Stillness and Speed is the title of the Dutch maestro Dennis Bergamps autobiography. It is also an apt way to describe the contrasting yet highly effective attributes brought to the Western Bulldogs by two key members of their Grand Final side: Matthew Boyd and Jason Johannisen.Boyd is the stillness, the calmness at the heart of the Bulldogs back half. Moved from midfield to defence in one of Luke Beveridges first decisions as senior coach last year, he has experienced a resurgence in fortunes illustrated by All Australian selection.Johannisen, 11 years Boyds junior, is the speed that breaks from that same defensive line to shape many a Bulldogs attack, and offers a tremendous avenue to capitalise on the teams inside skills. This was never better illustrated than during the preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney, when Johannisen broke away time and again, either to relieve pressure or impose it.These two contrasting players have equally contrasting backgrounds. Boyd was raised in Melbournes southwest, playing his early football for Narre Warren, Dandenong Stingrays and Frankston in the VFL. Johannisen lived in Johannesburg until he was eight years old, when his parents chose to move to Western Australia, having enjoyed a holiday there. A background featuring as much athletics, rugby and soccer as AFL helped give Johannisen his speed and evasive ability.As a kid I was just blessed to have that speed and at school carnivals I was winning every race and stuff like that, Johannisen says. I did a bit of junior athletics growing up so that definitely helped technique-wise and things like that, but I think mostly its just good genetics. I dont have much memory of Johannesburg, just of riding my bike to the shop, playing soccer on the street with neighbourhood kids and all that kind of stuff. I was very grateful my parents decided to move to Perth to give me and my sister a better opportunity at life.My dad played soccer so I was a big soccer fan, and rugby too obviously being born in South Africa. When I first got to Perth I started playing rugby, and my cousin at the time was playing footy and his team needed some extra numbers and I decided to have a try and just loved everything about the sport, so exciting and entertaining to play.That enthusiasm was something Boyd had always shown through more than a decade trucking through the Bulldogs midfield. But it was the arrival of Beveridge as coach for 2015 that had Boyd looking beyond his habitual centreline commission for another role. The game had evolved almost to be unrecognisable from the more individually contested brand Boyd began with, but those years of watching it change made him an astute choice have an overview from half-back.It was just a pretty informal discussion with Bevo when he first came to the footy club about seeing me being able to play a different position and add a string to my bow, Boyd says. It was always really a plan B to be a beckman and to come out of the midfield and go down there.He thought having someone with experience and game sense there, being able to see the game in front of you might help us with setting up the ground and with our ball use coming out of defence. I really wanted to work hard on it over the pre-season, make sure I was ready to go in that first pre-season under Bevo to roll into the season and play that sort of role.It was a pretty quick progression from plan B to plan A, but its worked out pretty well. Ive been happy that late in my career Ive been able to adapt and play a different role for the side.By his own admission, the games changes have tested Boyd as a player not noted for explosive speed. But at the same time his experience and calm have helped other young players to find the right mix of the intense and cerebral in a Bulldogs side that leans as heavily on skill as it does on the fighting spirit conjure up by thoughts of the working class western suburbs.I spent the early part of my career playing real lockdown defensive roles in back pockets, Boyd says. Footy was a lot different when I first started 15 years ago, playing that sort of role was a lot different to being a beckman now, where they really are part of an extended midfield group. Weve seen in a lot of sides theyre a really important part of moving the ball.The speed of the game has certainly increased a lot. It used to sort me a lot more being a one-pace player, being able to truck around and get from contest to contest. But its certainly more explosive now and the demands for high end speed are a lot higher on players. Its become a very tactical, structural game, youve got to have your wits about you and see the different tactical battles going on. Being an experienced player down back youre able to see how the game unfolds.Were all interdependent, we depend on each other to play certain roles and set the ground up. When you talk about defence it really is team defence, 18-man defence. Everyone plays a critical role and when you talk about offence its 18-man offence a well. We think its really important that everyones able to be flexible and play different roles.For Johannisen, that flexibility extended to finding himself far enough forward to kick the winning goal in the Bulldogs thrilling victory over the Swans at the SCG earlier in the year. Anticipation and trust are critical elements of a game plan that allows him to flourish, and it is the likes of Boyd who are the backstops for every calculated gamble by Johannisens quick feet.We have a lot of players that are elite on the inside and their strength is getting the ball out to the runners on the outside and thats where I come into play, he says. Its a bit about anticipation and reading the play, but you back your teammates to get it done and make a call on that.You just have to back your instinct really, its a key part of our game, and if you make the wrong decision your teammate will go in behind you and cover you. That trust is really important.Asked about Johannisen, Boyds face lights up in acknowledgement of their differences, but also how they are mutually beneficial. Were very similar like that me and JJ! he laughs. Hes playing great footy now and he was playing outstanding footy before he went down with that hamstring injury.He was probably the best running half-back in the game at the time. Clearly hes taken his game to a new level and hes really enjoyed the game style Bevos brought in and the confidence the coaches have given him.Stillness and speed. Andre Tippett Womens Jersey . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. John Hannah Womens Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. https://www.patriotssportsgoods.com/Womens-Tom-Brady-Inverted-Jersey/ . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Irving Fryar Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Steve Grogan Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. RIO DE JANEIRO -- While Andriy Hovorov hasnt been home for almost three years, he is representing his native region of Crimea quite well in Rio.Hovorov raced for Ukraine on Thursday and posted the fastest time of the mens 50-meter freestyle heats, making the furious dash to the wall in 21.49 seconds, better than U.S. medal contenders Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin.We were planning for this, we had expectations, but its just the start, Hovorov said.Hovorovs life took an unexpected turn when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The swimmer, who is from Sevastopol, ruled out changing his nationality, leading to his extended absence from his home territory.Ukraines economy is in crisis, but sports officials have focused much of their meager funding on him, allowing him to train abroad with coach Arilson Silva, the former mentor of Brazilian world-record holder Cesar Cielo.This result comes from him, Hovorov said of Silva. We know what were doing, we know the plan, and this is just the first step to have better results.Hovorov arrived in Rio in good form, having won silver in the 50 free at the European Championships in May, plus a gold medal in the 50 butterfly, a non-Olympic event. The Olympic 50 free semifinals were scheduled for Thhursday night, with the final taking place on Friday.ddddddddddddSpeaking with The Associated Press in June, Hovorov said he was proud to stay with Ukraine but understood how other Crimean athletes could have been tempted to switch to Russia if they were struggling to fund their careers in the Ukrainian system.After the 50 heats, Hovorov said he doesnt want to talk politics in Rio, but plans to speak with relatives in Crimea later in the day. He said the situation there is stable, even with tensions high this week following what Russia claims was a military incursion by Ukrainian forces.Ukraine has another Crimean medal contender in rhythmic gymnastics, where Anna Rizatdinova must face the Russian gold medal favorites.Crimeans who switched allegiance to Russia have struggled to reach Rio because of International Olympic Committee rules mandating athletes observe a period of ineligibility after changing their registered nationality. One Crimean, javelin thrower Vera Rebrik, has been approved to compete for Russia, but is not in Rio because of a doping-related ban on the Russian track and field team. ' ' '