Land of the Giants
Premiership Player
Well, the Qualifying Final last week was just amazing.
Who would have thought we would brush aside the Swans so easily, or that the game would draw such a large crowd? In fact, it was a larger crowd than the Preliminary Final involving Collingwood in 2012. How things have changed since then.
I got the sense we were “on” early in the second quarter. The hunger was evident, and certainly reflected in the tackle count, which we won 96-64. That’s hunger - when it matters.
Leon didn’t really say that much in the presser. Why would he? We increased our lead at every break. You can’t ask for more than that.
Now things have gotten really serious. We’re in our first preliminary final.
I’m not surprised the Bulldogs made it through. They’ve played very well all year, despite bad luck with injuries. Their own hunger was obvious in the ruthless elimination of the Eagles, and Hawthorn, who they’ve just destroyed in similar fashion.
They’re a very good team, fast, intense, and relentless. After some early nerves, and inspired by Bontempelli, they came alive against the Hawks, and applied so much pressure it eventually blew the game open. Hawthorn were made to look old and slow, and their famous precision game fell apart.
I’m sure we all know we’re not exactly popular with the Bulldogs. There’s a feeling we’ve been on the receiving end of too many advantages. It started when Callan Ward moved north, and intensified when Ryan Griffen came on board as part of the Tom Boyd trade. Combined with the longest premiership drought in the league, it’s fed a sense of injustice. That's a very powerful motivator.
So we’ll need to bring our very best game to prevail.
Back in round 9, Bontempelli, Dahlhaus, Picken, Hunter, and Macrae were among their best. Almost exactly the same players were their best against the Hawks. It’s a cliché, but this game will largely be won out of the middle. The coaches will have plenty of work to do this week.
This will be a truly unique game. The Bulldogs haven’t made it to a grand final since 1961, and we have no experience at this level. It’s uncharted territory for both clubs, individual players excepted.
That said, I've no doubt we have what it takes to win on Saturday, so it’s going to be another belter. Let’s make sure we make our presence felt and pack out Spotless Stadium with a sea of orange.
I can't wait. Go Giants!
Who would have thought we would brush aside the Swans so easily, or that the game would draw such a large crowd? In fact, it was a larger crowd than the Preliminary Final involving Collingwood in 2012. How things have changed since then.
I got the sense we were “on” early in the second quarter. The hunger was evident, and certainly reflected in the tackle count, which we won 96-64. That’s hunger - when it matters.
Leon didn’t really say that much in the presser. Why would he? We increased our lead at every break. You can’t ask for more than that.
Now things have gotten really serious. We’re in our first preliminary final.
I’m not surprised the Bulldogs made it through. They’ve played very well all year, despite bad luck with injuries. Their own hunger was obvious in the ruthless elimination of the Eagles, and Hawthorn, who they’ve just destroyed in similar fashion.
They’re a very good team, fast, intense, and relentless. After some early nerves, and inspired by Bontempelli, they came alive against the Hawks, and applied so much pressure it eventually blew the game open. Hawthorn were made to look old and slow, and their famous precision game fell apart.
I’m sure we all know we’re not exactly popular with the Bulldogs. There’s a feeling we’ve been on the receiving end of too many advantages. It started when Callan Ward moved north, and intensified when Ryan Griffen came on board as part of the Tom Boyd trade. Combined with the longest premiership drought in the league, it’s fed a sense of injustice. That's a very powerful motivator.
So we’ll need to bring our very best game to prevail.
Back in round 9, Bontempelli, Dahlhaus, Picken, Hunter, and Macrae were among their best. Almost exactly the same players were their best against the Hawks. It’s a cliché, but this game will largely be won out of the middle. The coaches will have plenty of work to do this week.
This will be a truly unique game. The Bulldogs haven’t made it to a grand final since 1961, and we have no experience at this level. It’s uncharted territory for both clubs, individual players excepted.
That said, I've no doubt we have what it takes to win on Saturday, so it’s going to be another belter. Let’s make sure we make our presence felt and pack out Spotless Stadium with a sea of orange.
I can't wait. Go Giants!
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