What They're Saying - The Bulldogs Media Thread - Part 4

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From the piece on Bont in AFL.com.au
If these two keep it up and Smith kicks into gear, we should be able to manage without Treloar for a few weeks. Sounds like the rest will help Treloar more broadly as Bevo was suggesting he had been carrying some other niggles.
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Article on the AFL website

THE BULLDOGS have finally let Bont loose.

Over the past five weeks, Marcus Bontempelli has been handed freedom of the Dogs' midfield and has unsurprisingly emerged as the best, most damaging and most influential player in the competition as a result.

Bontempelli's numbers are jumping off the page. In last Saturday's victory over Greater Western Sydney, the Western Bulldogs skipper notched 26 contested possessions, the most of any player this season and a club record since Champion Data began recording the stat in 1999.
Remarkably, he had 15 contested possessions and 10 clearances to half-time alone in that match to help the Dogs jump to a commanding early lead. In doing so, he became the only player besides West Coast's Brownlow Medal winner Matt Priddis in 2016 to achieve such a feat.

Indeed, the industrial side of Bontempelli's game has exploded since his midfield minutes have increased. Champion Data notes that his onball splits dipped to just 66 per cent last season, having peaked at 86 per cent in 2020. But, over the past five matches, they have risen to an extraordinary 91 per cent.The change was made by the Bulldogs, in consultation between coach Luke Beveridge and midfield assistant Brendon Lade, after the side's disappointing 0-2 start to the campaign. It has sparked a 4-1 run throughout that stretch, with the team subsequently re-emerging as a genuine premiership threat.
"I think 'Bevo' just wanted him in the midfield more," Lade told AFL.com.au this week.

"He gets one rest per quarter and he goes from there. We haven't had to put him forward as much as we have in other years yet this season. I'm sure that'll come at some stage, just to spread that load a little bit. When we get enough midfielders in the team, he'll go forward at times."

Bontempelli's brilliance in the midfield is based on the fact he provides all of the tough, gritty essentials expected of an inside bull while still retaining the class, damage, penetration and execution of the game's best forward-half players. Barely anyone in recent history has been able to do both as well as him.
This season, according to Champion Data, he ranks No.1 for clearances (8.9 per game), No.3 for contested possessions (15.3 per game), No.3 for tackles (7.3 per game) and No.7 for pressure points (60.6 per game). Such numbers clearly paint him as being one of the game's best inside midfielders.

But, despite spending less time forward than in previous years, he is still one of the League's most impactful scoreboard players as well. He ranks top-10 in the AFL for score assists (1.8), averages strong numbers for score involvements (6.6 per game) and metres gained (429m per match), while kicking five goals and providing nine goal assists from eight matches so far this year.

Very few players have established themselves as one of the game's best clearance players, best ball-winners, best pressure players and best assist players in the same season, as Bontempelli is doing now. In fact, no player in the game's history has had a campaign with his current averages of 15 contested possessions, 8.5 clearances and seven tackles per match. The average of 1.5 score assists only separates him further.
Unsurprisingly, Bontempelli is significantly clear as the No.1 ranked player in the competition for AFL Player Ratings Points – Champion Data's most definitive metric for total influence on the game – through the season's first eight weeks. His average of 20.6 AFL Player Ratings Points per match is a full three points clear of Tom Liberatore (17.6) in second, highlighting just how outstanding his campaign has been.

Furthermore, since Champion Data began measuring AFL Player Ratings Points in 2010, a player has averaged 20+ points across a single season only nine times. The last occurrence was in 2017, when Dustin Martin (20.4) and Patrick Dangerfield (21.2) achieved a one-two finish in the Brownlow Medal. Dangerfield (20.4) also did it in 2016 on his way to the Brownlow, with the other six times coming from Gary Ablett Jnr (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015).

So, what exactly has Bontempelli's two-way brilliance meant for the Bulldogs' purring midfield? Not only has it given Beveridge and co. more balance in the engine room, it's also provided opposition coaches with a near-impossible prospect to tame.
"It makes it a hard match-up for the opposition," Lade said.

"They've got to be careful with who they put on him. If they want to tag him, then they've got to play defence as well because he can actually hit the scoreboard and set goals up. He's an all-round player who can play multiple positions for us."

Prior to this season, Bontempelli had notched 11 or more clearances in a game only three times. He's now done it three more times in the past five weeks alone, spotlighting his astonishing stretch of form.
Now more than 200 games into a career that has already yielded a premiership, four best and fairests, four All-Australian blazers, an AFL Players' Association Most Valuable Player Award and a fourth year of captaincy, a Brownlow Medal could soon await the Bulldogs champion.

As could a post-career role as a coach, if his recent chats around the club are anything to go by. Constantly looking to learn and improve, Bontempelli has been driving his own improvements, and is taking teammates along with him.

"He's really inquisitive about the game," Lade said.
"He'll have opinions on how we should play or what we should do this week from stoppage. It doesn't mean we always go with him, but he's very inquisitive about the game. When you've got someone that's as talented and driven as he is, to have that inquisitive nature, it makes for a good player.

"If you ask anyone in our midfield, he leads by example. It's very easy to follow him. Whether that's winning a clearance like he does, or a contested ball, he's definitely leading around the contest very well. He expects a lot of his teammates, but it's very easy for them to follow him when he's doing that regularly."
 

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NBates said:

Mark Robinson speaks to Jason Johannisen about his successful return to Western Bulldogs defence​

Western Bulldogs defender Jason Johannisen has gone from a “p***** off” spectator to an integral part of one of the AFL’s best defences. He talks life and on and off the field with Mark Robinson.

Mark RobinsonChief Football Writer

May 12, 2023 - 3:46PM

Of all the commentary this season, nothing has been more accurate, more concise and more loved than when Jason Johannisen’s fiancee was asked a question by roaming Brian Taylor to kick off round 6.

The Bulldogs catapulted their season with a 49-point win on the road over Fremantle and a rejuvenated Johannisen had played superbly.

In the rooms, BT spoke to Johannisen and then sidled up to Johannisen’s partner Logan Shine and asked her about her boy being played at halfback.
“He didn’t win a Norm Smith playing forward, did he?” she said.

Logan Shine and Jason Johannisen and their daughter Lola Blair. Picture: Mark Stewart

Logan Shine and Jason Johannisen and their daughter Lola Blair. Picture: Mark Stewart

Bang.

She’d probably feel a touch uncomfortable by all this attention, but she shouldn’t. TV execs call it gold and viewers lapped up the honesty.

“It was pretty funny,’’ Johannisen said.

“Obviously she’s been a massive support for me. She was pretty embarrassed by that interview to be honest, she didn’t mean to be so blunt.

“But at the end she’s just happy to see me play some good footy … yeah, I don’t think those words came cross exactly how she wanted.’’

But it was the truth, yeah?

Jason Johannisen’s return to halfback has been a huge winner.


Jason Johannisen’s return to halfback has been a huge winner.

“I probably played more influential games in the back half and over the past few weeks that’s where I’ve been playing my footy, I’ve picked up some good form and hope that continues,” he said.

The Johannisen renaissance is a positive story among many as the Bulldogs have recovered from their 0-2 start to their season.

It was about this time some media and fans were bewildered by the Bulldogs’ decision to reappoint Beveridge as coach for another three years.

They’ve all pulled their heads in.

The Bulldogs play embattled Carlton on Saturday night and a win would have them 6-3 after nine games.

The return to halfback for Johannisen has reignited his career after injury and experimentation as a forward, and the positional move by Beveridge clearly has helped ignite his team.

Jason Johannisen and Marcus Bontempelli after the Bulldogs’ win over GWS.

Jason Johannisen and Marcus Bontempelli after the Bulldogs’ win over GWS.

Johannisen after the 2016 Grand Final.

Johannisen after the 2016 Grand Final.

There’s a sense of familiarity and confidence when Johannisen, at his best and with space in front of him, bounds with the ball in hand. Because when “JJ’’ runs, everyone runs, and the Bulldogs like it when adventure is on the ball.

Johannisen played forward in round 1 — a little underdone, he says, because of a calf complaint — was dropped for round 2 and returned for round 3 against Brisbane at Marvel, this time in his customary halfback role.

It was a pivotal game for him and for Beveridge, who is the magnet-moving king of the competition.

Johannisen dashes clear of Charlie Spargo.

Johannisen dashes clear of Charlie Spargo.

This day, he plonked Johannisen’s magnet beside Brisbane’s most frightening player, Charlie Cameron. And it worked. Cameron kicked one goal, JJ had 15 disposals and the Doggies won a must-win by 14 points.

“He got a few marks on me early but full marks on the way our mids put pressure on, because the Lions didn’t get as many looks as they usually can,’’ Johannisen said.

“He’s in red-hot form now Charlie.’’

Johannisen’s return to defence came about by Beveridge’s decision to redeploy Caleb Daniel to the midfield. That’s also been a success. Daniel needed a change because his impact had diminished coming out of the D50 and his precision kicking via either foot has been welcomed as the Bulldogs looked to improve delivery into the F50.

It left a defensive group containing Liam Jones, Alex Keith and Ryan Gardner as the talls, Taylor Duryea as the lockdown and a combo of Johannisen, Bailey Dale and the well-established Ed Richards as the rebounders.

Western Bulldogs defence has been one of the AFL’s best in recent games.

Western Bulldogs defence has been one of the AFL’s best in recent games.

That group has been rock solid in the overall team defence. Since round 3, the Bulldogs are in the top five in all the critical defensive measures.

Johannisen is blossoming after a stagnant 2022 season, which was ruined by back-to-back calf tears and a syndesmosis injury.

Off the ground, his kids, Lola 3, and Ziggy, seven months, have levelled him out and he and Logan are getting married at the end of the year.

“They have enhanced my life, that unconditional love,’’ he says.

“My footy and life balance has shaped my life in a better way.’’

Now 30, it was speculated at the end of last season that Johannisen was “considering his future’’ at the Bulldogs.

“I wasn’t leaving,’’ he says.

“It was a frustrating year purely because of injury and when you’re injured you’re just pissed off that you can’t help the team.’’

Gold Coast had a nibble, Essendon had less of a nibble and the Giants were somewhere in between.

“My manger (Tim Galic from Perth) told me to look at all options and with a young family now, he said to do what’s best for your family,” Johannisen said.

He signed with the Dogs for two years.

He couldn’t be happier, but it would be difficult to find a time when Johannisen wasn’t happy. South African-born and picked at No. 39 in the 2011 rookie draft, Bulldogs people will tell you that if there was an award for the Happiest Player of the Year, then Johannisen would have won it every year since.

“I’m a positive-attitude sort of person,’’ he says.

He wasn’t even unhappy when he was told by Beveridge to play small forward in 2021 and 2022, a position foreign to him.

“It was extremely difficult,’’ he says. “I have such high respect for the elite small forwards like Charlie, and Tom Papley and Tyson Stengle, because to play at a consistent high level is difficult. I found that out. It doesn’t come naturally to play that position but I was willing to play any position for the team, to play any role, and I just tried my best.

“Halfbacks are high possession getters and half-forwards don’t get as much ball. As a half-forward, you just have to have quality involvements and put as much pressure on the opposition as possible.

“I did enjoy it, but I wish I was a bit more consistent playing that half-forward role’’.

It was akin to asking a 1200m racehorse to do equestrian. In essence, use your speed but in a confined space and instead of jumps to conquer, try to win the ball amongst a bevy of players flooding back.

Jason Johannisen celebrates a goal against North Melbourne.

Jason Johannisen celebrates a goal against North Melbourne.

Now, the racehorse is back at the track.

Asked to pretend he was sports editor for the day, and what headline he’d put on this story, Johannisen said: Back to the Future.

“Someone said it to me, I can’t remember who,’’ he says. “But yeah, it feels like it is. When you get the ball in the forward line you don’t have a lot of space, but at halfback you’ve got the whole field to play, and I think it works well to my strengths, which is use my legs, metres gained, kick it well and help my teammates.”.

On a roll, what about a headline for your skipper Marcus Bontempelli?

He says: Mr Inspirational.

“I’d say he’s the GOAT,’’ he adds. “It’s something I can tell my kids when they grow up, that I played with Bont. We’ve played most of our career together and to have front-row seats is special.

“As a captain, he’s unbelievable. He just doesn’t miss. He’s always searching for opportunities to socialise and get the group together when we can, and searching to be a better leader to help the footy club and help people. I can’t speak any highly of him.’’

What about the coach?

He wanted time to consider that headline and sent a text 10 minutes after this interview.

“Mr Empowerment,’’ the text said.

Jason Johannisen, Easton Wood and coach Luke Beveridge before the Bulldogs’s semi-final in 2016.

Jason Johannisen, Easton Wood and coach Luke Beveridge before the Bulldogs’s semi-final in 2016.

“He’s been massive. I can remember when Bevo first came in 2015 and he changed my game completely. My strengths are to try to keep the ball in my hands for longer, use my legs, but back then, I was trying to be more of a dour defender and stop my man.

‘Bevo knew my attributes and he wanted me to become a more attacking half-back flanker with the ability to defend as well. He instilled confidence and belief I could take my game to another level.

“I’ve played some good footy (under him), but in recent times, I probably wasn’t playing to the best of my ability, yet the one thing Bevo never wavered was his faith and belief in me. Even when I was playing half-forward, in some games I felt I was nowhere and Bevo would always pick me up, and have a positive, even if it was ‘your pressure was really good tonight’’. He’s an unbelievable coach.’’

The Carlton game will be his 184th for the red, white and blue, which is a sensational achievement for a rookie – drafted player. He says 2011 is a lifetime ago, as was winning the Norm Smith medal in the 2016 premiership win.

‘’I’m speechless to think how far I’ve come and there’s been a lot of people who have helped me on my journey, but, yeah, I didn’t think I would last this long.’’
Click to expand...
Nice article Classic effort by Logan 😆
 
Bonti is in from $6 to $4.50 for the Brownlow this week

Gamble responsibly
 
Bulldogs85 said:
Article on the AFL website

THE BULLDOGS have finally let Bont loose.

Over the past five weeks, Marcus Bontempelli has been handed freedom of the Dogs' midfield and has unsurprisingly emerged as the best, most damaging and most influential player in the competition as a result.

Bontempelli's numbers are jumping off the page. In last Saturday's victory over Greater Western Sydney, the Western Bulldogs skipper notched 26 contested possessions, the most of any player this season and a club record since Champion Data began recording the stat in 1999.
Remarkably, he had 15 contested possessions and 10 clearances to half-time alone in that match to help the Dogs jump to a commanding early lead. In doing so, he became the only player besides West Coast's Brownlow Medal winner Matt Priddis in 2016 to achieve such a feat.

Indeed, the industrial side of Bontempelli's game has exploded since his midfield minutes have increased. Champion Data notes that his onball splits dipped to just 66 per cent last season, having peaked at 86 per cent in 2020. But, over the past five matches, they have risen to an extraordinary 91 per cent.The change was made by the Bulldogs, in consultation between coach Luke Beveridge and midfield assistant Brendon Lade, after the side's disappointing 0-2 start to the campaign. It has sparked a 4-1 run throughout that stretch, with the team subsequently re-emerging as a genuine premiership threat.
"I think 'Bevo' just wanted him in the midfield more," Lade told AFL.com.au this week.

"He gets one rest per quarter and he goes from there. We haven't had to put him forward as much as we have in other years yet this season. I'm sure that'll come at some stage, just to spread that load a little bit. When we get enough midfielders in the team, he'll go forward at times."

Bontempelli's brilliance in the midfield is based on the fact he provides all of the tough, gritty essentials expected of an inside bull while still retaining the class, damage, penetration and execution of the game's best forward-half players. Barely anyone in recent history has been able to do both as well as him.
This season, according to Champion Data, he ranks No.1 for clearances (8.9 per game), No.3 for contested possessions (15.3 per game), No.3 for tackles (7.3 per game) and No.7 for pressure points (60.6 per game). Such numbers clearly paint him as being one of the game's best inside midfielders.

But, despite spending less time forward than in previous years, he is still one of the League's most impactful scoreboard players as well. He ranks top-10 in the AFL for score assists (1.8), averages strong numbers for score involvements (6.6 per game) and metres gained (429m per match), while kicking five goals and providing nine goal assists from eight matches so far this year.

Very few players have established themselves as one of the game's best clearance players, best ball-winners, best pressure players and best assist players in the same season, as Bontempelli is doing now. In fact, no player in the game's history has had a campaign with his current averages of 15 contested possessions, 8.5 clearances and seven tackles per match. The average of 1.5 score assists only separates him further.
Unsurprisingly, Bontempelli is significantly clear as the No.1 ranked player in the competition for AFL Player Ratings Points – Champion Data's most definitive metric for total influence on the game – through the season's first eight weeks. His average of 20.6 AFL Player Ratings Points per match is a full three points clear of Tom Liberatore (17.6) in second, highlighting just how outstanding his campaign has been.

Furthermore, since Champion Data began measuring AFL Player Ratings Points in 2010, a player has averaged 20+ points across a single season only nine times. The last occurrence was in 2017, when Dustin Martin (20.4) and Patrick Dangerfield (21.2) achieved a one-two finish in the Brownlow Medal. Dangerfield (20.4) also did it in 2016 on his way to the Brownlow, with the other six times coming from Gary Ablett Jnr (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015).

So, what exactly has Bontempelli's two-way brilliance meant for the Bulldogs' purring midfield? Not only has it given Beveridge and co. more balance in the engine room, it's also provided opposition coaches with a near-impossible prospect to tame.
"It makes it a hard match-up for the opposition," Lade said.

"They've got to be careful with who they put on him. If they want to tag him, then they've got to play defence as well because he can actually hit the scoreboard and set goals up. He's an all-round player who can play multiple positions for us."

Prior to this season, Bontempelli had notched 11 or more clearances in a game only three times. He's now done it three more times in the past five weeks alone, spotlighting his astonishing stretch of form.
Now more than 200 games into a career that has already yielded a premiership, four best and fairests, four All-Australian blazers, an AFL Players' Association Most Valuable Player Award and a fourth year of captaincy, a Brownlow Medal could soon await the Bulldogs champion.

As could a post-career role as a coach, if his recent chats around the club are anything to go by. Constantly looking to learn and improve, Bontempelli has been driving his own improvements, and is taking teammates along with him.

"He's really inquisitive about the game," Lade said.
"He'll have opinions on how we should play or what we should do this week from stoppage. It doesn't mean we always go with him, but he's very inquisitive about the game. When you've got someone that's as talented and driven as he is, to have that inquisitive nature, it makes for a good player.

"If you ask anyone in our midfield, he leads by example. It's very easy to follow him. Whether that's winning a clearance like he does, or a contested ball, he's definitely leading around the contest very well. He expects a lot of his teammates, but it's very easy for them to follow him when he's doing that regularly."
Click to expand...
See this is the sorta coaching brilliance that only Bev could pull off, playing the best midfielder in the competition in the midfield

Just brilliant! 😂
 
Unfortunately the headlines continue to be all about Caaaarrrllton - but if we keep winning without being talked about, I'm happy.

AFL round 9: Carlton’s season consigned to scrap heap after loss to Western Bulldogs​

Carlton is set for another week under the blowtorch after woeful kicking in front of goal came back to haunt the Blues against Western Bulldogs.

Ed Bourke

May 13, 2023 - 10:48PM

Carlton’s season looks consigned to the scrap heap after the Western Bulldogs overcame a serious late challenge to claim an 21-point win at Marvel Stadium.

The Blues were booed by their own fans for the second week in a row after a diabolical first half which yielded only one goal, but they piled on six consecutive majors after the main break to snatch the lead midway through the final term.

But the Bulldogs hit back with a four-goal streak of their own, with Arthur Jones snapping superbly from 40m to put his side back in front before Bailey Smith streamed forward to snuff the Blues’ hopes from outside the 50m arc.

Luke Beveridge’s side were beaten at stoppages and denied forward entries, but used the ball cleverly in their forward half to punish the Blues for easy missed chances.

[PLAYERCARD]Caleb Daniel[/PLAYERCARD] collars [PLAYERCARD]Sam Docherty[/PLAYERCARD]. Picture: Michael Klein

Caleb Daniel collars Sam Docherty. Picture: Michael Klein

Anthony Scott (3.1) was damaging at ground level, and along with Rory Lobb (2.0) schooled the Blues in the importance of finishing off the midfielders’ work.

Carlton was left to rue dismal ball use and poor goalkicking, with star forwards Harry McKay (0.2) and Charlie Curnow (2.3) unable to hurt their opponents on the scoreboard despite marking strongly around the ground.

Even if the Blues cling on to their top eight spot at the end of the round, their torrid start to the game suggested their on-field problems are not going away any time soon.

SET SHOT BLUES
Carlton’s dire two and a half quarters was the product of having several players completely off the boil in front of goal.

It is well established that Harry McKay is completely bereft of confidence in his set shot routine, but he was not the only culprit as Jesse Motlop and Patrick Cripps missed regulation chances in the first half, with the latter opting to snap off his non-preferred boot from 30m out on a 45 degree angle, only to sky his attempt and fail to make the distance.

The fact the Bulldogs booted 6.10 to the final break and yet were still far more ruthless in front of goal is an indictment on how the Blues are preparing to execute their set shot routines in games.

Anthony Scott celebrates a second-quarter goal. Picture: Michael Klein

Anthony Scott celebrates a second-quarter goal. Picture: Michael Klein

CAPTAINS QUELLED

Patrick Cripps entered the game determined to make amends for two significant head-to-head defeats against Brisbane’s Josh Dunkley and Adelaide’s Jordan Dawson, and while he helped nullify Marcus Bontempelli early, he struggled to have an offensive impact on the contest.

The Blues skipper had just eight disposals and was without a tackle or clearance at halftime, while Bontempelli was also unable to produce a centre clearance in the first half despite coming into the game with red-hot stoppage form.

Cripps never stopped running though, and was one of the most influential players on the ground in the final term with 11 disposals.

Matt Cottrell handballs as [PLAYERCARD]Marcus Bontempelli[/PLAYERCARD] closes in.

Matt Cottrell handballs as Marcus Bontempelli closes in.

LOBB THE WINGMAN

It appears Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has not forgotten Rory Lobb’s stellar performance roaming the ground in the famous 2016 preliminary final, because the new recruit was regularly deployed on a wing, running from end to end with former Dockers teammate Blake Acres.

The move helped accommodate the surprise use of 197cm debutant James O’Donnell as a forward, and while Lobb found little of the footy during the bursts on the wing, he had a significant influence behind the ball, pushing back to provide aerial support for the Bulldogs defence and contributing to the Blues’ major ball movement issues.

[PLAYERCARD]George Hewett[/PLAYERCARD] enjoys a goal during Carlton’s third-quarter rally. Picture: Michael Klein

George Hewett enjoys a goal during Carlton’s third-quarter rally. Picture: Michael Klein

SCOREBOARD​

BLUES 0.3, 1.4, 5.8, 8.10 (58)
BULLDOGS 2.2, 4.4, 6.10, 11.13 (79)
BOURKE’S BEST
Blues: Walsh, Newman, Pittonet, Kennedy, Docherty, Cripps.
Bulldogs: Liberatore, Smith, Dale, Richards, Johannisen, L Jones.
GOALS
Blues: Owies 3, C Curnow 2, Durdin, Hewett, Walsh.
Bulldogs: Scott 3, Lobb 2, Johannisen, Naughton, Liberatore, A Jones, Smith, Ugle-Hagan.
UMPIRES Deboy, Donlon, Johanson, Stephens.
INJURIES Blues: none. Bulldogs: none.
CROWD 42,756 at Marvel Stadium
BOURKE’S VOTES
3. T. Liberatore (WB)
2. B. Smith (WB)
1. S. Walsh (Car)
 

Bulldogs withstand ferocious comeback to add to Blues’ misery​

ByJon Pierik​

May 13, 2023 — 10.39pm


https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/live-scores?match=266707697
Carlton showed tremendous fight, but their season is on the verge of freefall after they fell to a 20-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

While the streaking Bulldogs have won four in a row, and six of their past seven, the Blues have dropped four of their past five, and face a major fight to remain in top-eight calculations, having just begun a potentially rugged month ahead, with the top-of-the-table Magpies to come next weekend.

A week after supporters booed players and left at three quarter-time in a home loss to the Brisbane Lions, they threatened to do the same again when the Blues trailed by 31 points in the third term, but this time the Blues rallied by booting the final four goals of the term to cut the deficit to eight by the final change. In a stunning change of fortunes, goals to Matthew Owies and the indefatigable Sam Walsh gave them their first lead of the night, and set up an enthralling final term.

Harry McKay missed a sitter as Carlton was left to lament some poor kicking against the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs, firmly in the premiership hunt, responded when hard nut Tom Liberatore eased through a pressured shot, their first goal since the six-minute mark of the third term. Charlie Curnow regained the lead for the Blues after a strong mark, but Bulldog Arthur Jones roved a loose ball and snapped a classic, before Bailey Smith drilled a running goal to edge the lead to eight points, a margin the Blues could not broach.

The Blues had been held to only 10 points by half-time - their lowest score to the main change in the Michael Voss era.

They embraced a more attacking style after a stodgy first half. Despite winning the contested ball in the first half, the creative Bulldogs dominated uncontested possession. However, come the third term, the Blues released the handbrake, and opted for a more freewheeling style. The question will be why it took so long for the Blues to stop unimaginatively kicking straight down the line to forwards Harry McKay and Curnow.

On a night finding an avenue to goal was a major issue, the Blues added to their woes when the goalless McKay, Jesse Motlop and Patrick Cripps shanked set-shot snaps at goal, when conventional drop punts could easily have done the job. The Blues took until the 10-minute mark of the second term to log their first major, when Owies converted a set shot, and until the nine-minute of the third to post their second. Owies finished with a team-high three goals.

[PLAYERCARD]Marcus Bontempelli[/PLAYERCARD] fends off Matthew Owies in round nine.

Marcus Bontempelli fends off Matthew Owies in round nine. CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES

Liberatore, Smith and Cody Weightman were superb when the game was on the line, while Ed Richards delivered run all evening. Liam Jones was calm in defence, while Marcus Bontempelli had crucial touches when the contest was there to be won.

[PLAYERCARD]Marcus Bontempelli[/PLAYERCARD] (left) and Anthony Scott.

​

Walsh ran hard, while the pacy Adam Saad and Matthew Cottrell led the Blues’ revival. Cripps had a miserable first half, when the contested beast failed to log a contested possession, but he got going in the second half and finished with 26 disposals, including six contested possessions.

When all seemed lost in the third term after tall forward Rory Lobb booted back-to-back goals, the Blues held their nerve, and began to generate run. Coach Luke Beveridge made the unconventional move of having Lobb begin a wing on former Dockers teammate Blake Acres. This allowed Lobb to push forward or back and be the seventh defender, a role he performed well, until he was sent forward in the third term.

You’re the voice​

After much controversy over booing through the week, it was Jones’ turn to face supporter wrath, the Blues’ fans having not forgotten he quit the club and retired - briefly - in November 2021 over his vaccination status. Jones had the job on McKay, the latter also copping a mouthful from supporters when, having marked almost in front of goal and only 35 metres out, he opted to snap around the corner, rather than take a conventional drop punt. McKay sprayed his shot to the point it was barely a point. This contributed to the Blues having their first goalless opening term against the Bulldogs since 1991.

On the run​

Amid the media focus on Brownlow Medal fancy Bontempelli and other teammates with a greater profile, Richards has quietly been having a career season.

The dashing half-back has been in superb touch, and had an equal team-high nine touches in the first term, while opponent Motlop was not seen.

On the front foot​

A whirlwind month for former cricketer James O’Donnell, 20, continued when he made his AFL debut, just 35 days after signing with the Bulldogs as a category B rookie. O’Donnell began on the bench but was sent forward five minutes into the first term, where he led well, but was ignored a few times.

While he was subbed off early in the final term, having had had only five touches, the former promising fast bowler adjusted to the speed of the game. He became the third generation of O’Donnells to play at AFL/VFL level following his grandfather Kevin and father Simon who played for St Kilda in the 1940s and 1980s respectively.

James O’Donnell celebrates.

James O’Donnell celebrates. CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES

Best
Carlton: Walsh, Kennedy, Saad, Cottrell, Owies.
Western Bulldogs: Smith, Dale Richards, Bontempelli, Williams, Johannisen.
 

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Even in a Bulldogs win, it’s about Carlton’s loss

IMG_6544.jpeg
 
Carlton, Caaaaaarlton, Blues, Voss, Cripps, etc etc.

Why would it be any different
 
Here's an example of how the media twists the narrative. 7 News says Cripps was being jeered after he shanked a shot at goal. There was a massive 'boo', but guess who marked the missed kick? Liam Jones. Now I bet 95% were booing Jones & not Cripps. Just sayin'
 
_Mike_ said:
Carlton, Caaaaaarlton, Blues, Voss, Cripps, etc etc.

Why would it be any different
Click to expand...
Now we have the blockbuster to look forward to Carl v Pies 🥧
 
David King just said Liam Jones has only lost 1 one on one all year. What a recruit he’s been.
 
NBates said:
Here's an example of how the media twists the narrative. 7 News says Cripps was being jeered after he shanked a shot at goal. There was a massive 'boo', but guess who marked the missed kick? Liam Jones. Now I bet 95% were booing Jones & not Cripps. Just sayin'
Click to expand...
I was thinking the exact same thing when I heard that. They don't have a clue. Just fill in the blanks to suit the narrative.

On SM-A135F using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

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What They're Saying - The Bulldogs Media Thread - Part 4

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