SA Great?
The Dogs are just 1-3 at the newish Adelaide Oval, and their overall interstate record has been so-so in recent years, so as Luke Beveridge said on Thursday, they’ll be keen to give a good account of themselves this week.
Fair to say it’d be a fair scalp if they can get it, too. Of course, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but all of the wins so far have come against the 15th, 17t, 14th. and 18th placed sides, so a toppling of the fourth placed Crows at home would be something
As the locals say, it would be ‘heaps good’ to get back to Melbourne on Saturday with a win and you dare say the conversation around the Dogs’ season might change a bit if it happens.
-
Big Dogs
Tom Boyd battled manfully shouldering the majority of the ruck load against the Lions, with the occasional cameo from Josh Dunkley, but you’d imagine he would have been pleased to see Jordan Roughead and Jackson Trengove’s name on the team sheet on Thursday.
Josh Jenkins kicked four goals the last time the sides met – an emphatic 59-point Crows win after the difference was just three points at half time – and Sam Jacobs is one of the best big men in the game.
That’s 402cm and 210kg of Crow. And as good as Boydy’s been in the ruck the last couple of weeks, he’ll welcome the sight of Roughhead and Trengove to help deal with those two, no doubt.
-
The return of Easton Wood
The Dogs rehab group will be a lot smaller this weekend after Marcus Adams and Dale Morris were cleared to resume in the VFL and skipper Easton Wood will be on the plane to Adelaide after a fortnight in on the pine.
We haven’t seen the high-flying skipper since the Round Six clash with the Blues when hamstring tightness set in and Lachie Hunter and Marcus Bontempelli lead the team out in subsequent weeks.
But he’s back, and with the Crows firepower up forward (they’re the fourth highest scoring team of 2018), he’ll be a welcome addition.
-
The milestone man
What a journey it’s been for Matt Suckling.
As he told westernbulldogs.com.au here, it’s been quite the rollercoaster for the best dressed man to ever come out of Wagga.
After being picked up in the 2007 Rookie Draft, Suckling spent the next three years on the Hawks’ Rookie List before being delisted, then re-drafted and making his senior debut in 2009. Something like that anyway.
A couple of Hawthorn premierships later, Suckling and his booming left boot followed coach Luke Beveridge to VU Whitten Oval where he’s enjoying his best season the tricolours to date.
Make sure you enjoy him before we lose him to the NFL. Congratulations, Suckers. Go well.
