Beware of the Dogs
RED ALERT: They’re fast, play up-tempo
GEELONG coach Chris Scott is aware of the threat posed by the Western Bulldogs in Saturday night’s clash at Marvel Stadium.
Scott said the Dogs’ recent form — taking the scalp of Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval and pushing premiership contender Collingwood to the wire — was evidence that they could not be underestimated.
“We need to work on our best footy this week,” he said.
“If Collingwood are in the best couple of teams in the comp and the Bulldogs pushed them to such a close margin — and then they went over and beat Port Adelaide in Adelaide, which we couldn’t do — we don’t need much more sharpening up to realise the task at hand this week.”
The Cats had trouble shaking the determined Dogs back in Round 9, with a blistering patch in time-on helping Scott’s men record a 44-point win at GMHBA Stadium.
The Bulldogs have since bounced back, keeping their finals hopes alive with victory in the wet over the Power last round.
“They’re clearly in good form,” Scott said.
“The game (against Port Adelaide) was played in different conditions to the usual for the Bulldogs, and I listened with interest to Luke Beveridge post-game, and he said they do play a particular style of game under the roof at Marvel and they needed to adapt (in Adelaide) and they adapted really well.
“Back at Marvel, I don’t think last week will be a great guide to the way they’ll try to play, but the previous game against Collingwood was tight.
“So we’re aware of the challenge and they’ve got a few players back. (Caleb) Daniel is a loss for them, but (Jackson) Trengove didn’t play in his true spot and (Tim) English wasn’t in the team, so they look a big stronger at both ends of the ground.”
A fortnight ago, the Dogs troubled Collingwood with their fast, up-tempo style of play and Scott concedes his side will need to make some adjustments on Saturday night.
“A lot of teams try to play in a similar manner in parts of the game, but it’s a reasonable observation that the teams who play under the roof a lot tend to play a bit differently to those who don’t,” Scott said.
“Compared to some teams, they move the ball a bit faster and they can be hard to stop if they get the game on their terms.
“Let’s be honest, that’s only the second time we play at Marvel for the year and the game is played slightly differently. So I think it’s incumbent on us to adjust the way we play, as opposed to looking at any unusual aspects around the way they play.”