There was interesting discussion in the lead up to this game about the contrasting approaches of both clubs, who as recently as 2010 played each other in a preliminary final. The Saints are rebuilding, albeit softly, softly and with hushed tones. You won't hear the word "rebuilding" come out of the mouths of anyone at the Linen House Centre. The Dogs are officially rebuilding and are happy to shout it from the rooftop. And when you see Daniel Cross dropped from the side and Daniel Giansiracusa named as the starting sub, there is your evidence.
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2. The hard call
Both coach Brendan McCartney and skipper Matthew Boyd spoke afterwards of how difficult it was to leave Cross out of the side. "It was tough," said McCartney. "We wanted the team to look a bit different and add some things around the edges. He was unlucky to go out, but he took it very well. We need to find the best mix and the right options for the club going forward."
3. Parade raises the bat
Nathan Hrovat joined Brett Goodes, Jake Stringer and Jack Macrae as a 2013 debutant for the Bulldogs. And he kicked a goal with his second kick of the game. But of equal significance is that he became the 100th former Parade College schoolboy to play League football. The list of Old Paradians to have played League footy is as good as any going around and among the well known footy alumni are Phonse Kyne, Bob Rush, Kevin 'Skeeter' Coghlan, Tony Ongarello, Peter McKenna, Peter Bedford, Tony Woods, Blake Caracella, Daniel Harford and Trent Cotchin. Hrovat made an outstanding debut with 18 touches and was among his side's best.
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4. Not the best advertisement
The second quarter was as poor a term of footy you could wish to see, particularly the last 10 minutes, when the Bulldogs had the majority of play but could not kick a goal. But we probably knew we were in for a stinker when five minutes into the quarter, the Dogs received a stinker of a 50-metre penalty. Clint Jones gave away the free kick for interference against Ryan Griffen and then tossed the ball back towards the Bulldog midfielder. But Griffen made no attempt to catch the ball, which was less than half a metre away and was certainly catchable. He let it fall to the ground and conned the umpire into a 50-metre penalty, which he converted for his club's only goal of the second term. Surely the player infringed has to attempt to grab the ball before earning a 50-metre penalty.
5. Saint Nick's angelic touch
The Saints of 2013 don’t have a whole lot to commend them, but Nick Riewoldt is a superstar and is in rare form. He is worth the price of admission alone. The Saints led by just two points at three-quarter time and needed a quick start in the final term. Cue the skipper, who gathered the ball on the wing, kicked forward to Stephen Milne, who won the ball and kicked towards the goal square to who else but Riewoldt, who had sprinted 80 metres towards the goal after the pass to Milne. Riewoldt strolled into goal for his fourth of the match. Inspirational.
