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Round 4 Match Preview: West Coast Eagles V Western Bulldogs
Last Time Out
Round 6, 2008
Western Bulldogs 7.3 11.6 19.10 20.14 (134)
West Coast Eagles 4.1 8.3 9.4 11.8 (74)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 4, Murphy 4, Hahn 2, Cooney 2, Welsh 2, Giansiracusa 2, Eagleton, Wight, Addison, Gilbee
West Coast: C. Jones 3, McKinley 2, Lynch 2, Wirrpanda, Kerr, Braun, Kennedy
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Murphy, Lake, Cooney, Boyd, Cross, Akermanis, Hudson
West Coast: Wirrpanda, Kerr, Cox, Hunter, Embley, C. Jones
Brownlow Votes: 3: D Cross, 2: A Cooney, 1: R Murphy
Other recent games...
Round 17, 2007 Western Bulldogs 9.17 (71) def. by West Coast 24.14 (158)
Round 6, 2007 West Coast 10.17 (77) def. Western Bulldogs 9.8 (62)
Semi Final, 2006 West Coast 16.17 (113) def. Western Bulldogs 5.9 (39)
Round 13, 2006 West Coast 8.16 (64) def. by Western Bulldogs 10.13 (73)
This Year’s Form
West Coast Eagles Vs
Brisbane (Gabba) Loss 86 – 95
Port Adelaide (Subiaco) Win 125 – 75
St. Kilda (Docklands) Loss 64 - 161
Western Bulldogs Vs
Fremantle (Subiaco) Win 157 – 94
North Melbourne (MCG) Win 80 – 65
Richmond (Docklands) Win 110 – 63
Injuries Update
WEST COAST
Tony Notte (knee) - 3 weeks
Nic Naitanui (knee) - 2 weeks
Luke Shuey (groin) - indefinite
Beau Waters (elbow) - season
Beau Wilkes (finger) - available
David Wirrpanda (hamstring) - test
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Adam Cooney (knee) - 1 week
Jarrod Harbrow (hip) - test
Robert Murphy (knee) - test
Chris Ogle (glandular fever) - test
Paul O’Shea (hip) - indefinite
Jordan Roughead (shoulder) - 3 weeks
Key Match – ups
Lake V Lynch
In recent weeks Quinten Lynch has been playing more up-field, even going into the centre for restarts in a ruck-rover style role. On Sunday, I expect him to play deep in attack and I expect Lake to go to him. Last week Lake showed he can be a ‘run-with’ defender, playing on Richardson and keeping him to a few insignificant disposals early. I believe Lake will play the same sort of role against Lynch, particularly if things start going pear-shaped for the Eagles
Hudson V Cox
In my mind there is no doubt, Cox is the best tap-ruckman in the game, and in recent years he has been getting 20-odd possessions to go with it; but these are very cheap possessions (like keepings off in defence in red-time). Hudson showed against Sandilands that there is more to rucking than hitting the ball down to your midfielders … he will need to do that again against Cox at Subiaco.
Cross / Boyd et al. V Kerr / Priddis et al.
Our midfield (minus Cooney) versus their midfield … there will be a lot of ducks and drakes with this game particularly in the midfield. In recent years the Eagles were renowned for their midfield with the likes of Cousins, Judd and Kerr getting first use of the ball from Cox but more importantly using it well. With the departure of Judd and Cousins, the Eagles midfield became exposed, and teams took advantage of that. The Eagles are rebuilding their midfield stock with the likes of Priddis, Selwood, and even Rosa and against Port Adelaide showed the importance of tagging. To me, this is where the game will be won or lost on Sunday.
The X-Factor
The Bulldog running game and Ryan Griffen
In round one, we showed we like the wide open spaces of Subiaco, and we played on at all costs … In the wet against North and at the Docklands against Richmond, we showed we have a game plan to play against the rolling zone; to me, the x-factor of this game will be the Bulldog run … if we can free up players to run (in particular Ryan Griffen) we will break the dominate Eagle midfield wide open
The verdict
This will be a tough one !! The Eagles are always hard to beat at home (case in point Port Adelaide 50 point drubbing), and in recent outings they have had our measure particularly at Subiaco … but in saying all of that, you would think a side who has just been flogged by 100 points is a couple of weeks away from a win.
But that’s where the Eagles are unpredictable. Over in Perth, Woosha is ranting and raving to any media outlet that will listen to him about all players being on warning of being dropped to the magoos, and that careers could end this week for the fringe players … this is obviously a public rev-up for his beleaguered team, but it could be just the spark necessary to kick-start the drive to the finals.
Last time we met in round 6, we handed the Eagles a 60 point lesson … Woosha and Sumich ‘put the driver in the bag’ and said it was season over, they can’t make the finals.
My prediction … Bulldogs by 6 goals … and a very early ‘season over’ for West Coast
Last Time Out
Round 6, 2008
Western Bulldogs 7.3 11.6 19.10 20.14 (134)
West Coast Eagles 4.1 8.3 9.4 11.8 (74)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 4, Murphy 4, Hahn 2, Cooney 2, Welsh 2, Giansiracusa 2, Eagleton, Wight, Addison, Gilbee
West Coast: C. Jones 3, McKinley 2, Lynch 2, Wirrpanda, Kerr, Braun, Kennedy
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Murphy, Lake, Cooney, Boyd, Cross, Akermanis, Hudson
West Coast: Wirrpanda, Kerr, Cox, Hunter, Embley, C. Jones
Brownlow Votes: 3: D Cross, 2: A Cooney, 1: R Murphy
Other recent games...
Round 17, 2007 Western Bulldogs 9.17 (71) def. by West Coast 24.14 (158)
Round 6, 2007 West Coast 10.17 (77) def. Western Bulldogs 9.8 (62)
Semi Final, 2006 West Coast 16.17 (113) def. Western Bulldogs 5.9 (39)
Round 13, 2006 West Coast 8.16 (64) def. by Western Bulldogs 10.13 (73)
This Year’s Form
West Coast Eagles Vs
Brisbane (Gabba) Loss 86 – 95
Port Adelaide (Subiaco) Win 125 – 75
St. Kilda (Docklands) Loss 64 - 161
Western Bulldogs Vs
Fremantle (Subiaco) Win 157 – 94
North Melbourne (MCG) Win 80 – 65
Richmond (Docklands) Win 110 – 63
Injuries Update
WEST COAST
Tony Notte (knee) - 3 weeks
Nic Naitanui (knee) - 2 weeks
Luke Shuey (groin) - indefinite
Beau Waters (elbow) - season
Beau Wilkes (finger) - available
David Wirrpanda (hamstring) - test
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Adam Cooney (knee) - 1 week
Jarrod Harbrow (hip) - test
Robert Murphy (knee) - test
Chris Ogle (glandular fever) - test
Paul O’Shea (hip) - indefinite
Jordan Roughead (shoulder) - 3 weeks
Key Match – ups
Lake V Lynch
In recent weeks Quinten Lynch has been playing more up-field, even going into the centre for restarts in a ruck-rover style role. On Sunday, I expect him to play deep in attack and I expect Lake to go to him. Last week Lake showed he can be a ‘run-with’ defender, playing on Richardson and keeping him to a few insignificant disposals early. I believe Lake will play the same sort of role against Lynch, particularly if things start going pear-shaped for the Eagles
Hudson V Cox
In my mind there is no doubt, Cox is the best tap-ruckman in the game, and in recent years he has been getting 20-odd possessions to go with it; but these are very cheap possessions (like keepings off in defence in red-time). Hudson showed against Sandilands that there is more to rucking than hitting the ball down to your midfielders … he will need to do that again against Cox at Subiaco.
Cross / Boyd et al. V Kerr / Priddis et al.
Our midfield (minus Cooney) versus their midfield … there will be a lot of ducks and drakes with this game particularly in the midfield. In recent years the Eagles were renowned for their midfield with the likes of Cousins, Judd and Kerr getting first use of the ball from Cox but more importantly using it well. With the departure of Judd and Cousins, the Eagles midfield became exposed, and teams took advantage of that. The Eagles are rebuilding their midfield stock with the likes of Priddis, Selwood, and even Rosa and against Port Adelaide showed the importance of tagging. To me, this is where the game will be won or lost on Sunday.
The X-Factor
The Bulldog running game and Ryan Griffen
In round one, we showed we like the wide open spaces of Subiaco, and we played on at all costs … In the wet against North and at the Docklands against Richmond, we showed we have a game plan to play against the rolling zone; to me, the x-factor of this game will be the Bulldog run … if we can free up players to run (in particular Ryan Griffen) we will break the dominate Eagle midfield wide open
The verdict
This will be a tough one !! The Eagles are always hard to beat at home (case in point Port Adelaide 50 point drubbing), and in recent outings they have had our measure particularly at Subiaco … but in saying all of that, you would think a side who has just been flogged by 100 points is a couple of weeks away from a win.
But that’s where the Eagles are unpredictable. Over in Perth, Woosha is ranting and raving to any media outlet that will listen to him about all players being on warning of being dropped to the magoos, and that careers could end this week for the fringe players … this is obviously a public rev-up for his beleaguered team, but it could be just the spark necessary to kick-start the drive to the finals.
Last time we met in round 6, we handed the Eagles a 60 point lesson … Woosha and Sumich ‘put the driver in the bag’ and said it was season over, they can’t make the finals.
My prediction … Bulldogs by 6 goals … and a very early ‘season over’ for West Coast
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