Def by
Bendigo Bombers 9.16 (70)
It’s time once again to sit down with Western Bulldogs Development Manager Chris Maple as we look back at a disappointing loss for Williamstown on the weekend.
Chris thanks for joining us after a close loss, what do you make of the game?
Yes it was a disappointing 3 point loss in a hard, closely fought game at Burbank Oval.
To the boys credit they fought it out to the last minute but were unable to come away with the points.
It was very windy on Saturday and Bendigo came out hard early with the wind, were you concerned at quarter time?
Yes Bendigo had the breeze and they used the ground very well. Our boys did not play to the conditions as well and we were unable to get our taller players down the line on the defensive side of the ground.
We definitely opened the door a bit for them early on and they were able to take advantage of it.
Were there many positives to be taken out of the day? Tim Callan has obviously played another good game.
Tim is always consistent at the VFL level and he was pretty good again.
Nathan Eagleton was again solid and his effort was very good. It was not a game that really suited his style but it was great to see him tackle hard and winning the contested ball.
Will Minson dominated in the hit outs and was a solid contributor.
Patrick Rose kicked four and was the most productive forward on the ground.
Jamason Daniels had a run with role on Essendon’s Andrew Welsh and it was good to see him step up.
While Christian Howard had a very serviceable game on the half back flank and wing, so it was great to see him do well in some tough conditions.
Fantastic, how did you see Jason Tutt’s game?
Jason got a bit of the ball but he needs to make sure he uses it well. He is still learning, as a first year player it is early in his development and he needs to continue improving all areas of his game.
And what about Josh Hill?
Josh had a really good second half, making some nice leads and taking some good marks. He also laid some nice tackles and kicked a goal.
He probably could have kicked a couple more but with the wind it was very difficult.
It’s obviously tough to go down by such a small margin, what will you look to re-address going into this weekend’s game?
The boys were very disappointed after the game.
They need to use the ball better, as turnovers in the first quarter proved to be a crucial statistic as we gave the ball away too easily.
They also need to do some work on their positioning around the ground in those conditions, they need to identify what the needs are and play to it.
Unfortunately we did not address that early enough.
It’s not the first close loss of the Season, is that a concern?
We have been coming from behind, so we have been the team putting the pressure on at the end.
So you are not falling away at the end of games?
No it’s actually quite the opposite, we have been coming home strong after some slow starts.
2 of the 3 have been in really windy conditions and we have been jumped early, we end up having to play catch up footy in the last quarter which is always tough.
And Mitch Hahn has unfortunately hurt himself again?
Yes Mitch suffered another heavy knock but thank goodness he looks to be ok.
He is a bit sore from the concussion but it’s not as bad as the previous injury that he suffered in the NAB Cup Final. Hopefully the luck starts to run his way shortly.
That is a relief, on a more positive note it must have been a good atmosphere down there with the match coinciding with the Williamstown Football Club Family Day?
Yeah it was great to see the players and coaching staff coming down to sign some autographs and mingle with the spectators. There was a lot of people there, a big AusKick program and a lot of the ex-Williamstown players that seemed to be having a great time.
So it was a good day had by all but unfortunately we could not get the points.
So what is on the cards this week ahead of a big clash on Saturday night?
I am sure Peter German will have them fired up this week for the big match against Werribee.
It’s a night game which I am sure will be interesting and I know the boys will be keen to hit back hard this weekend.
Werribee were one of those teams that managed to get on top of us early in the Season, so I am sure Peter is going to want a good start.
Well thanks for joining us Chris after a tough loss on Saturday. Good luck in what is sure to be a big game under lights on Saturday night. Go Dogs!
