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QUALIFYING FINAL:
VS. 
Game Day – Friday 5th September
Venue - MCG
Time – 7:50pm
Broadcast – Channel 7
LAST TIME THEY MET:
Round 10, 2008:
Hawthorn 12.2.(74) defeated by Western Bulldogs 15.16.(106)
SELECTION TABLE:
Tom Williams & Dylan Addison are key losses for our backline, particularly when coming up against Hawthorn who have a good blend of small & tall forwards. Scott West has been ruled out for the rest of the season, leaving only one or two question marks.
Hudson should replace Skipper – that one’s a given. From there, it begins to get a little tricky. Reid will be dropped one way or another, but his replacement isn’t clear cut. Ray would appear most likely, although his form hasn’t exactly warranted selection.
Tiller has given himself a good chance by getting amongst the best for Williamstown on the weekend. Given that we’re going to need another key defensive post, Tiller – albeit undersized and not ‘ideal’ – might be given an opportunity. Everitt is out of form and lacks strength, but who will be dropped for Tiller? Based on form, Higgins may be a touch unlucky. He might be the one to make way for another defensive option. Either way, both Ray & Higgins won’t play in the same side, only one of them will front up on Friday Night and my guess is Ray for his ability to carry the football through the wide open spaces of the MCG.
For Hawthorn, Taylor is a certainty to return to boost their ruck stocks. Renouf will make way for his inclusion, whilst Crawford is also set to play Friday Night after being rested in Round 22. At this stage, Young is a possible exclusion – but they’re all debating about that one for now. Williams & Brown are rumoured to have minor injuries, with Brown appearing doubtful. Williams on the other hand is still likely to play. At this stage, Taylor & Crawford are the IN’s.
RECENT FORM:
It’s no secret that the second half of the year has been one to quickly forget for The Dogs. Despite having a top four spot sewn up two months ago, the sides form has tapered off significantly. So much so, that we’ve only found two wins out of the last seven games. Plenty of reasons/excuses have been thrown up – Injuries to key players at times (Williams, Akermanis, Addison, Gilbee), an increased training load to enhance fitness for Finals and to some degree, our game plan has changed with players finding themselves in different positions. There’s no doubt that The Dogs have played with their form, the question remains whether they can turn it around in time enough to advance to the Preliminary Final. The positive sign is that over the last two weeks, The Dogs have slowly started to improve on their intensity and team play. Unfortunately the skills still aren’t where they should be, but perhaps a turn around isn’t too far away.
Hawthorn showed signs of weakness through the second half of the year too, but to their credit they’ve steadied the ship and won their last four out of five games. At times they’ve been far too conscious of Buddy Franklin going forward but nevertheless, he’s booted 102 goals for the year whilst Roughead has chipped in with an impressive 66 goals. Hodge has been in excellent form down back, playing a similar role to Gilbee by setting up the play with creative foot skills. Through the middle, Mitchell has been in good form whilst Batemen has finished off his home & away season in style.
FORWARD MATCH-UPS:
Murphy v Brown - At times Brown has played a role up forward for Hawthorn, but I think they’re going to need him down back due to our small forward setup. He’s probably their best option for Murph, which IMO works in our favour, especially with Brown under an injury cloud. With all the space, Murph could really tear the Hawks a new one. His creative play is crucial; if he’s setting up opportunities from 50-70m out from goal then we’re going to be much more fluent in attack.
Hahn v Murphy - This is another very crucial match-up. Hahn’s influence on the game will go a long way to winning it. He’s very strong but mobile, I would think he’d cause a few problems for Murphy who is a bit one paced. Hahn is quick over the first five and has strong hands. If he’s able to pull down marks and apply rabid defensive pressure, we’re going to be dangerous. Croad is another option who may well get the first crack, but I think he’ll go to Welsh first up.
Johnson v Guerra - Another important match-up, especially since Johnson has found some form late in the year – minus his shocker last week. Hawthorn may switch it around and play Brown on Johnson first, but I think they may try Guerra first with the intentions of hurting us going the other way. Johnno needs to be on his game – he’s got to forget about playing for free kicks and trying fancy things. Do the basics; lead hard, hands out in front & play in front.
Akermanis v Birchall - Not convinced this match-up will follow, in fact I have no idea who would go to Akermanis. Perhaps Murphy or Guerra may find themselves with the job? Either way, there’s no doubting Akermanis is an integral part of our side. If he’s on song, then we’re going to be very difficult to beat. Aker’s found form in the last two weeks and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him deliver another special performance. He loves the big stage and this is exactly why we recruited him. I’ll be paying close attention to Aker – he’s a possible match winner.
VS. Game Day – Friday 5th September
Venue - MCG
Time – 7:50pm
Broadcast – Channel 7
LAST TIME THEY MET:
Round 10, 2008:
Hawthorn 12.2.(74) defeated by Western Bulldogs 15.16.(106)
SELECTION TABLE:
Tom Williams & Dylan Addison are key losses for our backline, particularly when coming up against Hawthorn who have a good blend of small & tall forwards. Scott West has been ruled out for the rest of the season, leaving only one or two question marks.
Hudson should replace Skipper – that one’s a given. From there, it begins to get a little tricky. Reid will be dropped one way or another, but his replacement isn’t clear cut. Ray would appear most likely, although his form hasn’t exactly warranted selection.
Tiller has given himself a good chance by getting amongst the best for Williamstown on the weekend. Given that we’re going to need another key defensive post, Tiller – albeit undersized and not ‘ideal’ – might be given an opportunity. Everitt is out of form and lacks strength, but who will be dropped for Tiller? Based on form, Higgins may be a touch unlucky. He might be the one to make way for another defensive option. Either way, both Ray & Higgins won’t play in the same side, only one of them will front up on Friday Night and my guess is Ray for his ability to carry the football through the wide open spaces of the MCG.
For Hawthorn, Taylor is a certainty to return to boost their ruck stocks. Renouf will make way for his inclusion, whilst Crawford is also set to play Friday Night after being rested in Round 22. At this stage, Young is a possible exclusion – but they’re all debating about that one for now. Williams & Brown are rumoured to have minor injuries, with Brown appearing doubtful. Williams on the other hand is still likely to play. At this stage, Taylor & Crawford are the IN’s.
RECENT FORM:
It’s no secret that the second half of the year has been one to quickly forget for The Dogs. Despite having a top four spot sewn up two months ago, the sides form has tapered off significantly. So much so, that we’ve only found two wins out of the last seven games. Plenty of reasons/excuses have been thrown up – Injuries to key players at times (Williams, Akermanis, Addison, Gilbee), an increased training load to enhance fitness for Finals and to some degree, our game plan has changed with players finding themselves in different positions. There’s no doubt that The Dogs have played with their form, the question remains whether they can turn it around in time enough to advance to the Preliminary Final. The positive sign is that over the last two weeks, The Dogs have slowly started to improve on their intensity and team play. Unfortunately the skills still aren’t where they should be, but perhaps a turn around isn’t too far away.
Hawthorn showed signs of weakness through the second half of the year too, but to their credit they’ve steadied the ship and won their last four out of five games. At times they’ve been far too conscious of Buddy Franklin going forward but nevertheless, he’s booted 102 goals for the year whilst Roughead has chipped in with an impressive 66 goals. Hodge has been in excellent form down back, playing a similar role to Gilbee by setting up the play with creative foot skills. Through the middle, Mitchell has been in good form whilst Batemen has finished off his home & away season in style.
FORWARD MATCH-UPS:
Murphy v Brown - At times Brown has played a role up forward for Hawthorn, but I think they’re going to need him down back due to our small forward setup. He’s probably their best option for Murph, which IMO works in our favour, especially with Brown under an injury cloud. With all the space, Murph could really tear the Hawks a new one. His creative play is crucial; if he’s setting up opportunities from 50-70m out from goal then we’re going to be much more fluent in attack.
Hahn v Murphy - This is another very crucial match-up. Hahn’s influence on the game will go a long way to winning it. He’s very strong but mobile, I would think he’d cause a few problems for Murphy who is a bit one paced. Hahn is quick over the first five and has strong hands. If he’s able to pull down marks and apply rabid defensive pressure, we’re going to be dangerous. Croad is another option who may well get the first crack, but I think he’ll go to Welsh first up.
Johnson v Guerra - Another important match-up, especially since Johnson has found some form late in the year – minus his shocker last week. Hawthorn may switch it around and play Brown on Johnson first, but I think they may try Guerra first with the intentions of hurting us going the other way. Johnno needs to be on his game – he’s got to forget about playing for free kicks and trying fancy things. Do the basics; lead hard, hands out in front & play in front.
Akermanis v Birchall - Not convinced this match-up will follow, in fact I have no idea who would go to Akermanis. Perhaps Murphy or Guerra may find themselves with the job? Either way, there’s no doubting Akermanis is an integral part of our side. If he’s on song, then we’re going to be very difficult to beat. Aker’s found form in the last two weeks and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him deliver another special performance. He loves the big stage and this is exactly why we recruited him. I’ll be paying close attention to Aker – he’s a possible match winner.
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