WB Game Day V GWS Giants R3 2020

[jeemak]

I didn't enjoy tonight at all, aside from the result. I hate them so much, in real negative way. It strips the joy from the game for me, because I get so focused on hoping they get belted that it's hard to enjoy our work. No belting will ever be enough. I want them to suffer.

It'll take a few more wins before I change my tune on Bevo too. He's lost my trust, whatever that's worth. Happy he performed well at selection and in the box. To me, that was a par result. We should expect that as standard from him and the players.

SoS, how much of what happened tonight was between the ears of the players versus the coach? Honest question.

We literally defended the ground out of our skins tonight and there is no way that's a coaching change within five days. No way. We were harder than we have been and again, a five day break doesn't account for that sort of change.

I get the misgivings around the coach, but, the players are the real issue and tonight they delivered.

[jeemak]

Tim English played with a genuine confidence this week, and at times Jacobs looked genuinely distressed as Tim ran him back and forth and took marks around the ground.

If your take out of that ruck duel was that Tim had 10 less tap outs and therefore didn't win his position, then I'd argue you need a different lens on the game.

Just on Macrae's game, when he is playing well, he makes the game easier for his team mates. Some of his uncontested stats may meet the traditional "getting an easy kick" description - but in reality we NEED to get more easy kicks. Hawthorn beat the premiers last night with 'getting easy kicks' being a uge part of it. It was so important that Macrae is that outlet player at the moment, particularly with Hunter out (who is usually EVERYWHERE for his team mates). That Macrae also had a game high tackles...he really got to work tonight, and its extremely rare that he doesn't "turn up".

Yep, Jackson is immense mostly and was tonight. I could play him anywhere I wanted to as a coach and know that after a week or so he'd deliver for me. He seems a studious type of player and we're so lucky to have him.

[Eastdog]

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/n...with-giant-win

Match Report | Dogs bite back with GIANT win
After consecutive losses to start the season, a fired-up Bulldogs outfit scored a 24-point win over the GWS Giants in a heated contest on Friday night at Marvel Stadium.

The Western Bulldogs have kickstarted their season with a four-goal win against the GWS Giants.

In a heated contest under the Friday night lights at Marvel Stadium, the Bulldogs kicked the first goal of the game and never trailed, running out 8.9 (57) to 4.9 (33) victors to claim their first win of 2020.

It adds another chapter to the burgeoning rivalry between the two western suburbs outfits.

The Giants set their sights on Marcus Bontempelli before the first bounce, but it was the Bulldogs who gained the early ascendancy with a fierce attack on the ball in a heated opening stanza.

Goals to Josh Dunkley and Bailey Smith got the Bulldogs going, with only missed opportunities in front of goal preventing them from leading by more than nine points at the first change.

DOGS DOWN GIANTS Full match coverage and stats
https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/matches/2056

The hosts continued to control the game in the second term, holding the Giants goalless while adding two of their own.

Alex Keath slotted his first major in the red, white and blue – on the run from outside 50 – before Mitch Wallis nailed an important set shot nearing half-time to give his team a 20-point advantage.

Goals were exchanged in the third term, but the Bulldogs’ lead never slipped below that 20 points.

On the stroke of three-quarter time, the returning Tom Liberatore earned a free kick and kicked truly, as players came together from both sides to reignite the fire.

Fittingly, it was Bontempelli who had the final word – kicking the final goal of the game through an opportunistic toe poke – to put the final nail in the Giants’ coffer.

The Bulldogs had winners across every line.

In his first game for 2020, Toby McLean was arguably best afield at half time before finishing with 17 disposals. Fellow inclusions Liberatore (18 disposals) and Zaine Cordy also made telling contributions.

Jack Macrae was the Bulldogs’ leading ball-winner with 24 disposals, Bontempelli worked hard for 16 disposals, Tim English had a presence around the ground and Bailey Smith enhanced his credentials as one of the competition’s rising stars.

Defensively, Alex Keath was superb alongside Cordy in the key posts, while Caleb Daniel (23 disposals) and Jason Johannisen (20 disposals) were brilliant in driving the Bulldogs from defence into attack.

The Bulldogs will next travel north to face the Sydney Swans, at the SCG next Thursday night.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.5 4.6 7.8 8.9 (57)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 1.2 1.4 3.5 4.9 (33)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Dunkley, Smith, Keath, Wallis, Richards, Dale, Liberatore, Bontempelli
Greater Western Sydney: Perryman 2, Cameron, Finlayson

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Macrae, Daniel, Liberatore, Keath, English, McLean, Dunkley
Greater Western Sydney: Perryman, Coniglio, Haynes, Hately, Corr

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Greater Western Sydney: Kelly (calf) replaced in selected side by Hately, Whitfield (concussion)

[comrade]

One thing we need to remember is the Giants side we beat was missing Kelly, Taranto, Greene & Whitfield for the majority.

Take out Bont, Macrae, Smith & Dunkley for us and how do you think we'd go?

[azabob]

Ed Richards run and carry was good to see reemerge, he has some tricks.

I thought he was good last week up until he went off with his leg injury.

[azabob]

Ok, what role did Toby McLean play last night and who did he tag?

Based on comments from Beveridge and other players he had a role to play and executed it. Beveridge even referenced he played nearly half a game in defense.

I didn't pick up anything on the tv and i'm fairly sure the commentary team didn't pick anything up

[Grantysghost]

As an aside apparently Lachie Hunter played....wait for it...for North in the scratch match. Sacrilege!

[Stefcep]

We won by putting on the relentless pressure on the opposition and the in-tight ball movement. Just as we did in 2016. So why did stop that?

English IMO was our best- imagine if he kicked straight. Imagine if they all did- and why hasn't that been fixed in all of Beveridge's time with us?

Happy with beating the Giant's but not forgetting their outs.

[bornadog]

As an aside apparently Lachie Hunter played....wait for it...for North in the scratch match. Sacrilege!

Any other news on the scratch match?

[Bulldog Joe]

It certainly was a great improvement and the ins were really important.

Libba brought something we lack and McLean was terrific.

I liked the game of English, who used his strengths, but we still need to concede he is a long way off at rucking. He just more than compensated with his stuff all over the ground and particularly getting back in defence.

The inability to go to matches really hurts as there is so much more you can see live and then confirm with a replay, but you just don't get it off the TV alone.

[Grantysghost]

Any other news on the scratch match?

No unfortunately it's hard to find anything. That info was from Mark Steven's Twitter.

[whythelongface]

One thing we need to remember is the Giants side we beat was missing Kelly, Taranto, Greene & Whitfield for the majority.

Take out Bont, Macrae, Smith & Dunkley for us and how do you think we'd go?

Good point comrade. Suppose you can only beat whom you are up against. We really should have put them to the sword early and won by 10 goals.

[SonofScray]

SoS, how much of what happened tonight was between the ears of the players versus the coach? Honest question.

We literally defended the ground out of our skins tonight and there is no way that's a coaching change within five days. No way. We were harder than we have been and again, a five day break doesn't account for that sort of change.

I get the misgivings around the coach, but, the players are the real issue and tonight they delivered.

A fair question. 80/20 rule rarely lets me down. Shared responsibility, but it's an elastic thing.

He had better tools at his disposal. The selection craziness is well discussed. There was a Freo game last year I think, we lost, but felt similar. Pulled the obvious strings and things swung favourably. Moreso than the form line would suggest it could have.

I liked his press conference. It was a bloke enjoying the spoils of victory. Sounds like he tweaked things to a degree, especially around McLean's function. Deployed Libba well.

The ruck situation was more a broken clock being right at least twice a day. English was terrific. The match up cherry ripe for him.

The outs for GWS were handy. We can only play who they put out though, so I'm not going to strip too much away on that front. Still, I'm not inclined to swing wildly from wanting him sacked to plonking credits in the bank just yet. Flip side to that is, if he keeps making sensible decisions and we keep seeing footy we can be proud of, regardless of results, the credits will stack up again.

[The bulldog tragician]

One thing we need to remember is the Giants side we beat was missing Kelly, Taranto, Greene & Whitfield for the majority.

Take out Bont, Macrae, Smith & Dunkley for us and how do you think we'd go?

We should have won by 10 goals if we’d made the most of our dominance, so I believe we’d have still won. Many of their stars were putrid last night whereas from second gamer Laith To our captain, everyone had a moment.

[Stefcep]

Good point comrade. Suppose you can only beat whom you are up against. We really should have put them to the sword early and won by 10 goals.

On the after game show, the one with Cooney co-hosting- the other host said GWS could have still won it, and he was right- if they took their chances (and yes we could have won by 10 if we took ours).

I don't think there is enough attention on what has been a problem for the entire time Beveridge has coached, even in 2016. Our finishing is and has remained one of the worst in the league.

We shouldn't rely on the opposition missing for us to win games we dominate.

We've never finished above 6th in the regular season under Beveridge was another point that was made, and that again IMO is due to our abysmal finishing.

How can the finishing not be fixed after-5 (?) pre-seasons, and however many players coming in and going out, i just don't know.