3 Things Learned - Round 6, 2025 vs St Kilda

[Flamethrower]

1. 35,500 under the roof at Marvel can sound like 80,000 at the G when the Messiah goals from outside 50 in his first game back.

2. 35,500 under the roof at Marvel can sound like 100,000 at the G when Libba turns on the jets and runs down one of the oppo's fastest players.

3. 35,500 under the roof at Marvel can sound like the vast vacuum of space when the next big thing lands awkwardly and looks to be facing 12 months in ACL rehab hell. The sigh of relief when the scans came through this morning was felt across the cosmos.

[josie]

Our supporters showed some class not booing Macrae. So weird seeing him in a different jumper.

Cleary is reliable. Not flashy. You can see why we held onto him. We need him in our backline. Bravo young man.

The bulldogs grit & spirit ala 2016 is back alive and kicking. Wests’s play where he just wouldn’t give up was superlative and I said that’s the play of the night. Then Libba did that rundown tackle on Hill that will enter doggies folklore. That’s the play of the year. Crowd went nuts. He & Bont are an amazing vice captain & captain. Batman and Robin.

[Uninformed]

Adding to Josie's third point: the smothers are back!

[Critter]

1. In Bailey Williams and Sam Davidson, we now have two bona fide A-grade wingers who are equally comfortable running the lines, attacking up forward or defending down back. They have been invaluable in defending turnovers. Forget "Rising Stars" for the moment, Davidson is the recruit of the year.
2. Our running backs are on the cusp of becoming a real asset. JJ, Baileydale, Cleary and Bramble are elite kicks as well as powerful ball carriers. The return of JJ has stiffened our defensive capability as well as improving our ball movement and the inclusion of Cleary, with his disposal skills and his discipline to work within his capabilities, should see this group evolve into a powerful unit.
3. It was one game only, but it was interesting to see how open the forward line became after quarter time, when Naughton was the sole KPF. As is his wont, Naughton wandered wide and far and in doing so, left holes behind him for the likes of West and Dolan to get to work. The likes of Brody Mihocek would suit us nicely at the moment, given Darcy's injury and the quality of ball our mids are capable of delivering. It's a pity Weightman is injured - he'd have a field day in this set-up. I reckon Poulter would be worth a try rather than Buku, or moving JOD down forward.