49 disposals in a game off half back. All four quarters in double digits. 12, 13, 14, and 10 for those wondering.
Although it felt like Bailey Dale was able to do largely as he pleased – and being allowed to have 26 handball receives, the most in a game since late 2022, indicates as much, in reality, the story should be centred more on how well he played.
Benefiting from the Bulldogs’ on-ball domination and none of Essendon’s half forwards being able to stick with him, this week’s Notebook entry is all about how Dale collected those 49 disposals, putting on a clinic in playing the half back position.
—
The Patreon is up and running once again for 2025, which you can find right here. The three tiers are much the same as previous years, with refined features for the top two.
Patreon subscribers get early access to the Notebook each week as part of their benefits for signing up.
In addition to Patreon, you can find me on Twitter – and also Bluesky, where vibes are much more pleasant and there’s much less hate. It’s nice.
—
Kick ins (6)
Those six disposals are self-explanatory. It’s the follow up that can provide insight into how a team is defending.
Bulldogs opponents dedicate plenty of time to minimising Dale’s influence off half back. Some opt to play a defensive forward, while others try to play through Dale’s opponent. A third option, which is rare but happens from time to time, is when the Bulldogs gain possession, whoever’s closest to Dale takes that responsibility, completely disconnecting from the team defence.
All it takes is a half second and Dale is near-impossible to catch. Which would have made this passage set off alarm bells. Even though the second disposal in the chain isn’t perfect (and the third is a clean-up), allowing Dale to follow up is the exact opposite of any team’s plan.
Intercept possessions (6)
Captain Obvious says it’s tough to game plan to stop intercept possessions from a half back. But the post isn’t all supposed to be about what could have been done to stop Dale, it’s also focusing on his positives.
Dale’s intercept in this example is a prime case of baiting. It’s a common plank of every team’s defence, trying to tease opponents into attempting a possession and then swooping; executed to perfection here. Note the first part of the clip is slowed down to make it easier to spot:
Team defence v individual defence
This is arguably the toughest decision to make without the ball when your job is on one of the opponent’s most dangerous players.
Everyone is drilled relentlessly to come up and pressure the ball carrier, letting your teammates behind you follow the cues to also squeeze the ground.
Get it right and it creates a turnover in a dangerous area. Get it wrong and the ball rockets down the other end in the blink of an eye. And the decision has to be made in the blink of an eye as well.
And then the Bulldogs pull off a pretty little handball sequence to exploit even the slightest bit of indecision. It’s fun to watch.
At other times Dale’s disposals came in the flow of the system. In this case we see Sam Davidson having pushed deep into defence.
Because of either sharp offensive system from the Bulldogs (glass half full) or Essendon not shifting over and adjusting in time (glass half empty), it was only a matter of time until Dale picked up another disposal from the overlap created by the Bulldogs.
—
For those who have missed it, the last five Notebook entries on The Shinboner, plus…
2025’s Team Structures Page
Rolling stoppages and fast-tracked rookies: Round 9’s Notebook
A centre bounce setup: Round 8’s Notebook
Midfielders in tandem, midfielders progressing: Round 7’s Notebook
Veterans, offence, and scoring: Round 6’s Notebook
Checking in on the 0-5 teams: Round 5’s Notebook
—
An offensive licence…
It’s not quite the free rein of some other players across the league, but Dale does have a certain element of freedom in his game to pick his spots when the Bulldogs are in possession.
Sometimes it can backfire – like it could have in this next example if Archer Day-Wicks’ tackle forced a turnover. But more often than not, Dale’s ability to read the offensive flow of a chain allows him to get used on the outside. The Bulldogs hold their balance on the outside of contests better than most teams.
…and lateral options
A close cousin of this is providing a second or third option in the chain after the Bulldogs win possession.
This clip actually starts with an Essendon long kick down the line, where we can see Dale on the inside of the centre square.
By the time he’s used after the turnover, he’s essentially on the exact same line but about 20 metres closer to his defensive goal. It’s a great scramble across from Isaac Kako to prevent a clean disposal.
Transition disposals
When play is in flux, it’s where Dale thrives. The best half backs are a step or two ahead of everyone else, almost like they’re ticking boxes.
– If we win the ball there…
– Then if I get to here…
– It’s where I need to be to allow us to rebound
In this example we can see Dale jogging at the bottom of the screen alongside Sam Durham. By the time Rory Lobb looks up after his intercept mark a couple of seconds later, Dale is the option available in the pocket and continues running for a second disposal.
These passages were plentiful on the night.
—
The Create Your Own Depth Chart feature is now part of the List Management suite, all on the $5 tier for Patreon subscribers:
You can subscribe to the Patreon for 2025 right here. The three tiers are much the same as previous years, with refined features for the top two.
—
Following up
In the first clip we saw Dale take a kick in and then immediately get the ball back. It’s a feature of any good half back, and importantly for the Bulldogs, Dale always provides the option.
Sometimes he’ll be marked, against top teams he’ll be covered more often than not. But because it’s always there, it just takes a split-second switch off from the defence and Dale can put the Bulldogs within range of home. All starting from a nothing uncontested mark on the boundary, defensive side of the wing.
Even though the final kick of this chain ends in a turnover, it’s the same process that Essendon are unable to stop.
No stat chasing
Right to the end, Dale was still making his disposals matter – even if no one would have begrudged him for chasing numbers after a job well done.
The last clip comes in the final two minutes of the game. Dale is still using his skill set to drive the team forward. It was a great cap on a clinic of how to play the half back position.