That'll do us.
If we learned anything in 2016, it is that we can’t rule out a team like Melbourne winning it all in 2017. They certainly issued a statement at the Docklands, thrashing last year’s premiers. The pressure they generate, the polish they show with ball in hand, the accuracy in execution... it’s a good time to be a Demon. The Dogs, on the other hand, have a rubbish week ahead of them, their season now really in the balance. To say the least.
In Sydney, the Eels did the double over the fourth-placed Dragons, emphasising their own September credentials. A way to go yet, but not for nothing that they have been able to again beat a team inside the eight.
And that’s our lot. Hope you enjoyed the footy. We will be back with Sportwatch next Saturday. And be sure to follow the Champions Trophy Final through the night on the OBO blog, that will launch in about half an hour from now when they toss the coin at The Oval. Where I better get moving to now. Till next time, thanks for your company. Be well.
AFL Match report - Dees 113 - Dogs 56
MELBOURNE, June 18 AAP - Melbourne have stamped their AFL premiership credentials, smashing reigning premiers Western Bulldogs by 57 points in a spiteful Etihad Stadium encounter.
Jack Watts booted three goals in a dominant performance as the Demons climbed to fifth on the AFL ladder with a 17.11 (113) to 8.8 (56) victory on Sunday afternoon.
The Dees could hardly have been more impressive, beating the Dogs at their own hard-running, transition offence game and repelling everything thrown at them on the defensive end.
It was a dire loss for the Bulldogs, who remain stranded in ninth place, made worse by a serious and potentially season-ending knee injury to key midfielder Lin Jong.
Jong went straight to the rooms and was later in tears on the interchange bench, having crumpled to the ground when his kick was smothered by Nathan Jones early in the first quarter.
The Dees had injury concerns of their own, with Watts, Jones, Neville Jetta and Jayden Hunt all spending extended time on the bench.
Tensions between the two sides were stoked before the game, with Melbourne enforcer Tomas Bugg using social media to taunt Bulldogs speedster Jason Johannisen.
The Norm Smith medallist had a shocker during their loss to Sydney, courtesy of a hard tag from George Hewett, and Bugg took to Instagram to make it clear he could expect the same treatment.
The Dogs made a beeline for Bugg before the opening bounce but it was one of the few shots they fired in an otherwise meek performance.
Luke Beveridge’s men were held goalless in the opening quarter for the first time this season as Melbourne’s phenomenal pressure proved far too much for them to handle.
Marcus Bontempelli and Lachie Hunter racked up plenty of touches but to little effect as the physical Demons tackled, smothered and muscled their way to a four-goal lead at quarter-time.
The Dogs looked to fight back during a fiery, old-school second term, with the umpires kept busy by spotfires across the ground.
But it was Melbourne who came out on top, extending their lead with consecutive goals after Bugg - again the chief provocateur - was laid out by a frustrated Easton Wood.
It was all one-way traffic after halftime, with Jordan Lewis (31 touches), Oscar McDonald (23 disposals, 12 marks) and Christian Salem (23 touches) among the standout performers for the Dees.
NRL Match report - Eels 24 - Dragons 10.
SYDNEY, June 18 AAP - Brad Arthur shifted Clinton Gutherson to fullback with immediate success for Parramatta, as the Eels beat St George Illawarra 24-10 on Sunday.
The Eels’ Mr. Fix-it for the first half of the NRL season, Gutherson finally found a spot of his own at the back and celebrated with two first-half tries and 207 metres at ANZ Stadium.
But the win is likely to have come at a cost, with Parramatta hooker Kaysa Pritchard taken to hospital in an ambulance with a serious knee injury, while Beau Scott suffered an elbow complaint.
But after 14 weeks of injury reshuffles and the wait for Mitchell Moses’ arrival, Arthur looked to have finally found the Eels’ most potent backline combination.
Gutherson was faultless at the back, scoring the first try from a fortuitous rebound before blocking and scooping up a grubber to run 80 metres and score their second.
It helped built a 12-4 half-time lead that never looked in danger of being chased down.
His move to the back came after former NSW State of Origin centre Michael Jennings returned from a quad injury, while regular fullback Bevan French shifted to the right wing.
Jennings crossed for a try from a 55-metre break after a Dragons dropped ball and French scored after a perfectly placed cross-field chip kick from halfback Moses, as the hosts sealed the result in the second half.
French was also outstanding in defence, as he regularly pressured the Dragons’ attack with his speed and produced an intercept to save a try in his new-found position.
Moses had his best game for the Eels as he partnered Corey Norman in the halves for just the second time.
The pair forced four dropouts, as the Eels controlled the momentum of the match, despite only receiving their first penalty in the 71st minute.
Meanwhile, Nene Macdonald and Paul Vaughan scored tries for the Dragons, but they never looked in the hunt as their attack stuttered without Origin stars Josh Dugan and Tyson Frizell.
Coach Paul McGregor took halfback Josh McCrone from the field with 13 minutes to play.
NRL ladder afer round 15.
LADDER AFTER Rd 15
P W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Melbourne 14 12 0 2 1 319 212 107 26
2 Sydney Roosters 14 10 0 4 1 310 228 82 22
3 Cronulla 14 10 0 4 1 264 194 70 22
4 Brisbane 14 9 0 5 1 301 225 76 20
5 Manly 13 8 0 5 2 299 237 62 20
6 St George Illawarra 14 8 0 6 1 297 235 62 18
7 North Queensland 14 8 0 6 1 287 259 28 18
8 Penrith 13 6 0 7 2 284 253 31 16
9 Parramatta 15 8 0 7 0 282 318 -36 16
10 Canberra 14 6 0 8 1 316 270 46 14
11 NZ Warriors 14 6 0 8 1 274 303 -29 14
12 Canterbury 14 6 0 8 1 194 247 -53 14
13 South Sydney 14 5 0 9 1 258 313 -55 12
14 Gold Coast 14 4 0 10 1 298 382 -84 10
15 Newcastle 13 2 0 11 2 210 351 -141 8
16 Wests Tigers 14 3 0 11 1 204 370 -166 8
(via AAP)
The AFL ladder after round 13.
LADDER AFTER ROUND 13
P W L D For Agst PC Pts
Adelaide 12 9 3 - 1426 1006 141.8 36
Greater Western Sydney 12 9 3 - 1202 1033 116.4 36
Geelong 12 8 4 - 1234 1075 114.8 32
Port Adelaide 12 7 5 - 1262 939 134.4 28
Melbourne 12 7 5 - 1221 1055 115.7 28
Richmond 12 7 5 - 1051 958 109.7 28
West Coast 12 7 5 - 1066 1039 102.6 28
Essendon 12 6 6 - 1143 1111 102.9 24
Western Bulldogs 12 6 6 - 977 1012 96.5 24
St Kilda 12 6 6 - 1035 1090 95.0 24
Fremantle 12 6 6 - 919 1171 78.5 24
Sydney 12 5 7 - 1070 1014 105.5 20
Collingwood 12 5 7 - 1069 1051 101.7 20
Gold Coast 12 5 7 - 1078 1223 88.1 20
Carlton 12 5 7 - 882 1066 82.7 20
North Melbourne 12 4 8 - 1104 1189 92.8 16
Hawthorn 12 4 8 - 947 1231 76.9 16
Brisbane Lions 12 2 10 - 984 1407 69.9 8
(via AAP)
They can consult me, for a fee.
Dog fans can seek guidance from Hawk fans with how to deal with rubbish 'flag was a fluke' Barbs. #AFLDogsDees
— Ashley Browne (@hashbrowne) June 18, 2017
NRL final score: Parramatta 24 def St George 10
PARRAMATTA 24 (C Gutherson 2 B French M Jennings tries C Gutherson 3 M Moses goals) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 10 (N MacDonald P Vaughan tries G Widdop goal) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Chris Sutton, Grant Atkins. Crowd: 13,559. (via AAP).
Brad Arthur shifted Clinton Gutherson to fullback with immediate success for Parramatta, as the Eels beat St George Illawarra 24-10 on Sunday.
The Eels’ Mr. Fix-it for the first half of the NRL season, Gutherson finally found a spot of his own at the back and celebrated with two first-half tries and 207 metres at ANZ Stadium.
But the win is likely to have come at a cost, with Parramatta hooker Kaysa Pritchard taken to hospital in an ambulance with a serious knee injury, while Beau Scott suffered an elbow complaint.
But after 14 weeks of injury reshuffles and the wait for Mitchell Moses’ arrival, Arthur looked to have finally found the Eels’ most potent backline combination.
Gutherson was faultless at the back, scoring the first try from a fortuitous rebound before blocking and scooping up a grubber to run 80 metres and score their second.
Updated
AFL final score: Dogs 8.8.56 lost to Dees 17.11.113.
You love singing the song after a win like that. The Melbourne faithful have copped it for a decade, a true laughing stock of the competition. But they are laughing now, all their way to September. It was a win built on the back of a relentless opening ten minutes, never letting the Dogs settle. Once they found their rhythm in front of goal, they came consistently - and disproportionately so from turnovers. That’ll will unsettle the Sons of the Scray as much as anything, just how loose they were. Premiership hangover or otherwise, the headaches are considerable at the kennel.
NRL: The Dragons got a try back, but smooth sailing for the Eels who have got over the line 24-10 at the Olympic Stadium. Will have the full report with you shortly.
AFL: Q4 3:30 remaining. Dogs 8.6.54 v Dees 17.11.113. Toooooo easy. Bugg an uncontested mark inside 50. Then finds Alex Neal-Bullen, also in there without opponent. A shot to the Doggie’s box, Luke Beveridge is understandably livid. Melbourne have been magnificent.
No side this year has played as well as Melbourne have played today. #AFLDogsDees
— Tony Tea (@AfterGrogBlog) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q4 7:00 remaining. Dogs 8.6.54 v Dees 16.10.106. Tom McDonald gets lucky, the bouncing into his arms as he strolls into goal. He’s had a big game. “Is there a chance the Dogs will miss the finals?” is the question on TV. A lot of Hawthorn 2009 about their campaign so far. What a brutal season that was.
AFL: Q4 9:00 remaining. Dogs 8.6.54 v Dees 15.9.99. Loose ball gather by Tory Dickson allows him to kick his first of a very quiet day. Has plenty of friends who can say that, not least Tom Boyd. Mitch Honeychurch missed an earlier a set shot, which will set twitter off. An unpopular man today after a couple of bad blunders. “I think the Bulldogs have dropped off with their handball efficiency,” says Jonathan Brown. Brad Johnson agrees.
Looking forward to Melbourne knocking Richmond out of the finals #AFLDogsDees
— Rudi (@RudiEdsall) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q4 14:30 remaining. Dogs 7.5.47 v Dees 15.7.97. Cleeeever. Great grab from Pedersen, who looks up and sees Hannan, gives off the handball and he strolls into an open goal. Some tired boys out there now, a lot of arc-to-arc footy as the minutes drain from the clock. Not that the Dogs have any realistic hope at this stage. Jack Watts down the race, some ‘hamstring tightness’ the report from the boundary. Interesting debate about to begin about the Dogs. Getting beat in Sydney is one thing, but this will bring the back pages.
We all say Dogs premiership hangover. But they were 7th in 2016 + a great September, this year within their margin of error? #AFLDogsDees
— Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) June 18, 2017
NRL: Another bad knee injury this Sunday. via AAP. Parra lead 24-4 after a Bevan French try, about 20 minutes to go at the Olympic Stadium.
Parramatta hooker Kaysa Pritchard has been taken to hospital in an ambulance with a serious knee injury.
Pritchard was stretchered off ANZ Stadium in a medicab for the Eels after he was hurt in a tackle midway through the first half of the Eels’ NRL clash with St George Illawarra on Sunday.
The Eels dummy-half has endured a horrid run with injuries in his five-year NRL career, including twin pectoral injuries in 2015.
In the blink of an eye, French was there!#NRLEelsDragons 24-4 after 58 minutes.#NRL pic.twitter.com/06lgYg60T3
— NRL (@NRL) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q4 18:30 remaining. Dogs 7.5.47 v Dees 14.7.91. Picken nearly has his head taken off in a marking contest inside 50. Rightly gets the free, and kicks truly for the first of the final quarter. Margin back to 44, for what it is worth.
A comment from... my brother, Ben, who predicts a Melbourne flag inside three years. “From the decade of chaos, they have built one of the most balanced and talented lists in the AFL.” Sounds about right. Good on ‘em. It’s been a terrible ten or more years for them.
Updated
NRL: Ten minutes into the second half, Parra 18-4 over St George. Michael Jennings with the Eels third try, converted by Gutherson. Evidently a fair bit of excitement on TV about a kiss on the cheek.
Must have been a great tackle!#NRLEelsDragons #NRL pic.twitter.com/oI5Go7J0gZ
— NRL (@NRL) June 18, 2017
AFL: Three Quater Time. Dogs 6.5.41 v Dees 14.7.91. Tom McDonald does exactly as Jack Watts did at half-time, draining a set shot after the hooter from long-range. That puts the lead out to 50 points. What a performance.
AFL: Q3 2:00 remaining. Dogs 6.5.41 v Dees 13.7.85. The man who fired this game up, Tomas Bugg, gets another in the book from close range. Too easy.
AFL: Q3 5:00 remaining. Dogs 6.5.41 v Dees 12.7.79. Roughead runs into what should have been a relatively simple open goal, but Jetta nearly chased him down. “That’s just the mindset of Melbourne today,” says Brad Johnson. Dogs’ first goal from a turnover today the TV tells me - Melbourne have six.
AFL: Q3 7:00 remaining. Dogs 5.5.35 v Dees 12.7.79. Dees respond straight away! Margin straight back to 44 points. Jack Watts penetrates with his inside 50, a clever handball slips out to Jake Melksham who pops it on the boot and through the big sticks from 15m.
AFL: Q3 7:00 remaining. Dogs 5.5.35 v Dees 11.7.73. Coast to coast from Melbourne through a string of precise handballs and short kicks, landing in the arms of Jazzy Jeff who bangs it home from the goalsquare. The Dogs in real strife, on the cusp of losing their first game at the Docklands this year. One more goal and they’re gone. Oh, and as I’m about to hit send, the Dogs do go and get one back. Libba is taken high from a hard ball get, converts the free kick from 30m.
Well done Dees. Too polished. We're a mess.
— Andrew (@andrew_54) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q3 10:00 remaining. Dogs 4.4.28 v Dees 10.7.67. Melbourne, brilliant! Salem receives the handball at 55, steadies and drills it home, with Garlett shepherding it over the line. Again via a Dogs turnover, a long option taken and missed. “Time becoming an issue for them now,” says Huddo on the TV. 39 points the lead. Interesting from David King too, asking why Melbourne couldn’t legitimately challenge for the flag this year. Wouldn’t that be something.
NRL: Half-time. Parramatta 12 v St George 4. Dragons get one back before the half, via Neve Macdonald.
The flick pass! Nailed it.
— NRL (@NRL) June 18, 2017
The @NRL_Dragons are on the board. #NRLEelsDragons 12-4 after 37 minutes.#NRL pic.twitter.com/vtXs1vWyCJ
AFL: Q3 15:30 remaining. Dogs 4.4.28 v Dees 9.6.60. Tom Boyd has been nowhere today, but with his second kick of the encounter has his first goal from a 40m set shot. Cordy did well to chip with his non-referred left foot, Boyd getting into position nicely.
shocked about just how ragged @westernbulldogs use of the footy has been so far today. #afldogsdees
— Francis Leach (@SaintFrankly) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q3 19:00 remaining. Dogs 3.3.21 v Dees 9.6.60. What a deflating start for the Dogs. Jack Watts works his behind off to get into the hotspot, down from the wing. In the end, it is a relatively uncontested 2-on-1 grab that he takes in the square and bangs it home. Lead out to 39 points.
Updated
NRL: Try time again for Parramatta (12-0). How about Gutherson’s wheels here? Wooot. His second try, converted. He has all 12 points in the game to his name so far.
King Clint scoots away! 👑#NRLEelsDragons #NRL pic.twitter.com/RV4zQ63E3P
— NRL (@NRL) June 18, 2017
Below the line. “I’m at that stage of the year when I start barracking for teams based on how it affects my team’s position in the eight,” says MostlyGrey. “So GO Melbourne.”
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a proper eight point game this with both sides fighting for an elimination final spot in a couple of months from now.
STATS | The numbers at half-time #AFLDogsDees pic.twitter.com/OT0M9oUvxL
— Melbourne FC (@melbournefc) June 18, 2017
NRL: The Eels get the first try, Clinton Gutherson over the line then converting. At the midway point of the first half at the Olympic Stadium. Parra 6-0 ahead of St George.
AFL: Half Time. Dogs 3.3.21 v Dees 8.6.54. Jack Watts! A shot after the siren from the car park, tucked up against the boundary needing to go right to left. Threads it through to get their fourth of the quarter; a nice little steadier to push the margin back beyond five goals at the long break. Predictably, a little push and shove before they walk off. Eight goals in the final ten minutes of that quarter. Margin a fraction deceptive relative to the flow of play and the Dogs will take something from that while sipping on an energy drink.
AFL: Q2 1:00 remaining. Dogs 3.3.21 v Dees 7.6.48. Dogs bang, bang! Just as they looked on the cusp of being blown away the Dogs have slammed home two goals in a minute as the tempo of this game lifts dramatically. Bomtompelli utter class, a left foot snap from 50 moments after Daulhaus kicked his first of the afternoon. Back inside five goals. Expect more goals before the break, the game has opened up considerably in the last ten minutes. Could have came too through Mitch Honeychurch, who just misses to the near side are a frenetic passage of play through the middle.
How good is some genuine feeling in a game of footy?!
— Daniel Cherny 📰 (@DanielCherny) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q2 5:00 remaining. Dogs 1.2.8 v Dees 7.6.48. Double goal! Oh what a mess for the Dogs, and no one to blame but premiership captain Easton Wood. To begin, Hannan snaps truly from a contest 20m from the big sticks. Nice finish. Man of the moment Tomas Bugg tells Wood. He returns the favour with a hit that The Pest wasn’t expecting. To ground he goes, a free kick given, a second goal kicked before the ball has returned to the middle.
Rugby: the fall out from the Wallabies shocker last night. An AAP report from Will Genia’s press conference.
Putting his hand up for his own shocker, Will Genia admits the Wallabies need some serious soul searching if they’re to challenge the All Blacks in 2017.
Exasperated coach Michael Cheika is expected to wield the axe after the Wallabies slumped to a demoralising 24-19 loss to Scotland in Sydney on Saturday.
Accusing his team of being physically and mentally off the pace, Cheika singled out captain Michael Hooper, fullback Israel Folau and rookie inside centre Karmichael Hunt as among the few to have performed to Test standard.
The rest of the squad is on notice ahead of Saturday’s final Test of the June series, a seemingly easier assignment against Italy in Brisbane.
Cheika said physical intent would be the No.1 selection criteria for Australia’s last Test before back-to-back Bledisloe Cup battles in August with the world No.1 All Blacks, who thumped Samoa 78-0 on Friday.
AFL: Q2 7:51 remaining. Dogs 1.2.8 v Dees 5.5.35. At last! Caleb Daniel gets on the end of a fast break, turns and slots it through from 40m. Only took the Dogs 23 entrances inside 50 to get a six pointer. 27 points now the margin. Meanwhile, the Tomas Bugg tweet generating plenty of chat on the world wide web. Thoughts?
How is that anything more than a bit of fun? It's nothing more. Not a sledge, not disrespectful, not fuel on a fire. #AFLDogsDees pic.twitter.com/L1OCfEzYXM
— Adam White (@White_Adam) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q2 8:55 remaining. Dogs 0.2.2 v Dees 5.5.35. Blimey, what’s going on there? Easton Wood is absolutely convinced he has got a finger on the Harmes snap, they prepare accordingly. But the TV umpire doesn’t agree and the goal is confirmed. “That will be a talking point during the week,” says Jonathan Brown. Not wrong. The lead could be a lot bigger, too. Moments earlier, Jazzy Jeff Garlett hits his low-percentage snap nicely, but it hits the post. That came after Jack Watts failed to score from a set shot 35m out. All Melbourne.
The McDonald brothers' most productive day since the invention of the quarter pounder with cheese. #AFLDogsDees
— Daniel Cherny 📰 (@DanielCherny) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q2 12:20 remaining. Dogs 0.2.2 v Dees 4.3.27. Plenty of unhappy Dogs fans. Unhappy at umpiring decisions. Unhappy with the opposition. Mostly unhappy that we’re nearly half way through the second quarter and they’re yet to kick a goal. A goalless half, anyone? In the NRL, we’re away at the Olympic Stadium, the Eels and the Dragons. I’ll keep an eye on it.
STAT | Inside 50s:
— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) June 18, 2017
Dogs 18
Demons 13
But Melbourne leads 26 to 2. #AFLDogsDees
AFL: Q2 17:44 remaining. Dogs 0.2.2 v Dees 4.2.26. We’re upstairs for a score review. Long snap from Daulhaus. It looks to be straight, but it has clipped the post according to the goal umpire and that can’t be overturned by the third umpire without conclusive proof. A behind registered, the Dogs still yet to put one through.
"We can put a man on the moon, surely we can get some camera's that can actually a tell if a ball has hit the post" Nick Dal Santo
— 1116 SEN Footy (@SENfooty) June 18, 2017
The Jong injury. David King on TV saying that ACL is the talk on the boundary line. Let’s hope not.
Lin Jong was helped from the field after this incident. #AFLDogsDees pic.twitter.com/WdGa1ylX3r
— AFL (@AFL) June 18, 2017
I missed this before. About an hour before the game Tomas Bugg having a pop at JJ. Good from him, I think. Less good: Lin Jong. Nothing formal as yet, but all the boundary line reporting suggests he’s in real strife.
Luke Beveridge, says Jonathan Brown on the TV, spent the whole 1/4 time break addressing the players rather than them splitting off to line coaches. In other words, he’s probably given them a huge spray. Always have time for this.
Dees coach responds to Tomas Bugg's Instagram post aimed at an opponent --> https://t.co/SW7IsDjZcb pic.twitter.com/UNnDu8aqbP
— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) June 18, 2017
AFL: Quarter Time. Dogs 0.1.1 v Dees 4.2.26. The defending champs are in all sorts. They needed to bounce back badly urgently after their thrashing last week, but instead have registered their first goalless term for 15 months. Ouch. Not to take anything away from Melbourne, who are playing with the vigour of a side who know that they aren’t far away from a finals berth. Illustrated nicely by the fact that three of their four goals came from direct turnovers through excellent tackles.
Best Demons 1st quarter for 20+ years. #AFLDogsDees
— Tony Tea (@AfterGrogBlog) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q 2:08 remaining. Dogs 0.1.1 v Dees 4.2.26. And another! Bugg set up the previous goal, and does again here with a timely tackle on Matt Suckling, it’s boomed into the Melbourne 50 and last week’s hero Jack Watts takes the grab. Well, is paid the mark in any case. From 35m right in front, he kicks truly. Three goals in about 90 seconds. Boom.
Christian Petracca's pressure sets the tone. #AFLDogsDees pic.twitter.com/OgYWkSO0Gb
— AFL (@AFL) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q 3:00 remaining. Dogs 0.1.1 v Dees 3.2.20. Brilliant forward 50 pressure from Christian Petracca, stripping Shane Biggs of possession deep in the pocket and having the composure to collect the ball and bang it home from point blank range. On their way to a deserved handy lead at the quarter time break. Nearing a goalless quarter for the Dogs for the first time since Rd 3 last year. And another for Melbourne! From the clearance, Pedersen getting on the end of turnover inside 50, kicking over the top to Garlett in the squad, who gets Melbourne’s third of the quarter. Great footy.
Bad news - Lin Jong. Helped off by the trainers with a knee injury. First signs: not good.
Mick Warner: "Lin Jong is in the back row of the bench. He appears to be in tears." #AFLDogsDees
— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q 6:00 remaining. Dogs 0.1.1 v Dees 1.1.7. Turnovers, turnovers, turnoevers. Almost all going one way, Melbourne well on top here as the quarter ticks away with only three scoring shots so far. In turn, a post to denote a behind: James Harmes tried to thread a drop punt through from the pocket, but missed to the near side. At the other end, Bontempelli’s snap nearly gets over the line but bounces back the other way. Paul Roos on the TV: “What Melbourne have been able to do is taken the sting out of the Bulldog’s counter attack.”
Melbourne's pressure has been superb in this first quarter. Dogs can't catch a breath. #AFLDogsDees
— Anna Harrington (@AnnaHarrington) June 18, 2017
AFL: Q1 13:36 remaining. Dogs 0.1.1 v Dees 1.0.6. Opening major of the game after both sides took a while to settle with plenty of possessions around both 50m arcs, some big tackles made to prevent shots on goal. But Jeff Garlett weights an inside 50 perfectly to find Dom Tyson 30 out. He turns around and makes no mistake from the set shot.
"It's a frantic pace early, they are almost going to quick for themselves though" Nick Dal Santo
— 1116 SEN Footy (@SENfooty) June 18, 2017
A lot of chat. Before this game about Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen. Had nine touches against Sydney last night bringing loads of scrutiny. “The footy world watches JJ for his response,” former Dogs great Brad Johnson’s assessment. Nice little montage with all this on the telly as the siren sounds. We’re away at the Docklands.
Updated
Sunday Sportwatch!
Welcome to a truncated version of sportwatch this midwinter Sunday. Only on the basis that we’ve reached that part of the season where the footy codes get a breather via bye rounds and the like, and the netball has wrapped up with yesterday’s Grand Final.
But never fear: we still have a couple of feature games coming up for you this afternoon. It’s Adam Collins to steer you through the action before I hotfoot it to The Oval in London for the India v Pakistan Champions Trophy Final.
In the AFL, it is the match of the round at Docklands where the Dogs are about to host the Dees. An old fashioned eight-point game as they say, the defending champs currently limping along in 9th place on the ladder, with the plucky Dees sitting 7th.
The Sons of the ‘Scray have won five of the last six meetings between the teams, but that counts for little with the most recent encounter back in round eight last year – a lifetime ago for a side that went on to win the most miraculous of flags.
But if they are going to have a chance at going back-to-back come September, they need to fine a way to make amends and fast, having copped a beating at the hands of Sydney last Thursday night. By contrast, Melbourne won a close one in their Queen’s Birthday Monday blockbuster against the Pies.
Specifically: they just need to kick more goals, coming into this game 15th for average points put on the board through 2017. Both sides use plenty of it, the Dees second for average touches. So, let’s hope for a free-flowing game of skillful footy.
Meanwhile, at 4pm in the final match of Round 15 in the NRL it is Parramatta and St George at the Olympic Stadium, coming into the fixture 9th and 4th respectively.
The Eels got turned over by the fast-finishing Cowboys last week, running into Johnathan Thurstans turning back the clock. St George also lost their previous start, going down 16-2 to Canterbury on the public holiday.
Parra won the corresponding fixture in round two, but it was the last time they knocked off a side inside the eight. But they will have a good chance to dump their flat track bully tag with the Dragons’ ranks taking a more significant origin hit.
Righto. They’re just about ready to roll in Melbourne, so let’s do this. Of course, please share your thoughts with me through the day. Here on the email, or @collinsadam for the idiot machine.
Adam will be with you shortly. While you’re waiting, here’s a reminder of what happened on a busy day yesterday:
Updated