"Too many times he was caught in no man’s land" - Western Bulldogs defender under scrutiny following Brisbane Lions defeat
Western Bulldogs defender Liam Jones is facing mounting criticism for repeatedly finding himself “caught in no man’s land” during the team’s 43-point defeat to the Brisbane Lions on Friday night. Ruby Schleicher, among others, has pointed out several moments where Jones’s positioning left the Bulldogs vulnerable.
The Bulldogs’ impressive win streak came to an end at the hands of the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium. The Lions’ stars Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher contributed strongly to the win with Hipwood breaking free for a career-best six goals, and Daniher contributing 2.3.
Luke Beveridge’s side finished with -15 contested possessions and -18 clearances less than the Lions. The Western Bulldogs spent most of the game pinned in their defensive half and lost the inside 50 count 64-45.
Despite the constant pressure on the Western Bulldogs’ defense, two-time AFLW All-Australian defender Ruby Schleicher criticized Jones for getting “sucked up to the ball'' as well as his poor positioning. Watching a replay of the game, Schleider said on Fox Footy Live:
“Joe Daniher stays back and (Jones) gets caught in no man’s land – he doesn’t know whether to go or not. Here’s a good example, you see Jones makes the right decision ... comes forward and it turns into a Jamarra-Ugle Hagan goal. That’s what we need to see more consistently.”
Schleicher believes that Jones was ultimately inconsistent in his judgment of when to play more defensively accountable. The star Magpie defender said:
“There were too many times he was caught in no man’s land and ball watching. There were even numbers ahead of him, so he didn’t have to go and impact, but was caught neither here nor there. He needs to shut down on that at the moment.”
Hawthorn veteran on Liam Jones’ form during Western Bulldogs’ loss to Brisbane
Following the Western Bulldogs’ 43-point loss to the Brisbane Lions on Friday, former Hawthorn sharpshooter Ben Dixon joined AFLW Collingwood defender Ruby Schleicher and Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy on Fox Footy Live.
Dixon declared that Bulldogs premier key defender Liam Jones’ performance was the most “rattled” he had seen him. However, he noted:
“It’s pretty daunting when (Brisbane is) moving the ball like that and you’ve got Daniher and Hipwood there, I’d be twitching too if I was a defender.”
Gerard Healy added:
“He got caught out by a couple of their turnover kicks and that put him in no man’s land.”
Western Bulldogs remain at the 11th place on the table with a 6-7 record. The Bulldogs will look to make a comeback in their match against Fremantle next week at Marvel Stadium ahead of the Dogs’ mid-season bye in Round 15.