WB Game Day V Geelong R14 2021

[MrMahatma]

So en-masse we can all (Melbourne residents) head to pubs in Geelong and watch the game, but can't go the footy??.. how the state government come to the conclusions they do is bewildering.

I guess it’s not really likely people will travel that far to go to the pub, but would to go to the match…?

[comrade]

I guess it’s not really likely people will travel that far to go to the pub, but would to go to the match…?

My brother lives in Geelong and I'm driving there to watch it with him and mates at a pub (Billy Brownless' pub in fact ).

[westbulldog]

From afar the Victorian decisions on lockdowns etc are often bewildering, unnecessary, illogical and at times just stupid. Mind you Victoria is not alone on that score. If this game were at Optus oval in Perth 50k would turn up and a handsome profit made even allowing for flight costs. A Sydney venue would likely pull 15-20k. Kardinia Park will have no atmosphere either live or on tv.

[EasternWest]

(Billy Brownless' pub in fact ).

Has Garry Lyon moved in there as well?

[hujsh]

My guess would be that encouraging travel from beyond the Geelong region as part of a crowd of 7K might increase the risk of transmission between communities? Really you just want as little chance as possible of *!*!*!*!ing up and needing to do something like increase the lockdown duration because of an own goal.

[bornadog]

'There's an inner belief': Dogs ready for big Cats challenge

FACING Geelong at GMHBA Stadium is one of the Western Bulldogs' toughest AFL tests of the year but coach Luke Beveridge is confident his charges have the mettle to prevail.

The second-placed Bulldogs are 10-2 but their two defeats came against ladder leaders Melbourne and reigning premiers Richmond, with third-placed Geelong coming off five wins on the bounce.

"There's an inner belief - so when a team like Melbourne or Richmond just give you a little bit of a reminder of what happens when you're slightly off or there are a handful of players who have come off their best, you just recommit to everything that's worked," Beveridge said.

"We've got enough of a form line and enough evidence that what we're doing works to have faith.

"So that's all we'll do, we'll just draw on that... (it's) just another great opportunity to play against a very, very good opponent."

The Bulldogs are coming off the bye and Beveridge was confident they had found the right balance of time off and training to hit the Cats at full stride.

"With the lockdown in Victoria, we took it upon ourselves to look ahead and change our plans a little bit," he said.

"So we've had a bit of a day-on, day-off approach and I think we're fresh enough.

"But now, it's the challenge to really switch on and get back into it and bring out our best footy.

"You're never certain and regardless of who you play, you've always got to be ready but with them nipping at our toes ladder-wise, it's a pretty obvious reminder that we need to be at our best."

The Bulldogs face a stern test in dealing with Geelong's in-form forward trio of Jeremy Cameron, Tom Hawkins and Gary Rohan.

"We'll have our hands full with their guys and obviously Patrick Dangerfield's back as well, and plays a little bit of forward time," he said.

"So we need to be on our toes."

Experienced defender Easton Wood is "in contention" to return from a hamstring injury while ruckman Stefan Martin is also available.

Up to 7,000 fans, who must be members of either club and from the Geelong region and surrounding area, are able to attend the game.

[Mitcha]

And yet none of our idiot politicians are aware that thousands of people leave their regional homes each day and travel into Metropolitan Melbourne for their employment. Needs to work both ways.

[1eyedog]

And yet none of our idiot politicians are aware that thousands of people leave their regional homes each day and travel into Metropolitan Melbourne for their employment. Needs to work both ways.

Just on that I used a permitted worker permit last week to do some work in Drysdale. Drove straight from Metro to Drysdale, worked outside, back in car back to Metro no stopping. On the way home the high amount of Geelong commuters returning from their day's work in Metro took me by surprise, the numbers of cars coming back was quite astounding.

[Axe Man]

Who needs a Dog tag? Lockdown Cat eyes Bont, Jack, Libba and co.

HE HAS done a number on some of the best midfielders in the competition, but Geelong's Irish stopper Mark O'Connor has perhaps never faced a test quite like the one he will come up against on Friday night.

Against a Western Bulldogs midfield that ranks No.1 for clearance differential and No.2 for disposal and contested possession differential, O'Connor's new tagging role will be put to the test against one of the competition's elite onball brigades at GMHBA Stadium.

Having emerged as an important shut-down midfielder in Geelong's thrilling round two victory over Brisbane, O'Connor thwarted reigning Brownlow Medal winner Lachie Neale in a bullying display.

Champion Data notes that Neale had just eight disposals in 91 minutes directly matched with O'Connor, who himself had an impact offensively to win 15 touches of his own, as well as five clearances and seven tackles.

That performance set the scene for O'Connor's career-best season in his new midfield role, with the 57-game Cat – recruited from Gaelic side Kerry in October 2016 – quickly moving his attentions to some of the game's other elite midfielders.

Tom Mitchell was kept to 21 disposals in 94 minutes when directly paired with O'Connor, Clayton Oliver to 17 disposals in 72 minutes, Tim Kelly to 14 disposals in 70 minutes and Travis Boak to 22 disposals in 89 minutes.

It's important to note that O'Connor hasn't spent the entirety of games matched against his opposite number, making the comparisons with their 2021 averages slightly misleading in some cases.

But there can be no doubt as to the 24-year-old's impact in a role he was only asked to start playing earlier this season, highlighting the credentials that saw him quickly elevated into Geelong's leadership group in 2020.

In addition to blanketing some of the game's best midfielders, O'Connor has also won plenty of his own footy this year. His 26 disposals, eight clearances and eight tackles in an Easter Monday win over Hawthorn complemented his shutdown role on Mitchell.

But a hamstring injury sustained in the side's emphatic victory over West Coast kept him sidelined for six weeks, before he immediately renewed his newfound position in a narrow win over Port Adelaide last Thursday night.

One week on, he will turn his focus towards the Western Bulldogs and an in-form midfield group that will feature superstar Marcus Bontempelli and his supporting cast of Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore, Lachie Hunter and Bailey Smith.

Who he goes to is another question, one that Geelong coach Chris Scott will undoubtedly have spent the week pondering and one that could swing the fortunes of the Cats on Friday night.

Bontempelli is the obvious candidate. The classy midfielder is clearly among the frontrunners for the Brownlow Medal after a season in which he is averaging close to 27 disposals, five clearances and five tackles per game, while kicking 17 goals from 12 matches.

But is he stoppable? And is Macrae, either? The latter is averaging 35.2 touches per game, leads the League in disposals, uncontested possessions and effective disposals, and is in the midst of a 24-match run where he's claimed 30 or more disposals in full length matches.

It perhaps makes Liberatore a prime candidate, especially given the success Melbourne enjoyed when James Harmes turned tagger for a one-off game and frustrated the clearance king earlier this year.

Liberatore, averaging 24.2 disposals and 8.5 clearances per match, is pivotal in the way the Western Bulldogs midfield group operates and has become the No.1 stoppage player in the competition this season.

But he was kept to just 16 disposals and four clearances against Melbourne – both clearly season-lows for the campaign – as Harmes inspired his Demons side to a stirring 28-point win.

"We need to think through it," Scott said on potential match-ups for O'Connor this week.

"Anyone could answer that question more generally by highlighting the quality of their players. They're all a little bit different and some clubs have put some work into their damaging users behind the ball like Bailey Dale and Caleb Daniel.

"Bontempelli might be the best player in the competition, Macrae is the leading disposal winner in the competition and Liberatore is one of the better contested and stoppage players.

"That's not even thinking about their players who are ahead of the ball, so we've still got a little bit of work to do to decide exactly which way we go. But if you focus your attention on one of them, the rest of them get you. We'll prioritise balance over anything."

Balance or not, O'Connor will still perform a crucial role on Friday night. Who he tags, and how limited their performance is as a result of the added attention, could be influential in the game's final outcome.

[westbulldog]

If our backline, particularly Cordy and Gardner, stands up we win.

[Happy Days]

O’Connor tags like a full on defender, trying to maintain body contact at all times, and can get lost in the hustle of stoppages somewhat. He got soundly beaten by Boak last week, who isn’t really known for his breakaway speed but is really clever in and under.

I hope they send him to Libba.

[Mantis]

If our backline, particularly Cordy and Gardner, stands up we win.

Won't our backline only be as effective as the rest of our team allows them to be?

Obviously we need our tall defenders to hold their own, but we really need a strong performance in the midfield to give ourselves the best chance of winning.

[Mofra]

O’Connor tags like a full on defender, trying to maintain body contact at all times, and can get lost in the hustle of stoppages somewhat. He got soundly beaten by Boak last week, who isn’t really known for his breakaway speed but is really clever in and under.

I hope they send him to Libba.

I hope we've learned how to protect the player targeted by a tagger. Libba got no protection against Melbourne.
Bont can just go forward and dominate O'Conner in the air, I don't think they bother. Macrae's going to out-run any tagger they send to him unless they draft Kipchoge.

Teams know if they stop Libba, we struggle (at least, we do with Dunkley out).

[Happy Days]

I hope we've learned how to protect the player targeted by a tagger. Libba got no protection against Melbourne.
Bont can just go forward and dominate O'Conner in the air, I don't think they bother. Macrae's going to out-run any tagger they send to him unless they draft Kipchoge.

Teams know if they stop Libba, we struggle (at least, we do with Dunkley out).

I mean, Guthrie could do it no problem but he’s probably too good/valuable to them now to sacrifice his whole game.

I agree with you generally, but we won’t need as much protection from O’Connor as we would Harmes or even Serong because he’s nowhere near as clever at stoppages.

[bornadog]