Dale Morris raises Dogs' hopes

[The Coon Dog]

Mark Stevens - Herald Sun - 7 September

DALE Morris could make a shock return for the preliminary final if the Western Bulldogs can survive Saturday night's clash with Sydney.

The All-Australian defender was considered a lost cause with a back injury, but the Dogs have been buoyed by his rapid improvement.

Although still listed as being out for the "season", the Herald Sun can reveal Morris is running without pain.

Article in full... (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/dale-morris-raises-dogs-hopes/story-e6frf9jf-1225915033884)

[LostDoggy]

Gee, I don't know what to think about this article? Whilst I would be excited to see The Glove and even Coooooooney back (if we make it) I wouldn't like to think that the MC would risk their ongoing health by playing them if there was a possibility of them doing more damage (even long term). :confused:

[Mantis]

Play Morris this week.... FFS, he played with a broken leg last year so if he can run, he plays.

Much better he plays on Goodes than Hahn. :eek:

[LostDoggy]

Play Morris this week.... FFS, he played with a broken leg last year so if he can run, he plays.

Much better he plays on Goodes than Hahn. :eek:


Surely, surely. They wont persist with Hahn down back?

[mighty_west]

Play Morris this week.... FFS, he played with a broken leg last year so if he can run, he plays.

Much better he plays on Goodes than Hahn. :eek:

The only way Mitch beats Goodes this week is to wack him over the head with his zimmer frame before the game.

[Ghost Dog]

Gosh, that was degrading seeing Leigh Brown take a casual one handed grab with Mitch right beside him, not even offering a decent punch. Imagine what Goodes will do?

Anyway, re the OP, damn straight. Don't risk players long term health.

[Sockeye Salmon]

If Bradshaw gets up, how the hell will we cover Bradshaw, White and Goodes?

[lemmon]

Lake-Bradshaw
Williams-White
Skinny-Goodes
We would be massively exposed but at the minute I'm not sure what our other options are

[Mantis]

Lake-Bradshaw
Williams-White
Skinny-Goodes
We would be massively exposed but at the minute I'm not sure what our other options are

The same 'Skinny' that can't get a game at the minute.

[bornadog]

Lake-Bradshaw
Williams-White
Skinny-Goodes
We would be massively exposed but at the minute I'm not sure what our other options are

or Shaggy to Goodes.

[Mantis]

or Shaggy to Goodes.

We could well see a WR for frees against in Shaggy's column if that match-up eventuates.

[Curly5]

What if we hold off on Morris for one more week? :)

[Sockeye Salmon]

Lake-Bradshaw
Williams-White
Skinny-Goodes
We would be massively exposed but at the minute I'm not sure what our other options are

Williams will go to Goodes, that's the only one I'm certain about.
Lake probably will have to take Bradshaw, although Bradshaw's strength - leading - is Lake's archilles heel.
If Everitt goes to White, Roos will send him to the goalsquare. That would be pretty scary.

[LostDoggy]

Goodes is spending much of his time on the ball, playing as a mid-fielder.

[Sedat]

If Bradshaw gets up, how the hell will we cover Bradshaw, White and Goodes?
I would have Gilbee 'playing tall' and taking the least mobile Swans big man up forward (White). He's offering nothing at the moment by way of attacking drive out of defensive 50 so we need to give him a specific defensive role to get his mind focused on the job at hand. Gilbs is a great spolier of the ball.

I remember Sheedy selecting Solomon out of left-field to play a similar role on Richo in the 2001 QF and smacking him to oblivion.

[Greystache]

I would have Gilbee 'playing tall' and taking the least mobile Swans big man up forward (White). He's offering nothing at the moment by way of attacking drive out of defensive 50 so we need to give him a specific defensive role to get his mind focused on the job at hand. Gilbs is a great spolier of the ball.

I remember Sheedy selecting Solomon out of left-field to play a similar role on Richo in the 2001 QF and smacking him to oblivion.

Soloman is a lot more physical the Gilbee however, I think White would expose Gilbee quite badly. Soloman was more in the mould of a younger Mitch Hahn.

I think what we'll see from the MC is

Bradshaw- Lake
Goodes- Williams
White- Hahn

Not ideal at all, let's hope Bradshaw doesn't play!

[Desipura]

Wood on Goodes
Lake on Bradshaw
Williams on White

[Sockeye Salmon]

I would have Gilbee 'playing tall' and taking the least mobile Swans big man up forward (White). He's offering nothing at the moment by way of attacking drive out of defensive 50 so we need to give him a specific defensive role to get his mind focused on the job at hand. Gilbs is a great spolier of the ball.

I remember Sheedy selecting Solomon out of left-field to play a similar role on Richo in the 2001 QF and smacking him to oblivion.

I remember Wallace selecting Rohan Smith out of left-field to play a similar role on Robran ...

[Sedat]

Soloman is a lot more physical the Gilbee however, I think White would expose Gilbee quite badly. Soloman was more in the mould of a younger Mitch Hahn.
Not so sure about that. White is just a player and I don't think he will take the game apart. He's not a mark-on-the-lead type and will rely on clunking a couple of contested pack marks, where you'd think Gilbee would have supporting cover in any event. If White tries to link up on the lead (not his forte), Gilbee will have him comfortably beaten for pace, and he only need to time his spoils well to be able to get it to ground and rebound from there. By contrast, Hahn is slower than White and is also easily brushed aside if it becomes a battle of one-on-one strength. And from watching him flouder in defence on the weekend, Hahn's spoiling technique and timing is rubbish.

Having said all that, if it goes into Sydney's forward 50 another 70 times on Saturday night like it did against Collingwood last week, it won't matter if we have SOS, Langford and Southby in there. The midfield defensive pressure simply has to be 100% better than it was last week if we are to have any chance of winning.

[Doc26]

I remember Wallace selecting Rohan Smith out of left-field to play a similar role on Robran ...

That's one strong return of serve. A cataclysmic failure of epic proportions.

[Sedat]

I remember Wallace selecting Rohan Smith out of left-field to play a similar role on Robran ...
Smith was a terrible choice for such a role because he would know as much about defending as Tony Lockett. Gilbee is a natural defender, so he would know when to go, when to spoil, when to transition from defensive mindset into attacking one. Harbrow in last year's 1st semi spent parts of the game guarding space in front of Jono Brown and managing to beat him in the air a couple of times with perfectly timed spoils.

It's not without risk, but neither is selecting Hahn.

[lemmon]

The same 'Skinny' that can't get a game at the minute.

Comes in for Hahn who is moving like a ruckmen at the minute. At least Everitt has the height and reach to match one of these talls. It's far from ideal but he was recruited as a key back.

[azabob]

Williams will go to Goodes, that's the only one I'm certain about.
Lake probably will have to take Bradshaw, although Bradshaw's strength - leading - is Lake's archilles heel.
If Everitt goes to White, Roos will send him to the goalsquare. That would be pretty scary.

I'm thinking Wood is a better option than Everitt. Hopefully Wood gets up.

[Greystache]

Not so sure about that. White is just a player and I don't think he will take the game apart. He's not a mark-on-the-lead type and will rely on clunking a couple of contested pack marks, where you'd think Gilbee would have supporting cover in any event. If White tries to link up on the lead (not his forte), Gilbee will have him comfortably beaten for pace, and he only need to time his spoils well to be able to get it to ground and rebound from there. By contrast, Hahn is slower than White and is also easily brushed aside if it becomes a battle of one-on-one strength. And from watching him flouder in defence on the weekend, Hahn's spoiling technique and timing is rubbish.

Having said all that, if it goes into Sydney's forward 50 another 70 times on Saturday night like it did against Collingwood last week, it won't matter if we have SOS, Langford and Southby in there. The midfield defensive pressure simply has to be 100% better than it was last week if we are to have any chance of winning.

He has the ability to kick goals in quick succession, his issue is fading in and out of games. He's a very big guy, who's strength is body on body marking, I'd be very nervous if he was isolated in the goal square with Gilbee (which they would do). Having said that I'm not sure we've got too many answers if they all play forward, I'd ben inclined to play Wood as the third tall, he's virtually played CHB at times for Willi, but it's a bit of an unknown with a potential big reward so I expect the MC will go with Hahn who is a known quantity with no chance of reward.

Like you said, lately opposition forwards haven't been our Achilles heel despite our injuries, it's the completely unmanned midfielders who are kicking bags of goals. How many times have our defenders scrapped and battled to force a forward into a stalemate against the boundary only for them to chip the ball to one of their midfielders 40m out unmanned? All the while Boyd and Cross are standing on their own in the middle of the ground waiting for an easy kick!