What are the key takeaways and observations relating to your club in Round 20?
We have dissected each of the matches and offered a number of talking points for all 18 clubs.
The following will not apply to each club every week but form the basis of our views.
The Key Takeaway
The Undroppables
The Overreaction
The Positive
The Negative
What no one is talking about
What they need to tweak for next week
The Key Takeaway: Two Showdown wins in a season
Any season where the Crows defeat arch-rivals Port on two occasions is one to celebrate, especially the nature of the wins.
In Round 3, Adelaide pulled away late to record a decent margin. This time, it was a 47-point triumph as Matthew Nicks’ men led from start to finish and they’ve now beaten a top four team by a massive combined margin this year.
The Showdown rivalry is now even at 27 apiece after 54 matchups.
Adelaide rose to 12th as a result and is just a game out of the top eight. To keep the club’s season alive in such a big match, the emotions rightly came pouring out on the final siren.
The Positive: A 33-year-old winning the Coleman?!
You would have been an outspoken punter to be tipping Taylor Walker for the Coleman Medal in the pre-season.
But as it’s turned out, you’d be a smarter one than us mere mortals.
Walker has been fantastic in 2023 and was a deserved Showdown Medallist on Saturday night with seven goals and a massive 15 score involvements.
It looked incredibly unlikely just last week when Charlie Curnow skipped away in the Coleman race, but Walker has certainly put the pressure on to be just six goals behind with four games to play.
His 61 goals 20 rounds through 2023 is the highest return of his career. And that left-foot goal from 50 metres out shouldn’t be forgotten any time sooner.
What no one is talking about: Who’s going to play in defence?
The news of Jordan Butts’ foot injury that ruled him out for the season comes at a particularly bad time for the Adelaide Football Club.
With Nick Murray and Tom Doedee already out long term, Butts was arguably the player Adelaide could least afford to lose late in the year.
Nevertheless, the Crows will have to find a winning combination down back with Mark Keane, Max Michalanney, Josh Worrell and a few others in the key defender stocks.
Seb Mottram
The Positive: Josh Dunkley’s living up to the trade hype
Dunkley is on the big bucks in Queensland and the way he’s played this year, he’s justifying it!
The 27-year-old was dominant on Saturday. He gathered 30 disposals, 394 metres gained, 10 score involvements and 31 pressure acts.
With his midfield counterpart in Lachie Neale having a quiet game, he played his part, albeit in a losing side.
He’s added another layer to their midfield group.
The Key Takeaway: Lions’ top two hopes are hanging by a thread
Saturday’s game loomed as a genuine opportunity for the Lions to close in on Port Adelaide for second spot.
Irrespective of Port Adelaide losing on Saturday night, the Lions missed a trick.
The difference between finishing second and third is massive, especially as a non-Victorian team.
They’ll need to win all four off their last games to have any chance of claiming that spot on the ladder, you’d think.
The negative: They didn’t crack in
Gold Coast wanted this QClash way more than the Lions, simple as that.
Chris Fagan addressed their contested work post-match and it was clear he wasn’t happy with his midfielders.
They only lost the contested possession count by 12, but when watching the game the likes of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, Touk Miller and David Swallow were so much tougher.
In what is normally their one wood, the Lions lowered their colours on Saturday.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The Key Takeaway: Carlton has taken control of their finals fate
Just like 12 months ago, Carlton’s fate is in their own hands with a month to play. Win two of their last four games and they make finals.
Three weeks ago we told you they had to beat one of Port Adelaide, Collingwood or Melbourne as well as all of their remaining games.
Well, now they’ve knocked off the Power and the Magpies and only have to beat two of the Saints, Dees, Suns and Giants to make it.
With the form they’re in, you’d assume they get that done.
The Negative: Midfield injuries stacking up
Last week Sam Walsh played arguably the best half of his career before doing his hamstring. Adam Cerra seemingly did the same thing on Friday night. Carlton clearly isn’t allowed nice things.
Matt Kennedy is also injured, while Patrick Cripps played through significant soreness against Collingwood.
Enter, Paddy Dow. He will be one of the main men against St Kilda this weekend without Walsh, Cerra and Kennedy.
This may be the biggest moment of Dow’s career to date and his biggest opportunity.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: Outhunted and beaten around the footy
Collingwood were simply outhunted by a hungry Carlton side on Friday night.
For a side that prides itself on its effort and intensity, the Blues were constantly first to the ball in a finals-like atmosphere.
The Magpies were thrashed 31-41 in clearances and while they won the overall disposal count 363 to 338, they were trounced in contested possessions 109-142.
As well as losing the battle in close, Carlton made 64 tackles to Collingwood’s 54 while the Pies only made seven tackles inside 50 to the Blues’ 13.
The Pies just didn’t bring the ferocity that was needed to match Carlton.
It’s an area of the game that’d disappoint Craig McRae.
The Overreaction: Collingwood have been found out
While the Magpies didn’t deserve to win Friday’s game, they certainly had their opportunities to at least give themselves a chance late in it.
Even though some teams will no doubt look at what Carlton did to stop Collingwood, not many teams will be able to beat the Magpies when they win the inside 50 count, take eight more marks inside 50 and control more of the footy.
Looking at expected score, the Magpies were predicted to kick 91.1 points to Carlton’s 84.3 as they had 26 scores to 23.
While that doesn’t tell you the full story, this wasn’t a horrific performance from the Magpies.
The Positive: Jeremy Howe’s swingman ability
Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe wound back the clock as a forward on Friday night.
After being shifted inside 50 in the second half, the high-flyer kicked three majors and looked Collingwood’s best option in front of the ball.
Given Collingwood have looked solid in defence this year, perhaps Howe going forward helps unlock a new scoring avenue.
If Howe goes forward it also opens up a potential opportunity for Billy Frampton as a ruck/defender to wrestle with the likes of Charlie Curnow.
Howe forward replacing Mason Cox and Frampton taking his role down forward immediately makes the Pies look better on paper.
It’ll be interesting to see if Craig McRae goes that way at selection.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: That’s a crucial blow to their September hopes
In such a tight game, going down by a razor thin 99-101 to Sydney at home was a huge blow to Essendon’s finals hopes.
The Bombers now sit 13th with a 9-9-1 record, and while they’ll get to at least 11 and a half wins, they may need to be flawless from here to play in September.
That’ll be easier said than done GWS and Collingwood on their run-home, and their season could well be over before the last round given their poor percentage.
Simply put, that was a game the Dons had to bank to really be in the thick of the finals chasing pack.
They’re still a chance, but they’ll be playing from behind from here on.
The Positive: Midfield response
After being beaten up at the source by the Bulldogs in Round 19, the Bombers responded well in the loss to Sydney.
While they were beaten on the outside, the Dons won contested possessions (151-128), clearances (42-29) and inside 50s (69-47).
Typically those kind of numbers will lead sides to wins, and it’ll please Brad Scott to know that his on-ball unit was able offer something after being put in the spotlight throughout the week.
Led by Zach Merrett (39 disposals), Essendon’s on-ball unit which also includes Darcy Parish (27 disposals) and Jye Caldwell (27 disposals) are still quality at their best.
The Negative: Defensive frailties
With Jordan Ridley out, the Dons were exposed a little bit down back.
While Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Jayden Laverde are solid contributors, they lack a bit of size and Joel Amartey was able to make the most of it by kicking four goals.
Although Amartey is talented, he’s never kicked more than a bag of four in a game and there was no surprise it came against an undersized Essendon defence.
They could struggle with Oscar Allen next week even though they should comfortably take care of West Coast at home.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: A massive win at the Cattery
The Dockers were back to winning ways as they snapped a four-game losing streak with a seven-point victory over the Cats at GMHBA stadium.
Fremantle, in their previous losing streak, was dominated at the contest but Justin Longmuir’s side fixed that area of their game massively. The Dockers had 38 clearances to Geelong’s 28.
Key forward Josh Corbett booted two goals early in the game and both Lachie Schultz and Michael Frederick also fired with two goals each.
Star midfielders Angus Brayshaw and Caleb Serong were integral for the Dockers, combining for 57 disposals
The Positive: Alex Pearce
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce had been under growing pressure for his performances across recent weeks. But Pearce responded in a massive way, having 18 disposals, eight marks and a game-high 15 intercept possessions.
Despite a finals berth still looking extremely hard to accomplish for the Dockers, an in-form Pearce will be extremely important for Fremantle's next four games and to end the season on a high note.
Post-game, Pearce was extremely happy for the fans of the Dockers saying: “I hope the fans are proud of us.”
.Ethan Daffey
The Overreaction: Geelong’s finals hopes are over
Not just yet they are. Give them one more week.
No club has been written off as much as Geelong over the last decade, and no club has proven the doubters wrong to a greater extent.
The loss to Fremantle on Saturday was among the Cats’ worst for the season and on that form, they’re not getting near September action.
But win against Port Adelaide this weekend and the narrative flips once again.
Nevertheless, while finals remain alive, a premiership defence is all but gone given the inconsistency on display.
The Negative: Injuries to Blicavs and Hawkins
Geelong likely has to win three of four remaining games to play finals in 2023 against the likes of Port Adelaide, Collingwood, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs.
To do that would be an almost herculean effort given the form display on Saturday. But to do that without two of its top five most important players in Mark Blicavs and Tom Hawkins is an increasingly unlikely scenario.
Both players suffered what appear to be serious hamstring injuries and given the proximity to the end of the season and their ages, may not play again in 2023.
If that’s the case, it’s a disappointing way to bow out.
Seb Mottram
The Overreaction: Gold Coast are better off under Steven King
Again, give it one more week.
Gold Coast were superb against Brisbane on Saturday afternoon and thoroughly outplayed one of the premiership favourites.
Star players stood up, the young core impressed and a 41-point win felt the right margin.
But do it again this weekend. The Suns have proven one of the more inconsistent sides this year and nothing happened on Saturday to suggest that wasn’t the case. We know Gold Coast’s best is very good and coming off a loss last week and returning to Heritage Bank Stadium, a competitive performance was expected.
But consistency has always been their Achilles heel. If they want to play finals, games like Adelaide in Adelaide in Round 21 are ones the Suns must win.
The Positive: Touk Miller
The Suns are loving having their co-captain back.
A knee injury threatened to curtail Miller’s season earlier this year, but his fourth game back was arguably his best this season.
29 disposals, 11 contested possessions, 527 metres gained, five marks and five tackles make for smart reading alone. But the job he did on Lachie Neale in limiting the Brownlow Medallist to just five kicks was just as important.
One of the hardest both-way runners in the game, Miller’s name deserves to be one constantly spoken about when the A-Graders of the game are mentioned.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Seven in a row
The 2023 Giants have achieved what not even their 2019 Grand Final side could in winning seven matches in row.
They had to do it the hard way after trailing by as much as 35 points early in the third quarter. Once Toby Greene kicked his fifth goal 21 minutes into the final term, the Giants were never going to lose and this team is shaping up as a genuine threat come September.
The Positive: Toby Greene finds a way
When Aaron Naughton booted the first goal of the second half to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game, Toby Greene had been held to just the one behind.
He scored his first goal four minutes later and had four by the end of the quarter. His ability to shake off a poor start and find a way to lift his teammates around him was emblematic of how the Giants play and is what you want to see in a captain.
A return of 5.2 from 19 touches including 10 score involvements and three tackles inside 50 was sensational from the skipper.
What no one is talking about: Josh Kelly goes tackling crazy
A big factor in GWS’ winning streak is Josh Kelly’s return to career best form. However, Kelly laid a remarkable 14 tackles against the Bulldogs which was five more than the next best on the field.
The Giants overwhelmed the Bulldogs with their tackling pressure (87-67) and it was a pleasant surprise to see Kelly lead that charge.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: The young Hawks are tiring
It’s been a long season for the youngest team in the competition and it’s beginning to show.
After their last-quarter debacle against the Tigers last week where they ran out of legs, the Hawks conceded nine goals in less than 20 minutes against the Saints in the opening quarter.
Whilst they did show some fight in the second and third quarters, they were completely overrun in the last term.
oungsters Josh Ward, Connor Macdonald, Josh Weddle, Cam Mackenzie and Seamus Mitchell (subbed) all had poor games and are looking tired. Don’t be surprised to see them rested in the final four weeks of the season.
The Undroppable: Brandon Ryan
The 25-year-old Brandon Ryan, one of Hawthorn’s mid-season recruits, showed great signs on debut.
Whilst he did tire in the second half, Ryan finished with eight touches, five marks and a goal.
He is only on a six-month contract which will expire at the end of this season, so expect him to play another few games in the run home.
The Positive: Chad Wingard
Veteran Chad Wingard has turned back the clock in the past three weeks.
Following his three goals the week prior, Wingard had a season-high 26 touches, plus seven marks and two goals against the Saints.
He is out of contract at the end of the season but has definitely earned at least a one-year extension. Will a team in finals contention come with a two-plus-year deal?
The Negative: Lack of leadership
Far too often this season, the Hawks have conceded five or more goals in a row in quick succession.
A key reason for this is the lack of quality leadership.
James Sicily has had a decent season as captain, but he lacks the support around the ground.
What needs to change for next week: Some alterations to a tiring team
It doesn’t get any easier for the Hawks this week as they come up against a Collingwood side off the back of a loss to Carlton.
Look for the likes of Jack Scrimshaw (best on ground for Box Hill) and Karl Amon to return. A few of the youngsters in Ward, MacDonald and Weddle may get a rest with consistent performers at Box Hill – Emerson Jeka, Ned Long, Jai Serong and Cooper Stephens pushing for selection
Brad Klibansky
The Key Takeaway: They’ve figured out their forward problems
We knew Melbourne had unlocked their attack in the last month, but it was supercharged on Sunday.
While their ball movement was already giving their forwards greater opportunity, Harrison Petty as a permanent option looks to have taken them to another level as they scored 130 points against Richmond.
With Petty the focal point, the likes of Jacob van Rooyen and Jake Melksham operated with a bit more freedom with Kysaiah Pickett and Christian Petracca genuine x-factor options in dangerous positions.
Petty, like Collingwood’s Brody Mihocek, is as honest as they come and will give Melbourne the consistent option they need to build around.
If they can sort out their defence, they’re going to be incredibly hard to stop.
The Positive: Dominant on-ball performance
While most of Sunday’s clash against Richmond was a tight tussle, one area where Melbourne dominated was at the coal face.
Melbourne’s 40-49 clearance win, and 183-213 contested possession victory helped the Demons control field position. From that on-ball work the Demons were able to notch a whopping 73 inside 50s to just 45, it’s almost impossible to lose when you have that kind of dominance.
Even though there’s some holes down back with the Tigers scoring from half of their entries, Melbourne’s midfield led by Max Gawn isn’t making it too big of an issue given the ball is at the other end of the ground more often than not.
What no one is talking about: Top-two is well within their reach
With Port Adelaide and Brisbane losing, Melbourne are making a genuine push for an all-important top-two finish.
The Dees are now equal on points with the Lions and only behind them by 0.9 percentage, while they’re nipping at the heels of the Power who are only ahead by four premiership points given their poor percentage.
If Port Adelaide lose to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, Melbourne will shoot past them once they take care of North Melbourne in Hobart.
From there, a top-two spot is well within their reach as they face Carlton, Hawthorn and Sydney in their last three games.
We know how important a top-two finish could be to win the flag, and it’s now well within Melbourne’s reach.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: The Roos may finish the season on a 21-game losing streak
This was it. This was the big chance to break the streak.
Yes, West Coast play better at home, but they still went into this game favourites and knew it was their last chance to get Brett Ratten a W.
Now there is every chance the Kangaroos enter the 2024 season on a 21-game losing streak. Something that could potential grow further and get uglier.
Alastair Clarkson and his team have a big job on their hands.
The Positive: Harry Sheezel firms in Rising Star calculations, surely
If Will Ashcroft and Harry Sheezel were even in calculations a few weeks ago, Sheezel’s strong fortnight has surely put some separation between them.
Sure, the hipster vote may come in for Michito Owens, but Sheezel has averaged 27 disposals, 16 kicks, five rebound 50s, five score involvements and five marks across the entire season.
He has been at this level consistently. Since Round 1. And could win the club’s best and fairest.
He has to win the Rising Star.
Nic Negrepontis
The Overreaction: Something has to change… fast
Port Adelaide’s win streak had to end at some point, and it was getting to the point where the Power actively needed a loss before it reared its head in finals.
However, three in a row is overkill.
Port was unlucky to fall to the top of the table Magpies by two points back in Round 19, but that performance is sandwiched by two 40+ point drubbings.
The sturdy defence that was the backbone of the Power’s win streak all has all but vanished as of late, having conceded an average of 106 points in the three-game slide.
While we’ve come to expect an increased level of ferocity in Showdowns, Adelaide is still a side that had been playing far from their best footy coming into the clash.
The Power can’t consider themselves a serious contender if they’re unable to handle the teams that they should beat.
With four games left before finals, Port need to find their groove back soon, otherwise a disappointing end to a strong year is on the cards.
The Positive: Francis Evans
Not many Port players came to play on Saturday night, but Francis Evans sure did.
The 21-year-old booted a career-high four goals in what was easily the best performance of his young career, and the 14 touches he collected was the equal-most of his senior resume.
It was just his seventh senior game of the season and 14th of his career, but he was one of the most impactful players for the Power on the night.
If this is a performance that he can build off going forward, Evans might see plenty more opportunities coming his way.
The Negative: Aliir/Jones collision
The collision between Aliir Aliir and Lachie Jones in the second quarter was an ugly one, yet more concerning is Aliir being allowed to return.
Nathan Buckley shared his thoughts on SEN Breakfast, explaining why the decision to allow Aliir back into the game is emblematic of a bigger issue.
“Mine is the difference between if you have been a player who has been suspended when a player you have tackled has grazed their left ear … and you watch this event take place and you watch one of these players go back onto the field … you have every right to be absolutely livid with the AFL,” Buckley said.
“I'm not suggesting that anything inappropriate took place. But in terms of if your protocols allow this and you're going to go and suspend players for that, then there's a disconnect in my mind.”
Port has since conceded an error in allowing Aliir to return without a concussion test.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: Good enough, but not for long enough
Richmond played well on Sunday.
Their best was pretty good, but it just wasn’t for long enough.
They allowed Melbourne to continually drive the ball inside 50 in the second half and eventually the dam wall burst.
The inside-50 count in the second half read 41-17 in favour of the Demons, including 21-6 in the final quarter. Those numbers proved costly for the Tigers in the end.
Andrew McQualter’s side was great in the first half, and decent for part of the third term, but it all finally came to a head and resulted in a 32-point loss.
The Positive: Ability to match it with a top-four team
Despite the defeat, the Tigers did match it with a team at the pointy end of the ladder.
The result probably shows where they are at - around five goals worse than the top four - but the performance for much of the game suggests they can still play a role in the finals, provided they make it.
Richmond’s best footy is pretty solid and it led to a 20-point lead early in the third term.
McQualter will take plenty away from the defeat but there is not much time to think about things with a season-defining fixture against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
If they can sneak into the eight they could possibly do some damage. If they lose that, then it’s going to be awfully difficult and the ability to match it with a team inside the four will be null and void.
The Negative: Defence outplayed, midfield beaten
The Tigers’ defence has been their bedrock in recent years, but on Sunday it was badly shown up.
Harrison Petty, Jake Melksham and Jacob Van Rooyen formed somewhat of a makeshift forward line in the absence of injured duo Bayley Fritsch and Tom McDonald, and with Ben Brown and Brodie Grundy out of the side.
Petty had kicked 4.1 for the year prior to his career-best bag of six straight, Melksham had kicked 11 for the season and no more than two in a game in 2023, while Van Rooyen hadn’t kicked multiple goals in a game since Round 6.
That trio combined for 14.0 in a remarkable showing of forward line execution, dominating the Richmond defence of Noah Balta, Nathan Broad, Tylar Young and co.
As mentioned earlier, the inside 50s kept coming made possible by Melbourne’s dominance around the contest in kicking 76 of their 120 points from clearances.
The Tigers lost clearances 49-40 in the end with the Dees doing most of their damage late in the game once they had broken the backs of their opponents.
Andrew Slevison
The Key Takeaway: The Saints have some attacking flare
Prior to this round, St Kilda’s last five weeks have seen returns of 69, 51, 58, 85, 56 in the total points scored.
They’d only scored over 100 points once prior to the weekend, but they eclipsed that by kicking 122 points in Round 20.
They did so without their two key forwards in Max King and Tim Membrey.
Ross Lyon’s small forwards brought the energy. Dan Butler (four goals), Jack Higgins (two) and Jade Gresham (one) all hit the scoreboard in what was a complete shoot out under the Marvel roof.
This game was won in the first quarter courtesy of a nine goal pile on by Ross Lyon’s Saints, they attacked from their back half and played a chaos brand of footy that was so good to watch.
Would love to see them do that against the Blues this week with King and Membrey likely to play.
The Positive: Cooper Sharman’s selfless performance
Cooper Sharman has mastered this role in the last two weeks. He nullified Ben McKay last week and he did so again on Sunday against James Sicily.
Intercept defenders have absolutely dined out on St Kilda this year and it’s got to the point where Ross Lyon has had to allocate the role of nullifying these players to Sharman.
And doesn’t he do a great job.
The last time these two sides met, Sicily delivered one of the performances of the year, collecting 43 disposals and 16 marks.
His influence on the game was far less on Sunday, thanks to Sharman.
He finished the game with a slight hamstring concern so fingers crossed it was just a cramp and he can play next week against the Blues.
What they need to tweak for next week: Their starting 22
If Max King and Tim Membrey put their hands up for selection, they must be picked.
And if that’s the case, there’s going to be one unlucky Saint.
Zak Jones will go out of the side with that knee injury while Anthony Caminiti's one-game suspension for striking makes the decision easier.
Sunday’s clash with the Blues is going to be massive, they need to get the balance right.
Over to you, Ross.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
__The Key takeaway: Farewell Buddy Franlkin
Lance Franklin, affectionately known as Buddy, has retired, effectively immediately.
It’s an unfair farewell to the man who has played 354 games, scored 1066 goals and won two premierships in a career that has inspired millions across the country.
There were fears that Franklin played his last game when he was subbed out during Sydney’s win against Essendon on Saturday and those fears were realised when SEN’s Sam Edmund confirmed that Buddy is set to hang up the boots immediately.
The Positive: Errol Gulden’s All-Australian year
It’s been a disappointing year as a whole for the Swans but if they could rest their laurels on one thing, it’s the emergence of Errol Gulden as one of the best players in the competition.
Gulden continued his incredible year with another best-on-ground display with 37 touches, 11 score involvements, six clearances, four tackles, nine inside-50’s, 725 metres gained and a terrific goal to start the third quarter.
The 21-year should earn his first All-Australian blazer in just his third season.
What they need to tweak on: Close games out
As has been the case this season, the Swans almost lost the unloseable. After being up by 26 points with 14 minutes remaining, the Swans conceded five unanswered goals before a moment of brilliance from Tom Papley secured the four points.
The Swans had the previous Sydney Derby under control before allowing the Giants to get on a run and snatch victory in the final 40 seconds. If they are any hope of playing finals, they make sure that history doesn’t repeat.
Charles Goodsir
The Positive: The Eagles are BACK!
THE EAGLES WON!!!
Was it particularly pretty? No.
Do the Eagles care? No.
All that matters is that the black spot of a colossal losing streak is no longer being worn by West Coast, leaving North Melbourne as the sole bearer of double-digit woes.
The Eagles still sit at the bottom of the ladder, currently 17.6 points of percentage below the Roos, yet all of a sudden things feel a lot brighter over in WA.
The Key Takeaway: Direction is important
With a second win under their belt, the Eagles’ destiny of receiving the wooden spoon is suddenly up in air.
It’s unlikely that either West Coast or North Melbourne win more than one more game this season, and it’s quite possible that there are no more wins in store for either of them.
Yet with a reasonably winnable Western Derby looming for the Eagles in Round 22, the club should consider how much they want the number one pick.
Should the Eagles be focused on the future and give themselves the best chance to recruit a star?
Or should they give the final stretch of the season everything they have, and risk jumping up from prime position in the draft?
Both options are reasonable, it’s up to the club to choose.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: Story of the season.
Bulldogs fans have to be getting tired of this.
Once again, the Dogs held a hefty lead for a large chunk of the game.
Once again, the Dogs were overrun and ended up losing.
Luke Beveridge’s men have held a lead in all but one of their losses this season, but a closer look at the more recent performances reveals an even more frustrating story.
The Bulldogs have dropped six of their last 10 games, and in five of those games they got out to a two-goal lead at some stage.
Saturday’s display against the Giants was the most brutal one of the lot, leading by 35-points midway through the third quarter before completely crumbling.
Putting aside the strong Round 19 performance against the Bombers, the Bulldogs haven’t looked convincing in a month, and are teetering on the edge of the eight as a result.
Something must change at Whitten Oval.
The Positive: The midfield
Things at either end of the field may be dysfunctional at the Bulldogs (particularly down back), but at least the engine room comes as advertised.
The Dogs’ midfield was stellar in this clash, dominant throughout the bulk of the contest as Bailey Dale, Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar and Jack Macrae all surpassed the 30-disposal mark.
That doesn’t even include the game by Marcus Bontempelli, who was doing Bontempelli things for much of the clash.
GWS may have come alive in the middle in the late stages, but the Dogs’ ball magnets did their job all day long.
The Negative: Josh Bruce
Is that the last we see of Josh Bruce?
It looks that way.
The 31-year-old went down in the third quarter against the Giants, with an awkward landing on his right knee resulting in a torn ACL, his second in two years.
With just eight games played in 2023 as he transitioned to the backline, it did already seem as though time had caught up to the formerly dominant forward.
This injury will unfortunately accelerate that process.
Jack Makeham