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Re: Match Preview- Round 21 - Western Bulldogs VS Geelong Cats
Great preview DT.
I agree that the Cooney v Ling contest is likely to have a huge bearing on the game. Cooney played his heart out for Eagle last week, but he has been known to drop his head... At half-time against West Coast I complained that Cooney wasn't taking the opposition on and trying to create like he did so well last year - I thought maybe his body wasn't up to it this year, but he started bursting away in the second half, and then did it against Brisbane, so there is some hope there.
Last time we tried Ward against Selwood - he was toasted early, but came back into it. Be interesting to see if he gets that role again. Selwood is actually the one I would tag if we were going to tag anyone, I reckon he's the one that stands up more than any of their other players when the game is there to be won.
Be interesting to see how many players they bring back for this game. We ran them ragged last time, and if they have too many underdone, we might see them succumbing to a few soft-tissue injuries in the second half.
We should have a fitness edge, but I hope we use it by taking them on and trying to run them off their feet again, rather than by playing defensively for the first half to three quarters, and then opening them up in the last. That said, if we can match them around the ball and turn the game into a hard-fought scrap, I think we'll wear them down like we have to a few teams in the past two seasons (eg Sydney in the finals last year).
Be interesting to see which, if any, of our forwards stand up and take their chances. Aker was obviously on fire last time, and Johnno was very good until that last kick. A part of me thinks that Minson is not too far away from a break-out game against a contender, and if he can take a big mark early and convert, our forward structure will be much more dangerous (Scarlett is a bit undersized, and if we could force him onto someone like Johnno that would be great - I know this is probably a bit too optimistic).
Who will make way for Ottens if he comes in? Will they stock up on runners, or just bring him in for Varcoe? Tenace is a change for a game I think.
And can we stop them slicing through the middle of our zone? This is where I think Tiller might be a useful inclusion - I'm not sold on him, but we need someone who can stick some early bone-shattering tackles in the midfield, and Tiller has shown he can do this.
I agree though, that Callan should come in for Williams.
Great preview DT.
I agree that the Cooney v Ling contest is likely to have a huge bearing on the game. Cooney played his heart out for Eagle last week, but he has been known to drop his head... At half-time against West Coast I complained that Cooney wasn't taking the opposition on and trying to create like he did so well last year - I thought maybe his body wasn't up to it this year, but he started bursting away in the second half, and then did it against Brisbane, so there is some hope there.
Last time we tried Ward against Selwood - he was toasted early, but came back into it. Be interesting to see if he gets that role again. Selwood is actually the one I would tag if we were going to tag anyone, I reckon he's the one that stands up more than any of their other players when the game is there to be won.
Be interesting to see how many players they bring back for this game. We ran them ragged last time, and if they have too many underdone, we might see them succumbing to a few soft-tissue injuries in the second half.
We should have a fitness edge, but I hope we use it by taking them on and trying to run them off their feet again, rather than by playing defensively for the first half to three quarters, and then opening them up in the last. That said, if we can match them around the ball and turn the game into a hard-fought scrap, I think we'll wear them down like we have to a few teams in the past two seasons (eg Sydney in the finals last year).
Be interesting to see which, if any, of our forwards stand up and take their chances. Aker was obviously on fire last time, and Johnno was very good until that last kick. A part of me thinks that Minson is not too far away from a break-out game against a contender, and if he can take a big mark early and convert, our forward structure will be much more dangerous (Scarlett is a bit undersized, and if we could force him onto someone like Johnno that would be great - I know this is probably a bit too optimistic).
Who will make way for Ottens if he comes in? Will they stock up on runners, or just bring him in for Varcoe? Tenace is a change for a game I think.
And can we stop them slicing through the middle of our zone? This is where I think Tiller might be a useful inclusion - I'm not sold on him, but we need someone who can stick some early bone-shattering tackles in the midfield, and Tiller has shown he can do this.
I agree though, that Callan should come in for Williams.
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