One thing I love about footy is how a team collectively responds when challenged.
The Western Bulldogs had their strength turned into a weakness in the opening quarter, as Essendon were able to turn the tables and dominate clearances. With players like Tom Liberatore, Marcus Bontempelli, and Adam Treloar in the mix, winning the footy at the coalface has never been an issue, but it quickly became one when the Bombers threw everything they could at the Dogs around the ball.
Parish, Hobbs, Durham, and Phillips combined for nine clearances between them as the Bombers relished getting first use of the footy from tgeir ruck. As a result, Essendon held an 11-point lead at the first break.
And then came the response.
The Bulldogs attacked the contest in the second quarter, and each quarter thereafter, with a renewed sense of purpose. Having been humbled a little in the opening stanza, their lift was noticeable. Led by Tom Liberatore and aided by Adam Treloar, they ate away at the clearance deficit and in the process, turned the tables on the entire game.
It was an important win for the Dogs, bumping them up into fifth position at the time of writing, whilst the Bombers tumbled out of the top eight and now look very vulnerable as we start the run to September.
Plenty to get through with this review, with a bit of a focus on the two-minute man, Jake Stringer. Let’s jump into the Mongrel’s Big Questions.
WAS THAT THE QUINTESSENTIAL LIBBA GAME?
In a lot of ways, it was, because you can tell that he had the gauntlet thrown down to him at quarter time.
I wrote in the intro about responses, and man… Libba responded in a huge way in this game. He had 31 touches after quarter time, including ten clearances, and 20 contested touches. In short, he took it personally that Essendon were controlling the stoppages and went to work to correct it.
His tackling was great, his pressure at stoppages was elite, and his continued ability to be the first bloke to get both hands on the footy was as close to paranormal as you’re gonna get.
I grew up watching his father, Tony, play footy, and whilst many people disregard Libba Senior due to the tagger he became, his ability to switch his mindset and dedicate himself to another role within a football club elevated him in my esteem. Tom Liberatore had the challenge levelled at him in this game. Fix this up or it’s done!
For Tom, it was in regard to this game. For Tony, it was in regard to his career.
The Liberatores are fighters. They’re scrappers. They’re the sort of footballers that would make those around them walk taller. Whilst Libba Junior is a fantastic two-way player, I doubt we’ll see him have to become a tagger to salvage his career. He is so driven, so focused, and so damn reliable to win his contest and do exactly what needs to be done, that his value to this Dogs team becomes evident when you marry up the game stats with his own performance.
When Libba lifted, so too did the Dogs. Yes, there were others who stood up, but none stood taller than Tom Liberatore in this game. None even got close.
WHERE DO THE BOMBERS FIND SOMEONE TO MATCH THAT LIBBA MONGREL?
It’s easier said than done.
Essendon have a pretty midfield. Their best player is Zach Merrett and their second best is Darcy Parish. Try as they may – and Merrett, in particular, tries his ass off – they’re just not the down-and-dirty player that Libba is.
Jake Stringer is, but he seems like he runs out of breath on an escalator these days, and Ben Hobbs has it, but at just 19, he doesn’t have the muscle to match his hustle at the moment. That leaves him getting caught holding the ball a bit more often than he’d like at the moment (three times in this game).
The answer, sadly, is Jake Stringer in the short term, but it can’t be as we’ll get into below. And Hobbs in the long term, but that means the Bombers have to wait.
IS BONT THE BEST BANG FOR BUCK PLAYER IN THE GAME?
I suppose we could shorten that question, couldn’t we? Is he the best player in the game?
Well, that’s harder to drill down on, as the different roles and positions make comparing players an unsettled science. However, if we focus on the main question, the answer soon becomes evident.
There were passages of play in this game where Bont was involved deep in defence, making a spoil, laying a tackle, or generally just blocking up space. The Dogs would finally win an extraction and clear the footy and go from one end of the ground to the next, where… guess who would be running into space to provide an option?
That’s right… your old pal, Bont!
Statistically, you’re going to find better Bont games. You’re going to see him do things that make him THE standout player in many, many games, but when a bloke fails to hit 30 touches and you still have standout memories of him making a huge difference, that’s when you know you’re getting bang for your buck. The Dogs could pay this bloke a million dollars a year and they’d still be getting a bargain. You’d take one of these 29-disposal games over some of the games you see from other teams with 35+ disposals where they do very little with it. The difference between Bont and those guys is that Bont hurts with his touches. His first instinct isn’t to go sideways or backwards, it is to find a good long option and endeavour to give them every chance to beat their man.
Teammates up forward must love seeing Bont get his hands on the footy. Seriously, if you were playing up there, you’d know that as long as you give an option, he is going to give you a chance to capitalise.
At one point, one of the bozos on commentary commented about Zach Merrett’s shot at goal being a “captain’s goal”. They weren’t wrong, but Marcus Bontempelli dines out on those types of goals, and with two snags in this one (it should have been three – one missed set shot should be a gimme for him at this stage) he does it just about every week.
He doesn’t just have moments that can be called “captain’s moments”. No, he has entire games where it is never in question.
What a player.
DID THE RETURN OF BAILEY SMITH ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS?
Yeah, it did, but forget about the 25 disposals. In this Bulldogs team, if you’re not getting 20+ touches as a midfielder, you’re simply not doing your job.
No, what we will focus on is the tackling. It was a point of discussion during the broadcast that Smith was tackling with intent. What they didn’t tell you is that of his six tackles, three were rewarded with holding-the-ball free kicks.
That may not sound that impressive, but let me run this by you.
Last year, I became a little obsessed with how many tackles were going unrewarded, so for 16 weeks, I recorded every tackle that resulted in a holding the ball, or incorrect disposal free kick. The AFL average for earning a free kick from tackling was just about five percent. Yep – about one out of every 19 tackles you laid on average, would result in winning a free kick. The best bang-for-buck tackler was Liam Ryan at West Coast, who was around 20% effective.
So, for Smith to run at 50% in a game where he laid six… that’s actually a great return. There are some that might wonder whether his efforts to pin an arm may come back to haunt him should he apply a little more force in the coming weeks, but his efforts were textbook in this game. He hit them hard, latched onto his opposition and took them down with him. Powerful but careful.
I kind of hate writing that – powerful but careful, as getting the balance right is extremely difficult, and personally, I would prefer the first over the second, but when you see a player get it spot on, it is worth pointing out.
Bailey Smith was not back to his 2021 finals form in this game, but after being under scrutiny around his form and whether or not he would be better suited in another system, to respond with controlled aggression and great results is about the best outcome he could have hoped for.
WERE WE ROBBED OF THE NAUGHTON V RIDLEY FINALE?
Yeah… I was loving this matchup.
Earlier this week, I wrote a column lamenting the distinct lack of genuine one-on-one contests that span an entire game. We were well on the way to having one of these contests in this game before Jordan Ridley limped off with what appeared to be the Kevin Nash special – a torn quad.
Up until that point, we were treated to two of the best young forwards/defenders battling each other for supremacy.
Ridley’s intercept marking through the first half was a highlight for Bomber fans. There were a few occasions where he just read the ball better in flight and positioned himself well to make the most of it. He finished with nine intercepts and five one-percenters in the game which reminded Bomber fans of how he played when taking out the Crichton medal a while back.
But that is not to overshadow Naughton, who finished with just the one goal, but was let down by his own poor kicking. Really, he should have kicked three as the ones he missed were well within range. He took two contested grabs to Ridley’s three (though one of them did come when Ridley was off the ground) and had nine score involvements for the game.
If we’re being fair, you assess this contest on the three quarters they played on each other. If we do that, I reckon Ridley got the better of the Dogs’ big forward. He was able to run off to receive too easily, and had 29 touches as a valuable link man in the back half.
Going forward, Ridley’s injury is a huge loss for the Bombers as they press for a finals berth. Even with the development of Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and the ever-reliable Jayden Laverde, Ridley is the class in the Essendon defensive half. He is the man charged with marking the footy as an interceptor and setting up the play. The Bombers will have to scrounge and scrap to cover his loss, which may result in a more defensive role for Mason Redman (I know he plays defence, but his best is an attacking runner, not an intercept man, at this stage). Maybe it is time Nik Cox found his calling and started in defence next week? After all, having him back in the team cost Nic Martin his starting wing spot and resulted in Martin failing to crack 20 touches.
IMAGINE IF THE TWO-MINUTE MAN WAS FIT?
Ah yes… Jake Stringer. He has the stamina of an over-excited teenager, doesn’t he?
Two minutes might be a stretch!
The Bombers sent an early statement that they were not screwing around, sending Stringer into the centre for the first bounce. It paid immediate dividends, with the former Dog winning the first clearance of the game which resulted in Peter Wright snapping a goal to kickstart the Essendon assault.
Not long after, Jake laid a big tackle in the middle of the ground on Tom Liberatore that further set the tone! He had three touches inside the first couple of minutes, and then…
… he ran out of petrol.
Heading inside 50 to recharge the completely fat flat batteries, Stringer was completely and utterly nullified by Ryan Gardner, who I know gets some heat from Dogs fans, at times. There should be no heat coming his way in this one, however – Gardner owned the contest against Stringer, who looked like a reserves player from the EDFL running around out there after his initial burst of enthusiasm.
I’ve banged on about this for a while, but Stringer is just not fit enough. It is easy to say, I know… sitting back in my chair, writing away, probably five kilograms overweight… but Bomber fans – you don’t pay me to play for your club – I am not ripping you off. This bloke is robbing you blind and is not taking getting in shape seriously.
Oh, but that will change, right? Oh yes, it will. Why is that?
Because next season is his contract year! And that means that in order to secure a new deal, Jake will want to be at his best. So, how about we predict the future?
Next season, Jake Stringer will have an excellent year. Hell, if the Bombers miss finals this season, his brilliance – and he does possess it – may even drive Essendon to September footy. He’ll be right to spend time in the middle again and will not be waddling around the ground in a half-jog for the majority of the second half, because he needs to prove that you’re getting something for the money you’re about to pay him. And he’ll be petitioning for a two-year deal based on that form. If you give him that deal, I am sorry, but you’re fools!
This bloke is footy’s version of a snake oil salesman. You’ve fallen for it once – don’t fall for it again. One-year deals from now on, with some incentives for getting in shape, staying in shape, and delivering on-field. Anything more than that, and you’ve been had.
Essendon need more from Stringer. If he could somehow go from being the two-minute man to eight minutes in the middle every quarter, Essendon would really have a weapon, again. Instead, they’ve got a guy throwing rocks while everyone else is playing with machine guns.
DOES JAMARRA UGLE-HAGAN BECOME THE MAN IN 2024?
He is well on the way, and sitting at around a goal and a half per game, he has served a wonderful apprenticeship at the Dogs to this stage.
So, where to next? In terms of levels, I mean – not clubs.
Look, I may be dead wrong, but the way Jamarra is attacking the footy in flight at the moment, I could actually see him being the difference in a final THIS YEAR!
The Dogs are likely going t make the cut. Hell, finishing fifth and getting a home final against any of the Crows, Giants, Tigers, or Suns… you’d love their chances at Marvel, and given what we’re seeing from Jamarra at this point, having him show up in the finals could be the trigger that shoots him on to greater heights in 2024.
Remember those who were saying the Dogs should consider trading him last year? Lol… who were they and where are they now? Name and shame! Jamarra is on the cusp of stardom and I expect him to take the bull by the horns and become a 50-goal forward very soon. If not 2024, then surely 2025.
But the seeds for this transformation may be sewn in September. He is one player I will be watching intently.
OTHER BITS
I had a couple of Bomber fans messaging me about the front-on contact in two Peter Wright marking attempts. They were right – both calls should have been made, but there was an aspect about one of them I liked even less.
Peter Wright should have made Caleb Poulter pay as he ran back into his space. Wright turned the body to brace for contact, but as a full forward leading at the footy, he had every right to run through Poulter, and he just didn’t. Two-Metre Peter is an imposing figure. Having this bloke drop the hammer and crash into an oncoming player would send a strong message to others – not just in this game – stay out of my way or you’re gonna get hurt.
Wright opted to protect Poulter.
And I reckon it was protection that cost his team and his own standing in the league a little.
Nik Cox hasn’t exactly bulked up, has he? He still looks as though a strong gust of wind would blow him over (I guess that’s why Essendon chose Marvel for him to return?) but it was good to see “the unicorn” back out there.
Loving the work of Cody Weightman this season. He has really put that label of being a “ducker” behind him, and ever since that game where he dislocated his elbow, or his arm fell off, or whatever, he has demonstrated that is way more than a one-trick pony. He just knows the right spots to get to and though he gets criticised for flying a bit at the footy when his ground game is his bread and butter, I am more of the opinion he does that only when the Dogs go long and high and he can see that an opposition player has the box seat to mark it. So, he gets involved.
Overall, three goals were a sound reward for a good night out for him.
And that might just do me. The Dogs now start the preparation to welcome the old/recent enemy, GWS to… oh crap, it’s at Ballarat – I hate watching games from there. I was going to head on in had it been at Marvel – quick trip in from Oak Park.
As for the Bombers, they get the Swans, which could be interesting depending on how Sydney goes against Freo this week. They may only be half a game behind if they get a win, and their percentage is solid.
As always, to those who support this work and stick with me, my gratitude to you is enormous. I will continue to work hard to justify your support because it means a hell of a lot to me. Sincerely, thank you – HB.
Like this content? You could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
