Again these two games were not close with all over 5 goals and the games over by mid stage of the 3rd term and with the Bulldogs playing Geelong and St Kilda playing the Hawks I doubt we will again see a close game until (hopefully) the GF.
Western Bulldogs defeated Sydney by 37 points
The Dogs have got their bite back and now they have the daunting task of playing against the Cats which is going to be hard. Cross, Johnson and Hahn imo needs to play the rest of the finals in the midfield as they provide grunt and experience. Minson and Hudson was also very good in the ruck and down forward. Cooney however needs a lift as he has now played two quite finals and he wont get any rest against Ling.
They run and created space against the slow Swans who surely must stop being a retirement club for slow and old reject footballers (Spider, White, Richards etc) and get some young fast kids who can create run and build the game around them. Without Goodes in the midfield there is only McVeigh who has any pace.
St Kilda defeated Collingwood by 34 points
Straight kicking wins games, St Kilda kicked 4 points for the whole game while Collingwood kicked 18 points and only managed 9 goals which is simply not good enough.
Nick Riewoldt proved his critics wrong with a powerful 5 goal match wining performance and he needs to continue playing and leading like that for the Saints to get any further. Kozi will be a worry as he is handy foil for Riewoldt up forward and also for King in the ruck. If Kozi gets suspended for his assault on old man Wakelin they may be forced to bring in big flop Gardiner..
Malthouses Collingwood reminds me a lot of the mid to late Eagles of the 90s. Always around the mark but never a serious chance. With Didak out they simply lack any game breakers with more pressure going on Thomas, Cloke and Medhurst who cracked. Now all that matters for the Magpies is who will stay and who will go? Lonie and Wakelin have already gone but what about the four drunkards in Johnson, the Shaws and regular bad boy Didak?
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September 15th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Dogs can keep the Cats honest for the first half (keeping in mind Strom’s unexpected defeat by the eighth team), but after that one-way Cat traffic. Saints can run the Hawks close, but would be Whiskas the following week if they got up. Hawks can give the Cats a contest, but not ready to take out the big one yet.
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September 16th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Yes in their last match against each other, The Dogs were even with the Cats for the first half of the game but then…
The only hope that ST Kilda has is that the Hawks backline is average at best with Croad
as their best defender…
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September 16th, 2008 at 10:56 am
haha how good was it that New Zealand warriors knocked off top placed Storm in the NRL on the weekend…
i dont think that the bulldogs are without a chance, if they stick to the game plan and dont muck around with the ball they’re in for a chance…
st kilda has a chance if reiwoldt can play the way he did against collingwood, if he plays the way he did against geelong they will lose…
i still think it’ll be hawks-cats grand final, but im not so sure that geelong will win, if buddy fires, i think the hawks could be 2008 premiers..
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September 16th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
The problem for the Saints, Jermayn, is that Riewoldt is so hot and (more often) cold — IF their midfield can take the points against the Hawks’ midfield (which is unlikely in my view). The Saints will also struggle to cover both Franklin and Roughhead
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September 17th, 2008 at 8:46 am
The St Kilda midfield at best would be able to match them (esp if Bateman does not play) evenly. King imo could almost be the recruit of the year providing ST Kilda a descent ruckman since Spider and Grant Thomas flicked.
St Kilda would just hope that Buddy and Roughead both have bad nights in front of goals
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