Hogan’s Heroes?
There’s been a lot of talk about Jesse Hogan this season, and why not, Hogan is one of the most exciting players in the competition when he’s up and about. However, the focus on the 21-year-old is probably a bit unfair on the rest of the much-improved Demons.
Last week’s 73-point win over the Gold Coast included thirteen separate goal kickers. Thirteen.
You don’t become the League’s fourth highest scoring side relying on one player, no matter how talented, and you can bet that Bulldogs defensive coach Rohan Smith will be preparing for a whole host of dangerous Demons this weekend.
To the MAX
Bob Murphy was asked on AFL 360 whether Max Gawn has officially replaced former Dogs big man Ben Hudson as the wearer of the people’s beard - to which the Dogs skipper was non-committal. One thing we can be sure of though is that as it stands on the eve of round eight, Gawn is the League’s premier ruckman.
To top it off, according to Champion Data, the Dees possess three of the top ten ruck-rover combinations in the game, and four in the top 13, so the Melbourne midfield are clearly dining out on Gawn’s silver service.
Beard or no beard, the Dogs mids will need to be first to the footy if they’re to get over the top of the Dees.
Mayhem in the middle
There is obviously a theme developing here – getting on top in the middle of the ground will be critical to the outcome of Sunday’s game. Melbourne are currently the AFL’s clearance kings, averaging 41.3 clearances per game, while the Bulldogs sit in third place at 39.9.
Another angle is that while the Dees may have the edge in the per-game averages, Champion Data tell us that the Dogs are second in the League in scores from stoppages while Melbourne sit in tenth place.
What does it all mean? It means fans can expect a furious contest once the ball is bounced on Sunday afternoon.
All roads lead to…
This weekend marks the Dogs first foray outside of Etihad Stadium for the season, and Luke Beveridge will be keen to take ensure his players can adapt to the wider expanses of the MCG.
The Bulldogs play across town just twice this season, including against Collingwood in three weeks’ time, and there’s no getting around the fact that to advance in the finals, teams must learn how to win on the hallowed turf.
While the Dogs are 1-2 in their last three matches at the ‘G’, Easton Wood told media earlier in the week that the players loved the ground and couldn’t wait to play at the ‘home of footy’, which is exactly what we want to hear.
Bring on the weekend.
