Round 9 Recap: Eagles Tame Dogs; Treat them Tricks like Lying Dead

Oh dear.
What a fantastic title.
Almost as fantastic as our performance.
 Then I woke up.

But it wasn't a dream.

We really did absolutely and unequivocally destroy the Western Bulldogs. Whether it was Kerr's class, Shuey's poise or Kennedy's brilliance it was a nigh perfect afternoon.
For their part, the Dogs showed glimpses but were outworked and out-pressured.
There were so many great efforts yesterday but Kennedy takes the votes. He was amazing. Dominant. He had about 3 or 4 opponents and kicked goals on all of them. He took marks on the lead, contested marks, marks with his eyes closed, marks without pants.
The first thing I thought of was this:

Kennedy will be, by the end of his career, barring injuries, the greatest big forward to ever play at the club. I know we've had some good ones; Sumich...etc. but JJK is the one that promises to be the most talented and consistent. It's comforting to think that the one guy that could challenge this is Jack Darling.

To the midfield. Shuey has exploded. He has so much poise and polish. He seems to have the ability to win contested football and be efficient in disposal. Moreover, he does one thing our mids havene't done of late: kick goals. Just a lazy 5 for the young lad.
It's Shuey's emergence which has contributed to Kerr's resurrection. This guy has so much class and we're finally seeing it on a regular basis.
Similarly, Naitanui's form has helped Cox re-establish himself as the top ruckmen in the game.

The one issue I spotted yesterday was down back. Generally we were very good. But I do worry about Ashley Smith. He seems to be a bit of a trunover machine. He has a long kick, but if he goes short he isn't very accurate. However, Brown and Waters will no doubt supplant him once their respective injuries have abated.

So- Top 8? Top 4? PREMIERSHIP!!!???

We must all relax. It's been a stunning turnaround. But it's round 9.
Sure, if we continue to play this well we will make the finals and possibly top 4.
But the question is can we keep this up?
 ....
We face Collingwood at the G on Sunday.  Massive game. Get close and we gain respect. Lose big and we not only lose respect but also confidence.

Misanthropic Eagle