5 Things We Learned - Round 10

The Western Bulldogs put on a clinic on Saturday night against St Kilda, defeating them to the tune of 111 points, 21.18 144 to 5.3 33 in front of 28,720 people at Marvel Stadium, regained the Barker-Whitten Trophy and in the process recorded our greatest ever winning margin and second 100+ point win against them. If not for inaccurate kicking the margin probably could have even been far greater.

It was the first time a Western Bulldogs team had won two games by 100+ points in the same season and also the best percentage after 10 rounds during the 18-Team AFL era.

Western Bulldogs - 2021 - 161.9%

Hawthorn - 2015 - 155.2%

Hawthorn - 2014 - 152.6%

West Coast - 2015 - 152.4%

Hawthorn - 2013 - 148.8%

Is the lid off? The team at the Salty Bulldog certainly thinks so. Bring on the Demons next week and let all hell break loose!

In the past two weeks, the Western Bulldogs have returned to the early season form that lit up the competition. Source: Getty Images.

1) Where The Match Was Won

Despite having 50 more possessions on the night we were able to lay 26 more tackles (74-48) and win the contested (139-127) and uncontested ball (267-209) emphasises just how committed this team is to playing four quarters and for each other.

At one point in the third quarter, St Kilda went 13 minutes without laying a tackle, and when you consider that we had 89 disposals that term, it is a rather bewildering statistic as we weren't untouchable but the Saints effort was well below par as they recorded a pressure rating of just 164 in that quarter, rated poor.

As well as that, over the past month, the Dogs have had the best centre bounce differential across the competition recording 64 centre clearances to 37, almost +7 advantage (6.75) per game. Against the Saints, the Dogs certainly used that strength to monster their midfield, registering 4.5 29 from that source and 21 scoring shots (11.10-76) from stoppages all together which highlights just how powerful a midfield we have assembled

Having only three players receive Brownlow votes after Saturday night's game would be criminal as many players put in terrific performances either recapturing their best form or paying career-best games but that's how the system works.

2) Team Chemistry

Trust and commitment is something that our coach Luke Beveridge holds in extremely high regard at the Club and it is something the Dogs have shown a lot more of in 2021 than in recent seasons.

After the Carlton game, I created a table filled with all the changes we have made to the lineup following round one and wondered just how that amount of instability through unforced and forced changes would disrupt our playing style. Despite this adversity, we have still managed to find a way to keep our season moving in the right direction.

We obviously play a system-based game plan more than a personnel one and in doing so that has helped us cover the loss of players each week. That said having the right personnel allows for better execution of the game plan.

It just looks like a more cohesive unit which has once again clicked into gear, returning to the form from earlier this year despite the constant absence of key personnel. It is a well drilled team that is filled with quality, aggression, skill and precision and is a side that will cut the opposition up in a thousand different ways.

But most importantly it sticks true to the ethos that football is built upon - a selfless connection within the playing group and it goes all the way from our most talented players all the way down to the last bloke on our list.

It's all smiles at the Kennel in 2021. Source: Getty Images.

3) Efficiency in the Forward Half and a Treat to Witness

The crushing 111 point win on Saturday night saw the very best of the Western Bulldogs on display, as they kicked a goal from 30% of their entries (21/69) and registered 39 scoring shots (56%) which made it a perfect night out for the Dogs fanbase.

In 2021 the Dogs rank first in goal assists (108), marks inside 50 (153 - 19 more than Fremantle), total goals, (150 - eight more than Essendon), have scored the most amount of points (1033) and have conceded the least (638) to boot.

To emphasise just how ahead of the pack we have been this year in our forward half, this year the Dogs have converted 53% (307) of their 576 inside 50s into scoring shots which is five percent better than the 2021 league average (4525/9471).

These arent just good numbers, they are exceptional in anyone's language.

We certainly have a strong case of being the most attractive side to watch this year especially the way we move the ball through the corridor which makes us a genuine pleasure to watch.

It was heaps of fun watching the side coached under Rodney Eade where you could almost expect a shootout every game but seeing Beveridge's Bulldogs annihilate opposition teams by being the superior side on the paddock is damn fun to witness.

4) Inside 50 Pressure is becoming a hallmark of our game

Locking the ball in the forward half has been an ever-growing trend in recent years and it has become a quintessential part of the modern game.

Against the Saints the Dogs had 11 players registering four or more tackles, while eight Saints laid one or less. This difference of intensity indicates a huge gap in mindset and tenacity to hunt and chase down the ball carrier and the tackle on Dan Butler by Jason Johannisen summed up the difference in intent between the two sides as "JJ" run a good 40 metres to lay that tackle.

In 2021 the Dogs are averaging 11.5 tackles inside 50 per game and have reached 10 or more tackles inside 50 in seven games this season. The interesting part is analysing just how successful we have been in halting teams this year from rebounding from the defensive 50.

In 2021 the Dogs have successfully rebounded from defensive 50 on 335 occasions and have laid 115 tackles inside 50 while opposition sides have rebounded 417 times and laid 72. If you divide the total amount of rebounds from your side by the number of tackles inside 50 laid against it you can figure out just how effective you are restricting such defensive ball movement.

After 10 rounds the Dogs have had 335 rebounds and have been tackled inside 50 a total of 72 times. This would create a ratio of 4.65 rebounds per inside 50 tackle. On the other hand, we have allowed opposition sides to rebound out of our forward 50 a total of 417 times with us laying 115 tackles in the front half of the ground, which equates to a ratio of 3.63 rebounds per inside 50 tackle.

On Saturday night the Dogs successfully laid 14 tackles inside 50 while the Saints had 46 rebounds from their defensive 50 for a ratio of 3.28 rebounds per tackle inside 50, which is below our pre-round 10 average of 3.67, a pretty decent return. On the end of the spectrum, the Saints laid just six tackles inside 50 whilst we had 35 rebounds for a ratio of 5.83, which was quite below par. This pressure also contributed to the 25 Saints turnovers in their defensive half.

Our midfield certainly helped us built a +27 inside 50 advantage, but our ability to lock the ball in and not allow ourselves to be contained was just as important.

In 2021 we have used 36 players this season with 24 of them laying a tackle inside 50. Lachlan McNeil is the best of the lot with 12 (five vs St Kilda), closely followed by Tom Liberatore and Aaron Naughton with 11 apiece.

Inside 50 Tackles For and Against

5) "Shop Early And Avoid The Rush"

The sentence written above is a famous quote at our Football Club and one uttered by 1954 Premiership Captain/Coach in Charlie Sutton. It is a very fitting quote that depicts how focused we have been on having the game played on our terms as early as possible and highlights the positive mindset of the playing group to put aside all distractions, whatever they may be, and to focus on the task at hand in front of them.

It genuinely seems like the playing group has come into 2021 with the idea of redeeming themselves after a few middling seasons post the premiership and to put the opposition under the pump and behind the eight ball early on brings about greater confidence in the player's ability to execute the game plan.

The Bulldogs are one of only three teams in VFL/AFL history (Ess - 1906 & Collingwood 1913) and the first team in 92 years to have won 10 consecutive opening quarters. This season the Bulldogs are averaging 24 points for in first quarters and 12 points against.

Statistics courtesy of finalsiren.com