Review Round 13, 2023 vs Western Bulldogs

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Imagine booing a player who left north as a bulldogs fan ?????

It’s the same thing that makes BT and his bozo buddies barrack for Victorian teams in every game. They’re not even consciously aware of it.
 

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Probably Lachie Jones’s best game

No probably about it. Like witnessing a player come of age and good on him. Did I have my doubts?... you bet I did.

To see him burst past players into open space :D. Decision making much improved too. Sure his default is to hoof

it high n long but when he lowered his eyes he executed well. Like having a bonus player on the list seeing him grow.

Did some-one have a word with Junior? his intensity seemed to go up a notch as the game went on.
 
What a great team performance, everyone playing their part.

They have let us down in big moments before, but it seems different this time. We relied on the old timers before but now it’s the young guns who are genuinely stars. The older players seem happy to just play their role. Team first attitude.

However I still get nervous about our defense during quick ball movement, a gorilla defender would be perfect.
 
Last night was a performance that quashed a couple of doubts for me. We’ve had close ones but to see us take over what had been a high intensity match with a close margin and run away with it in such a fashion was beautiful. I was skeptical after last week but very happy to be proven wrong, especially against a team that is sitting in 7th and had they won both their games against us they’d be 3rd and tied with us.

In terms of the standouts Butters, the Hornet and Rozee were exceptional as usual. Boak and Wines turned back the clock to some of their best, while Jones had a true breakout game that could be a massive glimpse into his future. The forward line was solid considering how dysfunctional it could’ve been with Dixon returning, obviously the output will drop but when you factor a couple of the Marshall misses it could’ve been a massive onslaught. Lycett tied his career-best hit out count which is a good sign considering I thought all hope was lost for him. DBJ had a casual 10 tackles too which should be commended.

I thought the streak would end against the Bulldogs but as good as we’ve been, I will probably never back us against Geelong because they’re them and we’re us. Still would love to see a win though obviously.
 

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Another great win by the boys.
The Bulldogs are a pretty good outfit and they played their hearts out so we played in a finals type of game.
We didn't always have our way in the midfield and we had to battle and find a way really until the end of the game when we sped off. It was good to see our midfield depth play well when they needed to, that is, Boak and Wines.
Our backline was pretty good but there were times that it did panic and there were some uncharacteristic errors but they all kept their heads up and manfully played through. It was a really good test for them and they did well.

There is one thing about our play this year and seems different and that is we are pretty damn efficient. We don't need to win uncontested possessions or possession overall to win. We have to generally win or break even with contested possessions though but that is true for AFL. We have so much skill and in the side with sweet boots and we also have a lot of creativity and also a lot of unselfish play with hard nuttery that when added up, we just put the ball through the big sticks. We don't have selfish, seagull types who like to rack up fantasy stats. Our guys want to win. And yes, the sweet boots go a long way. When you see the selfish play, it really stands out.

The Bulldogs tried a bit of biff and we stood up for ourselves as well. Good stuff.

We have so many amazing passages of play during the game that it seems like we could have a Top 5 every game. Champagne football indeed!!!

It was good to see Drew start on Bont.
I loved the Butters versus Libba battle regarding football and mouth. Both of them just chatted all game. Great battle.
I loved Rioli and the Hornet looking for a bit of biff on Libba.
I also loved the Butters bump on Bont after he received a free kick from a perfect McEntee tackle.
Got to say I really like Libba and how he goes about it but I want to play Super Mario Brothers whenever I see him.

Butters - BOG. It will be interested how long it takes the umpires to start giving him 3 votes as you need a bit of a reputation before you started polling in the Brownlow. Just magfiicent in all facets of the game.
Rozee - when it comes down to it, who is Batman and who is Robin. What, we have two Batmans? Call Commissioner Gordon. Great game as usual.
Lycett - an amazing game against one of the best rucks in the game. We might need to invest in some duct tape as he seems to be falling apart. I was happy when he was rested last game and I think he was rest late in this game as well. We need a young ruck to take over when Lycett collapses.
Horne-Francis - another good game and what's more important, the match winning goal!!! The cream rises to the top. He's never left wondering. Cannot wait to see a preseason under this guy.
Boak - probably his best game of the year considering how hot it was in the centre. Good game back from injury. You can't complain with 26 possies.
Wines - pretty darn good. Best when he is in and under but later in the game, did some fantastic things especially kicking into the F50 late.
Drew - I thought he was borderline awesome. In amongst everything. Running hard. Making contests. Helping the guys down back. Working in and under. I know we have some special midfield talent but he's just a great 2 way mid and complements them well.
Houston - well the book is out and according to Champion Data, he is the 3rd best player in the comp. Expect some heat. Played well enough but a little under for him. Not his usual impactful self but still did enough.
Bonner - came on late. Didn't notice a lot.

Jones - sensational game especially towards the end of the game. Had many spoils, marks, intercepts. When the ball hits the deck, he can find someone. Looking to build into a special 3rd tall but can play small as well. I think he quietened Weightman when he went on him and also spent a bit of time on Bont. BT's comment about the Lachie Jones, Bailey Smith 'hair off' was a classic. Building unbelievably well in the last 3 games. You can really see the difference in his play and if Jonas was playing. Speed and power.
Aliir - pretty much killed anyone he was on. A few bombshell moments that I wish would be addressed. Excellent game.
Williams - great in the air, great and laconic by foot. Good one one one. A little bit bombshellish as well at times. Excellent game.
Bergman - another very good game with contested marking and overall work of a high standard.
McKenzie - pretty good overall but Ugle-Hagan got him on the lead a few times. McKenzie is not a great matchup against big, fast, young, leading forwards.
Farrell - I think Weightman kicked those 3 goals on him so not great from that point of view. He will need to work on that as that is the reason why Jonas and Burton were dropped. I think he got shifted off him pretty early. His overall play other than that was outstanding with some of the most sublimely weighted kicks you could ever see. Seemed to be playing that Burton role running off half back and kicking into the F50 was superb. He was extremely damaging by foot.
Sinn - quiet but did a couple of things and should be better for the run.

Dixon - like Boak was great back after a break. I think Dixon is kicking pretty straight this year and along with his contested marking, he is having quietly a fine year.
Finlayson - another good performance up front. Always looks likely. Good in the air, good on the deck.
Marshall - playing well. Excellent on the lead. Not so good one on one.
McEntee - I though he was the best of the small forwards. He kicked a couple and was setting up guys as well. Also, when we was outside the F50, looked like a good midfielder type. He also is starting to tackle well. That tackle on Bont was Butters like.
Rioli - didn't kick a goal but was pretty hot during the whole game.
Powell-Pepper - similar to Rioli. Worked hard and got two late goals to seal the deal.
Byrne-Jones - a good defensive game. I will say that he should attack the ball more than wait and tackle.

A well played win where everyone contributed on the day.
We have one of our nemesis next week, Geelong, and with our form, we really need to nail them to show them that their time is up and a new dog is in town.

Quick edit - I thought the umpiring was decent and they let a bit go which was good for the flow of the game.
 
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I'm really excited about the depth the team is developing.

Jed McEntee has been more than solid. Good drafting and kudos for persisting.

Dylan Williams was always touted as one to watch. He was supposed to be a Robbie Gray replacement due to his special talents.

It's great to see Jones looking like that tight checking and closing defender along with great rebound. He's keeping Burton out if the side.

Can't wait to see Narkle get his chance. The club needs one more gorilla defender and a backup Ruckman. I suspect Hays will come good. He's just taking time
 
Yep, i've never been a big believer in the old adage that there isn't much between regularly losing close ones and regularly winning close ones. Champions step up in the big moments and win games, and we've suddenly got a bunch of them doing it week in week out.
And that's what opposition teams are finding so hard about playing against Port Adelaide. We now have so many weapons to throw at our opponent, that it's difficult to counter all of them at once.
 
Yup can't miss the importance of a few of his contest wins.

Also looked like he went to Bont for a short period of time and won the ball a couple of times.

His cleanest game and his kicking skills seem to have really improved.
And used his acceleration, geez a big boy at that speed creates anxiety in the oppo ranks and confidence in our boys. A super and confidence building game by LJ that should build his self belief. WELL DONE
 
In 2018 at that pre-season Members' convention, the coaching group were consistently stressing their desire for the players to go down the "runway" in possession. I think we may have seen that actually come to fruition 3 or 4 times at the most that particular season. Last night is what that supposed "runway" gameplan should have looked like.

I've never seen a team under Hinkley look so confident in possession and to attack through the corridor at all costs. The biggest weakness this team has had was an inability to move the ball fast in possession out of defensive 50 when they force an opposition turnover. This season that narrative has changed, and in particular, last night was a masterclass in transition down the middle out of D50.

Granted, it helps that the defenders of Bergman, Houston, Jones, Farrell and Williams are awesome users of the footy. They are able to take advantage of space and angles and use their skills by foot to open the game up down the corridor. This is then making it much easier entering the forward 50 because there isn't as much congestion and the spot the ball is kicked to inside 50 cannot be easily predicted by the defence as a result.

Additionally, I'm not sure we've seen a more confident midfield under Hinkley. Not just the top end of Rozee and Butters - it's permeating through the entire group. Go back and watch the replay - even guys like Wines and Drew are gut running and carrying the ball in possession to move through the corridor as opposed to trying to find an outlet handball etc. It is truly remarkable given how dour this team has been in previous years.

This team has all the ingredients to win the Holy Grail in September. Just have to continue raking up the wins and give themselves the best possible chance at this point come finals.
 
No probably about it. Like witnessing a player come of age and good on him. Did I have my doubts?... you bet I did.

To see him burst past players into open space :D. Decision making much improved too. Sure his default is to hoof

it high n long but when he lowered his eyes he executed well. Like having a bonus player on the list seeing him grow.

Did some-one have a word with Junior? his intensity seemed to go up a notch as the game went on.
Nailed it. And this is the beauty of this year: we seem to have bonus players on our list everywhere because they are now delivering on their promise and more. Williams, Jones, Bergman, McEntee, Farrell. You can add Jackson, Lord and J. Burgoyne too now that his form is returning.
 

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Review Round 13, 2023 vs Western Bulldogs

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