We go over a couple of things worth keeping an eye out for during the grand final.
1. A September to remember?
The scenes in the Bulldogs rooms in Sydney last weekend were euphoric.
From Club legends to Club president’s, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. But make no mistake, this was no ‘mission accomplished’ style celebration and the Bulldogs will not be satisfied unless they’re holding up the Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Yes, a drawn-out preliminary final hoodoo was broken at Spotless Stadium, and we’ve all read and heard that the Dogs haven’t been in a grand final since 1961, or won the main game since Charlie Sutton lead the team of ’54 to glory.
Luke Beveridge’s men are in the midst of one of the all-time finals runs dispatching of West Coast, Hawthorn and the Giants in succession, but there's a job to do today and no one at Whitten Oval will be satisfied unless a great September turns into an historic October.
2. How's the mighty roar?
Is there a better moment in Australian sport? The anticipation, the angst, the bounce, the roar. We say no.
Each year, wherever we watch the big game from we’re reminded of how special that moment is, but this year... it’s going to be something else. Six decades have gone by since Ted Whitten and John Schultz lead the charge against the Hawks in the ’61 decider and we haven’t been back since.
Now 78-years-old, Schultz told the Herald Sun today that he thought his chance would come again back then and the fans probably did to.
So, what you’ll hear at 2:30 tomorrow is… it’s going to be spectacular.
3. Shop early, avoid the rush
There’s a danger in over analysing stats, and sometimes the eye-test will tell you all you need to know.
When the Dogs have been off this season, they’ll often be caught bombing the ball long into the forward half in hope, only to see it slingshot out again.
It’s been a talking point all year – can the Bulldogs kick enough goals to win games of football, or more to the point, can they make the most of their scoring opportunities?
The Swans have conceded the most inside-50s of the top eight sides in 2016, so they don’t much care if it comes in, they’ll back themselves to get it out again.
In short, it might come down to the Dogs’ lowering the eyes and hitting targets early and often or as Charile Sutton used to say 'shop early and avoid the rush.'
The good news is, they’ve have posted scores of 89, 107 and 99 in their three finals wins, so things are clicking up forward at the right time of the year.
4. One more time
The worst case scenario for the Dogs will be allowing the Swans to repeat what they did to Geelong in the opening quarter of last week’s preliminary final. The Swans had slammed on five goals before Geelong could respond and from there the game was essentially over.
The Dogs, for their part have missed early opportunities in all three finals but managed to claw their way back. The Swans probably won’t let that happen.
The Bulldogs will go into Saturday as the least experienced team since Wayne Carey’s 1996 Kangaroos, and the Swans will be looking to put the young Dogs on the back foot early.
But, they’re made of stern stuff this group and you’d be surprised if they’re overawed by the occasion. It reminds us of Ted Whitten addressing his players in his dressing gown at three quarter time in his final game in 1970.
“You've got to show me all the guts and the determination you've got in your body. You've got to inspire me.”
They’ve inspired us all year, so why not tomorrow.
