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Autopsy Smashed in the middle no worries brutal 14pt win against the Bulldogs
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RubbaDuck
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We lack contested marking around the ground so good move. His metres gained were very high for a forward
- Jun 16, 2012
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Melican played pretty fantastic considering he was giving away a lot of size. He has been terrific this year
He's definitely more of an up the ground half forward than anything. I don't mind if he doesn't turn into a contested beast but he just needs to clunk a few more than he does. A few times even under pressure he gets clear hands on the ball but doesn't have the sticky mits unlike ugle hagan
Amartey similar despite proven he can clunk em, but he also seems to drop it far too often even with clear mits on the ball. Can't help but think Reid would dominate as our full forward right now
- Jun 16, 2012
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Francis was poor. Really showed that he is OK as a backup but the least amount of time he spends at afl level the better
RubbaDuck
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Given how poorly U-H kicks for goal, I suspect he uses so much grippo he can't drop the ball. Our forwards are young and inexperienced but already a formidable forward setup built around them
Took 5 marks and is not a key defender , he's been trust into the role because of Tom being out , so not really his fault .
They have very tall forwards and Rampe got done by Bont a couple of times.
- Nov 11, 2012
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Mills straight to defence
Fair enough , but he's been out a long time , so 1 to tune up
Wheresbuddy
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Agree Bedford but given the AFL seems to be dishing out punishment based on the injury suffered, would not surprise me in the slightest that they will move towards punishing head clashes, just like the rugby Union does. They will frame it somewhere along the lines of "Cunningham has a duty of care to Scott blah blah blah"
- Sep 10, 2006
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I think his issue is more being too slow to react to the flight of the ball. Something we're lucky that Rampe and Blakey absolutely excel at. They papered over some cracks in our defence last night.
Wheresbuddy
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IMO his form in the VFL hadn't been that great. Really lacks composure and some of his disposals are really heart in mouth quality at best, at worst, throw remote at TV. And that's at both levels.
Yep i know now , was listening to the radio and they keep bring up Parks
Random thoughts:
1. JUH would've torn us a new one if they had have kicked to him.
2. Umpires poor both ways but so many throws by Dogs
3. Wicks is getting better and better
4. Grundy dumb
5. Dogs were very good.
1. JUH would've torn us a new one if they had have kicked to him.
2. Umpires poor both ways but so many throws by Dogs
3. Wicks is getting better and better
4. Grundy dumb
5. Dogs were very good.
I don’t get the negativity and the subdued atmosphere in here. That was great! You can’t win every game by 30+ points. We were well down on our usual output across the ground, the midfield got smashed, it was comfortably our second worst performance of the season, yet we still won and it wasn’t even that close (though that McLean 50 did seem dodgy). We were challenged and, yes, we had a bit of luck, but we got through it with a win and no injuries. It will only help the confidence to know you can win even when not playing well.
I thought Blakey had an underrated game. He was always in the right spot spoiling everything. Melican and Rampe were also great. Francis wasn’t, but I thought he kinda worked into it in the third and we actually suffered once he went off. Roberts wasn’t really up to it once again. Hayward and Wicks didn’t see a lot of the ball, but both did fantastically well in the few instances they got involved. I thought Campbell was fine in the second half.
Adams was quite poor I thought. Jordon was well below the standards he set in the last couple of weeks. Grundy did some good things, but just didn’t feel as effective as usual. Heeney had a mediocre game by his standards, though that goal from the side was clutch. McLean was good, Amartey mediocre after a fantastic start. Chad was imperious after Richards went off.
I thought Blakey had an underrated game. He was always in the right spot spoiling everything. Melican and Rampe were also great. Francis wasn’t, but I thought he kinda worked into it in the third and we actually suffered once he went off. Roberts wasn’t really up to it once again. Hayward and Wicks didn’t see a lot of the ball, but both did fantastically well in the few instances they got involved. I thought Campbell was fine in the second half.
Adams was quite poor I thought. Jordon was well below the standards he set in the last couple of weeks. Grundy did some good things, but just didn’t feel as effective as usual. Heeney had a mediocre game by his standards, though that goal from the side was clutch. McLean was good, Amartey mediocre after a fantastic start. Chad was imperious after Richards went off.
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Ballarat Bob
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Hope that was the Doggies grand final this year and they start falling away from the eight. They didn't look too bad last night and probably should have won with some decent finishing.
Bye comes at a great time for us hopefully have Fox and Tom back after the break.
Bye comes at a great time for us hopefully have Fox and Tom back after the break.
- Apr 22, 2013
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that was my view as well. melican was on ugle hagan and francis on darcy.
actually thought he was serviceable and performed well on a much much taller player.
Thoughts from the ground now I've had time to think and reflect:
Crowd:
Horrible turn out for the Dogs. You'd think their ladder position wasn't a reflection of how they are actually going and playing. Yes Thursday nights and most have work tomorrow but still looked like a 40/60 split of Swans to Dogs fans. I was up on level 2 on the wing and holy shit was I around some somewhat foul fans. 4 girls in front of me were loud (which is usually fine) but also obnoxious the entire game. Barking whenever a goal was scored. Screaming the same 2-3 lines ad nauseam and making some really disgusting comments about Grundy when he was stretching after half time which even upset the bogan Dog's lady sitting in front of them.
To cap it off, after McLean's 50m at the end of the 4th and the crowd became the best impression of a WCE home game, I naturally cheered when he kicked the goal. Dog's supporter 2 seats away from me taps me on the chest and tells me how I need to open up my other eye because that wasn't fair. I then politely pointed out to him that, that 50m had been paid 2 or 3 times already this game so it was very consistent with the umpiring, it may have been soft but by the letter of the law it was there. He then told me I had both eyes open and didn't bother me again the rest of the night.
Game
Contested ball seems to be the issue. First half we were being soundly beaten in contested ball but only 4 points down. 3rd term we at the very least evened it up and soundly put them to the sword. We won ugly and sometimes you need to do that. Banked 4 points before the bye and that'll be important later on. I missed Cunningham and Florrent's head knocks and didn't notice Richards was taken out of the game as well. Did the Dog's injuries turn the tide? Maybe. But the game did have a feeling of when will Sydney flex their muscle, not if they will.
The Dog's stoppage work was really impressive. They were slipping tackles and drawing in 2-3 players then getting it out to space. Reminded me a lot of the losses we would have against GWS and Hawthorn back in the mid 2010s. I wonder if Rowbottom was tagging again not doing the see ball get ball we want him to do.
Players
Dogs were scared of our talls. I think all 3 performed quite well. I know some people have much higher expectations on McDonald than I do but you notice his movements more at the ground and how sometimes when Amartey or McLean take a mark, McDonald is there right in front of another defender stopping them from impacting the contest. If all 3 could tighten up their set shots they will be a lot more dangerous.
We can't play Francis and Rampe in the same team. They play that same role. I don't know if Hamling can take the bigger forwards like McCartin but it might be worth the try. McCartin should come straight back in and I think the balance of our defence will be improved. Also allows Blakey to play a bit more free.
Crazy to think this time last year if Heeney had 1 goal, 23 touches, 10 contested possessions, 7 tackles and 8 clearances in a game we would be thinking he finally had a breakout game and where has this been all career. Now in 2024 he might not get a Brownlow vote in a game.
All in all, a win with hopefully no major injury concerns. An away win as well which most of us at the start of the season would have had us a 50/50 shot at best given their strengths (contested ball and stoppage work) were our biggest weakness
Crowd:
Horrible turn out for the Dogs. You'd think their ladder position wasn't a reflection of how they are actually going and playing. Yes Thursday nights and most have work tomorrow but still looked like a 40/60 split of Swans to Dogs fans. I was up on level 2 on the wing and holy shit was I around some somewhat foul fans. 4 girls in front of me were loud (which is usually fine) but also obnoxious the entire game. Barking whenever a goal was scored. Screaming the same 2-3 lines ad nauseam and making some really disgusting comments about Grundy when he was stretching after half time which even upset the bogan Dog's lady sitting in front of them.
To cap it off, after McLean's 50m at the end of the 4th and the crowd became the best impression of a WCE home game, I naturally cheered when he kicked the goal. Dog's supporter 2 seats away from me taps me on the chest and tells me how I need to open up my other eye because that wasn't fair. I then politely pointed out to him that, that 50m had been paid 2 or 3 times already this game so it was very consistent with the umpiring, it may have been soft but by the letter of the law it was there. He then told me I had both eyes open and didn't bother me again the rest of the night.
Game
Contested ball seems to be the issue. First half we were being soundly beaten in contested ball but only 4 points down. 3rd term we at the very least evened it up and soundly put them to the sword. We won ugly and sometimes you need to do that. Banked 4 points before the bye and that'll be important later on. I missed Cunningham and Florrent's head knocks and didn't notice Richards was taken out of the game as well. Did the Dog's injuries turn the tide? Maybe. But the game did have a feeling of when will Sydney flex their muscle, not if they will.
The Dog's stoppage work was really impressive. They were slipping tackles and drawing in 2-3 players then getting it out to space. Reminded me a lot of the losses we would have against GWS and Hawthorn back in the mid 2010s. I wonder if Rowbottom was tagging again not doing the see ball get ball we want him to do.
Players
Dogs were scared of our talls. I think all 3 performed quite well. I know some people have much higher expectations on McDonald than I do but you notice his movements more at the ground and how sometimes when Amartey or McLean take a mark, McDonald is there right in front of another defender stopping them from impacting the contest. If all 3 could tighten up their set shots they will be a lot more dangerous.
We can't play Francis and Rampe in the same team. They play that same role. I don't know if Hamling can take the bigger forwards like McCartin but it might be worth the try. McCartin should come straight back in and I think the balance of our defence will be improved. Also allows Blakey to play a bit more free.
Crazy to think this time last year if Heeney had 1 goal, 23 touches, 10 contested possessions, 7 tackles and 8 clearances in a game we would be thinking he finally had a breakout game and where has this been all career. Now in 2024 he might not get a Brownlow vote in a game.
All in all, a win with hopefully no major injury concerns. An away win as well which most of us at the start of the season would have had us a 50/50 shot at best given their strengths (contested ball and stoppage work) were our biggest weakness
- Sep 10, 2006
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I think the Richards and Naughton injuries will really hurt them going into a block of pretty tough games. The next few weeks are massive for them.
- Sep 10, 2006
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We've outnumbered opposition fans at every game in Melbourne this year bar the Collingwood one. Would have been about 15,000 Swans supporters there last night and probably about 12,000 dogs supporters. It's great seeing our fan base growing and turning up to support the team in both cities. Has the club ever been in a better position both on and off the field?
- Apr 22, 2013
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yep very much how i felt. felt like we'd lose but lose with a fair degree of could have beens. The midfield was beaten at the ball with the exception of grundy and the third quarter where our doiminance was a little like theirs - largely uncapitalised. Where we do beat teams up is on turnover - so even if they dominate as the dogs did around the ball our ability to generate a score from turnover is pretty good
i think they are a tough match up for us actually - the three tall forwards stratches our defence beyond breaking point - when it went back to two having blakey be the spare man up saved the day. up to that point it was hard not to see naughton darcy and jamarra kicking 12 for the game. and their crumbing players get to the drop much better, where ours still cant hold it in without a little luck
I feel like when I watch from the TV I miss so much but I feel like I miss different things when at the game
the hypnotoad
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- Mar 7, 2021
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very much agree, and i've posted about the need to face a challenge like we got last night ... and without wanting to labour the point about media coverage, i see so much of it this morning is about the dogs being unlucky to lose key players, and how umpires cruelled them a few times ... if we were collingwood or carlton or essendon, you think the media would be focusing on the losers? no, they'd be singing the praises of (insert vic team name) hanging on, doing what's needed, being 10-1
and on wicks, geez, i think he's a ripper and he contributes something important every week ... he might not get 25 touches but when he gets it he's clean, strong, fierce, good under pressure and almost always finds a teammate
yes indeed, there is something special happening
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