Preview 2016 AFL Finals - West Coast v Western Bulldogs, Subiaco, Thu, Sept 8, 6.10pm

[Kangaroos4eva]

Travelling to the other side of the country is really tough. I think Adelaide is the only club who have won their most recent encounter against us in Perth.

Given our potential last three games are all away it's nearly impossible for us to win three in a row. One or two maybe, but three in a row won't happen.

It goes both ways, it's killed us last year against you guys, we didn't have the legs to run it out after the Sydney final.

 

[Happy Mastenator]

Yes I meant the eagles, just trying to gauge whether the Eagles have gotten over their Victorian travelling demons.

Would feel semi-comfortable coming across to play someone like North, but playing a top 4 team. Yeah, that won't end well.

 

[Suma Magic]

It goes both ways, it's killed us last year against you guys, we didn't have the legs to run it out after the Sydney final.

Yeah that's what I meant.

No team in the league, no matter how good they are, would be favourites if they played us at Subi this finals series.

Similarly, we will be outsiders if we play any top 6 teams away from home.

Hopefully the bye gives us a slightly better chance as a team outside the top 4 to make the GF. I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Yeah that's what I meant.

No team in the league, no matter how good they are, would be favourites if they played us at Subi this finals series.

Similarly, we will be outsiders if we play any top 6 teams away from home.

Hopefully the bye gives us a slightly better chance as a team outside the top 4 to make the GF. I'm not holding my breath.

The bye adds a different dimension to the finals series, it's going to benefit the bottom four of the eight more than the top four I suspect. Best of luck in any case, I anticipate a tighter contest than people expect on Thursday, but a win for you guys all the same.

 

[The City Boyz]

The bye adds a different dimension to the finals series, it's going to benefit the bottom four of the eight more than the top four I suspect. Best of luck in any case, I anticipate a tighter contest than people expect on Thursday, but a win for you guys all the same.

Yeah, I think it will work well...

 

[WCE Wizard]

We put him into surgery for a shoulder issue after it became clear that Adams wasn't going to be over his foot complaint before finals.

It's a shame because is a jet defender you guys have been awesome missing a third of your best 22

 

[compact72]

Kudos to everybody in this thread. So much class + respect, makes it enjoyable coming to this thread

Going to be a very tough game. I suspect the Eagles will win, but I'm keen to see Bevs plans to make it a thriller

 

[Testekill]

It's a shame because is a jet defender you guys have been awesome missing a third of your best 22

Yeah, no good at all. He would be super useful to have against Darling as it means that he can run off of Darling and go third man up against Kennedy

 

[Outback Footy]

Im not expecting this to be pretty. West Coast in Perth, especially with a rabid pro Eagles crowd = toughest gig in footy.

Im expecting our boys to be a completely different outfit to the one that played Freo, they'll be hungry and I expect a good effort, and a respectable loss. Would love to see the boys get up but don't think so. Our attack just not firing enough, the best defence in the world will still leak a score, we need score+1 to win and we haven't been scoring lately. If our guys start giving Toyd some quality ball and honouring his leads, and if Stringer fires we might have a chance, that's the key to the game in my mind.

Our ins will help, the break will help, the trip, the crowd (and therefore the umpiring)and the Eagles will hurt. Eagles by less than 20 I reckon.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Im not expecting this to be pretty. West Coast in Perth, especially with a rabid pro Eagles crowd = toughest gig in footy.

Im expecting our boys to be a completely different outfit to the one that played Freo, they'll be hungry and I expect a good effort, and a respectable loss. Would love to see the boys get up but don't think so. Our attack just not firing enough, the best defence in the world will still leak a score, we need score+1 to win and we haven't been scoring lately. If our guys start giving Toyd some quality ball and honouring his leads, and if Stringer fires we might have a chance, that's the key to the game in my mind.

Our ins will help, the break will help, the trip, the crowd (and therefore the umpiring)and the Eagles will hurt. Eagles by less than 20 I reckon.

Eagles been screwed by umpires in several home games this year

 

[WCE_phil]

Sick of hearing about the umpiring from bulldogs supporters. Have received the second highest amount of free kicks this year with the least given against them as well for far and away the biggest free kick differential of any side.

 

[RookiePick]

Bulldogs will be hoping to get off to a flyer. One to keep the crowd quiet and two to allow as much buffer as possible if their in's tire late in the game. I'm expecting the first quarter to be played at breakneck pace.

 

[TedDougChris]

Sick of hearing about the umpiring from bulldogs supporters. Have received the second highest amount of free kicks this year with the least given against them as well for far and away the biggest free kick differential of any side.

Just some data for you.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...s-home-a-hell-for-rivals-20160905-gr9bh3.html

West Coast in those 12 Subiaco finals have only once finished on the wrong side of the ledger when it came to free kicks. That was in the 2012 elimination final against North Melbourne, a game the Eagles still managed to win by a cool 96 points.

The Eagles have won the free-kick differentials by a whopping 61 free kicks overall, an average of more than five a game

And the Bulldogs have travelled pretty well with the umpires themselves this season, their average 3.6 free kicks a game more than against the best in the AFL in 2016.

So from this, the Eagles benefit from a 50% higher free kick differential per home final on average (rounded down), than we did for the entire year. So if our free kick differential is considered high, what does that make the Eagles benefit for home finals ??

Having said all that, typically the home team has finished higher on the ladder and is more likely to be the victor (although this year the margin for error is quite fine, with so many highly performing teams in the top 8) - which would explain both the likely result (with the Eagles winning so many home finals) and the free kick count.

 

[Doggies_13]

Bulldogs will be hoping to get off to a flyer. One to keep the crowd quiet and two to allow as much buffer as possible if their in's tire late in the game. I'm expecting the first quarter to be played at breakneck pace.

Think you may find the dogs may have only two players underdone
Wood and Roughead missed 1 game
Stringer has been in the vfl
The only two possibly underdone are Libba and macrae having been out for about 5 weeks

But we have welcomed back a few players including JJ from 10 weeks out who have not missed a beat in their return game even kicked the winner from 40-45 against the swans

 

[SpaceClef]

Think you may find the dogs may have only two players underdone
Wood and Roughead missed 1 game
Stringer has been in the vfl
The only two possibly underdone are Libba and macrae having been out for about 5 weeks

But we have welcomed back a few players including JJ from 10 weeks out who have not missed a beat in their return game even kicked the winner from 40-45 against the swans

Yeah I'm not reading much into the underdone thing. Maybe if they hadn't played all season.m, but don't think it will be an issue here.

 

[RookiePick]

I said if they tire, floggos!

 

[SpaceClef]

I said if they tire, floggos!

Is this a Purple 'sliding door' thing

 

[maddog37]

Sick of hearing about the umpiring from bulldogs supporters. Have received the second highest amount of free kicks this year with the least given against them as well for far and away the biggest free kick differential of any side.

Umpiring, umpiring, umpiring!

 

[RookiePick]

Umpiring, umpiring, umpiring!

 

[BallaratBulldog]

At lest it's not the Hawks.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Eagles beating 3 sides who were in the top 4 at the time of playing them in the last few weeks reads well on paper but if you really look at it, it's not as impressive as people are making it out to be.

The GWS win away was very good, Hawthorn are cooked and Adelaide were coming off a high intensity Showdown and were ripe for the picking.

The bye could potentially kill WCE's momentum and it could help Footscray freshen up from their high intensity game style.

I can see it going one of two ways. It will be a very tight game or WCE will smash them, I don't think there will be any inbetween.

 

[SpaceClef]

The bye could potentially kill WCE's momentum and it could help Footscray freshen up from their high intensity game style.

I can see it going one of two ways. It will be a very tight game or WCE will smash them, I don't think there will be any inbetween.

They certainly could do with a breather after that high intensity match against Freo

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

They certainly could do with a breather after that high intensity match against Freo

Yeah, good. That's why I said freshen up from their high intensity game style and not from their last match.

 

[Syphoncom]

Hey guys, quick write-up on the game this weekend. Apologies I didn't pick you! Don't be mad . Good luck this weekend.

West Coast v Western Bulldogs
​

​

Two teams from the 'West'; in a first, the West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs open the 2016 AFL finals campaign this Thursday night over at Domain Stadium. Whilst both teams have enjoyed solid seasons, injuries have impacted both clubs heavily. With one team flying and one team faltering, will the finals opener be a fizzer?

When & Where?


Elimination Final 1, 8:10PM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 at Subiaco
​

On the cusp of opening the 2016 finals series, West Coast would be balancing conflicting emotions with their season. After a loss late in the season to Collingwood, the Eagles managed to win their last four games, including victories over GWS, Hawthorn, and Adelaide. Ensuring a home final despite missing the top 4, the Subiaco has been a fortress for the Western teams, especially when they're playing well.

Contrary to the Eagle's finish, the Bulldogs managed 3-3 to round out the season, including a close win against Collingwood in round 21. Dogged by injury, they will be desperate to regain some of their fire-power for their travel West. Unfortunately for Dogs fans, if their win rate against the Eagles is poor, their chances at their home ground are even worse.

With only four wins from their nineteen outings at Subiaco, Luke Beveridge and his boys certainly have their work cut out for them Thursday.

How will it happen?

Despite injuries to key personnel both teams performed admirably this year, however with 22 home and away games the season is never balanced.

As a 2015 Grand Finalist, West Coast had an understandably tough draw. Of their nine games against other finalists this year, only three were at Subiaco. Considering they're not known for travelling well, a 5-4 record for the Eagles seems a decent return given the lengthy trip. Contrasting this the Bulldogs had five home games, including 'away' games against North Melbourne and Geelong. Still, the Dogs managed just 4 wins with a percentage of 88.9%.

On form, the Eagles are probably the better side. Yet there is no doubt something about this Bulldogs team.

With an exciting brand of football and a tenacity that's been missing for years, the Dogs have been a delight to watch. Fast paced, contested football generally means the toughest and hardest succeed in September. The one thing the Bulldogs have in spades is toughness; ranking first in contested possessions, second in clearances and in inside 50's, they will no doubt get their hands on the ball. The biggest question – what they will do with it.

The Bulldogs would believe they can control possession and pace of the game. They would say they can contain the Eagles forwards. They are after all a miserly bunch – at an average of just 73 points a game they've conceded the third fewest points. But for all their disposal dominance, they must be able to score themselves to threaten the Eagles. And for all the praise their defensive efforts deserve, the Eagles have averaged only 65 points scored against them at their home ground.

A key strategy to winning will be suppressing the Eagle's forwards, Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling. Whilst the Bulldogs have recalled forward Jake Stringer, having their leading goal scorer playing at VFL level there must be massive doubt over whether they can kick a winning score.

In their only encounter this year the Dogs did triumph over West Coast, but that was at the Docklands. The expanse of Subiaco should mute the effect of the Dogs' run, and no-one does it better there than the Eagles.

What will happen?
​

As of writing, the odds are:

No surprises here, the Eagles are almost unbackable closing in on $1.20. Finals are a different beast to home and away games, so anything can happen. Here however, they do reflect the enormity of the Bulldog's task.

Last time they met:

This time they meet:​

With so much of the top 8 occupied by perennial finalists, one could see merit in hoping the Dogs make it far in 2016. Cruelled by injuries however, their season that promised so much faltered late with losses to St Kilda, Fremantle, and Geelong twice.

Although the loss of Natanui is a huge one for West Coast, their current form shows they're capable of covering the big man. And whilst the importance of first-touch and the x-factor Nic Nat brings can't be overstated, their class around the ball and up forward should prove too much for the Bulldogs to handle.

The Dogs can take a lot of experience out of Thursday night, but the Eagles should win well.

West Coast by 28.

 

[The City Boyz]

Hey guys, quick write-up on the game this weekend. Apologies I didn't pick you! Don't be mad . Good luck this weekend.

West Coast v Western Bulldogs
​

​

Two teams from the 'West'; in a first, the West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs open the 2016 AFL finals campaign this Thursday night over at Domain Stadium. Whilst both teams have enjoyed solid seasons, injuries have impacted both clubs heavily. With one team flying and one team faltering, will the finals opener be a fizzer?

When & Where?


Elimination Final 1, 8:10PM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 at Subiaco
​

On the cusp of opening the 2016 finals series, West Coast would be balancing conflicting emotions with their season. After a loss late in the season to Collingwood, the Eagles managed to win their last four games, including victories over GWS, Hawthorn, and Adelaide. Ensuring a home final despite missing the top 4, the Subiaco has been a fortress for the Western teams, especially when they're playing well.

Contrary to the Eagle's finish, the Bulldogs managed 3-3 to round out the season, including a close win against Collingwood in round 21. Dogged by injury, they will be desperate to regain some of their fire-power for their travel West. Unfortunately for Dogs fans, if their win rate against the Eagles is poor, their chances at their home ground are even worse.

With only four wins from their nineteen outings at Subiaco, Luke Beveridge and his boys certainly have their work cut out for them Thursday.

How will it happen?

Despite injuries to key personnel both teams performed admirably this year, however with 22 home and away games the season is never balanced.

As a 2015 Grand Finalist, West Coast had an understandably tough draw. Of their nine games against other finalists this year, only three were at Subiaco. Considering they're not known for travelling well, a 5-4 record for the Eagles seems a decent return given the lengthy trip. Contrasting this the Bulldogs had five home games, including 'away' games against North Melbourne and Geelong. Still, the Dogs managed just 4 wins with a percentage of 88.9%.

On form, the Eagles are probably the better side. Yet there is no doubt something about this Bulldogs team.

With an exciting brand of football and a tenacity that's been missing for years, the Dogs have been a delight to watch. Fast paced, contested football generally means the toughest and hardest succeed in September. The one thing the Bulldogs have in spades is toughness; ranking first in contested possessions, second in clearances and in inside 50's, they will no doubt get their hands on the ball. The biggest question – what they will do with it.

The Bulldogs would believe they can control possession and pace of the game. They would say they can contain the Eagles forwards. They are after all a miserly bunch – at an average of just 73 points a game they've conceded the third fewest points. But for all their disposal dominance, they must be able to score themselves to threaten the Eagles. And for all the praise their defensive efforts deserve, the Eagles have averaged only 65 points scored against them at their home ground.

A key strategy to winning will be suppressing the Eagle's forwards, Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling. Whilst the Bulldogs have recalled forward Jake Stringer, having their leading goal scorer playing at VFL level there must be massive doubt over whether they can kick a winning score.

In their only encounter this year the Dogs did triumph over West Coast, but that was at the Docklands. The expanse of Subiaco should mute the effect of the Dogs' run, and no-one does it better there than the Eagles.

What will happen?
​

As of writing, the odds are:

No surprises here, the Eagles are almost unbackable closing in on $1.20. Finals are a different beast to home and away games, so anything can happen. Here however, they do reflect the enormity of the Bulldog's task.

Last time they met:

This time they meet:​

With so much of the top 8 occupied by perennial finalists, one could see merit in hoping the Dogs make it far in 2016. Cruelled by injuries however, their season that promised so much faltered late with losses to St Kilda, Fremantle, and Geelong twice.

Although the loss of Natanui is a huge one for West Coast, their current form shows they're capable of covering the big man. And whilst the importance of first-touch and the x-factor Nic Nat brings can't be overstated, their class around the ball and up forward should prove too much for the Bulldogs to handle.

The Dogs can take a lot of experience out of Thursday night, but the Eagles should win well.

West Coast by 28.

Good preview mate.