In last Sunday’s twilight fixture against Port Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs emerged with a 38-point victory in the Charlie Sutton Tribute Match.
Watch the media player above as Head of Development Chris Maple talks you through the Club’s victory in the latest episode of BulldogsTV’s Weekly Wrap.
The Good
Head of Development Chris Maple was impressed by aerial work of the Bulldogs’ four big men - particularly inside forward 50m. Ayce Cordy, Jordan Roughead, Liam Jones and Will Minson produced promising performances rotating through the forward half, taking a number of contested marks and providing focal points up front.
Stat That Mattered
Maple identified a season high 17 marks inside the forward 50m as the key stat from the Club’s 38-point win over Port Adelaide. A strong inside 50m count of 59 aided this achievement creating a number of scoring opportunities. Ayce Cordy led the individual marks inside 50 count with five.
Player of the day
There were two players that particularly impressed Maple with their aggressive brand of football out of the back half. Robert Murphy and Easton Wood’s run and dash saw them accumulate six and five rebound 50m respectively. Wood also found four inside 50s, 20 disposals, nine marks and two clearances. Rob Murphy had a standout game even by his high standards with 32 possessions (at 94% efficiency), six marks and four tackles.
Dream Team analysis
• It was the veterans who dominated in the Toyota AFL Dream Team this round with no surprises that skipper Matthew Boyd came out on top with 133 points. His 34 disposals, six marks and five tackles ensured that once again he notched up a high score.
• Defender Robert Murphy ($319,500) ranked second this week with 119 point haul for his impressive game.
• In form Brian Lake came in a close third in round 12 with 112 Dream Team Points. At $358,400 he is still a very reasonable price if he continues to produce such results. Fifteen marks was a season high for the defender alongside his 23 disposals for the day.
