southerncross
21-05-2007, 05:13 AM
Dogs in top three sides: Malthouse (http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/dogs-in-top-three-sides-malthouse/2007/05/20/1179601242478.html)
VICTORIOUS coach Rodney Eade said the Western Bulldogs had produced their best half of football for the season against Collingwood yesterday to produce their largest — if marginally short of their best — win so far.
It led defeated coach Mick Malthouse to rate the Dogs among the competition's best three sides.
The Bulldogs staged a 57-point turnaround at Telstra Dome against the inaccurate Magpies, who registered only one goal after the nine-minute mark of the third term.
A curt Malthouse branded his side "world champions at kicking points" after the 33-point loss, which ended his club's three-week winning streak.
Eade was pleased with his players' "collective effort" to fight back after the Magpies had booted six unanswered goals in just 18 minutes of the second quarter and looked set to atone for their 41-point loss to the Dogs in last year's elimination final.
But after the main break the Bulldogs became more proactive and kicked 12 goals to three, with Matthew Boyd, Scott West and Daniel Cross working overtime at the stop-plays.
Eade said: "There were a few players, as I said to them at half-time, probably in ga-ga land a bit. We'd sort of be very reactive even though we seemed to play OK when we had the ball.
"I think the fact that we were able to fight back was pleasing, and then be able to go on with it.
"It was certainly close to our best win. I suppose for four quarters we played better against Geelong (in round one)."
Jason Akermanis had his best game yet in his sixth outing for the Bulldogs, chasing, harassing and creating opportunities for his teammates as well as kicking two goals.
"Last week was about one-and-a-bit quarters (of very good football); today was probably two-and-a-bit. I think his last half was very good," Eade said.
Shaun Higgins and Adam Cooney booted four goals each, and full-back Brian Harris beat Magpie spearhead Anthony Rocca in what was one of the game's feature duels.
After Boyd was awarded the Charlie Sutton Medal as best afield, Eade invited the Bulldogs' only premiership coach to sing the club song with the team.
"He's the soul of the place … and he's held in such high regard," Eade said. "He's there at training all the time. He's a great support for all of us."
Collingwood, which has kicked more behinds than goals in every game since round three, had only three fewer scoring shots than the Dogs. Rhyce Shaw, Anthony Rocca and Brad Dick all missed shots in the third term after a Josh Fraser goal gave his side a 25-point advantage nine minutes in.
Dick's shot hit the post, while spearhead Rocca missed the big sticks once and, later, taking a set shot from about 35 metres, put the ball out on the full. Rocca kicked 3.2 for the day but in the first quarter he also put another shot out on the full and another potential goal that term did not even get near the posts.
"Good football sides don't miss. Good football side capitalise," Malthouse said.
"We're world champions at kicking points at the moment. But it's not through lack of effort and it's not through want.
"I don't think we really had a full, 22-player effort. I thought we were struggling, with probably the bottom four or five players that just didn't get their game going for one reason or another and that put additional pressure on players who stayed out there longer than perhaps was needed."
Chasing the Bulldogs around and then squandering the opportunities they had to score had proved an exhausting and deflating exercise for the Pies. "(The Bulldogs are) a side that doesn't attract a lot of attention," Malthouse said. "They should be classed in the top two or three sides in the competition."
VICTORIOUS coach Rodney Eade said the Western Bulldogs had produced their best half of football for the season against Collingwood yesterday to produce their largest — if marginally short of their best — win so far.
It led defeated coach Mick Malthouse to rate the Dogs among the competition's best three sides.
The Bulldogs staged a 57-point turnaround at Telstra Dome against the inaccurate Magpies, who registered only one goal after the nine-minute mark of the third term.
A curt Malthouse branded his side "world champions at kicking points" after the 33-point loss, which ended his club's three-week winning streak.
Eade was pleased with his players' "collective effort" to fight back after the Magpies had booted six unanswered goals in just 18 minutes of the second quarter and looked set to atone for their 41-point loss to the Dogs in last year's elimination final.
But after the main break the Bulldogs became more proactive and kicked 12 goals to three, with Matthew Boyd, Scott West and Daniel Cross working overtime at the stop-plays.
Eade said: "There were a few players, as I said to them at half-time, probably in ga-ga land a bit. We'd sort of be very reactive even though we seemed to play OK when we had the ball.
"I think the fact that we were able to fight back was pleasing, and then be able to go on with it.
"It was certainly close to our best win. I suppose for four quarters we played better against Geelong (in round one)."
Jason Akermanis had his best game yet in his sixth outing for the Bulldogs, chasing, harassing and creating opportunities for his teammates as well as kicking two goals.
"Last week was about one-and-a-bit quarters (of very good football); today was probably two-and-a-bit. I think his last half was very good," Eade said.
Shaun Higgins and Adam Cooney booted four goals each, and full-back Brian Harris beat Magpie spearhead Anthony Rocca in what was one of the game's feature duels.
After Boyd was awarded the Charlie Sutton Medal as best afield, Eade invited the Bulldogs' only premiership coach to sing the club song with the team.
"He's the soul of the place … and he's held in such high regard," Eade said. "He's there at training all the time. He's a great support for all of us."
Collingwood, which has kicked more behinds than goals in every game since round three, had only three fewer scoring shots than the Dogs. Rhyce Shaw, Anthony Rocca and Brad Dick all missed shots in the third term after a Josh Fraser goal gave his side a 25-point advantage nine minutes in.
Dick's shot hit the post, while spearhead Rocca missed the big sticks once and, later, taking a set shot from about 35 metres, put the ball out on the full. Rocca kicked 3.2 for the day but in the first quarter he also put another shot out on the full and another potential goal that term did not even get near the posts.
"Good football sides don't miss. Good football side capitalise," Malthouse said.
"We're world champions at kicking points at the moment. But it's not through lack of effort and it's not through want.
"I don't think we really had a full, 22-player effort. I thought we were struggling, with probably the bottom four or five players that just didn't get their game going for one reason or another and that put additional pressure on players who stayed out there longer than perhaps was needed."
Chasing the Bulldogs around and then squandering the opportunities they had to score had proved an exhausting and deflating exercise for the Pies. "(The Bulldogs are) a side that doesn't attract a lot of attention," Malthouse said. "They should be classed in the top two or three sides in the competition."