Round 6 Face Off: Eagles vs Dogs

[Astro_]

Welcome to the BigFooty Face-off where a Dogs fan and a quality poster from the opposition will give their analysis of how and where their team can win.

This week it's The Coon Dog from the Dogs who we are all familiar with, up against larrikin, one of the best posters from the Eagles Board to discuss the match at Subi this Saturday afternoon

Please welcome The Coon Dog and larrikin, and I hope that many Dogs and Eagles fans will join in. This a thread for quality discussion in a good spirit - any troll posts from either side will be deleted.

 

[larrikin]

First of all, thanks for the invite back to have a go at this. It will be great to see a whole thread about the Eagles without any reference to off field crap – unfortunately that hasn’t been possible for a while. Anyway, here goes.

Both teams are coming off uninspiring wins last weekend. While the Eagles were quite happy to collect the points, Woosh would have been unimpressed with some of the Eagles execution, especially in the first quarter. Rocket Eade certainly let ABC radio know what he thought of some of his players performances, and obviously he believes there is still a bit to work on

I’ve chosen to look at a couple of key issues that I think will be crucial to the game

KPP
The Eagles have started to develop an impressive, if under-rated, list of KP players. Hansen and Lynch are providing good targets up forward, alternating between CHF and FF. Hansen’s composure, strong hands and accurate kicking have proved invaluable to the Eagles, while Lynch’s explosive power, as well as freakish unpredictability (in both ways) keep supporters and opposition fans on the edge of their seats.

Down back, Glass continues to show why he was last year’s All Australian full back. He is rarely (if ever) beaten 1 on 1, and his run out of the backline has improved to the point where he now is a valuable link up player. Adam Hunter, while undersized in a lot of battles, is very strong overhead, and runs the ball probably as well as any other CHB in the league. His runs forward to kick goals, especially out of pack mark situations, are another bonus

The Doggies key forwards can probably be best described as “unconventional”. While there is no doubt Darcy and Johnson are exceptional footballers, they are not your typical CHF/FF. Johnson has been a thorn in many team’s side. He provides a difficult match up due to his combination of speed, agility and overhead marking, along with a great petrol tank. He has a good record against the Eagles and his impact on the game will be crucial. I would expect a Selwood or Chick to match up on him, a tough match up for either. Similarly, Darcy is not your conventional key forward. His height is an obvious bonus, and will prove a difficult match up for Glass. If Darcy can improve his kicking, he could be a key factor in the result.

Brian Harris heads up the Bulldogs backs, and an impressive back he is. His stopping skills, as well as his creativity is a key factor to the Dogs, and I would expect he would start of Lynch, but may move on to Hansen if required. The second key back is more of a problem for the Dogs. Hargrave tries his heart out, and will probably get first crack at Hansen, but from my experience he’s prone to the occasional brain fade. The Eagles will try and exploit this match up.

Run and carry
For those in any dream team comp, you’ll probably have noticed that there are a lot of Eagles players getting a lot of possessions each week. The run off half back, and the handball link up through the midfield have been characteristic of the side’s style this year. Players like Brett Jones, Adam Selwood, Shannon Hurn and Beau Waters are hardly household names, but they are starting to link up well and provide some good ball for the Eagles’ forwards.

Likewise, the Dogs have plenty of run off HB, and probably do it at an even greater speed than the Eagles. The likes of Gilbee and McMahon link up beautifully with a fleet of foot midfield containing excitement machines like Cooney, Ray and Cross. The battle between the half back lines will be a beauty, and I can guarantee one winner – my Dreamteam.

Clearances
The clearances, and especially the centre clearances, are probably the part of the game that has the biggest potential to decide the result. The ruck battle of Cox and Seaby v Minson and Darcy/Street? looks potentially one sided. Add to this that the Eagles have arguable the two best clearance players in the competion at their feet (Kerr and Judd), and the importance of the Bulldogs shutting down these contests increases. The Bulldogs would be well served to see how Richmond did this in patches, although when the crunch came they weren’t able to continue. I’d be interested to see Dogs’ fans thoughts on who Eade will use to try and limit the impact of Judd & Kerr. From the Bulldogs point of view, West was outstanding last week with 41 possies, and lots of good in and under work of his own. I’d expect Stenglein to run with West, although he may also move to the dangerous Cooney.

The Verdict
I think the clearances will be crucial, and I expect the Eagles will continue to dominate this area. The Dogs will put up a strong fight, and they may be close at ¾ time, but I would expect the Eagles to win by 3-4 goals.

Allright – fire away

 

[The Coon Dog]

Round 6

West Coast Eagles v Western Bulldogs
2.10pm (WA Time)
Saturday 5 May

Will The Bulldogs Win?

From a Doggies perspective, that’s the $64,000 question. Obviously we wont know until the match has been completed, but for the Doggies to win they will need to lift significantly upon the performances we have seen to date this season.
There’s no reason for the Bulldogs not to go to Perth with a positive mindset & set about proving that last season’s win at Subiaco wasn’t a fluke. To beat the Eagles at Subi is one of the more difficult challenges facing all 15 AFL teams. You have to be prepared to run & run until can’t run anymore, then run some more.


The BIG Dangers

Never have 2 names put so much fear into opposition teams as Judd & Kerr since Lillee & Thompson terrorised batsmen in the 1970’s. So the first objective of any team is looking to limit the damage these 2 can do. It’s no good looking to completely stop them, it just doesn’t happen. The aim has to be to limit their effectiveness as much as is humanly possible.

I would have Matty Boyd run with Daniel Kerr & Ryan Griffin to go with Judd. Griff is very quick off the mark & whilst not as quick as Judd, hopefully he can apply enough or referred pressure to affect Judd’s kicks forward. Also important to pin Judd’s arm in a tackle as he has the ability to get tremendous distance with handball, particularly on the left hand (ala Michael Voss).

The Eagles block as well as anyone at a stop play allowing a clear passage for Judd or Kerr to run into. Very important that our onballers look to counter this by taking responsibility for marking Judd/Kerr themselves if they feel their direct opponent is a designated blocker & not allow Judd/Kerr to get ‘goalside’ at a stop play.


Other Dangers

I think the ruck is so vital this week. If Cox & Seaby (I’m assuming he’ll play given our deficiencies there) get on top & give the Eagles runners first use, then it’s shut the gate. I would think we’ll play 2 ruckmen so don’t be surprised if Street earns a recall. It’s crucial that Cox/Seaby don’t give first use to the Eagles band of runners.

Ash Hansen showed good signs against the Tigers & it’s crucial that he is held across the Eagles half forward line. This guy just doesn’t play in a losing team! Wight or Hargrave, Hargrave or Wight, which way do you go? One of them, perhaps Wight to go with him & Hargrave to be the fallback option.

Harris is the obvious player to go to Lynch & just play like he did last week, but also be prepared to run off & link up with other defenders.


Our Dangers

It all starts in the middle, so West, Cross, Cooney, Akermanis, Eagleton, Boyd & Griffen MUST get first hands on the ball & continually drive us forward all day. We must somehow get free of the initial tackle & not ‘cough it up’ as we did last week.

Clearly Gilbee’s kicking is sublime & must be used to maximum advantage. Many of our forward thrusts emanate from him, so players further up the ground must be prepared to work their butts of to give him an option coming forward.

I expect Robert Murphy to play the floating role across half forward & be the ‘go to’ man. No good kicking it high to him, delivery must be out in front of him so he can mark on the lead & use runners going past.


Match Ups

Cox – Minson
Seaby – Skipper
Judd – Griffen
Kerr – Boyd
Lynch – Harris
Wirrpanda - Morris
Hansen – Wight
Stenglein – West
Selwood – Cross
Chick – Johnson
Glass – Darcy
Hunter – Murphy

Some of these match ups have been outlined already so I won’t go over them. I think Selwood will follow Cross around the ground & look to limit his effectiveness, tho he’ll need a good motor as Cross has one of the best going around.

Chick is one player with the speed off the mark & capability in the air to go with Johnson, don’t be surprised if Johnno spends more time in the middle this week.

Glass & Hunter to go with Darcy & Murphy respectively with Glass looking to run up the ground a fair bit.

Great move putting Wirrpanda up forward. He just knows where the goals are. I expect Dale Morris to wear him like a glove.


The Keys

Go in into the game expecting to win! I know it’s not easy, but it’s important to go into the game thinking that we did it last year (obviously the game was a blow out in the finals) & can do it again.

Clearances for me shape as a key ingredient & we must improve significantly if we want to win there or at least go 50/50 with the Eagles.

Stopping Judd & Kerr. As I said earlier, easier said than done, but after all they’re only human & can’t keep playing to the level they have been (I hope).

Being prepared to gut run from start to finish, & limiting turnovers going forward.


Conclusion

There’s no secret why the Eagles are the reigning premiers, they’re a bloody good football team & we’ll have to be at our best to beat them. Getting on top is paramount & we have to force the Eagles to play ‘catch up’ football.

If we play to our best then we can win. I’ve got a funny feeling that we just may be able to take the chocolates this week, but it’s not going to be easy.

The Eagles to go in favourites, with both teams coming off games at the MCG that they’ll both think they should have won by a lot more than the final margins.

 

[Astro_]

Nice work larrikin. I think most doggies supporters feel we must lift our work rate in the clearances if we are a chance in this game. We have been totally smashed in this area the last few weeks and you dont want your team struggling in the centre if your playing the eagles.

Im just waiting on the The Coon Dog who is MIA. He was online no less than 5-10 mins ago. Hopefully he will reappear soon so we can get the face-off thread rolling.

 

[always right]

Nice summary Larrikan...agree with most of what you've said.

In regard to our forward line, don't expect to see Darcy playing at CHF..his work will be at full forward and as a relief ruckman to partner Minson. The bloke you've missed is Robert Murphy who roams across CHF and is now starting to find some impressive form coming back from his knee reco.

Centre clearances are key and our lack of them in recent games has been covered in great detail on our board. I expect to see Cross line up on Kerr and Boyd and Cooney to share the duties on Judd. They'll never shut these guys down completely but should aim to restrict them and get a bit of the ball themselves running the other way.

Our chances depend on our runners. There were some signs last Sunday that our running game is coming back. Be intersted to see if the Weagles go man on man or have a shoot out. Hope it's a great game.

Sorry for jumping the gun on Coondog......have I broken protocol?

 

[Astro_]

Sorry for jumping the gun on Coondog......have I broken protocol?

Yep

Lets see if we can all wait until The Coon Dog posts his analysis before the rest of us commence posting on this thread.

Only 2 more hours to wait!

 

[Benno From Berwick]

Allright – fire away

Alright only has one L. I suspect that is the only win a Bulldog will have over an eagle in the next week.

I think your summary is pretty good. Adam Selwood is a Household name.....unless you have been under a rock.

We will need to shut you guys down. We did it last season and although our final was a terrible experience at the time the experience will now be very useful. Lots going on off the field in Perth this week. That will not help the Eagles despite all their attempts to gaurd the players from Ben's return.

I am hoping for dry conditions. I think we have played very poorly this season but are starting to find the ball at times and winning games which is a good sign. The game will be won in the middle. If we control the flow of the footy then we are a chance.

 

[Aker39]

Weather for Saturday is early shower than fine - 23

 

[The Coon Dog]

I have edited my above post as I am home now & all the info is on my home computer.

 

[Astro_]

Thank you - excellent form from The Coon Dog and larrikin in this Round 6 Face-off.

I invite all Dogs and Eagles posters to join in and debate their thorough analyses.

 

[bzparkes]

Good discussion.

Both teams are great at the run & carry aspect of the game. I personally think this game will be won more in the KPP areas than midfield dominance alone. If either team's KPP's start dominating, it's going to be difficult for the other to stay in the game I would think.

 

[Go_Dogs]

Going to be a good game. The Eagles have a lot of class, and a lot of younger players trying to grab their chances to be involved in an AFL Premiership. I think they'll have too much class all over for the Dogs. Lynch and Harris looms as a good match up, and I'd like to see one of Cooney or Griffen go with Judd or Kerr. A good opportunity for our younger midfielders to work against some of the best, who are in amazing form.

For the Dogs to win, Cooney and Griffen need to have good weeks. Darcy and Murphy need to kick goals. Cross and Boyd need to win a lot of contested ball and apply a lot of pressure. McMahon has to use his speed to close down opponents space. Johnson needs a day out.

I'll be tipping WC, but there is no reason why we can't win.

 

[trevnosh]

During the Regional Challenge practice match at Subiaco earlier this year it was noticeable that both sides used the full extent of Subiaco Oval, working into space and carrying the ball with speed and precision. I think the Dogs and the Eagles are the two best sides at using a big ground in this way. Hopefully the weather will be favourable to both teams' style of play and it should be a terrific match.

Despite their reputation for arrogance I haven't encountered many truly obnoxious Eagles supporters in person, and they're not especially bad losers. Not that they're going to lose this Saturday- I'm not counting chickens. Of course, every club has its share of knobs, but hopefully the relatively cordial nature of the relationship between the Bulldogs and the Eagles continues (now that the Danny Southern-Peter Sumich incident has receded into the past), for the sake of my marriage if nothing else.

 

[#1 Dogs Fan]

Good discussion.

Both teams are great at the run & carry aspect of the game. I personally think this game will be won more in the KPP areas than midfield dominance alone. If either team's KPP's start dominating, it's going to be difficult for the other to stay in the game I would think.

I agree!
That is what happened in last years final game when Lynch kicked 6 on Harris.

 

[QL 21]

Ash Hansen showed good signs against the Tigers & it’s crucial that he is held across the Eagles half forward line. This guy just doesn’t play in a losing team! Wight or Hargrave, Hargrave or Wight, which way do you go? One of them, perhaps Wight to go with him & Hargrave to be the fallback option

Haha, this is true. The last 17 games Hansen has played in, WC have won them all.

 

[Astro_]

Haha, this is true. The last 17 games Hansen has played in, WC have won them all.

I think the bulldogs tried to pick him up in the off season (could have been in late 2005 ).

And to think Adam Hunter was so close to becoming a bulldogs too.

 

[greennick]

What is there more to say, the WC and Bulldogs analysis, by larrikin and The Coon Dog, respectively, were both excellent. Although I have to agree with the final assessment of larrikin, WC by a few goals.

Some people have talked about the impact of off-field issues this week with Ben's return. I doubt this will have a significant effect on the players, the distractions of previous weeks have not seemed to matter.

I always look forward to the games with the Bulldogs, as of late, they never seem to be boring games. Always plenty of run from both sides. It makes for exciting footy, which we don't always get with teams so desperate to shut the Eagles run down.

 

[QL 21]

And to think Adam Hunter was so close to becoming a bulldogs too.

Yeah, I remember picking up the paper last year and seeing Hunter in a Bulldog jumper. I had a little heart attack, but they were just doing a segment on his career and they were saying how he was close to becoming a Bulldog.

 

[Jezzza]

Top analysis by both The Coon Dog and Larrikin on both teams prospects. If the weather is fine it wouldn't suprise me to see one of our ruckmen going deep forward at times to try and create a height mismatch. If this happens Lynch may play further up the ground to drag Harris away from goal and stop him being third man up. Who would you guys play on Cox or Seaby? Switch Harris from Lynch or is there another option?

I'm sure we will see plenty of quick ball movement and plenty of run from both sides as the Doggies are one of the very few teams in the comp that can match us for speed over the ground.

 

[Hap Hapablap]

excellent analysis by both coon dog and larrikin. its going to be a cracker of a match lets hope no injuries/ reports occur in the game.

 

[MoFF]

My two favourite teams going at it @ Subi. Trying feverishly to get tickets, I can't wait!

 

[peterss]

This game is going to be a cracker...Well im hoping it is anyway.

I have ALOT of respect for the Dogs and the way they play their football and they are my favourite team behind the eagles because of the way they play and of course Farren Ray (Good mate of mine who ill try catch up with while hes over here)

Its going to be a hard fast running style of Footy whihc is what we all love to watch.

Dogs will be competitive but will just not be good enough at the end of the day...Eagles by 3-4 goals.

 

[Astro_]

This game is going to be a cracker...Well im hoping it is anyway.

I have ALOT of respect for the Dogs and the way they play their football and they are my favourite team behind the eagles because of the way they play and of course Farren Ray (Good mate of mine who ill try catch up with while hes over here)

Its going to be a hard fast running style of Footy whihc is what we all love to watch.

Dogs will be competitive but will just not be good enough at the end of the day...Eagles by 3-4 goals.

Lets hope its a cracker, Im heading over to Perth for my first ever interstate game (expect for the Doggies home game in Darwin last year) so im hoping we dont get thrashed like we did in last year's final.

Lets hope it will be an open fast running game for most part, however I expect the eagles to be to strong and get up by 3-4 goals.

 

[beatlesmith]

Should be a great game! Between probably the 2 most exciting, free-flowing, hard running teams. I have a lot of respect for the bulldogs as they are my 3rd favourite team. A key for the eagles is to keep lindsay gilbee quiet as he can be incredibly damaging from the flank and streaming down the wing.
Best of luck to the dogs and we should be in store for an absolute classic

 

[Cuzz09]

Cant wait for this one! Im really hoping for good weather and a nice flat track so these 2 teams can just run, run, run!!!

Obviously hoping for an eagles win but wouldn't be surprised to see the dogs get up. I think it is a bit of a bonus that Chris Grant isn't there as he has hurt us in the past.

The main guy we have to watch is Johnno - small forwards kill us (Tambling FFS! ) If someone can do a job on him it will go a long way.

I also think we are yet to really have an accurate goal kicking display yet this year with every game producing more behinds than goals (edit** just saw rd 1 score - whoopsy ) so if Big Lynchy and Hansen and co can get it going well early we could be alright.

No matter what this will be the match of the round (IMO) and I cant see either team getting the margin too far from 3 goals at any stage of the day.

Prediction: West Coast Eagles by 8 points.