Round 15 2017

W.Bulldogs v West Coast
Round 15, 2017

Darling kicked three goals. Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Date

Sat, 1 July 2017 (1.45pm EST)

Venue

Docklands

Attendance

29,671

Result

Won by 7

Score

WCE 12.15.87 - 11.14.80 WB

Brownlow

3 A..Gaff (WCE)
2 J.Darling (WCE)
1 J.McGovern (WCE)

Ladder

7th

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An undermanned West Coast surprised the reigning premiers, opening up a 30-point lead before withstanding a desperate Bulldogs comeback in the final term. The margin was reduced to a single point before Nathan Vardy goaled from a stoppage, which was enough to wrest momentum from the home side and allow the Eagles to hang on for an important victory. Andrew Gaff racked up 42 possessions and Malcolm Karpany kicked three goals in his best AFL game to date.

Summary

		1/4 time		1/2 time		3/4 time		Final
Western Bulldogs		3.2.20		4.5.29		7.9.51		11.14.80
West Coast		4.6.30		6.9.45		11.13.79		12.15.87

Goals: Darling, Karpany 3, Cripps 2, McGovern, Petrie, Sheed, Vardy

Best: Gaff, Darling, Petrie, McGovern, Vardy, MacKenzie, Hutchings

Injuries: Wellingham (corked hip), Butler (hamstring), Vardy (shoulder), Mitchell (cut lip)

Milestones: Sheed 50th game, Butler final appearance

Named sides

	West Coast				Bulldogs
B:	5.Sheppard	16.MacKenzie	12.Wellingham	B:	38.Morris	23.Roughead	39.Johannisen
HB:	14.Duggan	37.Barrass	28.Cole	HB:	24.Biggs	10.Wood	1.Suckling
C:	3.Gaff	1.Mitchell	7.Masten	C:	7.Hunter	11.Macrae	2.Murphy
HF:	23.Jetta	27.Darling	4.Sheed	HF:	29.Dickson	9.Stringer	6.Dahlhaus
F:	15.Cripps	20.McGovern	21.Petrie	F:	31.Dale	12.Cordy	42.Picken
R:	19.Vardy	6.Yeo	13.Shuey	R:	15.Campbell	4.Bontempelli	16.McLean
I:	8.Redden	26.Butler	34.Hutchings	I:	3.Wallis	22.Honeychurch	35.Daniel
	39.Karpany				43.Redpath
E:	24.Partington	29.Lycett	38.Mutimer	E:	5.M.Boyd	14.C.Smith	18.Roberts

In: Wellingham, Redden, Masten, Butler

Out: Hurn (concussion), Priddis (soreness), Hill (illness), Schofield (hip)

Quarter by quarter

Both sides went in as named. With the Docklands roof open, the match was played in bright sunshine.

First quarter

Mitch Wallis opened the scoring fir the Bulldogs with a goal from a set shot on a fairly tight angle. McGovern answered quickly down the other end after a contested mark. He nearly had a chance for another but the Dogs' defence was able to rush the ball across the line. Wellingham gave away a cheap 50 to Tom Campbell but his shot from 45m missed everything. Redden hit a leading Karpany and he goaled from outside 50m. The Bulldogs received a free kick in the centre circle after the umpires grew tired of Hutchings' continual niggling of Jason Johannisen, and Jack Redpath marked and goaled. Karpany goaled again, this time from slightly closer after another bullet pass.

A Bulldogs' pass across defensive 50 was picked off by Petrie, but his kick was wayward. The Dogs raced forward but were stymied when Mitch Honeychurch ran into an umpire. The Bulldogs rushed another behind under pressure from Jetta. Jetta had a set shot shortly afterwards from the right forward pocket but his attempt at a checkside went wide. Down the other end, Barrass cleaned up Liam Picken in a marking contest and the ball spilled to Lachie Hunter who goaled to reduce the margin to four points. Luke Dahlhaus won a free kick and a teammate goaled, but advantage wasn't paid and Dahlhaus' subsequent set shot only just managed a behind. Redpath took a sliding mark but his kick went across the face for a behind. Yeo found Darling inside 50 and he goaled from 38 metres. Sheed had a quick snap from a stoppage but missed to the left. Darling and Shane Biggs split a mark and the umpire elected to ball it up. Darling then nearly marked a ball on the behind line but it trickled over, to give the Eagles a 10-point lead at the first break.

Second quarter

The Bulldogs' first move forward ended with Redpath but his set shot fell short and was marked by MacKenzie. The home fans began to find their voice as a series of potential free kicks were denied. Mitchell had a quick shot on the right but missed. Bailey Dale took a mark on 50 but his kick fell short and was punched through. West Coast generated a number of inside 50s but couldn't find an avenue to goal. Eventually McGovern kicked to the advantage of a running Darling who was paid the mark, and his checkside kick from the right pocket went through the middle.

Petrie took a big pack mark and goaled to put the Eagles 22 points up. Darling marked inside 50 and passed across to a leading McGovern but his shot went left. Dahlhaus found Redpath from the boundary line and he goaled from close range to bring the margin back to 17. Dale's running shot was punched through by Butler. Easton Wood marked the kick-in but his lay up to the square was was punched through by Barrass. Vardy was paid a free kick in a marking contest and had a set shot as the half time siren sounded, but missed to make the margin 16.

Third quarter

Wellingham copped a knock to the hip in a marking contest and limped to the bench as Dale goaled to cut the lead to 10 points. Bontempelli had a chance to bring it within a goal but his kick ran across the face for a point. Gaff's 27th possession found Mitchell in the middle and the Eagles were able to run the length of the ground to goal through Darling as Vardy went down to the rooms with a shoulder problem. Redden found McGovern but he missed another set shot and the Dogs scrubbed it forward for a goal to Tory Dickson. Petrie took a strong mark but his kick was narrow. McGovern intercepted a Bulldogs pass in the centre square and found Darling who found Cripps who kicked a floating goal from a tight angle. Darling marked strongly close to goal and handed off to an open Karpany who kicked his third.

Liam Picken outmarked Masten and his set shot landed in the square where Toby McLean was able to crumb and goal unmarked. Sheed had a chance to reply but his kick was away to the left. Tom Campbell had a set shot but just missed. A Bulldogs' pass across defensive 50 missed its mark and rolled out of bounds, and Sheed goaled from the throw-in. Darling shrugged a tackle and handed off to Cripps again who dribbled a goal to put West Coast 29 points up. Mitchell had a shot from a stoppage but couldn't quite curl it around the post. Cripps was paid a free kick in the left pocket but pushed his kick right across the face and out of bounds. Mitchell was caught holding the ball and was forced from the ground with a bloody lip, closely followed bby Wellingham who had been unable to shake off his corked hip. Caleb Daniel missed a running shot and then Shuey was able to rush a behind opposed to Redpath, giving the Eagles a 28 point lead at the final change.

Final quarter

Butler started the term on the bench with ie being applied to his hamstring. Darling attempted a goal over his head but missed. MacKenzie turned the ball over on defensive 50 but Dale's running shot went left. Hunter had an opportunity from inside 50 and made no mistake. A smother by Duggan led to a mark inside 50 for Darling but his kick missed to the right. Wallis marked and goaled despite giving MacKenzie a clear shove in the back. Yeo turned the ball over in midfield but Bontempelli's shot missed, as did Robert Murphy's shortly afterwards. MacKenzie was able to push a rolling ball across the line and avert disaster, but the Bulldogs kept pressing and goaled through Jordan Roughead to reduce the margin to single figures.

Mitchell was sent to the bench to stop the bleeding on his lower lip. West Coast was able to hold off the Dogs in his absence, but a behind by Wallis narrowed the margin to seven points. Barrass outpointed Redpath to take a strong mark, but immediately turned the ball over by foot and Jake Stringer goaled to get the Dogs within a point. Darling wrapped up an opponent in the goalsquare, and from the resulting stoppage Vardy was able to get clear possession and snap a goal to give his side some breathing space. Stringer eventually shrugged off a MacKenzie tackle and kicked to the square but McGovern took the saving mark. Dale bombed to the hotspot but Vardy took a huge mark to give the Dogs no hope of bridging the gap. West Coast were able to hold on for a 7-point win.

From the coach

"We know we've been poor over here the last three games and two of them were blow-outs. We tweaked a couple of things, but I think the players in general were pretty brave today. We were two defenders down halfway through the third, so to fight it out ... it didn't look too well for us at the start of that last quarter. Trying to stop momentum has been tough for us this year at stages, but I thought some of our big fellas stood up in the last five minutes. I'm really proud of the players with their resilience. Look, we're not here to answer any critics, but we've probably got a bit more resolve about us now, which is really pleasing.

"We're probably missing four or five of our top 12 players. We've got pretty good depth on our list. Sometimes it gets challenged with developig our young kids. I thought our young kids, there's enough of a sprinkling through that side, that is excitinng for our future. You look at Duggan, Karpany and Barrass. Sheed's still young. Working through those players is important for us to experience that with them. Along with Petrie, Mitchell and Vardy, all new recruits. I thought they stood up. The list is getting challenged at the moment."

"...They (Vardy and McGovern) stood up really well in the last five or six minutes, Vardy in particular. After kicking that goal he took a couple of game-saving marks. What was particularly pleasing from our point of view, and I said this to our players, was the will to win and how much you want to put on the line. Both teams were going extremely hard at it. We hung in there in contested ball and got on top in the clearances. They're probably the Bulldogs' main strengths."

From the papers

The West Australian

"The Bulldogs trailed by 28 points at three-quarter, but charged back into the contest with four straight goals after the re-start.

The fourth came from Jake Stringer, who intercepted a horror Tom Barrass pass deep in the Eagles’ back line and snapped truly to trim the margin to one point.

The Dogs had all the momentum.

But Vardy stepped up, roving his own hit-out to kick a steadier for the visitors and silence the 29,671-strong crowd.

And he repeated the dose at the other end with a huge pack mark to seal the result."

The Age

"West Coast dominated the clearances, and the Eagles were prepared to run in waves, which allowed them to dominate the uncontested possession numbers.

The most damaging of the outside Eagles was Andrew Gaff, who continued his penchant for racking up big numbers against the Dogs with a 42-possession game.

The Dogs seemed to lack the manic pressure and slick handball that was the trademark of their premiership run last year. They had few winners, with Lachie Hunter getting plenty of the footy and chipping in with two goals, while Jack Redpath and Liam Picken toiled manfully in the forward half. But the Dogs did have several notable passengers.

West Coast opted to follow the recent trend of trying to unsettle dashing Bulldogs defender Jason Johannisen with some pre-match buffeting and bluster, and it worked."

East Perth report

Round 15 (1 July)

East Perth made light work of the cellar-dwelling East Fremantle, belying wet and slippery conditions to record a comfortable 61-point win. Kurt Mutimer kicked two goals from 32 possessions and Tom Lamb amassed 30 touches.

Appearing for East Perth: Giles, Gorter, Lamb, Lycett, McInnes, Mutimer, Rotham, Snadden, Watson.

Injury list

In the leadup to the match the following players were listed as injured:

Player		Injury		Expected duration
Allen		Foot		Season
Naitanui		Knee		Late 2017 season		(On LTI list 21/3/17, replaced by Petrie)
Waterman		Foot		2 weeks
Rioli		Hamstring		2 weeks
Nelson		Hamstring		1-2 weeks
Venables		Toe		1-2 weeks
Kennedy		Calf		1 week
Hurn		Concussion/hamstring		1 week
LeCras		Hip		1 week
Bayok*		Hamstring		2-3 weeks
Tunbridge*		Knee		2 weeks

References

http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2017/15/wb-v-wce

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2017/071820170701.html