Sticking in There
Collingwood Magpies versus Western Bulldogs
7.50pm, Friday 24 March
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Aidan Hammond (Aged 11)
I thought Fridays were just pretty good, then I watched the footy and it went to a whole other level. Especially when it is a blockbuster game, in front of a 66,000 crowd at the MCG, with amazing noise and atmosphere, somehow being felt from the TV. Earlier today, I was thinking that I just can’t wait to watch the ripper game. Then it just got better: we had sticky pork ribs for dinner. Went out to watch stepsister’s netball just thinking about the footy. Do my jobs around the house, do my 2017 ladder predictor on afl.com.au the excitement is building. The presenters go through the agenda and the hype is building.
My tip before the game is Western Bulldogs by 30 points. Western Bulldogs are a very good side who won the premiership last year. They are very good at just sticking in there and holding on but at times they can be very explosive and break you off.
In the finals last year all they did was hold on for heaps of it, then if you hold on eventually you can break free and let go. Sometimes when they break free though they are very risky with kicks into the corridor that more often than not can be executed because they are a very classy team. But when these corridor kicks are not executed that means the other team will get the ball and try to play their own attacking footy. At this point, the Bulldogs will either play “the best offence is a good defence” against the cellar dwellers, but if they find a decent team they will go into stick in there mode.
When they break down is when they try to attack to much against good teams who can defend and attack again that is how you beat the bulldogs but they are a better team with Robert Murphy back in the side and Travis Cloke from Collingwood playing against his old team. Robert Murphy is a really important player in the Western Bulldogs team, because he is a true leader, he can stand tall and play a brilliant match against the best of teams and players, he gives the team discipline and experience, he is the oldest player in the Afl, and is very experienced, he will offer discipline and tell the team when to hang in there and when not to.
Then you have Travis Cloke who had goal kicking problems at Collingwood last year and had to carry a lot of the weight of the forward line on his shoulders, at the bulldogs this year he can work on his goal kicking and get some game time and not have to carry as much weight on his shoulders as he did last year. It was a really good idea by the Western Bulldogs to get Travis Cloke so he can go back to being one of the best forwards in the competition. Overall, the Bulldogs have become a better side and will be contenders for the premiership. 30 point winners for me tonight.
First minute have 8 tackles and 4 possessions a very tight first minute. This was a lot of the first term: Pies behind, Dogs goal, Pies behind, Bulldogs goal, Pies behind, Bulldogs goal. Pies 8 points and Dogs 6 until the moment that we all have been waiting for. Travis Cloke 50 metres out directly in front playing to a 66,000 crowd lines up for goal in the red, white and blue playing against the previous black and white. He comes in and the Collingwood supporters are booing the loudest I’ve ever heard. He comes in with heaps of pressure on him tries to keep concentrating goes on with the kick… GOAL! Straight through the middle and gets the Collingwood supporters devastated, the opposite of Travis Cloke. He is as happy as you will see anyone. It’s not just him that’s happy; all the Dogs players and supporters are thrilled with him scoring a goal bang in the middle 50 metres out. It was an important goal that gave the Bulldogs the momentum enormously.
After that, the Bulldogs had the match in control until the last bit in quarter 2 the pies get a rush of goals and get the momentum at half time. The Pies lead by 2 at one point but the Dogs do what they’re best at, sticking in there.
Collingwood 1.5 7.9 9.11 12.14 (86)
Western Bulldogs 5.1 9.1 14.6 15.10 (100)
Goals
Collingwood: Fasolo 3, Sidebottom 2, Pendlebury 2, White, Mayne, Treloar, Goldsack, Hoskin-Elliott
Western Bulldogs: Hunter 3, Johannisen 2, Bontempelli 2, Picken 2, M.Boyd, Stringer, Cloke, Liberatore, Crameri, McLean
Best
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Treloar, Sidebottom, Adams, Fasolo, Reid
Western Bulldogs: Dahlhaus, Liberatore, Bontempelli, Johannisen, Hunter, Murphy, Boyd
Umpires: Deboy, Kamolins, Schmitt Crowd: 66,254
Our Votes: Johannisen (WB) 3, Pendlebury (CM) 2, Macrae (CM) 1.
Brownlow:
Sorry for the mistake in “Our Votes”, it’s meant to be:
Our Votes: Johannisen (WB) 3, Pendlebury (CM) 2, Macrae (WB) 1.