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Take a Breath & Debrief - Round 8
I’ve taken a breath after the excitement of the game. Here are my thoughts. First cab off the rank, I just want to praise Luke Beveridge, not just for this one but this whole season thus far. Cops a heap of schlack in losses, but I think this year in particular he has got the team humming, and done it with a horrible fixture and injury list. He has made some bold selection choices and mid-game moves that have paid off. I’m fully convinced the Dogs should sign him up. He’s our man. Still.
Now I want to preempt this by saying it’s round 8. We are a long way away from September. BUT, this team has all the makings of a premiership team. Not a single hole and still high-quality players to come in. The elite players are dominating, the young players have been terrific, and the role players are playing their roles perfectly.
To the midfield, for the first time in a long time, I can confidently say we no longer need a dominant Bont performance to win. He is still the GOAT, but even when he was down on his usual standards, the team was still well on top, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Dogs midfield is the deepest midfield in the comp. Not just in number, but everyone going through the midfield is a high-quality player. Special shoutout to Tim English today as well. That’s the best game he’s played in quite a while. He’s been good all year, although underrated, but today he tore the game apart.
A quick shoutout as well to our defence. I thought JOD was fantastic today. He played a very brave game, and it paid off. He is rarely beaten at all. Lobb the same. Our pillars down back just got in all the right spots all game and competed hard all game.
Last point is the fixture, we’ve had a really hard fixture to start the season, both with travel and quality of opponents and you know what, it hasn’t mattered one bit. The Dogs have been focused and consistent in every game. Sure, there’s been disappointing games and moments, but we have been in every game and now that most troops have returned, a 5-3 record puts us in a perfect spot to push for the top 4 at the end of the year. Next week will be our 6th different venue in a row, up in Darwin, where the Suns play great footy. Then, Geelong shortly after. If we can win those and go into the bye with a strong 8-3 record, even 7-4 would be solid too. We will be in a prime spot for the top 4.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Dogs fans. I know I will. If you have time, chuck on the replay. It’s not every day we get to enjoy victories like that.
Now I want to preempt this by saying it’s round 8. We are a long way away from September. BUT, this team has all the makings of a premiership team. Not a single hole and still high-quality players to come in. The elite players are dominating, the young players have been terrific, and the role players are playing their roles perfectly.
To the midfield, for the first time in a long time, I can confidently say we no longer need a dominant Bont performance to win. He is still the GOAT, but even when he was down on his usual standards, the team was still well on top, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Dogs midfield is the deepest midfield in the comp. Not just in number, but everyone going through the midfield is a high-quality player. Special shoutout to Tim English today as well. That’s the best game he’s played in quite a while. He’s been good all year, although underrated, but today he tore the game apart.
A quick shoutout as well to our defence. I thought JOD was fantastic today. He played a very brave game, and it paid off. He is rarely beaten at all. Lobb the same. Our pillars down back just got in all the right spots all game and competed hard all game.
Last point is the fixture, we’ve had a really hard fixture to start the season, both with travel and quality of opponents and you know what, it hasn’t mattered one bit. The Dogs have been focused and consistent in every game. Sure, there’s been disappointing games and moments, but we have been in every game and now that most troops have returned, a 5-3 record puts us in a perfect spot to push for the top 4 at the end of the year. Next week will be our 6th different venue in a row, up in Darwin, where the Suns play great footy. Then, Geelong shortly after. If we can win those and go into the bye with a strong 8-3 record, even 7-4 would be solid too. We will be in a prime spot for the top 4.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Dogs fans. I know I will. If you have time, chuck on the replay. It’s not every day we get to enjoy victories like that.
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