5 Things We Learned - Round 9

The Western Bulldogs have shown that they truly mean business in 2021 after defeating Port Adelaide, 15.6 96 to 12.5 77 by 19 points in front of 32,787 people at the Adelaide Oval, putting the competition on notice once again.

In a red hot game against a fellow premiership threat, the Bulldogs were certainly the better side over the course of the night, and bar a 10-minute burst in the second quarter the Dogs had the Power relatively under wraps even when they were just eight points down late in the final quarter.

It's still a long way from finals but that was one hell of a win and a huge boost for our confidence as we move to a very impressive 8-1 record and sit second on the AFL ladder.

It was also the Club's 900th win in the VFL/AFL which took us 1988 games to reach that number.

It was a successful trip to the Adelaide Oval as the Western Bulldogs turned the power off for Port Adelaide. Source: Getty Images

1) Where The Match Was Won

Coming into Saturday night's top four encounter many people would understandably focus on the quality of midfielders that would be on display during the game, believing it would be the main factor in deciding the match but instead it was the battle of the skies and territory that would determine it.

Both sides this season have been quite strong in taking contested marks as they were each ranked 2nd (Bulldogs: 110 overall averaging 14 per game) and 3rd (102 overall averaging 13 per game) in the competition.

On the other end of the scale restricting opposition contested marks has been a weakness for the Dogs this year as they have conceded the second-most in the competition (113, 14 per game), while Port has only allowed the ninth most at just 11 per game.

When you consider the fact we have one of the worst one on one defensive contests records in the league, it was a weakness that was ready to be exploited once again.

On Saturday it was the Dogs ability to contain Port's contested marking prowess from its tall timber across the ground, limiting them to just 10 for the game.

This was evident with not one Port Adelaide player taking more than two contested marks throughout the game while the Dogs had four players (Bruce, Weightman, Naughton & Cordy) with three each.

Overall the Dogs took 14 contested marks with 11 of those coming in our forward half, helping us connect our midfield and forward zones.

What was just as important was preventing Port; who ranked 4th for total marks (812 overall averaging 101 per game), from taking uncontested marks around the ground, and not allowing them the chance to dictate the tempo of the game. We successfully mitigated this style of play, allowing them to take just the 64 marks, 37 below their season average.

In what was a high-pressure game our ability to hold to our structures under such pressure had a massive impact on the game as well with both sides delivering a pressure gauge rating of 193 (Dogs) and 190 (Port) which is rated above average. For us to maintain our composure under that amount of pressure while piling on a large amount of it the other way was extremely crucial in the game as we scored 10.2 62 from 72 intercept possessions in comparison to Port's 4.2 26 from 67 intercept turnovers.

*Statistics prior to Saturday's game.

2) Worth the Weight

I spoke last week about the fact that of our small-forwards, only Lachlan McNeil and Anthony Scott have hit the scoreboard on a semi-regular basis but it is a specialist position and one that is identified with pressure and energy at ground level.

Cody Weightman; also known as "The Flea", returned to the Western Bulldogs lineup for his first game since round 10 last year; coincidently against the Power, and just his fourth overall in the AFL after averaging 14 disposals, three tackles, six marks, and registered 11 scoring shots (5.6) from his four games in the VFL.

Weightman put together a very tidy performance against the Power kicking three goals, collected 12 disposals, seven contested possessions, laid five tackles (three inside 50), six score involvements, took three contested marks, was targetted four times inside 50, and had 14 pressure acts.

On top of that, the creativity and tenacity he showed all around the ground, wanting to be involved in the contest was simply infectious and you could see the joy in his eyes as well as his teammates with what he brought to the table.

It was exactly the performance the Bulldogs have been crying out for from a small forward for quite some time. Have we finally found our Clay Smith replacement?

2019 First Round Draft Pick in Cody Weightman kicks one of his three goals against Port Adelaide with a clinical snap from the pocket. Source: Getty Images.

3) We Are Maturing As A Football Team

Coming into season 2021 there were question marks on the Western Bulldog's ability to take it up to the league's best teams but having vanquished four members of last year's top eight as well as pushing Richmond (admittedly understrength) at the MCG, those remarks have gradually simmered.

To win away from home against last year's minor premiers and eventual preliminary finalists Port Adelaide, after a patchy month - form-wise - in comparison to the opening four rounds, and do so without a host of crucial players at a hostile environment speaks volumes of what this group is capable of.

We have seen the team grow over the past few seasons and show plenty of resilience to make finals from tricky situations where we found ourselves 4-7 in 2019 and 5-6 in 2020. Lesser sides would have crumbled from such adversity.

That type of maturity and resolve in the playing group was also displayed throughout each of the four quarters as we delivered four major blows to Port Adelaide's chance at victory on Saturday night.

The first blow was how we set the tone with six goals in the first quarter to silence the crowd and not be intimidated by the challenge laid before us.

After conceding five in a row early in the second quarter, the Dogs regained their composure and responded with their second blow, kicking two of the last three goals before halftime to hold a slender lead, giving us the confidence that we were still in control of the game.

In the third quarter, the Dogs delivered its third blow when we absorbed Port's 16 inside 50s to concede just one goal and only four scoring shots. Port threw plenty at us that quarter, registering three more inside 50s but for us to counterpunch with seven scoring shots (4.3) from 13 inside 50 entries was a huge smack in their face. It was a sign of maturity, growth, and adapting match tactics after copping five goals from 14 inside 50s in the second quarter.

With five minutes to go in the fourth quarter the game was still up for grabs and the Dogs delt the Power the final blow by doing what all good sides are expected to do. They seize the moment and go on with it.

The Dogs were eight points in front but certainly by no means safe and a goal to Port would've made for an even more stressful last few minutes but for us to get the job done by slotting the last two goals would see us learn the lessons we received against Richmond two weeks early bodes well for us going ahead.

Of course, these are physical blows but they are just as much mental blows as well and sometimes those are the ones that break teams within games. On Saturday night no matter what was thrown at us we responded and made sure the game was played on our terms.

4) A Sweet Homecoming for Jordan

It was Jordan Sweet's first game back at the Adelaide Oval since winning a premiership with North Adelaide in the 2018 SANFL Grand Final and he did not disappoint nor take a backward step.

The Bulldogs third ruckman on the list, Sweet has had to wait over two years for his opportunity at AFL level when he debuted earlier this year against the Gold Coast Suns in round five before returning to the side last week against Carlton.

Against Port Adelaide, Sweet had nine possessions; six of those contested, 18 hitouts; four of those to advantage, four clearances (three from stoppages), laid three tackles, and attended 63 of the 95 ruck contests during the game in what was a very workmanlike game from the developing ruckman.

Granted he didn't have to contend with Port's primary ruck option in Scott Lycett, it was an encouraging performance nonetheless.

Even though Sweet is a year older than Tim English, he is still rather raw in football experience with English having spent two more years on an AFL list, but with what he has shown so far in his short AFL career, he is a bit more than simply a "break the glass" emergency case.

With Martin out for another couple of matches (Achilles) and English still under a cloud of concussion, Sweet was somewhat thrown in the deep end in recent weeks with the only support coming in the shape of key forward Josh Bruce, but he hasn't looked overawed by taking on the role of number one ruckman.

Under Luke Beveridge, the Dogs have generally played their best football with two legitimate ruck options in the chosen 22 who can be a part of scoring chains and have a strong engine to move around the ground.

Add in the fact Sweet can ruck for a large portion of the game works perfectly for the Dogs; especially with how they intend on utilising English as a forward-ruck, and it makes a strong case for the developing ruck to have an extended stay in the side.

Bigger challenges lay ahead with Paddy Ryder, Max Gawn and if he holds his spot, Nic Naitanui in the coming weeks but I believe it is reasonable to say that if Stefan Martin was to finish up come season's end, English would have decent ruck support for the future.

There is still much for Jordan Sweet to learn but could the possibility of him taking over the number one ruck mantle in the near future happen as early as this year? Source: Getty Images.

5) We Have The Best Attacking Half-Backs In The League

With Bailey Williams returning to the lineup following a collarbone injury, the Western Bulldogs arguably possess the most dynamic and attacking set of half-backs in the competition.

Lining up alongside Caleb Daniel and Bailey Dale, Williams completes what I believe is the most damaging defensive trifecta in the competition.

Most teams generally have two designated ball distributors down back who set up the play from a kick in so we have to realise just how fortunate we are to have three quality players that can rotate in this role and are incredibly deadly by foot, making life so much easier for those further up the field with their precision.

In recent weeks Caleb Daniel is gradually returning to the form that made him an All Australian last year (34, 22, and 26 disposals), which just adds another layer of creativity to our defensive options who play with such an attacking mindset.

Generally defenders prefer disposing of the ball by foot and that is definitely the case with Dale and Williams having high kick-to-handpass ratios (2.02 and 1.83 kph). Daniel is still a fair way off those numbers going at 1.27 kicks per handball but the fact he still has the highest kicking efficiency just speaks volume of how classy he actually is by foot.

Personally, I think the ratings in the table below are a bit harsh on Williams as he has had to play more of a lockdown role at times this season but all three have had fantastic seasons to date.

Try and put the clamps on Daniel or any of the Bailey's and whoever is left unchecked from that trio will tear your side apart with poise and precision.

*Ratings amongst General Defenders