What are the key takeaways and observations relating to your club in Round 22?
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 Overreaction: Finals are off the table
It’s a loss that hurts, and they’ll need some luck, but September action is still a possibility for the Crows.
Despite a nail-biting six-point loss to Brisbane, the Crows can still get to 48 premiership points. It’s a number at least one team should get into the top eight on and given Adelaide’s percentage, they’ve given themselves the best chances.
The possibility of knocking off Sydney – a fellow contender - this week at Adelaide Oval helps, as does the Round 24 fixture against the West Coast Eagles.
Matthew Nicks declared last week he’d been fiddling with the ladder predictor and that’s sure to continue again ahead of Round 23.
The Positive: Crouch continues to prove his worth
It was Matt Crouch’s fourth game back in the senior side on Saturday night. As Crows fans wait for his form to drop-off again, Crouch’s efforts suggest he’s going the other way in getting better.
He had 33 disposals and only eight kicks. But where Crouch has changed is his ability to influence and create, having 17 contested possessions, nine clearances, seven score involvements and a goal assist.
The Crows went on to win clearances and contested possessions against one of the league’s premier midfielders.
It’s time for Adelaide’s and rival list managers alike to stand up and take note. Crouch would be in almost every best 22 in every club on this form and at 28 years of age, still has plenty of good footy ahead of him.
What no one is talking about: Taylor ‘fine wine’ Walker
It’s flown under the radar that Walker’s 2023 season – at the age of 33 – has been the best on his career in terms of goals kicked.
Only a few years ago his career at AFL level appeared dead in the water. But Walker has produced one of the big career resurgences to not only hold his spot in what is a talented forward line building at Adelaide, but lead it.
His first on Saturday afternoon was his 600th career goal, a worthy achievement for the ageing veteran.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Brisbane’s forward power is off the charts
The Lions have so many levers to pull when it comes to their forward line.
They’ve got two great talls in Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood, with both of those lads kicking over 35 goals this year.
But it’s the hybrid types that makes them so hard to defend.
Charlie Cameron, Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey are going to be the match-winners this finals series. Cameron is targeted more than any other forward for the Lions and he’s repaying the faith with bulk goals.
What no one is talking about: Are we sleeping on the Lions?
Chris Fagan’s Brisbane are quietly going about their work and they’ve put themselves in a great position to finish top two.
They’ve found a way to bank back-to-back important wins against Fremantle and Adelaide, they weren’t at their best but they found a way.
A lot of the talk at the moment is surrounding Collingwood, Carlton and Melbourne and rightfully so!
But don’t sleep on the Lions and them being a genuine premiership contender.
What they need to tweak for next week: Tackle pressure
Friday night's date with Collingwood is going to be one of the biggest games for the Lions this season.
If they win, they’ll have almost definitely locked down a top two spot, but if they lose, they’ll need some results to fall their way.
The Pies were back to their best against Geelong last week, playing the type of footy that had many declaring them the premiers a few weeks ago!
Adelaide laid 22 more tackles than the Lions on the weekend, they can’t afford to do that on Friday.
If you allow Collingwood time with ball in hand, they’ll punish you.
The Lions must bring the heat.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The Key Takeaway: Brutal Blues style stacks up
Carlton has now beaten Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Melbourne in the last month.
More impressively, they’ve done so without Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra, Harry McKay, Matt Kennedy, Jack Silvagni and Mitch McGovern at various points.
This not only shows the club has the depth to cover these key players, but a game style that stacks up regardless of who is out there.
Which makes their nine weeks in the wilderness even stranger given they more or less had a full strength team for the majority of it.
What no one is talking about: How does Carlton work injured stars back in?
Carlton will likely get Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra, Harry McKay, Jack Silvagni, Matt Kennedy and Mitch McGovern back either for the first week of finals or the next fortnight.
But with the team as currently constructed playing so well, who comes out and how do they sort it?
Paddy Dow has had a strong five quarters and looks to be gaining confidence, but with Cerra, Walsh and Kennedy on the way back he seems certain to miss selection.
Harry McKay and Jack Silvagni are certain starters and likely mean Marc Pittonet loses his spot alongside one of Jesse Motlop, David Cuningham or Lachie Fogarty.
This means going a bit taller inside 50, but the Blues need to take some of the pressure off Curnow.
If McGovern gets back from his hamstring, it would likely be a toss up between him and Caleb Marchbank come finals.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: That’s more like it
After two straight defeats, that was the result Collingwood needed.
While they started slowing and were down by 20 points at quarter time, the Magpies clicked back into gear midway through the second term and held sway against quality opposition.
From that moment until midway through the fourth term, the Magpies won by nearly 50 points as their run and dash off half back returned to what it has been at their best.
The win also secures a top-two spot with Melbourne losing and Port Adelaide too far behind on percentage. Suddenly the pressure is off Collingwood for the home and away season’s final fortnight.
While they’ll want to enter September with some form under their belts, they’re now in an envious position where they’ll be able to rest players.
That's the luxury they've earned with a 17-4 record so far.
The Positive: Lipinski and Mihocek’s return to form
Across the past two weeks, the heat was being applied to both Patrick Lipinski and Brody Mihocek.
After being such a huge piece of Collingwood’s rise in his first season at the club in 2022, Lipinski up until Friday night had failed to reach similar heights in 2023.
A shoulder injury has clearly played a big part in that, but the smooth mover would be thrilled to get back to his best with 25 disposals, seven score involvements, eight tackles and five clearances.
As for Mihocek, he entered the clash having kicked 3.11 in the six games in the lead-up. What better way to return to form than by kicking five straight goals as he steadied in front of the big sticks.
The Magpies will need both playing well if they’re to win this year’s premiership.
The Undroppables: Will Hoskin-Elliott and Jack Ginnivan
Collingwood duo Will Hoskin-Elliott and Jack Ginnivan both played crucial roles in their return to the side against Geelong.
Hoskin-Elliott had 15 disposals, five score involvements and six marks, winning plenty of important one-on-one contests on the wing with Steele Sidebottom out injured.
As for Ginnivan, he provided some spark and class after coming on as a substitute when Darcy Moore went off with a hamstring complaint.
They both deserve another crack in the side this Friday under the roof against the Lions.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: Hanging on by the barest of margins
Essendon has been anything but convincing in the last two weeks against the competition’s two lowest ranked teams, winning by a combination of 10 points.
While they may have snuck over the line, there’s plenty to be said about the form lines of the competition with just two weeks left and the Bombers are playing anything but good footy right now.
The finals equation remains simple for them – beat GWS and Collingwood in the final two rounds and they’ll likely be taking part in September action.
If they hold out any hopes of doing that though, they’ll have to be a marked improvement in performance.
The positive: Elijah Tsatas has arrived
Essendon fans have been forced to wait deep into the season to see their prized draft pick from last year, after Tsatas’ pre-season meniscus injury wrecked the first half of his maiden campaign.
After slowly building into the season through the VFL, he was finally handed his debut last week against West Coast.
The teenager took a half to get going in Round 21, but is starting to show the glimpses of why he was taken with pick five in last year’s draft.
Against North Melbourne on Saturday, he kicked his first career as well as finding the ball on 23 occasions.
He doesn't look out of place at this level, which will be pleasing for Dons fans who have waited all season to see him as senior level.
Laurence Rosen
The Key Takeaway: Domination in the derby
The Dockers went into the 57th Western Derby as heavy favourites and despite the Eagles kicking the first major, it was Fremantle who had their third biggest winning margin in their history with a 101-points domination.
Freo was brutal for all four quarters and dominated the contest showing the massive gap between the clubs. The Dockers led the overall clearances (43-30) and centre clearances (15-6), which enabled them to get their 34 shots on goal.
Caleb Serong was superb once again, finishing the game with 30 disposals, five clearances and six score involvements.
Luke Jackson continued his fantastic form as the main ruck, with second place in the Glendinning-Allan medal voting behind Lachie Schultz. 19 disposals, 26 hit-outs and a goal for the young star.
The Positive: Lachie Schultz
Lachie Schultz had a game to remember on Saturday night, which led to him being awarded the Glendinning-Allan medal.
He stacked the stat sheet and was the clear best-on for the Dockers, finishing with 24 disposals, five goals and 11 score involvements.
An often underrated player in the forward 50, Schultz has been in splendid form recently, booting 12 goals since Round 19. He's arguably been the Dockers' most important form in that time.
Heading into next season, Justin Longmuir will be full of confidence with the form Schultz has shown and is set to be an important component in the hopeful rise back into the eight for Fremantle in 2024.
Ethan Daffey
The Overreaction: Season over?
Geelong’s season remains alive and well within its own control, despite Friday night’s loss.
The jury is out on whether the Cats are good enough to be there, but they can prove it by knocking off two top-eight teams in the next fortnight.
Chris Scott’s side will start favourites against St Kilda on Saturday night and the Western Bulldogs the following week and Cats fans can sleep at night knowing that if their side is good enough, they’ll feature in September.
That draw against Sydney in Round 16 could be pivotal.
The Negative: The midfield mix
Patrick Dangerfield and Tom Atkins were the best midfielders on the MCG on Friday night. Hands down.
Tanner Bruhn was decent, but outside of those three the Cats were dreadful in the middle.
Dangerfield only played 70 per cent of the clash and too often, Geelong’s midfield was Shannon Neale, Atkins, Mark O’Connor and Brandan Parfitt. Against the premiership favourites, it’s a lineup that simply will not get it done.
Cam Guthrie is nearing a return but it’s unclear just how close he is. He’s the one player Geelong desperately needs back in the team.
What no one is talking about: Why can’t Geelong find more of the ball?
Four Cats had 20 or more touches on Friday night. Four. For context, Collingwood had nine, although the disposals were only swayed 29 in favour of the Pies.
Geelong isn’t a high-possession team but accumulators are an important part of any side. Geelong just doesn’t have enough players going to win enough of the footy, especially with Guthrie and Mark Blicavs out.
It’s time for the Cats to address the elephant in the room and figure out why players getting plenty of midfield minutes aren’t gathering more than 15 touches in a full game of footy.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Another week closer to Hardwick’s signing
All the air has gone out of Gold Coast’s season, with Damien Hardwick’s impending signing the only relevance injected back into the Suns.
It was the same old story on Saturday. The Suns looked good, very good, for the first half and took it right up to the in-form Swans.
But another fadeout when the pressure was on saw Sydney run out comfortable 24-point winners.
The only thing Suns fans can cling onto is the constant reports suggesting Hardwick to the club is all but complete.
What no one is talking about: What’s happened to Elijah Hollands?
Hollands was taken with pick 7 back in 2020 and by all reports, could have been much higher if not for an ACL injury.
Stuart Dew made him earn a debut, but at the back end of 2022 was flying. His last three games that year saw him average over 20 touches, seven marks, five inside 50s and a goal per appearance and he entered 2023 not far behind the Rising Star favourites.
However, his form has not just stagnated, but gone downhill in 2023. He’s been subbed off in his last three games from subpar performances and it’s understood other clubs are watching the situation closely.
It’s a drop-off that has flown well under the radar. But that’s not to say Hollands won’t be the player we once thought.
Seb Mottram
The Overreaction: The Giants are finished in 2023
For the first time since their mid-season loss to Collingwood, the Giants looked uncompetitive for long stretches in their loss to Port Adelaide.
After seven straight wins, the Giants have suffered back-to-back losses and sit outside the top eight. With matches against Essendon and Carlton to finish the season, you back the Giants in at least one of those matches.
One win doesn’t look like it will be enough and with a percentage of 98.6 per cent, it seems more than likely the Giants will not feature in the 2023 finals series.
The Negative: Horror first quarter sets up poor defeat
A seven-goal first quarter to Port Adelaide set the tone for the rest of the match and the Giants never really got a look-in.
The Giants’ midfield just had no answer for Brownlow fancy Zak Butters, Ollie Wines, Connor Rozee and Jason Horne-Francis who booted three goals in a terrific display.
Jake Riccardi stemmed the bleeding with back-to-back goals in the first quarter but it simply wasn’t enough to sway the momentum.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: Mitch out-coached Bevo
Sam Mitchell played 4D chess with Luke Beveridge in Launceston on Sunday, and won.
Hawthorn trailed by nine points at half-time before Mitchell went about keeping the ball away from the Western Bulldogs.
Mitchell masterminded a clever strategy which took away the Bulldogs’ scoring power, restricting them to just 3.5 in the second half.
The Hawks finished with +121 in disposals, +106 in uncontested possessions and +41 for marks, highlighting just how they controlled the game.
It was a second-straight victory over a top-eight opponent in what is likely to be a sign of things to come for the Hawks in 2024 and beyond.
The Positive: Jai goes jumbo
Jai Newcombe was absolutely colossal in the three-point win.
He racked up a career-best 40 disposals (at 85% efficiency), eclipsing his previous best of 33.
Throw in 12 marks, 10 score involvements, five clearances (three centre clearances), four inside 50s and a monster second-quarter goal.
The ‘Prince of Poowong’s story just continues to get better and this Hawks midfielder, with him in it, is going to be fun to watch for the next few years.
The Negative: Wingard’s injury
The achilles injury suffered by Chad Wingard was tough to see.
The 30-year-old has strung together a great month or so of footy which might have led to a new deal.
However, a torn achilles usually means a very lengthy spell on the sidelines which casts major doubt on Wingard’s career.
It is now expected that he will miss nine to 12 months, which indicates that it could be difficult to see him get another contract.
What no one is talking about: Amon’s cheeky good season
Has Karl Amon’s debut season at Hawthorn slipped under the radar?
In the Dogs win he had 32 touches, 24 kicks, 13 marks, 704 metres gained and six inside 50s in another significant display.
The former Port winger is averaging almost 23 disposals, more than four inside 50s, and is in the top 20 in the competition for metres gained.
His drive has been instrumental for the Hawks and his consistency could see him feature at the pointy end in the best and fairest count.
Andrew Slevison
The Key Takeaway: 50/50 call could cost top two spot
The Demons were never the better team on Saturday night, but they probably should have stolen it at the end.
We will never really know if Caleb Marchbank touched Christian Petracca’s shot at goal in the dying stages, but the result is down officially as a loss as a result.
On top of costing the Demons a win, the 50/50 call could be a big blow to their premiership hopes.
A top-two finish appears unlikely now unless Brisbane and Port Adelaide slip up, and we all know how important securing a home Qualifying Final can be.
You just wonder if we’ll look back on that moment as one that costs the Demons more than what was initially first thought.
The Positive: Clayton Oliver’s return
Clayton Oliver was impressive in his first game back since Round 10.
While he was coming back from a nasty hamstring injury, Oliver barely missed a beat as he helped himself to 27 disposals, 13 tackles and 10 clearances.
Given how dominant Carlton have been at the stoppage in recent weeks, Oliver’s return no doubt played a big part in the Demons winning the clearance count 45-43.
If that’s how good Oliver looks in his initial return, he’s only going to get better from here ahead of September.
The Negative: Grundy’s return neuters Gawn
The Demons were bold at the selection table, recalling Brodie Grundy to replace the injured Harrison Petty.
While Grundy was more than capable while playing in the ruck, he failed in his primary role up forward as he went goalless and only took one mark.
Perhaps what was most worrying about his inclusion was that it appeared to neuter Max Gawn’s output as the superstar had clearly his worst game since rucking solo.
We all know Gawn plays better when he can work over his opponent with the 31-year-old’s fitness coming to the fore late in games.
This issue can probably be fixed if Grundy goes back down to the VFL with Gawn shouldering more of a load … but it’s a fine line to be walking with such an important asset.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: George Wardlaw loves a tackle
George Wardlaw is almost averaging as many tackles per game as kicks so far in his short AFL career – something that every North Melbourne fan should love.
The first-round pick has had an injury interrupted debut season, but he has shown some early glimpses of the star on-baller he could become after a few pre-seasons.
Laying nine tackles against Essendon on Saturday was another great example of it.
The Positive: Nick Larkey deserves all the praise possible
In a team that hasn’t won a game since Round 2, Nick Larkey has booted 56 goals this season.
Including five against Essendon on Saturday, dominating Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.
Larkey has also only kicked 20 behinds this season, highlighting his accuracy. He takes marks in the corridor and makes life easier for himself as well.
North fans would be hoping the 25-year-old’s form holds as the team around him matures.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: Back to winning ways
It was a crucial clash for the Power on Sunday afternoon as they faced the dangerous Giants coming away with a 51-point victory at Adelaide Oval.
With the Demons losing on Saturday night, it opened the door for Ken Hinkley’s side to push for a top-two spot. From the first bounce, the Power had the upper hand kicking seven majors to three in the first term with Miles Bergman kicking three of them.
Despite the Giants continuing to fight back, Port Adelaide was simply too good and continued to put the scoreboard pressure on each quarter.
Their star midfielders Zak Butters, Ollie Wines and Connor Rozee were a class above, combining for 92 disposals and surging the Power to their first victory since Round 17.
The Positive: The Hornet
Always a topic of discussion Jason Horne-Francis had a stellar outing on Sunday night. The Hornet finished the game with 27 disposals, five marks, three goals and seven score involvements.
It’s hard to believe he is only 20 years old when he continues to have these types of performances and if you’re a Power fan, it would fill you with excitement to have the trio of Rozee, Horne-Francis and Butters in the midfield for the next decade.
He stands up in the massive moments which will hold him in good stead for finals action as Port Adelaide pushes towards their first premiership since 2004.
Ethan Daffey
The Key Takeaway: Another passive performance
Richmond surrendered its season to the Western Bulldogs last week.
But not much changed against St Kilda this weekend.
Some players were jogging around Marvel Stadium like they’d lost interest. It was a passive performance which lacked intensity.
It feels like the playing group has shut up shop in the past fortnight which has been disappointing.
Finals are now still mathematical but highly unlikely.
The Undroppable: Jacob Bauer
He might not have had a heap of it, but the Tigers must persist with Jacob Bauer.
With Jack Riewoldt potentially nearing the end, and while Tom Lynch remains sidelined, the club needs to find a competent mid-to-key sized forward.
Bauer at times looked decent against the Saints, returning two goals from nine disposals and four marks. He is definitely a threat in the air and will only benefit from more exposure at the elite level.
The 21-year-old must be kept in the senior side for the next two weeks as the Tigers begin to look to the future.
The Positive: Dusty is still a freak
Dustin Martin remains a ridiculously good player.
He might not quite be what he was, but at this best, he is still one of Richmond’s top few performers.
Most of Martin’s kicking on Sunday was a joy to behold. The way he finds targets inside 50 with pinpoint, laser passing is a joy to watch.
‘Dusty’ does have some blips due to the degree of difficulty of his kicks, but when it comes off it looks beautiful.
At the ripe old age of 32, Martin led all-comers on the ground with 13 contested possessions, had the most inside 50s with seven, the equal most score involvements with eight and had the equal most clearances with five. Plus 26 touches and two goal assists.
Let’s not take Martin for granted as his career enters its twilight. Take it all in and enjoy the show because we’re never going to see anyone else like Dusty.
The Negative: Marvel hoodoo continues
Richmond’s standards drop immeasurably at Marvel. It’s quite baffling.
Since former coach Damien Hardwick said he and the club don’t like going to the venue, the Tigers have fallen in a hole under the roof. They have lost seven and drawn one of their last eight there.
It has become a massive problem.
What they need to tweak for next week: Bring the intensity for Cotch
Richmond simply must play with much more intensity for Trent Cotchin’s farewell game against North Melbourne this coming weekend.
Across the last four weeks, the Tigers have conceded 68.36.(444) from 250 inside 50s. In response, they’ve kicked just 47.40.(322) from 190 inside 50s.
This Saturday they must make things difficult for North by applying increased amounts of pressure both through the midfield and inside their own forward 50 in a bid to deny the opposition easily moving the ball down the other end.
Otherwise they’ll be giving the Roos plenty of looks inside 50 from kickable areas and we can’t have that in Cotch’s final act at the MCG.
Andrew Slevison
The Key Takeaway: The Saints are back to their best
St Kilda’s last month of footy has been encouraging and they find themselves peaking at the right time of the year.
They were far too good for the Tigers on Sunday, dominating from start to finish in one of their complete performances of the year.
What makes the Saints a good team is their elite running ability, they cover the ground better than most teams in the competition and slowly work the opposition into the ground.
This is the time of the year where you want to be playing your best footy. They haven’t been out of the eight all year and if they keep playing like they are, they’ll be playing finals footy!
The positive: Max King doing Max King things
St Kilda’s spearhead has had an awfully frustrating year dealing with injury after injury.
His talent is unquestionable, we just haven’t seen it as much as we want!
But didn’t we see it on Sunday.
King dominated Richmond’s Noah Balta on Sunday. Balta showed no respect to King and it came back to bite him in the you know what.
It took three quarters for the Tigers to take Balta off King, but the damage was done.
He finished with 6.1 from his eight touches in a complete full forward game, if the Saints are any chance of going deep this year, it’s going to be because of King.
He’s an absolute star.
What no one is talking about: Rowan Marshall's incredible season
Marshall is not being spoken about enough, he’s putting together one hell of a season and is rocketing into All-Australian contention.
Many are saying Tim English will be the All-Australian ruckman this year, and they’re probably right given his consistency for the Western Bulldogs this year.
But the Saints big man has been St Kilda’s most consistent performer this year, his work rate and ability to rack up possessions is what makes him such a tough matchup.
He’s a lock to be named in the All-Australian squad, his season deserves to be spoken about more.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The Key takeaway: Good kicking is good football
After a nightmare 6.18 in Round 16 which cost them the win against Geelong, the Swans have found their radar and have been dead-eye straight in front of goal.
The Swans kicked 12 straight to open their account against the Giants last week and kicked 14 straight goals against the Gold Coast Suns on their way to 18.6.
In both cases, the Swans had less scoring shots but won the match. Strong goal kicking has re-ignited the Swans' finals hopes.
The Positive: Chad Warner persists to put in BOG performance
After struggling in the initial two and a half quarters, Chad Warner shrugged off a poor start to end with a best-on-ground performance.
Warner ended the afternoon with 28 touches, 15 of those contested, seven clearances, four tackles, 510 metres gained and two goals including a contender for goal of the year.
The negative: Suns' poor goal kicking spared the Swans
The Suns fired everything at the Swans in the last term but sprayed several golden chances in front of goal and kicked six straight behinds. The Swans have had a history of squandering what were seemingly match winning leads.
They rallied to kick three consecutive goals to snuff out any chance of a comeback but Sydney could’ve easily lost this match against better quality opposition.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: Back to the norm
It’s a shame that it had to happen in the Western Derby, but it was clear that West Coast’s resurgent competitiveness wasn’t going to last long.
It had been a couple of weeks since they’d conceded over 100 points, and Eagles fans can reminisce fondly on those two games instead of this one.
The Eagles never came close on the day, kicking two goals in the opening term and two in the last, failing to register any majors through the middle bulk of the game.
It’s one step closer to the top draft pick, and one step closer to the end of their nightmare season.
What they need to tweak for next week: Get up for Naitanui
Champion Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui announced his retirement this week, calling time on a stellar career in the blue and gold.
If there’s anything that can get West Coast up for a tough game against the Bulldogs, it will be playing to honour a key figure of their club.
The match may be on the road, but they should still bring all their energy to honour the dominant ruckman, and maybe do some damage to the Bulldogs’ finals plans along the way.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: That hurts…
This was a loss the Bulldogs simply couldn’t afford.
Instead of building off the momentum from last week’s triumphant victory, the Dogs were outworked, outcoached and outmatched by a side that is sitting 16th on the ladder.
That doesn’t do justice to a Hawthorn outfit that has been on fire as of late, however this was still a game that the Dogs should have won.
Once again, Luke Beveridge’s men held the lead and the momentum midway through the contest, and once again they couldn’t do a thing once the tide turned.
They’re now in the thick of the battle to sneak into finals, being one of four clubs sitting on 11 wins.
With next week’s game against West Coast likely going to mark their twelfth win, their Round 24 clash against Geelong is shaping up to be an early elimination final.
The Overreaction: Worst passage of play of the season?
Why on earth is Tim English taking the kick-in for your last opportunity to win the game?
He’s one of the Bulldogs’ best tall marking options, it’s almost essential that he is further up the field with the game on the line.
It was a truly baffling passage of play that summarised the Bulldogs’ day at the office.
Season on the line with 45-seconds left, and this is what the Dogs did from the kick-in... 😱
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) August 13, 2023
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What they need to tweak for next week: Just win
It’s that simple.
It’s the 18th-placed Eagles, use the clash as an opportunity to shake off this loss and build form.
Round 24 is poised to decide the Bulldogs season, they just need to make sure they’re playing good footy heading into it.
Jack Makeham