Pre-Match Confessions
I will start this review with a confession. Early last season when the Doggies were running hot, I had my first, and last gamble on the AFL, when I backed Bevo’s men to go all the way to win the flag at quite nice odds. At the time, they looked like the team that would rise from the pack and seriously challenge the contenders. In their first ten games of 2023 they had beaten some well-credentialed teams and found themselves sitting nicely with seven wins and three losses (all to teams that eventually played finals in 2023).
Like many, I believed the hype, until they travelled to Northern Territory and were beaten by the Gold Coast Suns in hot, humid, greasy conditions. All teams lose games of football, but some losses mean more.
While the Dogs still sat conformably in the top echelons of the ladder after Round 11, there was a sense after that loss that their star-studded list again looked vulnerable, very vulnerable. They only secured five more wins for the season and missed the finals.
Since 2016 the Doggies have looked good – really good – on paper, but during that period they have never made the Top Four come season’s end. The anomaly, and credit to the club, being the Premiership in 2016 and making the Grand Final 2021 – not a bad haul for a club that is inconsistent, and it also highlights the potential of this club (kudos Bevo).
The Suns come into this game full of confidence after a couple of wins at home, and cannot be taken likely, while the Dogs suffered a defeat against a rebounding Dees last week. After just one loss, questions were again being asked about the Dogs’ coach and list management (having said that, it was the likes of Kane, Kingy, Robbo and a few other headliner-seekers who couldn’t wait to get Bevo in their sights after one game).
For both clubs this is an ‘eight-point’ game, as a win for the Suns will keep them clear of the pack of teams chasing a spot in the bottom half of the eight comes year’s end, while for the Dogs it can kick start their season and make them relevant again. For differing reasons, neither team can afford to lose this match. The Dogs need a win, while the Suns need to prove they can win on the road.
The Dogs Expose the Suns at Mars
Make no mistake, the Bulldogs slaughtered the Suns from the very first bounce until the final minute of this game. Commentator Dwayne Russell, said during the last quester, “it was a hot game for three quarters”, as is the trait of most commentators to make one-sided games seem interesting, but his comments were an INSULT to the four-quarter effort of the Dogs.
From the opening play when the Cody Weightman kicked the first and then the second of his six goals, the Suns had barely touched the ball. By the time the Suns turned up to play, the game was already over.
Weightman ended up with six goals for the match. Tim English taught the young Ned Moyle a lesson in the ruck while giving Adam Treloar and Marcus Bontempelli the easiest centre clearances they will ever receive in their collective careers, and the Dogs’ backs, led by Liam Jones and Ed Richards, were just brilliant.
The downside for the Dogs was the early shoulder injury to Nick Coffield, and the explosive Ed Richards who seemed to be injured in the last quarter. Sadly for Coffield, he was substituted out in the first five minutes of the game. His replacement, Oscar Baker covered for the loss in style, both in defence and up forward, with 19 disposals and three goals, and he was amongst the best players for the Dogs on the day.
The Importance of Witts and the Rise of Sam Darcy
The loss of Jarrod Witts before the game was a huge loss for the Suns, with the inexperienced Ned Moyle thrown into the ruck against the ultimate professional, Tim English. To Moyle’s credit he battled hard, but English was a class above, with his service to his midfielders being a major reason why the Dogs won so easily.
While English’s influence was immense, it was the performance of his under-study, the much-hyped Sam Darcy, that was really impressive. When called upon, he performed well and finished the game with 15 disposals, six marks, 12 hit-outs and a couple of goals. This kid is a star in the making.
To his credit, Ned Moyle fought back after the initial opening quarter onslaught and finished the game with 25 hit outs (he wasn’t helped by his onballers) and a nice goal.
The Liam Jones Defenders’ Gang
The umpires in this game will probably give the three votes to Cody Weightman, but I would argue the game of Liam Jones (who probably won’t get a vote) was just as important. Jones was the General down back, maintaining a tight discipline over the structure in the backline and leading by example. Ed Richards, Lachlan Bramble, Buku Khamis and others feed off the energy of Jones and helped restrict the Suns to ten goals for the game, and more importantly, only allowed the Suns a solitary goal in the last quarter when they had the aid of a strong wind.
The Suns did themselves no favours by continually bombing the ball long into their forward line, but the discipline of the Jones-led backline was impeccable as they took over 27 intercept marks for the day – some performance.
The preseason move by Bevo of moving Khamis from the forward line to being a running defender is a masterstroke. Khamis is an exciting player with an exciting future, and he looks very comfortable in the backline. In more ways than one, Khamis reminds me of Nick Blakey (the Lizard) with his ability to take a good intercept mark as well as the ability to run off his opponent and create opportunities upfield with his dash and flair.
The Cody Show
When Cody Weightman is on, the Dogs seem to be on. Cody put on a show in the first half of this game with five goals and, when required, he kicked the sealer in the last quarter. His four goals in the first quarter when the game was on the line were sublime, as his team rattled on nine majors.
The next step in Weightman’s game would be to run him through the centre more often, and add an element of difference to the settled, but at times predictable Doggies midfield brigade of Treloar, the Bont and Libba.
Libba v Rowell
Tom Liberatore nullified Matt Rowell in a pure contest of two hard nuts going at it all day. The stats will say Rowell had more possessions, but Libba nullified him and beat him on points on the day. It was a great game within the game, with Libba getting his hands on the footy in key moments. It was like the master and the apprentice.
Are the Suns Fit?
Last week, Adelaide nearly snatched a win from the jaws of defeat against the Suns as they fell in a heap in the last quarter and the Crows charged, and the same happened in their Opening Round when the Tigers outscored them three goals to one.
In the last quarter today, against a strong wind, the Bullies basically doubled their three-quarter time advantage and won by an even eight goals. It is a worrying trend for the Suns.
In three games this year, the Suns have been outscored 12 goals to 3 in the last quarter. In a season where final spots will most likely be decided by percentage, the Suns’ percentage before today’s game was 139.5 and it now sits at 98.7. What worried me the most today was the Suns didn’t have the ability or the stamina to minimise their loss.
Are the Dogs up for the Fight?
The Doggies have been classified as flat track bullies over the years, and I think it is now healthy that players like JJ and Daniels are now being forced to earn their spots in the team. Great servants over the journey, but the pressure being placed on them is good for the team. Sanders, Khamis, Gallagher, Darcy and Baker are the new kids on the block, and they look exciting.
There is a lot to like about the Dogs circa 2024, and it is distinctly different from the 2023 Dogs. It may take time for it all to settle into place, but they will be somewhere around the mark come season’s end.
Side note: unless heavily struck with injuries, I can’t see Rory Lobb fitting into this team anytime soon.
Coming Up
The Suns will enjoy a bye, while the Dogs, with a full head of steam, WILL bulldoze the Eagles at Marvel.
