Eye of the tiger
Don’t be fooled by Richmond coach Damien Hardwick’s talk of using the last two months of the season as a ‘springboard’ for 2017.
They’re a proud club, the Tigers, with some super players on the list and it would be a mistake to take them lightly on Saturday night. And while they may have received a touch-up from the Power last weekend, that will likely make them more determined to put in a good showing against the Dogs this weekend.
Richmond’s top five players are as good as any in the League, so expect it to be game-on Saturday night.
Stringer v Rance?
During last Friday night’s call of the Richmond vs. Port Adelaide game, a characteristically excitable Bruce McAvaney raised the idea that Alex Rance may be the best defender of the last 20 years. The names Scarlett and Fletcher were thrown around in response, but there’s no doubting Rance’s influence on the modern game.
According to Champion Data, when these two sides last met in round two last season, Rance covered Tom Boyd for 77 minutes of game time and Stringer for just three. In fact, he spent more time on Mitch Honeychurch than he did on ‘The Package’.
It’ll be interesting to see if Hardwick goes with form and plays him on a big bopper like Jack Redpath, or sends him to one of the League’s most dangerous forwards in Stringer. Watch this space.
The Fast and the Furious
With Will Minson being replaced in the selected side by the returning Koby Stevens, that leaves just the one recognised ruckman in the squad for Saturday. While Jack Redpath will likely pinch-hit, the Dogs have named a side built on speed.
This Tigers outfit played on a wet and heavy deck last Friday night in Adelaide and they’ll run out onto the race track of Etihad Stadium having played there just four times in the past two seasons.
We all know the Dogs can run, is this the week that the Dogs dragster is let loose on the open road?
Kings of the contest
The Western Bulldogs are built on two things – defence and the contested ball. Going into Round 16, the Dogs sit second in the AFL behind Sydney in the contested possession category, twelve possessions ahead of the eleventh-placed Tigers.
But it was the Tigers who came out on top when the two sides met in round two last season, and as assistant coach Rohan Smith told westernbulldogs.com.au on Thursday, it’s a non-negotiable part of Bulldogs football.
Yes the Tigers have dropped off somewhat on their 2015 team numbers, but individually they have more than a few players that are not afraid of the hardball, think Cotchin, Martin, Grigg and Anthony Miles.
If you like your footy tough and hard, Saturday night’s clash is for you.
