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The Western Bulldogs won their MCG encounter against the Richmond Tigers to start their season undefeated.
In a low scoring affair it was the Bulldogs pressure which set them apart particularly in their forward half regularly hounding the Tigers defense to cough the ball up all match. The Bulldogs backed up their mammoth tackle count of 94 against the Eagles by winning the category 73 – 51 against the Tigers.
After being beaten in the stoppages against Carlton last week Richmond were able to win this area of the match 25 – 21. Dustin Martin ran rampant early, setting up teammates and kicking a goal himself. As the match wore on his influence was blunted by a tag-team of Mitch Wallis and Lin Jong but still had a handy day finishing with 31 possessions.
Cotchin bounced back to gather plenty of disposals in the middle (34 disposals) but despite his impressive stats seems to lack the zip and run he plays with when at his best.
Rance was the Tigers standout, repelling attacks and navigating his way through the wave of Bulldogs forward pressure and without his services today it could have been much worse for the Tigers.
A problem for the Tigers was their lackluster forward line who rarely seemed threatening despite Richmond winning the inside 50 count 54 – 48, although to be fair their delivery wasn’t great.
The Bulldogs were impressive all day and showed they have some of the best young talent in the league.
Bontempelli was the pick of the litter by applying pressure, collecting the ball all over the field and sending the Dogs forward to attack with regularity. He has quickly blossomed from being one of the best young talents in the league to looking like one of the better players in the league.
He was supported well in the midfield by Mitch Wallis and Jackson Macrae, who ran hard all day, while each collecting 26 disposals.
Tory Dickson bobbed up to be the leading goal kicker on the ground with 4 majors, he was often the beneficiary of the Dogs tackling pressure. While Captain Bob Murphy led from the front all day setting up numerous counterattacks.
The talk about the Bulldogs this week will be about their impressive forward line pressure which will win them more games than many predicted this season.
Richmond Tigers 9.12.66
Western Bulldogs 12.13.85
My Best
3 votes – Marcus Bontempelli , 27 possessions, 10 tackles, 8 inside 50’s
2 votes – Mitch Wallis , 26 possessions, 8 clearances, 5 tackles
1 vote – Alex Rance, 28 possessions, 13 marks, 5 bounces, 92.9% disposal efficency
The @westernbulldogs are 2-0! #AFLTigersDogs pic.twitter.com/6HQ6aGD7rY
— AFL (@AFL) April 11, 2015
The Richmond Tigers square off against the Western Bulldogs, with both teams looking to continue their unbeaten run. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1:45pm (AEST).
After a slow start against the Blues, the Tigers settled into the contest and came home with a flurry.
The Tigers look to have unfurled more midfield depth, with the emergence of Kamdyn McIntosh, who was best on ground against the Blues, and Taylor Hunt, who has fit in nicely showing the Cats may have given up on him too soon.
Brandon Ellis continued his good form in the opener and may just be the most underrated player in the competition right now.
However midfield stars Trent Cotchin and Dustin ‘Don’t Argue’ Martin were not up to their usual high standards, and both will look to bounce back against the Bulldogs.
Up forward Ben Griffith showed some good form, kicking three goals, and the Tigers will be hopeful he can take some of the pressure from Jack Reiwoldt, who has carried a heavy load over the past few years.
Bulldogs rookie coach Luke Beveridge kicked off his senior coaching career with an exciting win against the Eagles.
The ball pinged back and forth under the Etihad roof but the Bulldog pups showed their resilience by holding on in a tight match.
The Dogs had a whopping 94 tackles against the Eagles and will need to bring their ferocious tackling again this week to give themselves a chance.
Beverige will happy with the young talent he has at his disposal, the jewel in the crown being Marcus ‘Fewtch’ Bontempelli, who is the most physically imposing midfielder the game has seen since Anthony Koutoufides. The battle between Martin and Bontempelli will be worth the price of admission alone.
Mitch Wallis looks set to cover the hole left by Tom Liberatore’s season-ending knee injury by getting under the packs and setting up teammates with crisp handballs.
Lin Jong brought his strong preseason form into the season proper with a good performance in Round 1, and adds pace and grunt around the packs.
Only one change for the Tigers this week, with Brett Deledio suspended for his bump on Simon White. Mature age midfielder Kane Lambert comes into the side for his debut match after impressing in the preseason.
One change for the Bulldogs also, with big forward Jack Redpath omitted for ruck/forward Ayce Cordy, who can provide more flexibility to the side.
Prediction
The Bulldogs enter the match as underdogs but their young guns have the talent to get them over the line, it’s a matter of consistency over four quarters.
However the Tigers have a little more stability, with more seasoned players, which should have them playing better for longer.
Tigers by 23 points.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1:45pm (AEST).
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