Rhyce Shaw admits playing injured Ben Cunnington an error as Bulldogs and Josh Bruce run riot
North Melbourne was hammered by the Bulldogs and Rhyce Shaw isn’t shying away from making an error of his own at selection and there could be other reasons for the poor performance. But how good was Josh Bruce for the winners?
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Rarely do you have a coach confess to making the wrong call at the selection table.
But the ever-honest Rhyce Shaw did just that, owning his decision to pick midfielder Ben Cunnington for Saturday night’s clash with the Western Bulldogs.
Cunnington had missed North Melbourne’s past two matches and remained under a cloud all week with a persistent back complaint.
From the opening bounce, Cunnington looked hampered and things only got worse after he copped a knee to the back in a first-quarter marking contest.
The 29-year-old spent the second quarter as a deep forward to try and limit the damage, before spending most of the second half on the bench.
“He’s obviously had that issue coming in and it just didn’t get any better,” Shaw said.
“He was in doubt all week as we stated earlier in the week and he got up, we were confident and I made the decision to play him.
“It possibly was the wrong call, but we were really confident, to be honest, on all the evidence we were given.”
You can understand why the Kangaroos rolled the dice on the contested-ball beast.
After consecutive losses, the club was desperate to get back on the winners’ board and North Melbourne has a 0-5 record from games Cunnington has not played in since the start of 2016.
But it was clearly a big roll of the dice that didn’t come off.
Cunnington played just 50 minutes of game time and had only seven disposals.
The Kangaroos will just be hoping now that he hasn’t done any further damage that will sideline him longer.
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BRILLIANT BRUCE
Luke Beveridge pleaded with the football world to give forward Josh Bruce some time during the week.
Beveridge suggested Bruce had received a raw deal from the umpires with holds off the ball and added that the Bulldogs’ poor start to the season had not helped the recruit.
Pre-game, Beveridge said he would be happy with a goalless outing from his key forward, as long as he produced a contest.
But Bruce was almighty against the Kangaroos, booting an equal career-high six goals in a sterling performance.
One teammate suggested post-match that the Roos might now be Bruce’s “bunnies”, given the former Saint also kicked six goals against North Melbourne in Round 16 last year.
“We feel like he’s been working really hard and competing his tail off and tonight he got the rewards,” Beveridge said of Bruce.
“When he had a look and jump he was strong and obviously converted. He got the spoils for the foundations that he’s laid.
“I get the public concern and even intrigue around maybe the fact that an acquisition or a boy who has moved over to a club isn’t getting the spoils, but we have been happy with what he’s been doing, the way he’s worked. He’s been really positive.”
Bruce, who was traded to the Bulldogs last October in exchange for picks 32 and 51, kicked three goals in the first half and a further three in the second half.
His haul – against an experienced defender in Robbie Tarrant, mind you – came after the 28-year-old had booted just two goals from his first four games in Bulldogs colours.
Maybe Bruce just likes being the No.1 man, with fellow key forward Aaron Naughton (ankle) going out of the Round 5 side?
If so, he had plenty more time to shine, with Naughton set for at least another month on the sidelines.
WHAT’S HAPPENED TO BEN BROWN?
At the other end, North Melbourne key forward Ben Brown didn’t have quite as good a night against the Bulldogs.
But it was far from all his fault.
Brown went scoreless for just the third time in three years, despite having 11 disposals and six marks opposed to Bulldogs backman Alex Keath.
The 27-year-old kicked 64 goals at an average of 2.9 a game last year to finish second in the Coleman Medal race behind Greater Western Sydney’s Jeremy Cameron.
From five games this year, Brown has now kicked just six goals at an average of 1.2 a game, including only one goal from his part two outings.
But the Kangaroos’ ball use going forward is as much to blame as Brown perhaps being a little out of touch.
As former Richmond forward Matthew Richardson put it on the broadcast: “He’s struggling to find space, the last few weeks at least. And I wouldn’t say North Melbourne’s ball use has been helping him out.”
Kangaroos coach Shaw went further, slamming his side’s ball use at halftime after the Roos had recorded 21 inside 50s for just two goals.
“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot, to be honest,” Shaw said at the main break.
“Our disposal going inside 50s been atrocious and if we don’t improve that we’re going to get nowhere.”
Unfortunately for North Melbourne, that use going forward did not get a lot better in the second half.
The side finished with only four less inside-50s than the Bulldogs, but copped a 49-point loss.
ROCK SOLID DEFENCE
As good as Josh Bruce and the Bulldogs’ forward line was, the backline was equally impressive, if not better.
And it’s becoming a trend which coach Luke Beveridge is very happy about.
The Bulldogs conceded just 5.8 (38) to North Melbourne, making it the third time from as many games they have held their opposition to under 40 points.
Alex Keath held Brown goalless in a key role, while Bailey Williams, Caleb Daniel, Jason Johannisen, Zaine Cordy, Hayden Crozier and Easton Wood all contributed in a rock-solid display.
“I mentioned after the St Kilda game (in Round 2) that we needed to make some adjustments with our defence, not just our back six but what we were doing around the footy,” Beveridge said.
“I just think our back seven again, the boys that went through there, were just outstanding. Our high defenders and our aerialists and both Keithy and Zaine down there deeper, they were just brilliant.”
On the point of what the Bulldogs were doing around the ball, they simply brought the heat to the Kangaroos’ ball carriers.
The Bulldogs applied their highest amount of pressure in any match so far this season.
From Rounds 1-4, Beveridge’s side ranked 13th for pressure factor, averaging 1.81 – below the AFL average of 1.85.
Against North Melbourne, they recorded an impressive pressure factor of 1.94.
ROUGH NIGHT
It wasn’t a great advertisement for the AFL when three young stars suffered concussions in a single match – and it could have been four.
Western Bulldogs’ midfielder Bailey Smith was concussed in a head clash after receiving a crunching tackle from Shaun Atley midway through the first quarter.
North Melbourne forward Tarryn Thomas was a second-quarter concussion victim, landing awkwardly after flying for a huge pack mark.
Bulldogs onballer Latham Vandermeer copped an accidental knee to the head from Tristian Xerri while he was scrambling for a ground ball in the third quarter.
Then North Melbourne’s Jack Mahoney received concussion testing in the final term after a sling tackle from Hayden Crozier.
Crozier did not have Mahoney’s arms pinned and it was at the lesser end of sling tackles.
But it will be looked at nonetheless.
ROUGH WEEK
North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw wasn’t looking for excuses for the 49-point loss.
But there is no doubt the difficult week for Kangaroos players was less than ideal preparation.
More than a dozen Kangaroos players living in COVID-19 hot spots were forced out of their homes at short notice during the week and into temporary accommodation elsewhere to avoid suburb lockdowns.
“I don’t like using excuses for football games but with the environment the way it is at the moment, it would have played some part, I guess,” Shaw said when asked about the impact the week had.
“But everyone’s dealing with it, the whole AFL’s dealing with it.”
The Kangaroos are set to jet off to the Gold Coast on Monday as part of an AFL hub.
Shaw said no players had told him they would not be coming, in positive news.
ROO RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT BONT’S TAG VULNERABILITY
Luke McDonald might just be the posterboy Victorian premier Dan Andrews has been searching for.
Just hours after McDonald moved out of his Kensington hotspot home he went into the sort of full-blown lockdown mode that health authorities have been crying out for.
Tasked with following Marcus Bontempelli, it was as if the Western Bulldogs captain had pinched McDonald’s luggage en route to Marvel Stadium.
At the end McDonald’s 15 disposals had Bontempelli’s 13 covered, and many of those were ineffective.
With the Dogs’ No. 1 ball winner Bailey Smith (concussion) ruled out early after a bone-rattling bump from Shaun Atley, and Josh Dunkley and Lachie Hunter unavailable, there was cause for concern.
Pleasingly for the Bulldogs, it mattered little. This is a team with its mojo back, blessed with a bounty of energetic matchwinners.
Into the centre came the likes of Rhylee West and Pat Lipinski and on rolled the winning streak, the 49-point win lifting their percentage from 84.1 to 103.5.
The second half was a rout.
With Aaron Naughton (ankle) absent the Bulldogs leaned on recruit Josh Bruce, and he booted six goals — one more than the Roos — just as he did against North Melbourne last year.
In the final term Josh Schache pulled in his team’s 14th mark inside 50m, the most for the Bulldogs this season.
At the other end Ben Brown is out of contract and out of form.
Brown collected just two kicks last week and was held scoreless last night as Easton Wood (six intercept marks) picked off entries as if they were apples in an orchard.
HUNTER AND COLLECTOR
It’ll be three cheers for the 1980-90s breed of Bulldog when Hunter returns from suspension against Carlton on Sunday.
Hunter will make it five father-sons in the one line-up for the first time, joining West, Tom Liberatore, Zaine Cordy and Mitch Wallis.
Hunter has already raised $4605 for the Alfred Hospital’s road accident trauma program through his Dry July fundraiser in a response that simply must be respected.
As for West, who will turn 20 against the Blues, there were shades of his old man as he slipped through congestion.
OLD DOG, NEW TRICK
Premiership forward Toby McLean is being reprogrammed into a defensive tagger. McLean broke into the Round 3 team to tag Lachie Whitfield and last night he was assigned the job on Shaun Higgins.
McLean not only quelled North’s playmaker (Higgins had six kicks) but he also led the Dogs for disposals at halftime and took the game on between the arcs.
Playing McLean’s old role up forward is Laitham Vandermeer, and it appears the Bulldogs have found one in the Mooroopna boy.
The lively goalkicker has pace to burn and is as hard as a beechnut, which he needed to be after taking a knee to the head in the third quarter.
GOLDEN LANGUAGE
Todd Goldstein bullied Tim English when these teams last met. Goldstein’s 57 hit-outs, 28 disposals and three Brownlow Medal votes helped North Melbourne upset the Dogs.
But English’s growth in the past month was underlined by last night’s turnaround. There was a pack mark in the third quarter and Polly Farmer-esque handball in the fourth quarter to complement his powerful running game.
English reminds some teammates of Dean Cox and while Goldstein kicked North’s first two goals this was a duel eventually won by the 22-year-old.
BONT AND NORTH HAVE HISTORY
It is not quite at GWS proportions, but there’s a bit of history between The Bont and North Melbourne.
Lindsay Thomas knocked out Lachie Hunter in 2016 and Bontempelli declared: “We didn’t really like it at all, we thought there was quite a bit of malice in it”.
The Roos didn’t really like those comments and then targeted Bontempelli in the rematch, where he oddly received maximum coach’s votes from Luke Beveridge and none from Brad Scott.
Last night’s close attention showed that there is still a little bit of heat in the oven.
DOGS WANT FAMILIES ALONG FOR RIDE
—Sam Landsberger
Western Bulldogs will take every player to their hub when they fly into the Queensland sun as the AFL’s hottest team on Sunday, sharing a 1pm flight with Richmond.
Premiership coach Luke Beveridge said he wanted all “six or seven” players with young families to bring their kids and said it would be impossible for the AFL to deny their requests.
Defender Easton Wood will bring his pregnant wife Tiffany and their young daughter Tilly while forward Mitch Wallis’s wife Emily gave birth to their daughter Charlotte last month.
“There’ll be a social aspect to it for us,” Beveridge said.
“We’ll have to endure the first 14 days with the shackles around our ankles, but all the boys are coming up and that’s tremendous.
“I’m hoping the partners and kids, there’s six or seven, can all come too. That’ll be great to have the girls along and the toddlers and the infants.
“You’ve got to make a case for yourself but I can’t see how you’d be able to knock back a father who wants to take his partner and their child up for a month.
“Especially when the children are so young – you blink and they’ve changed.”
The Bulldogs will fly north as the form team in the AFL after crushing North Melbourne by 49 points on Saturday night to record their third-straight victory.
Premiership wingman Lachie Hunter starred in the pre-match scratch match and Beveridge said he could play anywhere in the front half after training more as an inside midfielder recently.
Bailey Smith (concussion) and Laitham Vandermeer suffered head knocks and are in doubt for Sunday’s clash against Carlton.
Luckless midfielder Lin Jong, who took three contested marks, suffered an ankle injury but bravely finished the match to ensure Beveridge still had two rotations.
“He’ll be an assess as the week goes on. Hopefully that Queensland sun and vitamin D gets into him straight away,” Beveridge said.
Ruckman Tim English was embarrassed by Todd Goldstein last year but Beveridge said after last night’s response “the skeleton in the closet was dragged out and thrown in the rubbish”.
The Dogs recorded their highest pressure factor for the season (1.94) and, in the second half, won 53 more disposals, eight more ground balls and booted eight goals to three.
COVID EVACUATION PLAYED ROLE IN POOR PERFORMANCE: SHAW
—Chris Cavanagh
North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw said his team was “shown up” around the contest, adding that his decision to play midfielder Ben Cunnington “possibly was the wrong call”.
Cunnington had been in doubt with a back complaint all week and had missed the Kangaroos’ previous two matches.
He looked hampered early before copping a knock in a first-quarter marking contest which only made things worse.
Cunnington spent the second quarter as a deep forward and spent most of the second half on the bench.
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“He’s obviously had that issue coming in and it just didn’t get any better,” Shaw said.
Shaw said no players had told him they would not be joining the club in a Gold Coast hub, with the Kangaroos set to fly out at noon on Monday.
However, Shaw said the week which had seen more than a dozen players forced out of their homes had been difficult.
“I don’t like using excuses for football games but with the environment the way it is at the moment, it would have played some part I guess,” Shaw said.
“But everyone’s dealing with it, the whole AFL’s dealing with it.”
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 2.2 5.5 10.6 13.9 (87)
NORTH MELBOURNE: 1.2 2.3 3.5 5.8 (38)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Bruce 6, Wallis 2, Schache 2, Richards, Vandermeer, Dale.
North Melbourne: Goldstein 2, Taylor 2, Zurhaar
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Bruce, English, Wood, Johannisen, Liberatore, Crozier, Daniel, McLean, Keath
North Melbourne: Dumont, McDonald, Simpkin, Taylor, Goldstein, Tarrant
VOTES
3. Josh Bruce (WB)
2. Tim English (WB)
1. Easton Wood (WB)