The Western Bulldogs host the West Coast Eagles as we enter the home stretch of what must be the longest opening round in Australian sporting history. Join us at 1.10pm AEST for live scores and minute-by-minute commentary.
The Bulldogs employed new coach Brendan McCartney at the start of the season and his focus early on will be to improve their stats in relation to contested footy: to use his words, he wants the Bulldogs to get “nasty”.
They come up against a team that finished top four last season and who was only a whisker away from a grand final berth.
Last year John Worsfold was able to resurrect the Eagle’s tight game plan, conceding the fewest inside 50s of any team.
After three consecutive preliminary finals, the Bulldogs were the big slider last season and there is not a lot of evidence that they will be making up that ground in a hurry.
They are stuck in a bit of a ‘no man’s land’: the premiership window is well and truly shut for the moment but they are yet to undertake a major overhaul of their list.
From last season the Bulldogs have lost two big men in Ben Hudson and Barry Hall, and also lost tough nut Callan Ward to GWS.
The return from injury of Brian Lake and Adam Cooney partially offsets those losses, while the Bulldogs will also be hoping for ongoing improvement from second year father-son selections Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis.
New draftee, Clay Smith, debuts tonight in the midfield and the Bulldogs will be hoping that he can replicate Ward’s attack on the footy at an early age.
While the Bulldogs will have Jordan Roughead and Will Minson swapping between ruck and the forward line, the Eagles will have the best duo in the business: Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.
It’s a huge mismatch. Expect the likes of Daniel Kerr, Matt Rosa and Andrew Embley to feast off their ruckwork and ability to bring the ball to ground to the advantage of the Eagles’ crumbers.
Creative forward, Mark Le Cras, who is out for the season, will be missed, but the Eagles have plenty of potential goal kickers in Andrew Gaff, Jack Darling, Luke Shuey and Quinten Lynch.
The Eagles look good enough to overcome the Bulldogs’ home ground advantage and the enthusiasm they will carry into their first game for their new coach, but it’s the Eagles by 15 points.
Will Brendan McCartney’s reign get underway with a win? Find out this afternoon as we cover all of the action coming out of Etihad Stadium with live scores and commentary from the first bounce at 1.10pm AEDT.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
NicNat can only raise a gallop when he is about to do something to add to his highlights reel! But chasing down a dribbling ball a couple of metres in front of him - naah!
Nathan of Perth
Guest
A) Very impressive to bounce back after getting Glassed. B) Was very irked at Nic Nat when that happen, gave the TV a spray at the time.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Not much joy for the dogs yesterday, could only stay with the Eagles for about 75 minutes and then were absolutely blown away. One positive was the debut of 18 year old Clay Smith, from Gippsland (an old recruiting zone of Footscray, where they found blokes like Kelvin Templeton, Bernie Quinlan and Brian Royal). On draft night they described Smith as a tough nut, and his nick name is "Cement" which is a beauty. During the live call, I love this goal he kicked, his 4th, that had the dogs within 5 pts of the Eagles before they went on to score the next seven goals: http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/132009/default.aspx I think it's Glass chasing down Smith, he absolutely buries him from behind, sort of does a bit of a roll while Glass is still hanging on to him, bounces straight up and keeps running, hardly losing any momentum, and just gets his foot to the ball to dribble it over the line from about 20 metres out. Persistence, determination, grit, never-say-die, the rest of the dogs could learn a thing or too off this 18 year old kid. NicNat is watching the ball, hardly sweating it, thinking it's not going to make it, and then: oh hell - it's going to make it!
Nathan of Perth
Guest
We know what Kennedy does to the Dogs when fully match fit! Double digit goal hauls!
Enron
Guest
ooH.. forgot to mention Gaff.. another "little champion" .. gets lots of the pill.. and his left footy is deadly... really like this guy as well.. he's another "snuck under the radar" player at the Eagles.. :-)
Enron
Guest
Wow, what a result, Doggies were hard as nails for 2 and a bit quarters... then the relentless pressure of the WCE just began to take its toll... Forward line of Kennedy, Darling, Lynch and either Cox or Nicnat is going to cause opposition teams a lot of headaches... the new guy Hill looks like he fit like an old glove..and my tip for "rookie of the year" Ashton Hams created all sorts of problems as well... most defenses are going to struggle against that line up... WCE midfield.. solid without being spectacular.. which is strange, usually WCE have a blue chip midfield.. average forward line and great defense... but Priddis and Rosa got plenty of the ball... actually, Rosa looks like he finally "gets it".. his disposal today was really good.... the little champ Shuey began to work his way into the game... if you tag Kerr.. it leaves Shuey free... not a bad set of guys in the middle...Embly played a nice cameo at the end.. what about playing Kerr as the sub?? bring him on in the second half when the opposition taggers are already tired??? Nearly forgot to mention Scott Selwood.. this kid showed another side today.. ran free, got plenty of the ball, did some really nice stuff in close.. has a touch of class about him.. he is no longer just a tagger, and just quietly, might be the most talented out of all the Selwood brothers.. big call I know.. but watch out for him in the coming months. And the menswear department, backline... After Scarlett, Glass must be the best bookend in the comp.. add Shanon Hurn... Burly Bash man Beau Waters... and the improving Mackenzie and Schfield.. Other Selwood playing well down back as well...this back 6 is probably as good as any in the comp.. seriously.. your not going to get too many easy goals against WCE this year... Add all that together... well.. a pretty big sized... tough outfit.. not saying they have the X factor of the Hawks.. (Rioli and Franklin) or the speed of the Crows (they look quick to me) but they are somewhere between the Cats and the Pies... play nice hard disciplined footy.. and they are going to be at it for the full 100 mins... Only weakness they have is a lack of midfield leg speed.. no Judd type player who can bust open the pack.. race into the open , draw a couple of defenders and lay it off... but if thats their only weakness.. well most coaches would probably take that... Hams and Hill.... could be hearing a lot about those 2 guys this year... Butler.. didnt make the side.. and he is a very good player.. depth at the Eagles might be better than people think... AS for the Dogs.. brave, courageous.. but superlatives don't win you games of football... pretty good midfield, shared the honours with the WCE midfield methinks... defense looks a bit wobbly.. dont have enough big guys go go around.. Lake seems to have the occasional brain snap which limits his effectiveness.. forward line... oooh... hate to say it... not really a threat... None of their forwards really made the WCE defense nervous.. Dogs will really struggle.. I think they will be lucky to finish above 12th... Only sour note for the weekend was Fremantle's stunning win over the Cats... those purple coated people eaters might surprise a few pundits this year as well... at their best, they are irresistible.. at their worse.. lamentable.. Ross Lyon has them doing a bit more of the former... :-) .. no prizes for guessing Im a mad keen WCE fan eh??
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Bob - frightening to think what Kennedy would hve done to the dogs with a proper pre-season! Smith, Libba and Dalhaus very good for dogs.
Bob
Guest
What if Kennedy, Shuey, Lynch and Embley had all had proper pre-seasons. As a dogs supporter though I'm very happy with the way Libba, Smith, Dalhaus and Tutt are a shaping after a handful of games. We just need some more big guys (Cordy, Talia and Tom Hill come to mind) and Griffen, Morris and Williams to get fit.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Tremendous work from the big guy, ducked and weaved like Le Cras would have.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
And the Eagles making a strong argument to say that Top 4 and certainly Top 8 last year was no fluke.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Great to see the young mildfield players, Shuey and Gaff, having such a great day at the office. "Nic Nat tap to Shuey, Shuey's away!" will increasingly be a new catch phrase of the code! Priddis solid as well, a bedrock of the team. Throughout the game the spread from the contest was crucial, Eagles were able to acquire space and make their way forward. Josh Hill very good day at the office, Kennedy probably would have had an even greater impact if he had gotten a couple pre-season games in, because I think he trailed off as the lack of match fitness kicked in. Great relief for Bulldogs given the damage he did anyway. The short kicking options had a bad run early on but cleaned up as play went on. And mark my words, the Eagles can perform much stronger than this!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
FT WB 12.15 (87) WCE 21.10 (136) For two and a half quarters it was a tight game, the Eagles always managed to keep a two goal bugger, but the dogs stayed in the contest with really good work from their little men, Clay Smith wiith 4 crumbing goals on debut. In the air it was all Eagles, Kennedy with 7 goals, Cox with a few, Nic Nat won most of the tap outs. Half way through the 3rd quarter, dogs were really pressing, winning the contested possession count, but missed four very gettable shots on goal, and then the Eagles finished the quarter with five straight goals, which was enough to snuff out the dogs, once they got that lead, dogs just didn't have the commitment to stay with the Eagles. For the Eagles, they were deadly in front of goal, and in the last 40 minutes of play kicked 11.3 and that included some good finishing. In the end, Eagles with too much class around the ground, quality tall timber, quality finishing.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 12.15 WCE 21.10 1 min to go finals minute of play, a few tired bodies out here, horrible pass from Wood, puts it way over Grant's head,
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 12.15 WCE 21.10 2 min to go Libba has to go off for blood rule, blood flowing from his mouth, no, it's actually his nose, must have copped one at the bottom of the pack, as we count down now
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 12.15 WCE 21.10 2 min to go ABout 25k in attendance today
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 12.15 WCE 21.10 2 min to go Jones with a strong mark at the top of the goal square, chance for his first, has already missed 3, finally gets one, but far too late
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 11.15 WCE 21.10 3 min to go Embley with clearance, Wood takes defensive mark, goes back to Markovic, Hargrave, plays on, Grant with good mark in front, plays on, one bounce, hugs the boundary
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 11.15 WCE 21.10 4 min to go Embley loads up from 50m himself, gets it
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 11.15 WCE 20.9 4 min to go this time Higgins is able to score the goal from 50m, but it's too little too late dogs' first goal in an eternity
The Cattery
Roar Guru
WB 10.15 WCE 20.9 5 min to go Minson takes ball in the clear, into fwd 50, but chased down and forced to hurry the kick, he was too slow!