before Ben Brown made it a North double and opened up a 6 point lead. The Bulldogs weren't without their attack but poor kicking hampered the fightback as 4 behinds were added to their score without another goal. North's accuracy much better as they fired off another 3 goals with Daw, Ziebell and Higgins all kicking majors. It's an even contest just poor conversion as North take a 22 point quarter time lead.

The Bulldogs fielding a team vastly different to their first term were looking to find an edge and get back amongst the contest. The changes they made were working in their defensive half as they stopped the free flow of ball North had earlier and limited their scoring chances. The Bulldogs pushed forward more often but were once again let down by poor accuracy in front of goal adding another 3 behinds before North Melbourne found the way to goal with Jack Ziebell kicking it through. The Dogs would eventually score through Caleb Daniel and Liberatore followed it up to start cutting back Norths lead. North Melbourne breaking through patches of less than impressive play found the goals again with Thomas and Zibell both scoring majors. Bontempelli moved into the forward half and again showed he can feature there as he kicked another goal for the Dogs. The Bulldogs winning the term could have drawn closer if the kicking efficiency was higher still trail by 18 at halftime.

The Bulldogs continued to control play in the third term. Their poor goal kicking continued to haunt them as another 3 behinds were added to their score showing no reward for the effort they've been putting up. First-year player Kieran Collins was moved to CHF and after a few minutes of play, he found himself kicking his first AFL career goal to get things going. Tom Liberatore stepping up his game got his second goal as the Dogs kicked into the lead by 3 points just before stoppage time. Jack Ziebell having an impressive game kicked his 4th goal to get the lead back for North Melbourne. Another goal to the Roos took the margin out to 10 points. With the final charge forward for the term, Koby Stevens kicked a great goal from the pocket to keep the Dogs on the fringe just 4 points down with a quarter to go.

Koby Stevens goals after another 3 failed attempts by the Dogs to retake the lead 10 minutes of play gone.
Jake Stringer backing that up 13 minutes into the term with his first and an 11 point buffer. Drew Petrie with a chance to get back within 5 sprayed his kick to score a behind. He got another shot inside a minute and made good to get the margin down to just 4 points 18 minutes gone. Kieran Collins got his second career goal and it was back out to 10 points Bulldogs way 20 minutes into the term. Clay Smith making it hard for North to win kicked his 2nd goal as we hit 27 minutes of play with North 16 points behind. North Melbourne unable to get another scoring shot as there was just over of minute of play remaining. Bulldogs winning by 16 after trailing by 22 at quarter time. Another fight back victory.

Luke Dahlhaus's link up work was outstanding as he racked up 38 disposals for the game and was clearly best on ground.

A happy, Happy, Happy Giansiracusa facing the press after the Bulldogs win.

Another come from behind win today. It seems you play better chasing down totals?
"It's not how I want us to play, but we show great resilience, not to roll over when we get behind and continue to work hard to get back into the match. We do have some flexible guys in the squad who can play multiple roles and that allows us to change our plans if something isn't working. We don't want to play this way for long periods but I'm happy with the 4 points.

A good spread of goalscorers with 8 players registering goals. Is this a part of your gameplan?
"Not really, Ideally I'd like the one dominant key forward and another small forward who can kick consistent scores. We did ok today but it might not transfer over to next week. We've seen already this season some of these guys can't back up a performance multiple weeks in a row and we really need to find those players who can consistently kick 2 to 3 goals a game for us."

You moved Easton Wood away from Ben Cunnington pretty early. Did the match up not work?
"No. Easton couldn't go with him and never really stopped him from getting involved in the first term. We decided to go with a stronger midfield and work on winning the ball and the clearances and not worry about Ben too much. It worked out in our favour this time. Easton didn't have a bad game, Probably not the possession game he would have liked but he had an impact with his disposals."​

 

[haydo]

Dogs and Roos produce another quality game. Whether that's in real life or in game, wouldn't mind seeing them battle it out in a GF one day

 

[Tigz_09]

Dogs and Roos produce another quality game. Whether that's in real life or in game, wouldn't mind seeing them battle it out in a GF one day

I certanly enjoyed watching their game on Saturday night.
Extra insentive, as I work with 2 North Melbourne fanatics who since round 2 have been talking up their side. I have enjoyed watching the fall from from grace.. Still a chance (remote) they may not even make the finals...

 

[Tigz_09]

 

[Tigz_09]

TRIBUNAL REPORT

Nathan Van Berlo
Nathan Van Berlo has been suspended for 3 matches. He was charged with an eye gouging offence during the match against Collingwood.
Adelaide coach Don Pyke wouldn't be happy with his side's discipline this season as Van Berlo is the 4th Adelaide player to miss matches through suspension this season.


INJURY NEWS

Cyril Rioli
Cyril will be out of action for 11 weeks after he suffered a back strain during the match against Gold Coast. Cyril hasn't been having a great season thus far for the Hawks with his numbers well down on his usual performance. He will be back in time to play finals for the Hawks and this is where the star really shines.
Hawthorn hoping for a good recovery.
​

 

[Tigz_09]

SUMMARY
On paper, Port has the better defense, Better midfield and a better forward line than the Dogs. They are missing captain Travis Boak, Mathew Broadbent and Jarman Impey for this clash, but should still believe themselves to be favourites playing at home. Justin Westhoff and Brad Ebert have caused the Dogs problems in their last 5 clashes and it should be a focus for the Dogs this week to subdue them.
In terms of performance, this season they are pretty even 5 wins a piece. Giansiracusa will be aware the Dogs haven't played well against Port at Adelaide Oval with Port winning 7 out 10 games on their home turf. Tough challenge for the Dogs this week to get up.​

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR …
The Dogs Midfield.

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Marcus Bontempelli, Koby Stevens, Tom Liberatore, Jackson MaCrae, Luke Dahlhaus
Port will be extremely tough to beat through the middle and Giansaracusa will need his midfielders to really stand up this week if they want to have a chance of winning the match. Expect Brad Ebert to receive a hard tag along with Ollie Wines or Robbie Gray. The only question being, Do the Dogs have enough talent to be able to run with the Port Adelaide stars.

PREDICTION: Port Power 36​

 

[Tigz_09]

 

[Tigz_09]

Game Day

Toby McLean opened the Dogs account after 4 minutes of play, at which the Dogs kept the ball in their forward half.
Hamish Hartlett finding Ports first goal 11 minutes into the term as the Dogs defense has been pretty good so far.
Charlie Dixon took a strong mark over Matt Suckling and kicked truly 19 minutes in to give Port the lead.
Errant kicking hurting the Dogs as they've been dominant in the first quarter but haven't been able to translate that on the scoreboard.
A stalemate for the remainder of the quarter sees Port go in with a 5 point lead.

Justin Westhoff got the second term underway as he marked and scored unopposed inside 3 minutes of play to further extend Ports lead.
Luke Dahlhaus showed great use of speed as he ran into the forward 50 to kick the Dogs a much-needed goal 9 minutes of play gone.
Dahlhaus followed up with another goal thanks to Tom Jonas giving away a 50-metre penalty. The Dogs retook the lead 11 minutes in.
Port creating great run through the middle as Byrne-Jones hit up Charlie Dixon who scored directly in front of goal and the Power retake the lead.
Port harassing their forward line had continued shots at goal but couldn't hit the target as the Dogs have gone missing.
Caleb Daniel providing a spark as he crumbed to dish off to Josh Dunkley who ran into an open goal to score with 24 minutes of play done.
Liberatore broke free from a pack to dish off to Clay Smith who kicked truly as the Dogs retook the lead late into stoppage time.
The siren sounding on the centre bounce as the Dogs go into half time 4 points up.

Billy Frampton scored the first goal of the third term as he broke free of Kieran Collins tackle to snap from the pocket and give Port the lead once again.
A stalemate of play and a mixture of behinds was the scene for almost 19 minutes before Ollie Wines received a free kick in front of goal to score.
The margin extending out to 7 points. Another free kick awarded to Billy Frampton resulted in another Port Power goal as undisciplined play is beginning to hurt the Dogs. Ports defense standing tall in the dying stages of the quarter as a couple of Bulldogs shots were stopped on the last line.
Port Adelaide holding onto a 13 point lead as we go into the final change.

The Dogs tried hard to get away to a good start but wasted their early chances as Dunkley scored a behind, then sprayed his next attempt out on the full in the opening few minutes. It would take until the 7th minute before the Dogs could get a result as Koby Stevens slipped out of a Trengove tackle to snap and goal and inch the Dogs closer to the lead. Another free kick given to Hamish Hartlett in front of the Port goal gifted them 6 points as 4 free kicks have resulted in goals for Port so far. Justin Westhoff marks in a forward scramble and kicks a goal for the Power 17 minutes gone and the Port players are celebrating as they could have made it too hard for the Dogs from here. Bulldogs big Man Tom Campbell fell awkwardly and hurt his back, He had to be taken from the ground and with no second ruck on the ground the Dogs are in trouble around stoppages. Koby Stevens found a goal for the Dogs 24 minutes of play gone as the Bulldogs tried to lift the intensity during the closing stages.
Toby McLean backing that up inside 2 minutes as the margin had dropped to just 7 points in Ports favour.
Port Adelaide pushing the ball into their forward 50, Locking it in and running out the clock as they held on to win by 7 points.

PRESS CONFERENCE

You look disappointed with the loss. Most people expecting Port to win this game comfortably, Surely you'd be happy with the result?

"I don't see how you could be happy losing a game by giving away 4 goals to free kicks in very easy spots. It lets the rest of the side down and undoes all the hard work we went through to get us in the contest, to begin with. We came out and really tried to make a statement away from home in a game we weren't meant to win and we loose it by undisciplined acts. I can't see the positives in that."

You seemed to struggle through the middle of the ground keeping in touch with the Power players. Jackson MaCrae the only Bulldogs player able to run with them in the possession count.

"We did struggle a bit, But we also rotated a lot of players through the middle and around the ground. Brad Ebert, Robbie Gray, Kane Mitchell and Ollie wines at times, really exposed us around the ground and we had to shift players around to try and stop their influence. We are in need of another 1 or 2 high-grade midfielders to help us out. We've got talent on our list but they're not playing at the highest level."

Tom Campbell left the ground late in the final term. How does he look?

"He pulled up sore and was worried about his back. He might have a slight strain. We took the precaution of pulling him from the ground so we didn't make it any worse. Hopefully, he'll be out for just a week or 2 at best."
​

 

[Tigz_09]

 

[Tigz_09]

TRIBUNAL REPORT

SAM MAYES
Mayes case was sent directly to the Tribunal as he was booked for Intentional Umpire Contact.
After a short deliberation, the Tribunal handed Mayes a 2-week sanction re-iterating that umpire contact won't be tolerated.

CORY GREGSON
Gregson was charged with Eye Gouging during the match against Gold Coast on Saturday.
He was given a 2-week ban after the MRP took into account his good behaviour points wich reduced the penalty by 1 week.


INJURY NEWS

Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt will be sidelined for 7-weeks after confirmed reports of a broken ankle in the game against Essendon.
The Tigers will be without their leading goal scorer and will need to rely on the likes of Vickery or Griffiths to fill the void.

Paul Puoplo will be out of action for 5 weeks as he was struck down with Osteitis Pubis soreness.

Adelaide's Paul Hunter has suffered a Quad Strain during Adelaide's loss to Sydney on Saturday. He's expected to be out for 4 weeks.
​

 

[Tigz_09]

​

SUMMARY
2nd Place Tigers going up against 13th placed Bulldogs.
The Tigers have lost Jack Riewoldt and Sam Lloyd to injury putting up some doubts over just how strong their forward line can be without them.
The Bulldogs should go into this week believing they could be a chance after the narrow loss to Port Adelaide, in a game many tipped would be a blow-out.
The Dogs have injury concerns of their own as the Loss of Tom Campbell in the ruck, will now put pressure on the stand-in ruckman (most likely Will Minson) to deliver or at least run with Maric and Hampson through-out the match.
Goals will be a premium in this contest as Richmond will need to find another key target, while the Dogs still struggle to find an attacking formation that can produce week in week out.

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR …
The Bulldogs back-up Ruckmen

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Tom Boyd, Will Minson or Jordan Roughead, will get the call this week to step up into Tom Campbell's shoes and be the lead ruckman against the Tigers. With all 3 players have less than a desirable season for the Bulldogs. It could be seen as an opportunity to put a case forward to hold their place in the squad, as no doubt there is pressure on them to perform or risk de-listing/possible trade.
It's a tough task to ask, but Giansiracusa would be hoping that by the very least their able to compete with Maric/Hampson combination and not allow the ruck taps to be one sided.

PREDICTION: Tigers by 24

 

[Tigz_09]

GAME DAY
After 12 minutes of scrappy play and 3 Tiger behinds, Ty Vickery found the goals to get the game under way.
Anthony Miles followed up 2 minutes later for Richmond's second and it was one-way traffic early.
Anthony Miles found himself with a second opportunity after the centre bounce clearance and he scored his second to take the Tiger 21 points up.
Shaun Hampson popped up after 21 minutes of play to kick the Tigers 4th goal as they went on an early charge.
The Bulldogs unable to get the ball moving through the ground created some late chances but missed 4 opportunities with behinds.
Lachie Hunter had a chance to turn the Bulldogs woes around with a stoppage goal but his kick sailed to the right kicking their 5th behind of the quarter. Tigers enjoying an early 22 point lead.

Mathew Boyd took a mark at CHF and kicked truly to get the Dogs their first goal 5 minutes into the second term.
Ben Lennon snuffing out the Dogs score put it through for the Tigers on the next centre bounce.
Chris Yarran broke through a pack on the Tigers 50 metre line to stream forward and goal with 9 minutes of play gone further extending the Tigers lead.
A patch of 3 free kicks leads the Tigers down to goal as Vickery was rewarded with the final kick to goal and get Richmond's 3rd of the quarter.
Deledio scores for the Tigers on the 23rd-minute mark as the embarrassment continues for the Dogs 41 points behind as they just cannot win possession. Hampson rubbing it in, goals after another forward half free kick.
Mitch Wallis with a rare forward scoring chance made the most of it kicking the Dogs second goal of the game.
The Bulldogs stopping the Tigers from opening the margin any further go into half time a long way back 41 points down.

Giansiracus keeping the dogs in the middle of the ground at half-time to rally his side.

The Bulldogs defensive pressure lifted immensely in the third term.
They all but stopped the Tigers forward surges and slowed down their attacking presence in a totally different contrast to the opening half of the match.
However, they couldn't reward themselves with scoring opportunities as the Tigers defense and Branden Ellis, in particular, was doing a great job shutting them down. It would take 18 minutes before the first goal of the quarter was scored as Jake Stringer found himself wide open with room to move and he made no mistake banging it through. Toby McLean would then score after a nice dish off from Stringer to give the Dogs 2 goals in a row for the first time all match. The Dogs broke from the defensive line with Adcock, MaCrae, Hamilton and Stevens all linking up to find McLean in space as he marked to goal.
The Dogs shrinking the deficit back down to 22 points. Shaun Hampson took a good mark in the pocket to finally get a scoring shot off for Richmond and he made no mistake kicking it through for his 3rd just before the siren.
The margin getting out to 28 with a quarter to play.

33 seconds was all it took for the Dogs to get the first goal in the final term, Toby McLean picking up his 3rd goal to get it back to 22 points.
Declan Hamilton puts through his first goal inside 3 minutes as the Dogs mounted a comeback to get the margin down to 17 points.
A hard faught struggle for the next 15 minutes as niether side could produce goals.
Matt Suckling getting it started from defense for the Dogs found Caleb Daniel who kicked to Clay Smith inside 50 as he took a great mark.
Clay lined up and kicked true to get the dogs within 12 points 20 minutes of play gone.
Lucas Webb with a rare chance to score made his first shot on goal count as the miriacle run home continued.
Bulldogs within a kick of equalling the lead. Luke Dahlhaus with a chance to level scores missed to the left as time was running out.
margin just 5 points.
The Tigers got the ball clear of the congested Dogs forward half. Mathew Boyd able to spoil got the kick back into the centre where a pack formed over the ball and the umpire calls for a ball up.
Tap goes towards Martin, Liberatore is right there with him, Martin flicks a pass to Cotchin, He fumbles it - Stringer gets the ball and puts on the burners to break clear - He gets on the edge of the centre square heading towards the Dogs 50 metre line.........The Sirens Sounds........ Dogs lose by 5........

Bulldogs dejected after their second narrow loss in a row.

A less than happy Giansiracusa fronting media for questions.

How hard is that loss to take considering you came so close in the end?
" These losses hurt the most. We can blame ourselves for this one. Our first half was terrible, We had just as much ball in the opening quarter and inside 50 chances. We stuffed up 5 gettable shots on goal and we dropped our heads at the end of the term. We make 3 of those count and we would have been right them. That could have helped to go into the second term but we fell off the map instead. We missed another 4 in the second quarter, but in saying that, the Tigers also wasted a lot of their chances and they could have buried us in that term. Our third quarter we changed match ups and I just put away the playbook and told them to run and carry and play on at every opportunity and see if we could disrupt their play. It worked. Kept them to just 1 goal while we added 3. Final term was still the same plan and we actually kicked straighter getting 4 goals to none. We can run with these big sides, We just have to get the match under control faster."

Matt Suckling looked to have played his best game for you this year. Pleased with his contribution?
"He didn't start well, Had him lining up on Vickery and he couldn't go with him. We shifted Collins to CHB and put Matt in the pocket on their small crumbers and he came alive. Anthony Miles was causing trouble up forward and Matt stopped him pretty much dead and took control of our defensive line. Lucas Webb did his job back there as well to help out. Pleased with Matts game in the end. He pretty much started our surge in the second half of the game with his defensive clearances."

6th loss for the season as we hit half way. Do you feel your chance of finals slipping out of your grasp?
"Not at this stage No. We are just 1 game out of the 8 going into this round. Depending on results we could well still be just a game out with plenty of football to go. Our percentage isn't the best which is keeping us at the lower end of the points chart. We have a tough couple of games ahead playing against Hawthorn and Geelong. 2 top 8 sides that are likely to play finals. It's a good test for us. Richmond is second for a reason and we got pretty close in the end. If we get things right I don't see us not being able to win at least one of those games ahead. We're going to keep playing for a finals spot until it certain we can't make it."​

 

[Tigz_09]

 

[Tigz_09]

TRIBUNAL NEWS
10 players were reported during round 12. The highest number for the season thus far in a single round.
Liam Sumner, Clancee Pearce, Michael Barlow, Steven Motlop, Mark Blicavs all recieving fines.

Ben Jacobs
His case was referred directly to the Tribunal after being reported for spitting.
The Tribunal taking into account good record gave Ben a 2-week suspension

Kane Mitchell
Mitchell's case was referred to the Tribunal also after his eye gouging charge was graded to high for the current system to rate.
The Tribunal handing down a 4-week suspension regarding this more severe than the Chris Judd charge back in 2009.

Luke Brown
Reported for rough conduct. Luke would have walked away with a fine, but his bad record caught up with him and he will serve 1 week on the sidelines.

Ben McEvoy
McEvoy was reported for striking an umpire.
His case was another one the Tribunal had to sit for and after much deliberation and video footage, he was handed down a 3 match suspension.

James Gwilt
Charged with stomping. The Final case referred to the tribunal after the grading system was not fitting enough for the offence.
Gwilt had carry-over points from a previous report wich added more pain to his enforced holiday.
The Tribunal handing down one of the biggest suspensions of the season giving Gwilt 5 weeks to mull over his actions.



INJURY NEWS

Tom Rockliff
Tom has been sidelined for 10 weeks after a back strain removed him from the match against Gold Coast Suns.
Tom only playing 8 games so far with his second injury of the year ruling him out until round 22. Brisbane hopefull, he can recover well enough in time should the Lions make the 8 and play finals this season.
​

 

[Tigz_09]

SUMMARY
The Hawks have beaten the dogs in their last 7 encounters.
The reigning premiers will again be favourites this week and by a considerable margin.
Even with the loss of Rioli, Gunston, Puopolo (to injury) and Ben McEvoy serving his suspension, The Hawks still have considerable depth on their list to walk all over the Dogs.
The Bulldogs have shown they can run with the top 8 sides. A win over the Pies in round 2, A win over Fremantle in round 7, A narrow loss against Port in round 11 and another close defeat against Richmond in round 12.
The Hawks, however, are a different kettle of fish and it will take some doing by the young Dogs outfit to cause an upset this week.

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR …

The Bulldogs Supporters.
It's going to be hard being a Dogs supporter this week. There isn't anyone around who thinks the Dogs can win this game, but they will still need their supporter base to get around them and cheer them on. Sure, it may be easier to forget this week and instead mow the lawn, or hide in the corner of the pub on Sunday. but, true fans stick by their teams side when the going is tough. Can you?

PREDICTION: Hawthorn 60+​

 

[Tigz_09]

 

[Tigz_09]

GAME DAY

Hawthorn first to score with Marc Pittonet getting a goal inside 5 minutes.
Hawthorn getting the next clearance and found Jack Fitzpatrick all alone to get a quick second and good start.
Marc Pittonet got his second as the Bulldogs forwards haven't even seen the ball for over 8 minutes of play.
Jack Fitzpatrick all alone for the second time kicks his second and it's a 26 point lead to the Hawks.
Caleb Daniel applied a great tackle on Daniel Howe to get a free kick and a much-needed shot on goal.
Daniel spraying the kick registered a behind to get the Dogs first score. Tom Liberatore would have a chance to score but he missed also.
Hathorn continued their run at goal but missed a few chances before Jack Fitzpatrick popped up again to get his 3rd in a terrible quarter for the Bulldogs. Bulldogs trail by 34 points at quarter time.

Giansiracusa was seen giving the Bulldogs players a spray at quarter time. It appeared to have an impact early as the Dogs got the first clearance down to Caleb Daniel who kicked to Toby McLean and he scored to get the Bulldogs first goal of the game.
Mathew Boyd gave away an easy free to Jarrod Roughead as he scores for the Hawks to re-establish the quarter time margin.
Roughead featuring in the next goal as he took a great mark over Roberts to get another hawthorn goal.
Roughead again marking strongly over Roberts fired through his 3rd in 4 minutes and he is really hurting the Dogs.
Caleb Daniel broke from the centre bounce and charged in to get a goal, but just as quick. Marc Pittonet scores for Hawthorn to nullify the score.
To make matters worse for the Dogs, Koby Stevens is hit hard during a marking contest and he looks a little proppy.
After a long period of play to which the Bulldog defense had started to work better Caleb Daniel (who has been working hard) was given a free kick against Frawley as he went back and kicked a goal for the bulldogs giving him 2 for the quarter.
Lucas Webb took a great mark over Howe and from a decent angle he kicked a great goal giving the Dogs their 4th goal of the quarter.
The Bulldogs winning the term by 1 point still trail by 30 at half-time.

Koby Stevens in the hands of the trainers

Brendon Whitecross picked up his first goal after 10 minutes of congested play. The Bulldogs trying to work their way into the game have done better defensively but still can't make it count on the scoreboard.
Taylor Duryea got the hawks second for the term as the lead was extended to 40 points. Jonathon Ceglar making it 46 after he kicked straight.
Jack Fitzpatrick joining in to make it 4 in a row, as the Hawks blew the lead wide open.
Fitzpatrick again doing the damage with his 5th as the Dogs lost the slim advantage they had found late in the second term.
The Bulldog defenders becoming frustrated, gave away a free kick to Lewis right in front of goal as he made no mistake making it 6 in a row and a 66 point lead late in the third. Toby McLean kicked the Dogs a goal to stop the bleeding but it matter little in this one-sided contest.

10 miutes of scrappy play soured the final term before Jarrod Roughead found the way to goal for the Hawks. Once again he was able to back this up with a second goal straight after to dig the knife in a little deeper in the Bulldogs chest.
Roughead following up with his third for the quarter and his 6th goal of the game.
The Bulldogs players could only sit and watch the dominant display of the key forward.
Josh Dunkley, breaking the Hawks run kicked his first goal in the match.
Marc Pittonet having a remarkable game kicked his 4th goal as he enjoys his game time with McEvoy sitting out.
Luke Dahlhaus with a consolation goal late in the quarter for the bulldogs as the siren sounds in a forgettable game.
Hawthorn run away winners by 72 points.

Hawthorn looked very good today. Did you expect to be outclassed in this manner by the Hawks?
"A true test of where your side is at, Is to play against the best sides in the comp. Hawthorn are the reigning premiers for a reason. Their side is filled with talent and depth, for every player they lose, another one can pop up and take their place without much of a performance loss.
We got found out today. A young group, not many A grade level players and our depth doesn't go that far. It's hard to get up against this Hawthorn outfit. We just don't have the talent to match them."

Hawthorn's forwards were too strong for you today. Back-up ruckman Marc Pittonet in just his 4th game really caused a headache for you also. How do you correct that going forward?

"Marc was a surprise, let me tell you. he kicked 4 goals and we didn't give him any respect. His positioning was really good and he knew where to be when the ball went forward. He wasn't rated as much of a forward but with the amount of ball they had going in there, it was bound to create opportunities for anyone. Fitzpatrick was in for his run of the year so I guess he had a bit too prove and kicked 5 goals, Roughead got 6. We don't have the skills or strength to take on the big key forwards. It's something we will need to address in the offseason I think. Our younger guys aren't ready to take that job on. We've just got to do our best for the rest of the season."

Some of your better players found it hard out there today. Do you think you have enough A-grade talent on your list?

"We struggled against the Hawks quality players. That was always going to be a tough task beating them in the possession count today. We have some talent on the list but they aren't playing well enough. Tom Liberatore had another poor game in my eyes, Just 11 touches for one our best outside mid players isn't good enough. Mitch Wallis found it really hard again today to make an impact. His performances have been pretty average and not to the level we think he should be. Jackson MaCrae struggled, Mathew Boyd found it tough along with Jed Adcock who's been one our better more consistent players since he joined the seniors. The opportunity I have as a new senior coach is to evaluate our list and make the changes to better place us next season. There's a couple of guys playing for their careers out there, A few who should be nervous come trade week. I've said it before. I don't accept passengers. So if you want to keep your spot you have to perform or else we will go looking for that better player elsewhere."​

 

[Tigz_09]

 

[Tigz_09]

TRIBUNAL NEWS
Jack Frost (COLL), David Armitage (STK)
survive suspension with fines

Christain Salem (Melbourne)
Salem was given 3 weeks by the tribunal after being referred for a spitting offence

Jarrod Harbrow (Gold Coast)
Jarrod will be out for a week after a kneeing offence. Lucky to be given a 1 match suspension with an early guilty plea and good record points reduced the penalty.

Dom Sheed (West Coast)
Dom was also reported for kneeing but was deemed to be quite a vicious attack. He will be out for 3 matches (downgraded from 4)

Jack Newnes (St Kilda)
Jack was charged for a tripping offence. His good record and early plea wasn't enough to save him as his point collected were to high for a fine and he will miss the 1 match.
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INJURY NEWS

Edward Vickers-Willis (NMFC)
North Melbourne's 2014 draftee in just his first AFL game has ended in tragedy. The 19-year old breaking his ankle in the match against the Tigers.
He will be sidelined for 10 weeks and will now have to wait until 2016 to play his second AFL game.​

 

[Tigz_09]

SUMMARY
The last 5 games for the Cats haven't been the greatest. They managed 2 wins by 12 points or less against relatively, easy competition. Carlton getting an upset win and losses against Fremantle and Gold Coast. (who are looking to feature in finals action).
Far from convincing but heavy favourites against the Bulldogs this week.
The Dogs are coming off the back of 3 straight losses. Heavyweights Hawthorn dishing out a 72 point smashing last week. They've struggled with scoring, Midfield dominance and lack of height and class in defence. The Cats will be tough. Very tough. All hands on deck this week to make sure a second embarrassing loss isn't on the cards for Giansiracusa.

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR …

Marcus Bontempelli (50 games)
It's hard to think this kid is still so fresh in his career. Bontempelli has been one of the better performers for the Bulldogs so far this season. twice best on ground honours for the Dogs and 6 times ranked in the top performers for a match. It's going to be a tough day for him today against the Cats, but he should be happy with the milestone.

Easton Wood (100 games)
The 26-year-old will run out for his 100th game this weekend. Easton has been having a decent season too in relation to form but he would like his disposal count to be a touch higher. His 52 possession game against Collingwood a career highlight with best on ground honours for that round. He's featured two more times in the dogs top 5 so far. Whilst not playing primarily in defence and utilised as a tagger when required. Easton will be hoping to continue the good run of form this weekend against the Cats.

PREDICTION: Geelong by 36+​

 

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GAME DAY

The Bulldogs got away early as Easton wood was able to goal in his 100th game and the boys got around him to congratulate his effort in the first 5 minutes of play. From there though it was the Cats who took control on the scoreboard kicking 5 straight in the quarter to quickly get out to 29 point lead. Zac Smith, Sam Menegola, Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins and Mitch Clark all picking up first quarter goals.
The Dogs weren't far off matching the Cats efforts, but couldn't create the scoring chances from their inside 50 entries.

Marcus Bontempelli was hurt in the opening few minutes and was sent down to full forward. Cleary hurt but able to play out the match at a reduced capacity. The Dogs found a way to spur themselves into a scoring position as they reversed their limited first quarter scoring to pick up 4 goals in the term Josh Dunkley and Toby McLean scored before Sam Menegola broke the run with a goal for the Cats. The Bulldogs then continued to press hard in attack as Toby McLean was able to kick his second and Bailey Williams goals late in the term to allow the Dogs to cut the deficit back to 16 points at half-time.

Patrick Dangerfield with 21 Disposals at half time. Relishing on Bontempelli's absence in the middle.

The Cats came out of the half-time break fired up and looking to re-establish their presence from the first quarter. They quickly added 5 goals in a row, stunning the Bulldogs as the contest looked like it had blown up in the Cats favour. Tom Hawkins kicking a goal either side of Cameron Guthrie's effort, With Mark Blicavs and Daniel Menzel scoring the next goals. To the Dogs credit, they didn't give up. A few positional changes later and they managed to shift the momentum back into their court. Marcus Bontempelli rising above his injury kicked back to back goals late in the quarter as he rallied his side to continue the fight. It's against the Dogs to win from here though as they are now 35 points adrift with just 1 term remaining.

The bulldogs needed a perfect quarter to do the impossible, but it didn't go to plan early as Dale Morris shanked a kick from defense straight into the hands of Tom Hawkins who banged it home. The Dogs Found Toby McLean with some space and the youngster kicked his third inside the 5th minute. From there though, it was a hard fought game. Geelong doing what they could to retain possession had to earn their possessions as the Dogs hunted the ball and focused on quick attacks. The Cats Defense stood up to stop the bulldog surge. Even with limited inside 50's the Dogs had the final 4 scoring shots but couldn't get the accuracy required as they were all behinds. Cats doing enough to keep the margin at 35 and win the game.

Giansiracusa answering questions post game


You had a lot of the key stats go your way today. Are you disappointed with the loss and the margin?

"I felt like we were in the contest for most of the game. We let ourselves down in te first quarter. Won the clearances by 6, +3 in uncontested marks but ended up with just 8 inside 50's for the term and couldn't score. That trend stayed true for most of the game. Finished +22 in uncontested marks, +2 in tackles, +5 in clearances, +15 in free's for and had +13 rebound 50's. Where it was lost for us was inside 50. -25 in that area. We went in 32 times for 13 scores. 40% conversion but we needed to get inside more often and failed. You can't score, you can't win"

Jake Stringer really stood up after Marcus was hurt. 35 possessions 14 marks and 3 tackles. Happy with his effort?

"He was good today no doubt. One of the best running through the middle. Marcus was doing a decent job on Dangerfield before he went down. We needed someone to lift in the middle and Jake stood up. I haven't seen his final numbers but I'm going to say it's one of the best games he has had this year. Dangerfield and Jake were both just racking up the possession count, We were pleased to have someone out there the Cats found hard to shut down."

What can you do with your forward line to improve your scoring?

"It's an area of great concern for us this season. Obviously, we would like to have Crameri out there for us. We feel like there may some resolve early and he could come back before season's end. Our key forwards aren't stepping up. Tom Boyd has been disappointing, even at VFL level. Jack Redpath has just kicked the one goal in 14 VFL games. Jake Stringer hasn't found his form there either and is performing better through the middle. Bob Murphy hasn't had much of a chance but we'd like to put him there when he comes back from injury. We have a few holes to fill over the offseason to get better."

Tory Dickson reported during the game and Bontempelli's injury, Can you shed any more light on that?

"I think he went in the book for a trip or something like that. I didn't get a great look at it, but there wasn't much in it. He should be right for selection. Marcus pulled up sore with a tweaked groin. He could play next week but he'll still be limited in his output. We'll have to review that at selection how much he is needed. We may give him the week off to get it right."
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*SORRY NO LADDER FOR ROUND 14*
Forgot to screen grab​

 

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