The Lessons We Learned - Round 2

It was another stressful game to sit through and watch for Western Bulldogs supporters, but the fact of the matter is for the second week in a row we found a way to emerge victorious on a Friday night. As always, there was plenty to take out of the game, so let's take a look at what we discovered from our clash with the Swans:

1. Liam Picken Is A Star

Considering his finals series last year, it's fair to assume that we were already well aware of it, but for the second game in the row, our No.42 would be giving the Swans nightmares. His final term in the Grand Final was something to behold, but his last quarter on Friday was every inch as good. In the final 10 minutes of the match, Picken kicked two goals, ran down Josh Kennedy, and had four score involvements. The passage of play where he scrambled the ball our of defence, charged through the middle of the ground to get the ball again and set up Bontempelli summed up Picken in thirty seconds.

Mark Robinson released his annual Top 50 players at the start of this season, and many felt Picken was overrated despite only being listed at No.48. If Robbo were to take another look at his list, there'd be no doubt that Picken would be much higher up on the list, and there wouldn't be many who would have a justifiable argument against it. He doesn't look like a fashionable footballer, but when the game is up for grabs, Picken just works harder. Picken has always had this trait in him - to never give up - even before Luke Beveridge arrived. But Beveridge has been able to harness this trait of Picken's and use it in a more attacking sense, and it has paid handsome dividends over the past couple of seasons.

Liam Picken's determination is unparalleled. Source: Getty Images

2. We Forgot What Marcus Adams Could Do

He hadn't been sighted since our last-gasp win over the Swans in Round 15 last year, and when he returned from injury to play in the JLT Series, he looked uncompetitive and disinterested. But an injury to Dale Morris in Round 1 gave Adams a reprieve, and he reminded us all exactly what he was capable of, demonstrating all the qualities he displayed in the first half of the 2016 season. With 20 disposals, seven marks and plenty of drive out of defence, it was the type of performance that would've taken us all by surprise this time last year. He did concede four goals against Lance Franklin, but three of those came in a blistering five-minute patch, which probably says more about the ability of Franklin than the defensive frailties of Adams.

3. The Dam Wall May Be About To Bust For Stewart Crameri

I don't want to sound harsh on Crameri, because he's a good footballer and it's been a difficult few years for him now, but with players such as Clay Smith, Josh Dunkley and Toby McLean all knocking on the door in the VFL, it's only a matter of time before Crameri can't hold the fort up any longer, especially with a return of just seven-disposals and a behind. In Crameri's defence, his seven tackles was important and shows that the desire and intent is there, but when Smith can churn out similar numbers and have a greater statistical output, it's hard to justify Crameri keeping his spot. Although considering his sizeable engine, it could be put to good use on the vast, expansive spaces that Domain Stadium possesses this week.

4. The Travis Cloke Deal Is Looking Like Good Value For Money

When we were struggling to generate anything positive forward, Cloke was the one player who was keeping us in the game. He kicked our only two goals in the opening term, and had three of our first five by midway through the second quarter. He took some good marks, but he brought a presence and pressure that Sydney's defence couldn't deal with. He finished the night with 3.2, and it could've been 4.1 had he not fluffed his lines in the goal square.

For Pick 76 and a basement wage, this is looking like a pretty good deal for the Bulldogs so far, but the key to Cloke's success will continue to come from his ability to convert more often than not in front of goal.

5. Tom Liberatore Is More Like His Dad Now Than Ever Before

He's always had more than just a bit of Dad in him, but Libba Jr is now channelling his inner-Tony like never before. In his first few seasons at the Bulldogs, Tom made a name for himself for being a ball-winner. In a side that was significantly lacking in viable midfield rotations, Liberatore worked in tandem with Ryan Griffen, often spending more than 90% of game time in the midfield. But Beveridge's arrival, a host of new midfield talent has been trialled and/or blooded, and it's takena considerable amount of pressure of Liberatore, and it's now reflecting in this new tackle-happy game style that he's adopted. If 14 tackles against Collingwood last week wasn't enough, than Libba Jr backed it up with a mammoth 16 tackles in his 100th game last week - double the next highest tackler on the ground. After two weeks, Libba has now registered a staggering 30 tackles, nine more than the second-highest tackler in the competition. Which, incidentally, is Lin Jong, which leads me onto my next point...

6. Lin Jong Has The Qualities Of A Complete Midfielder

I know I may seem a bit biased, but I have big wraps on this guy, and he didn't let me down on Friday night. 23 disposals, eight marks, seven tackles and a goal was a great performance, and made his greatest impact in the third term, where he displayed his courage and marked just about everything. If he can continue to improve, he could be just about anything.

Jake Stringer was breathtaking at times on Friday. Source: Getty Images

7. Jake Stringer Listens To Me (Or At Least Someone Who Knows Him Does)

Last week, I spoke about Stringer needing to make the play rather than let others make it for him. Whether he read what I was asking of him or whether someone informed him about it, I'm not sure, but this week he looked like he wanted to be in the middle of everything. He led up to the ball really well, held onto his marks, pressured the opposition, and took the game on with his explosive bursts. Better yet, he was rewarded with three very good goals, the last of which set the crowd alight.

Granted, he clearly benefited from the absence of Dane Rampe (who certainly had the better of him in the Grand Final), but Rampe can't influence Stringer's selflessness, and it was great to see him do that and be rewarded personally for it as well.

8. Tom Campbell Made A Huge Difference

The Swans ambushed us at the start of the game, and at one stage they were winning the clearance count 10-0, and it was looking ominously reminiscent of a couple of fast Sydney starts during last year's finals series. But we slowly settled, and managed to get on top in the midfield department, eventually winning the clearances 35-34. Campbell, brought in specifically for his ruck duties, was solid and instrumental in helping us get back into the game, but it was what he did for others that made the most difference. With him in the ruck, it allowed Tom Boyd to go forward, and when he and Cloke were roaming around together, it enabled the Bulldogs to really stretch the Swans defence, and it made them look extremely undersized. As mentioned earlier, Cloke managed to kick three goals, whilst Boyd also scored two of his own in the third term.

9. Fletcher Roberts Has Improved Out Of Sight

I cheekily quipped to my associate Essendon supporter mid-match that he may be the best Fletcher to ever play in defence. Whilst he may struggle to reach the heights of Dustin, there's no doubt Roberts has come a long way from the paper-thick teenager that shed the green vest on the MCG against Richmond on his debut back in Round 20, 2012. He still doesn't look like much of a footballer, but he is another example of the genius of Luke Beveridge, who has moulded him into a very solid key defender. In fairness, it's probably more down to the team defence than Roberts specifically, but Beveridge has still had to mould him into a role that fits the system, and Roberts has still had to conform to Beveridge's demands, and Roberts is getting the job done most weeks. With Morris out, it was very encouraging for Roberts, and that's now two good games from him to start the season.

10. We're Not The Only Ones Who Have Missed Bob Murphy

Shane Biggs started last season in terrific form, but when Bob went down, Biggs' form tapered off. Without Murphy there marshalling the back-flank, Biggs was receiving more attention from the opposition - attention he wasn't able to deal with just yet. He played every game in 2016, and was solid, but nothing like his late-2015 and early-2016 form. But Murphy's return has already made a noticeable difference, with Biggs playing one of his best games for the club. With 25 disposals and seven rebound-50's, Biggs was terrific all night against his former club.

But he isn't the only one bouncing back. Matty Suckling again had a terrific game, and 18 of his 20 disposals hit the target on Friday. Many people couldn't find room for Suckling at the start of the year in the Bulldogs best 22, but those same people are now scrawling his name on the their team sheets and underlining it. Better yet for the club, it's actually leaving some very deserving players out of the lineup, and the competition for spots at the Bulldogs continues to be strong.