TonyK
CibbuanoTop-three finish the goal, says Eade
June 23rd 2008 01:29
THE Western Bulldogs may have moved into second spot on the AFL ladder following their hard-fought 10-point win over Collingwood on Sunday night but coach Rodney Eade admits it may not matter come the end of the home-and-away season where they finish in the top three.
That is because of the gap that league leaders Geelong, the Bulldogs and Hawthorn have opened up on the rest of the competition.
Currently fourth placed Sydney are six points adrift of the Hawks and then Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions a further six points back in fifth and sixth place respectively with just nine rounds remaining.
"It's interesting with the Melbourne teams in it - if you finish first, second or third there is no real big difference," Eade said, given any first week final between those teams would be played at the MCG anyway.
"If we finish second and play a Melbourne team third, it's the same as third playing second."
"(But) it's a real advantage if you play an interstate side (in a final in Melbourne)."
Eade said the club was now focused on staying in the top three and ahead of interstate teams such as Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane - thus ensuring the Bulldogs don't have to travel in the first week of the finals.
"I said at the start of the year we needed to win enough games to make the top eight and I think we've got that now," Eade said of the Dogs' 11 wins and a draw after 13 rounds - the most number of premiership points the club has ever achieved by this stage of the season.
"I think you will probably need 14-and-a-half wins for top four (but) as a club we have got to aim high and that's what good teams do."
Eade said he was pleased with how his side responded in front of a pro-Collingwood crowd at Telstra Dome after trailing by 23 points at the 18-minute mark of the third term.
"Collingwood are a tough side and to be able to hang in there and be able to forge ahead like we did I think was a fair credit to the resolve to the group," he said.
"We have played a few of those (big) games with pressure like that now and we have coped pretty well."
"Different opponents do different things and go with different match-ups and there are different types of pressure and that is what we have got to cope with but we have coped with it reasonably well."
That is because of the gap that league leaders Geelong, the Bulldogs and Hawthorn have opened up on the rest of the competition.
Currently fourth placed Sydney are six points adrift of the Hawks and then Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions a further six points back in fifth and sixth place respectively with just nine rounds remaining.
"It's interesting with the Melbourne teams in it - if you finish first, second or third there is no real big difference," Eade said, given any first week final between those teams would be played at the MCG anyway.
"If we finish second and play a Melbourne team third, it's the same as third playing second."
"(But) it's a real advantage if you play an interstate side (in a final in Melbourne)."
Eade said the club was now focused on staying in the top three and ahead of interstate teams such as Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane - thus ensuring the Bulldogs don't have to travel in the first week of the finals.
"I said at the start of the year we needed to win enough games to make the top eight and I think we've got that now," Eade said of the Dogs' 11 wins and a draw after 13 rounds - the most number of premiership points the club has ever achieved by this stage of the season.
"I think you will probably need 14-and-a-half wins for top four (but) as a club we have got to aim high and that's what good teams do."
Eade said he was pleased with how his side responded in front of a pro-Collingwood crowd at Telstra Dome after trailing by 23 points at the 18-minute mark of the third term.
"Collingwood are a tough side and to be able to hang in there and be able to forge ahead like we did I think was a fair credit to the resolve to the group," he said.
"We have played a few of those (big) games with pressure like that now and we have coped pretty well."
"Different opponents do different things and go with different match-ups and there are different types of pressure and that is what we have got to cope with but we have coped with it reasonably well."
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