Richmond v Western Bulldogs
Saturday, 25th August 2015
2:10 PM, MCG
THE SEASON SO FAR
Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs entered the 2018 season as one of the biggest anomalies in the competition. Having won the 2016 flag before slumping to 14th in 2017, their fans were hoping the 2017 season was simply a premiership hangover- a blip on the radar, and they’d return to their 2016 form that saw them win 15 games and go on to win the flag. The season did not start promisingly, losing by 8 goals in each of their first two matches, and for the Dogs the season has largely been a tale of inconsistency.
There has been 6 occasions this season where the Dogs have been either ahead, or within 3 goals at half time and gone on to lose by 5 or more goals. Examples of this include
Rd 10 v Collingwood - 2 goals up at Half time, lost by 35 points
Rd 14 v Norf - 24 points up near half time, led in the last minute and lost by 2 Pts with 20 secs left on the clock
Rd 16 v Hawthorn - 2 points up at Half Time, lost by 63 points
Rd 17 v Melbourne - 3 Pts up at half time, lost by 50
They’ve had somewhat of a resurgence late in the season, largely due to regaining Bontempelli and Macrae after injury absences, beating the Saints (lol), Kangaroos (hahaha) and Carlton (hehehehe) in the last 3 rounds.
Richmond Tigers
What more can you say about the season this team has had?
17 wins, Minor Premiers confirmed, with the only losses coming interstate against respectable opposition, all while seemingly doing so in 2nd gear, with injuries to crucial role players, and the worst free kick differential in the competition. The Tigers have gone another level this year, players who missed out on finals action last year like Conca, Lloyd and Short and new addition to the best 22 Jack Higgins seemingly energising the playing group and driving the hunger again.
RECENT HISTORY
The Bulldogs haven’t brought the Tigers fond memories recently, they have the wood over the Tigers of late and it’s been a while since these sides last met, in round 7 2017. In that game the Dogs narrowly held on to a 5 point lead over
a fast finishing Tigers side following one of the most all time baffling deliberate out of bounds decisions against Jayden Short you’ve ever seen in the dying moments. The Dogs also won the 2016 matchup between the sides by 10 points, again at Etihad, and also won the 2015 clash by 19 points.
KEY MATCHUPS
Jack Riewoldt v Dale Morris
After a 2 goal outing last wee v Essendon, the Richmond focal point will be looking for a bag. The Coleman is on the line and if the tigers get out to a handy lead, they’ll look to go to Jack as often as possible. Looking at the names down back for the Doggies, Richards, Wood and Naughton will look to zone off and block his space but if the Dogs have any chance of winning they’ll need Morris to keep Jack to only a handful of goals.
Dustin Martin v Marcus Bontempelli
*this is the only photo of them both I could find*
Although unlikely to line up directly on each other, these two players provide the class and spark out of the middle, breaking the lines and kicking goals. With Lambert out and Prestia in doubt, Martin could be on for another game with big minutes through the midfield, and he’s coming off a 4 goal haul v the Bombers. Bont is the Bulldogs best and most important player, and despite playing in the middle has kicked the 2nd most goals for the Dogs this year despite missing 4 games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jackson Macrae
When people think of the Bulldogs they often think of the flashier players like Bontempelli, Johanissen or Dahlhaus, but Jack Macrae is a key part of their engine room, ranked in the top 5 in the comp for Supercoach points, and the Dogs’ #1 clearance and contested possessions player this year
Toby Nankervis
Anyone who follows Supercoach will know if your ruckman is going up against the Dogs, throw the captaincy on him. Quite simply, the Dogs are terrible at defend Ruckman, electing to play much of the season without. Recognised ruckman and electing to play part timers Tom Boyd (currently injured) and Jackson Trengrove, seemingly conceding the hitouts and hoping to win the ball on the ground. Without a recognised matchup, Big Nank could really get off the leash here while also using the opportunity to freshen up by sitting behind the ball or creeping forward for a few sneaky snags. Look for premiership winning ruckman Shaun Griggs to also capitalise on this.
POSSIBLE CHANGES
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Honeychurch and Campbell were in the bests for Footscray in the 2s, the Dogs might also elect to get some experience into young ruckman Tim English. Backman Marcus Adams missed with a shoulder injury and could return.
Fergus Greene and Brad Lynch have had a few quiet weeks but at this stage of the season should hold their spots to gain some experience. Bont copped a knock but played out the game and should come up fine.
RICHMOND
The Tigers rested a host of key players last week with an eye on the finals. Captain Cotch should be right to go, Prestia will be tested, and Dave Astbury should return. Lambert is still another week away. Richmond’s VFL side had a bye on the weekend so hard to assess who might come in for any other injuries, but it would be out of the usual heads of Moore, Ellis, Menadue or Miles.
Liam Baker, Ryan Garthwaite and Sam Lloyd all came in and didn’t do anything wrong but would likely be the ones in the gun, while Jason Castagna copped a corked thigh and may be rested.
WHERE THE BULLDOGS CAN WIN THE GAME
To borrow a phrase from esteemed respected coach Chris Scott, for the Bulldogs to have a chance, “a lot will need to go right for them”. They’d need to keep Richmond to a score of 70 or less, they’ll need to stop Riewoldt from kicking a bag, and they’ll need to find goals from their midfield. One of Schache, Dickson and Gowers will need to kick multiple goals, and they’d need goals to come from Hunter, Macrae and the Bont. Essendon really flooded the back line last week which at times Richmond struggled to break through, but Essendon couldn’t break back the other way in possession- the dogs will need to employ this tactic but look to run the corridor where possible, and maintain possession through kicking to avoid Richmond’s pressure.
WHERE RICHMOND CAN WIN THE GAME
Richmond will look to employ their trademark counter attacking style through the corridor, feed the ball long to Riewoldt and have their host of small forwards apply pressure through the forwardline. It’s a simple game plan, but it’s effective. The Dogs have a lack of quality up forward while Richmond has probably the best and most settled back line in the competition- it’s hard to see where the Dogs will be able to generate a winning score from.
FINAL VERDICT
The Tigers will likely look to field their best 22 possible in a tune up for finals. They’ll want to send a message to the rest of the competition and with a week off next week, unlikely to take the foot of the gas if they get a lead. Riewoldt will look for a bag with the Coleman on the line, and fringe players will want to impress in the last hit out pre finals. The dogs haven’t been able to play a full 4 quarters all year and struggled to get past Carlton. With so much fire power all over the park for Richmond, they should get the job done
Prediction- Richmond by 38 Points
Saturday, 25th August 2015
2:10 PM, MCG
THE SEASON SO FAR
Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs entered the 2018 season as one of the biggest anomalies in the competition. Having won the 2016 flag before slumping to 14th in 2017, their fans were hoping the 2017 season was simply a premiership hangover- a blip on the radar, and they’d return to their 2016 form that saw them win 15 games and go on to win the flag. The season did not start promisingly, losing by 8 goals in each of their first two matches, and for the Dogs the season has largely been a tale of inconsistency.
There has been 6 occasions this season where the Dogs have been either ahead, or within 3 goals at half time and gone on to lose by 5 or more goals. Examples of this include
Rd 10 v Collingwood - 2 goals up at Half time, lost by 35 points
Rd 14 v Norf - 24 points up near half time, led in the last minute and lost by 2 Pts with 20 secs left on the clock
Rd 16 v Hawthorn - 2 points up at Half Time, lost by 63 points
Rd 17 v Melbourne - 3 Pts up at half time, lost by 50
They’ve had somewhat of a resurgence late in the season, largely due to regaining Bontempelli and Macrae after injury absences, beating the Saints (lol), Kangaroos (hahaha) and Carlton (hehehehe) in the last 3 rounds.
Richmond Tigers
What more can you say about the season this team has had?
17 wins, Minor Premiers confirmed, with the only losses coming interstate against respectable opposition, all while seemingly doing so in 2nd gear, with injuries to crucial role players, and the worst free kick differential in the competition. The Tigers have gone another level this year, players who missed out on finals action last year like Conca, Lloyd and Short and new addition to the best 22 Jack Higgins seemingly energising the playing group and driving the hunger again.
RECENT HISTORY
The Bulldogs haven’t brought the Tigers fond memories recently, they have the wood over the Tigers of late and it’s been a while since these sides last met, in round 7 2017. In that game the Dogs narrowly held on to a 5 point lead over
a fast finishing Tigers side following one of the most all time baffling deliberate out of bounds decisions against Jayden Short you’ve ever seen in the dying moments. The Dogs also won the 2016 matchup between the sides by 10 points, again at Etihad, and also won the 2015 clash by 19 points.
KEY MATCHUPS
Jack Riewoldt v Dale Morris
After a 2 goal outing last wee v Essendon, the Richmond focal point will be looking for a bag. The Coleman is on the line and if the tigers get out to a handy lead, they’ll look to go to Jack as often as possible. Looking at the names down back for the Doggies, Richards, Wood and Naughton will look to zone off and block his space but if the Dogs have any chance of winning they’ll need Morris to keep Jack to only a handful of goals.
Dustin Martin v Marcus Bontempelli
*this is the only photo of them both I could find*
Although unlikely to line up directly on each other, these two players provide the class and spark out of the middle, breaking the lines and kicking goals. With Lambert out and Prestia in doubt, Martin could be on for another game with big minutes through the midfield, and he’s coming off a 4 goal haul v the Bombers. Bont is the Bulldogs best and most important player, and despite playing in the middle has kicked the 2nd most goals for the Dogs this year despite missing 4 games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jackson Macrae
When people think of the Bulldogs they often think of the flashier players like Bontempelli, Johanissen or Dahlhaus, but Jack Macrae is a key part of their engine room, ranked in the top 5 in the comp for Supercoach points, and the Dogs’ #1 clearance and contested possessions player this year
Toby Nankervis
Anyone who follows Supercoach will know if your ruckman is going up against the Dogs, throw the captaincy on him. Quite simply, the Dogs are terrible at defend Ruckman, electing to play much of the season without. Recognised ruckman and electing to play part timers Tom Boyd (currently injured) and Jackson Trengrove, seemingly conceding the hitouts and hoping to win the ball on the ground. Without a recognised matchup, Big Nank could really get off the leash here while also using the opportunity to freshen up by sitting behind the ball or creeping forward for a few sneaky snags. Look for premiership winning ruckman Shaun Griggs to also capitalise on this.
POSSIBLE CHANGES
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Honeychurch and Campbell were in the bests for Footscray in the 2s, the Dogs might also elect to get some experience into young ruckman Tim English. Backman Marcus Adams missed with a shoulder injury and could return.
Fergus Greene and Brad Lynch have had a few quiet weeks but at this stage of the season should hold their spots to gain some experience. Bont copped a knock but played out the game and should come up fine.
RICHMOND
The Tigers rested a host of key players last week with an eye on the finals. Captain Cotch should be right to go, Prestia will be tested, and Dave Astbury should return. Lambert is still another week away. Richmond’s VFL side had a bye on the weekend so hard to assess who might come in for any other injuries, but it would be out of the usual heads of Moore, Ellis, Menadue or Miles.
Liam Baker, Ryan Garthwaite and Sam Lloyd all came in and didn’t do anything wrong but would likely be the ones in the gun, while Jason Castagna copped a corked thigh and may be rested.
WHERE THE BULLDOGS CAN WIN THE GAME
To borrow a phrase from esteemed respected coach Chris Scott, for the Bulldogs to have a chance, “a lot will need to go right for them”. They’d need to keep Richmond to a score of 70 or less, they’ll need to stop Riewoldt from kicking a bag, and they’ll need to find goals from their midfield. One of Schache, Dickson and Gowers will need to kick multiple goals, and they’d need goals to come from Hunter, Macrae and the Bont. Essendon really flooded the back line last week which at times Richmond struggled to break through, but Essendon couldn’t break back the other way in possession- the dogs will need to employ this tactic but look to run the corridor where possible, and maintain possession through kicking to avoid Richmond’s pressure.
WHERE RICHMOND CAN WIN THE GAME
Richmond will look to employ their trademark counter attacking style through the corridor, feed the ball long to Riewoldt and have their host of small forwards apply pressure through the forwardline. It’s a simple game plan, but it’s effective. The Dogs have a lack of quality up forward while Richmond has probably the best and most settled back line in the competition- it’s hard to see where the Dogs will be able to generate a winning score from.
FINAL VERDICT
The Tigers will likely look to field their best 22 possible in a tune up for finals. They’ll want to send a message to the rest of the competition and with a week off next week, unlikely to take the foot of the gas if they get a lead. Riewoldt will look for a bag with the Coleman on the line, and fringe players will want to impress in the last hit out pre finals. The dogs haven’t been able to play a full 4 quarters all year and struggled to get past Carlton. With so much fire power all over the park for Richmond, they should get the job done
Prediction- Richmond by 38 Points
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