Preview 2024 Second Elimination Final: Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn, 6 September 2024, 7.40pm @ MCG

[KermitJagger]

Nerves under the Friday night lights are our biggest threat.

Play the same brand of footy we have for the last 6 weeks and there’s no way the dogs can defend the ground well enough to stop us scoring 100+.

They’ve played once on the MCG since round 1, against Richmond. The most similar ground, Adelaide Oval, has made them look slow and lazy with the space they couldn’t cover.

We’ll work them in to the ground.

We've actually had amazing preparation for finals this year, don't think nerves should be an issue. Three huge MCG games, Richmond for Dusty's retirement, the Collingwood and Carlton games which were both do-or-die for each team, all three in excess of 80k.

Our average margin across those games... 63 points.

 

[Buttonsticher]

Does anyone know how many tickets per transaction? 10 as per usual?

Members can buy 2 tickets per 1 barcode. Not sure about non-members

 

[Walshawk]

Members can buy 2 tickets per 1 barcode. Not sure about non-members

Ta, but I was asking about the number of tickets per transaction. I.e. How many seats together?

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Tickets go on sale Wednesday apparently - anyone got any idea why the Ticketek website is crashed this morning?

 

[Yardie]

Must win game as I can't get to this one

 

[hawkman]

Have we really not played a Friday night game at the 'G in 5 years?! Surely that can't be right?

Collingwood 2019 was the last one. Which was horrible late Clarkson footy for 3 quarters until we stormed home in the last to win

 

[hawkman]

Tickets go on sale Wednesday apparently - anyone got any idea why the Ticketek website is crashed this morning?

Just a normal day for Ticketek

 

[Franko Armani]

So you’d imagine the changes to be (dependent on how Daysy is feeling) :

In: Day; CJ
Out: Morrison; Maginess

Would be the strongest 22 we could field!

HokBall will DESTROY them.

 

[DogDaySonny]

Tickets go on sale Wednesday apparently - anyone got any idea why the Ticketek website is crashed this morning?

It's working great for me. It must just be your computer that is messed up. I hope you can get it fixed before Wednesday morning.


(Ok, I should have put that in red font for purely evil. It's down for me as well. It's been struggling off and on for the last month, I have found.)

 

[user33]

So you’d imagine the changes to be (dependent on how Daysy is feeling) :

In: Day; CJ
Out: Morrison; Maginess

Would be the strongest 22 we could field!

HokBall will DESTROY them.

Morrison vs Cj is interesting to me.

Think I’d prefer Morrisons footy IQ, stability and versatility over CJs speed/ability to push up and down the ground

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The desktop site for Ticketek isn't loading for me, but the app is working for me.

 

[DogDaySonny]

The desktop site for Ticketek isn't loading for me, but the app is working for me.

Yes, same. I'm sure the Ticketek IT department's phones are ringing off the hook right now. They have 36 hours to get that webserver up and running.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Yes, same. I'm sure the Ticketek IT department's phones are ringing off the hook right now. They have 36 hours to get that webserver up and running.

Been like this right through our three-peat run. Some things never change.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

So annoyed. Flying to Sydney Wednesday morning. Have my oldest standing by to buy tickets. Thankfully she has plenty of experience buying tickets to The Weeknd, Macklemore, etc., so she knows what it's like to deal with queues to buy tickets online.

 

[KermitJagger]

Morrison vs Cj is interesting to me.

Think I’d prefer Morrisons footy IQ, stability and versatility over CJs speed/ability to push up and down the ground

Depends which CJ you get. Clean, non fumbly CJ I'd take - particularly against a side with zippy outside players like the Dogs. I love Harry but he struggles against outside players with that yard of pace on him. Richards and Dale would give him a lot of trouble.

 

[Sixpence]

Collingwood 2019 was the last one. Which was horrible late Clarkson footy for 3 quarters until we stormed home in the last to win

Crazy. Remember being at that game too, specifically the photo I have afterwards of my miserable looking Collingwood supporting missus!

 

[Sixpence]

The desktop site for Ticketek isn't loading for me, but the app is working for me.

Works fine for me.

 

[cryptor]

Early prediction: Ginnivan to bleach his hair

 

[SJT76]

CJ’s aerial ability could be useful, but Harry has been good. Good problem to have

 

[VandoHawk]

Dogs losing Jones would be big.

While on paper they can cover him due to our smaller setup, it would mean Gunston soft tags Lobb and gets him away from the contest. No player has really challenged Lobb's IQ as a defender yet - very much see ball then kill ball - and I think Gunston is perfect for that.

That would then leave O'Donnell to Dear and *Khamis (if selected) or Dale to Chol. I think Chol could really get off the leash.

 

[Sirlemsip]

How do you drop a player (Morrison) from a team that has had two massive wins?

Obviously, Day must come in if he is fit, which is a bit harsh for Finn (or whoever the unlucky player is) because he had a great game (as did everyone else).

 

[Gene Simmons]

So you’d imagine the changes to be (dependent on how Daysy is feeling) :

In: Day; CJ
Out: Morrison; Maginess

Would be the strongest 22 we could field!

HokBall will DESTROY them.

Do we deploy Maginess onto Bont?

Morrison will be very stiff to miss out, if he's not in the 22 then he should be sub... But Breust is the perfect super sub so who knows??

 

[Hawkspot]

We've actually had amazing preparation for finals this year, don't think nerves should be an issue. Three huge MCG games, Richmond for Dusty's retirement, the Collingwood and Carlton games which were both do-or-die for each team, all three in excess of 80k.

Our average margin across those games... 63 points.

If we’re serious, none of those teams were even close to what the dogs will produce so any nerves we felt weren’t overly important.
Some of our players absolutely showed nerves in those games too, we’d be silly to not acknowledge it.

Our major benefit is that we’ve played so often at the mcg and designed a game plan to suit.

They have a team full of players who have played in finals for most of their careers which gives them a massive advantage.

I think we’ll settle any nerves and blow them away with run as the game goes on but I wouldn’t be shocked if we were 4 goals down at half time. I’d like to be 10 goals up though.

 

[Franko Armani]

Morrison vs Cj is interesting to me.

Think I’d prefer Morrisons footy IQ, stability and versatility over CJs speed/ability to push up and down the ground

Nah, CJ breaks lines and creates a heap of space. Can also defend the high ball when necessary. Morrison usually uses the ball well but is found wanting when the contested game is on and the intensity is high. The games he has played this past month have been very low level intensity as we have put the game to bed after a qtr.

CJ is another definite headache for the opposition to consider. We need as many headaches in the side as possible going into these games.

 

[Roddy]

I've just been told the dogs have not played a final at the 'G since '16. That's not a bad thing, for what it's worth.