- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
It was well and truly a game of two halves today as Melbourne escaped with a 7-point win despite a fast finish from the Western Bulldogs. The Demons kicked 8 goals to 1 in the first half, and the Bulldogs kicked 8 goals to 2 in the second.
Early on it looked like the Demons’ side, boasting a fair bit more experience than that of the Bulldogs, was going to dominate all day as they controlled the ball through the middle of the ground and the Bulldogs struggled to see the Sherrin.
However, after half time the Demons seemed to drop down a gear while the Bulldogs moved some of their experienced players back into the middle and this helped them almost stage what would’ve been a very unlikely comeback.
At the end of the day the Demons still held some statistical advantages, dominating the disposals 239-409, but the Bulldogs effort in the second half saw them finish the game on top in the clearances 33-28 and the inside 50s 44-37.
When the Demons were on top they were firing in all areas of the ground. Their midfielders were dominating in the clearances and feeding the ball out. Christian Salem and Lynden Dunn were setting up the play with their precise kicking off half-back, Sam Frost showed some good signs in defense, and the likes of Jeff Garlett, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Jesse Hogan were impressing up forward.
Although the fade out would definitely disappoint Demons fans, there is some excitement to be had from today’s performance, especially regarding the forward line.
Hogan was able to present at the ball and create a contest, and while he might not dominate with his own goal kicking this year that ability to crash packs and make a contest allowed smalls Garlett and Kennedy-Harris to work their way into the game.
In a see-sawing game like this it’s hard to name a best on ground, but for mine I would give the mantle to Kennedy-Harris. He kicked two goals of his own and handed off three goal assists, while Garlett kicked two and had two assists. They’re adding some much-needed potency to the Demons forward line.
For the Bulldogs Matthew Boyd and Marcus Bontempelli were the prime workers once they moved into the middle of the ground in the second half, and second-year player Mitch Honeychurch worked hard all day. Lin Jong showed off a bit of speed and I was impressed by draftee Lukas Webb as well.
The Dogs certainly impressed with their 7-goal run in the second half and showed that when they get on their bike, they can do some real damage through a combination of exciting midfielders and canny forwards. Whether or not they can consistently reproduce that form in the home and away season is the big question mark for me.
Both sides, ultimately, have some positives and negatives to take away from what was a rather strange but entertaining game.
Western Bulldogs 9.8.62 def. by Melbourne 10.9.69
The Western Bulldogs host the Melbourne Demons in the first of what will be many home games to come in Ballarat today. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4.10pm (AEDT).
The Bulldogs announced a partnership with the city in the off-season which will see them play pre-season games there and, potentially, some home and away games in the years to come.
The Bulldogs, still reeling from the devastation of Tom Liberatore’s ACL injury, have named a youthful side this week around. No less than seven of the players selected by the Bulldogs in the National and Rookie drafts late last year will get their chance to impress.
Senior-listers Toby McLean, Lukas Webb, Declan Hamilton, Bailey Dale and Caleb Daniel have all been named in the extended squad, as have rookies Roarke Smith and Jordan Kelly.
My tip is to keep an eye on Caleb Daniel, if he does make the final cut. The 167cm pocket rocket would’ve been close to a top 10 pick at last year’s AFL draft if he were 10cm taller.
The match will no doubt be one of experimentation for the Bulldogs as they look for ways to fill the void left by Liberatore. We may well get good insight today into how they will be setting up at the clearances in 2015.
Further to that, we’ll get a second look at million-dollar recruit Tom Boyd after he kicked his first goal in the red white and blue at Whitten Oval two weeks ago against the Tigers.
The Demons, on the other hand, are fielding a relatively experienced side. Third year midfielder Jack Viney and former no. 1 draft pick Jack Watts are the key additions to the side that fell to Fremantle by 3 goals last week.
Despite a brief mid-week injury scare, Jesse Hogan has been named in the squad and will be able to add to his case for Round 1 debut in 2015.
Former Port Adelaide midfielder Ben Newton and former Giant Sam Frost will also both be pushing for a Round 1 spot after joining the club last October.
Father-Son draftee Billy Stretch, son of Steven, has been named in the extended side and may get his first chance to play for the club. Rookie Aaron vandenBerg is the only other recent draftee to be named.
Despite signing a two-year extension on his rookie contract this week, midfielder Angus Brayshaw – who the Demons drafted at pick no. 3 last year – remains absent from the team.
Prediction
The Bulldogs side is very young and it looks like coach Luke Beveridge will spend a fair bit of the day experimenting with his set-ups and seeing how his draftees handle the pace of competitive footy. Melbourne on the other hand are fielding a comparatively experienced side that is close to full strength. I expect they’ll get the win here.
Melbourne by 30 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4.10 pm AEDT.