Following a footy team is a double-edged sword.  The euphoria of when you’re ‘up’ is equally matched by the despair when you’re ‘down’ 

That feeling has been magnified for us Bulldogs this season, hasn’t it? 

One of the best and worst things about following this 2019 version of the Bulldogs is that in under a couple of minutes of watching them play, I feel like I can forecast the result.

The Carlton game didn’t look or feel right, right from the start.  Chatting on the Bulldogs’ podcast Freedom in a Cage with co-host Chris Anstey that week, I spoke about how I thought our boys looked like they were on their heels.

Saturday night’s demolition of the Tigers was breathtaking, and I don’t use that word lightly.

WATCH: AARON NAUGHTON’S BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE AGAINST RICHMOND

Whichever way you want to slice it up, it was a huge night for the team and the Club.  The swarming Bulldogs were back.

We looked even and connected, but the night was sprinkled with some individual brilliance, and not all of it was Aaron Naughton, although to be fair, he did provide the lion’s share.

It was a night of vindication for coach Luke Beveridge too.  That performance was brilliant, yes, but it was also systematic and structured.  Structured in the same way a Pro Hart painting has a structure.

Talking to the coach minutes before the game on Saturday in the Presidents function, he gave the crowd an insight into his final message to the players, and it was all about one word; ‘flow’. 

PRESS CONFERENCE: BULLDOGS SKIPPER EASTON WOOD PREVIEWS BALLARAT 

The Dogs had their flow back on Saturday night, but I noticed something else too.

Neil Armstrong took one small step for man and an even bigger one for mankind in 1969, while the fictional Phil Connors stumbled time and again with his first step out onto the chilly streets of Punxsutawney.

You see where I’m going, don’t you?  When the Dogs are at their best, they combine structure with flow, but it all starts with the wicked first step.

I say ‘wicked’ because it can abandon athletes some days.  I know it used to give me cause for some anxious moments in the build up to a big game.  How quick can my first step be?

The double-edged sword of footy.  On Saturday, in Ballarat, will our boys bring their fast feet with them?  I hope so, because that first step is a doozy. 

LISTEN TO THE FREEDOM IN A CAGE PODCAST