Interesting to see Tiller named ahead of Williams.
Tougher-looking Western Bulldogs show Fremantle they have what it takes
Mike Sheahan | March 30, 2009 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25261339-19742,00.html
IT was the modern game in all its glory: numbers at the contest, a willingness to take risks, slick handball, and lots of it, and precise foot skills. Particularly the foot skills.
The Western Bulldogs in full flight play captivating football, and they were in full flight beating Fremantle 25.7 (157) to 13.16 (94) in Perth.
I'm not bold enough to say they are yet on the same plane as Geelong and Hawthorn, but they are just as exciting.
The Doggies were the most impressive winners of Round 1, winners by 63 points against a team desperate for a first-up win and playing at home.
They kicked 25.7, a testament to their direct approach to goal, and the depth and accuracy in their kicking.
It was a superb performance, particularly with one of their key players, Robert Murphy, sitting in the stand, a late withdrawal with his knee problem, and Adam Cooney underdone and used sparingly.
Freo kicked the first two goals, but Ryan Griffen kick-started the Doggies and inspired a six-goal first quarter and nine-point lead at quarter-time.
The Bulldogs kicked seven and eight goals with the wind and crushed the Dockers after leading by just 20 points early in the final term.
They were dominant in the midfield, polished in front of goal and brazenly adventurous in defence.
Brian Lake and his mates love to back themselves, be it in marking contests or when they win the ball at ground level.
It's one, two or three handballs out the back, then, when a player has the time and space to consider his choices, he goes long to an unattended teammate.
And away they go, surging forward in numbers.
It was an uplifting way to finish a round that was big on hype and light on delivery.
While Freo finished near the bottom last year, it is a formidable team at home and played brilliantly in patches.
The difference was the Bulldogs stuck to their task for longer and had the maturity to make smarter decisions with the ball.
They also tackled with more ferocity than we are used to seeing from the boys in red, white and blue.
This is an accomplished group.
Finally, the balance seems to be right between the blue-collar brigade and those who apply the finishing touches.
Dale Morris, Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Lindsay Gilbee and Daniel Giansiracusa are smart and make great decisions.
Griffen and Shaun Higgins add a dimension, while Josh Hill and Callan Ward also look a bit special . . . and Tom Williams got through the game.
Just about the perfect start.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 6.1 13.4 17.4 25.7 (157)
FREMANTLE 4.4 7.5 12.12 13.16 (94)
Goals: Western Bulldogs: M Hahn 5 L Gilbee 3 N Eagleton 3 R Griffen 3 D Giansiracusa 2 J Akermanis 2 S Higgins 2 A Cooney C Ward D Addison D Cross M Boyd.
Fremantle: B Peake 3 M Johnson 2 R Murphy 2 B Schammer L McPharlin M Pavlich N Suban R Palmer S Hill.
Umpires: Todd Keating, Matt Stevic, Mathew James.
Best: Western Bulldogs: M Boyd R Griffen L Gilbee D Cross M Hahn B Lake D Giansiracusa. Fremantle: R Palmer B Peake P Duffield M Johnson S Dodd.
Top Supercoach scorers: Dogs: D.Giansiracusa 162. Fremantle: B.Peake 103
Hungry Western Bulldogs hunt in packs against Fremantle
Braden Quartermaine | March 30, 2009 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25261438-19775,00.html
THE Western Bulldogs reminded the competition heavyweights of the threat they pose with a clinical away win against Fremantle at Subiaco. The Bulldogs set up the win with a polished first half and thwarted a third-term Dockers' rally before running away in the last quarter for a 25.7 (157) to 13.16 (94) win.
Running in waves through the midfield in a match that didn't feature the much-hyped midfield zones that were a feature of the pre-season, the Bulldogs' mountain of uncontested possession had them on target for a disposals record at halftime before finishing with 446 touches.
They kicked strings of five consecutive goals three times during the match.
Matthew Boyd (34 possessions), Lindsay Gilbee (32 and three goals) and Shaun Higgins (29, two goals) were prime movers for the visitors.
Ryan Griffen set the tone with three goals in a great opening-quarter effort in his first game since the death of his father John.
Griffen spent two weeks with his family in South Australia last month after his father lost his fight with cancer.
Mitch Hahn booted five goals, including three in the final term. Nathan Eagleton and Gilbee finished with three.
Premier Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley, who was given the job of shutting down Griffen in the second term, did a good job.
The Dockers threatened a comeback with the aid of a strong breeze in the third term and closed to 16 points, despite some terrible kicking for goal.
The Bulldogs were content to absorb the pressure until three-quarter time, pushing big numbers back and counter-attacking.
They had earlier feasted on Fremantle defensive blunders in the second term to lead by 35 at halftime - an advantage they extended to 41 early in the third quarter.
Stephen Hill, the Dockers' first selection at No. 3 in last year's draft and the highest pick from November's lottery to debut this round, began his career by kicking the opening goal in the first minute, to the delight of the 34,634-strong crowd.
Fremantle kicked the first two goals before the Bulldogs pushed into attack.
But the early wake-up call stung the Dogs, and they responded with five goals in 10 minutes into a stiff breeze to gain the early ascendancy.
Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney, who has battled a groin problem, started on the bench. But he entered the fray early to kick a great running goal and signal he is over the problems that restricted his pre-season.
Former Collingwood spearhead Chris Tarrant began his life as a defender with the task of minding Brad Johnson, who gave Tarrant plenty to worry about early before Luke McPharlin was shifted on to the Bulldog veteran.
The versatile McPharlin was lively when thrown forward in the second half and Tarrant and Johnson resumed their battle.
Tarrant's future as a defender remains up in the air, despite holding Johnson goal-less.
The loss was Fremantle's eighth opening-round defeat in nine seasons.
The Dogs' win was made more meritorious given it was done without Robert Murphy, who has not fully recovered from knee surgery and was a late withdrawal.
Fremantle defender Roger Hayden (back) was replaced in Fremantle's selected side by Marcus Drum.
Dogs put the squeeze on errant hosts
Tim Clarke, Perth | March 30, 2009
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/dogs-put-squeeze-on-freo/2009/03/29/1238261450443.html
FREMANTLE'S "generation next" have been shown exactly how far they need to travel on their revolutionary road, with the Western Bulldogs snuffing out some early rays of hope to record an imposing 25.7 (157) to 13.16 (94) win at Subiaco last night.
After conceding two goals in the first three minutes, Rodney Eade's men squeezed the life out of Fremantle from the top down, refusing to allow the Dockers any easy exit from their own defensive half and taking advantage of the regular mistakes forced by relentless pressure.
Ryan Griffen's first-quarter burst of three goals applied the initial pressure and, after Ryan Crowley was given the tagging job on him, a handful of similar Bulldogs runners popped up, with Lindsay Gilbee and Shaun Higgins kicking two each.
Taking advantage of a significant breeze at their backs in the third term, the Dockers played with admirable spirit to cling to the Bulldogs' tails, with another debutant in Nick Suban kicking his first goal.
But while the Dockers did some things well, the Bulldogs did more things better — including killing the game off when the Dockers left the door open, with Daniel Giansiracusa consistently excellent, along with Mitch Hahn, who finished with five goals.
While the Bulldogs' pre-season has been about consolidation and getting their stars fit — just failing in the case of late withdrawal Robert Murphy — Fremantle injected 14 new faces to replace almost 1500 games of departed experience.
For the first three minutes of the Docker's new era, the new breed looked capable of anything.
Stephen Hill, on his AFL debut, had two possessions and a goal in the first 46 seconds of his senior career, and then last year's Rising Star, Rhys Palmer, kicked a tumbling goal through traffic to ignite Subiaco.
With Chris Tarrant standing Brad Johnson, and Antoni Grover and Michael Johnson forward, there was a feeling the AFL world seemed to have been turned on its head — until the introduction of Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney coincided with the Bulldogs' 2009 beginning in earnest.
Five goals in nine minutes burst the annual bubble of hope that envelops the Docker half of Western Australia this time every year.
The amazing statistic of just three Bulldogs tackles in the first quarter compared with Fremantle's 23 illustrated not a lack of work from the visitors but too much possession for their opponents to handle.
Crowley's posting on to Griffen was the clearest sign from Mark Harvey of the danger he presented — but the Bulldogs were swarming all over the Dockers and the back line crumbled.