Nothing warms the heart of the Bulldogs faithful like Adam Cooney in full flight, and the Brownlow Medallist’s Sunday’s performance delivered that feeling in spades.
It was vintage Adam Cooney. Fleet footed, bursting clear congestion, and damaging around goal.
While much of the talk in recent weeks has been around the performances of the Kennel’s next generation, Cooney’s performance was a reminder there is still plenty of life left in the experienced crop of Dogs.
VIDEO: Watch highlights of Adam Cooney's three goal, 25 disposal performance against the Saints.
It was only Cooney’s second multiple goal-scoring performance of the season, and the first time since round 14 last year against Melbourne that he tallied three in a match.
The 28-year-old has a career best of five goals in a game, achieved twice – once against the Crows in 2006, and then again in his Brownlow year of 2008 against the Swans.
By his own admission, the 2008 Brownlow Medallist said he had taken some time to get back up to speed, after a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
“Probably fitness wise I’ve been working reasonably hard the last three weeks to build it up,” Cooney told BulldogsTV post match.
“I think I missed four or five weeks, so I struggled a little bit to get back into it fitness wise.”
“I played my first three and a bit quarters last week coming from the sub [role] the week before, so I’m building.”
Collecting 25 touches in a near best on ground performance, it was the sixth time Cooney had amassed the ball that many times or more this season.
In a free-flowing contest, the open spaces suited Cooney’s penchant to run and carry.
“It was pretty up and back, probably not the way that we really want to play, that open style of game,” Cooney said.
“We probably needed to close them down a little bit more, they got a lot of uncontested marks in the first half, so we managed to keep them a lot lower in the second half, that was pleasing.”
With the final stanza charged with emotion and the Saints closing to within 11-points at the 24 minute mark, the young Bulldogs’ resolve was challenged
MATCH RECAP: View the match report and video highlights from the Bulldogs' win over St Kilda.
With the screws being turned, Cooney was pleased with the way his younger teammates handled the occasion to steady and deliver the result.
“Their crowd had them right in the game as well, so we knew they were going to come out and get a win for Lenny Hayes, whose been such a terrific player for so many years,”
“So for our young guys to stand up to that and kick away in the last five minutes was pleasing.”
