Round 14
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne
Saturday, June 23
Etihad Stadium
First bounce: 7.25pm (AEST)
Storyline
For North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, Saturday night’s match carries a lot of weight.
The Roos are currently occupying the final spot in the eight, and can’t afford to slip-up given Hawthorn, GWS and Adelaide are knocking on the door.
When it comes to the Dogs, a loss would almost certainly remove the sliver of hope they have of playing in September.
The match will be fought-out at Etihad Stadium; a venue unlikely to provide any significant advantage to either team.
Battling North’s forwardline
It’s been smooth sailing for North’s forward line for much of the season, with the likes of Mason Wood, Jack Ziebell, Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite all causing headaches for defenders.
On Wednesday, Waite was ruled-out after re-injuring his calf at training, which is sure to come as some relief to the Bulldogs given the 35-year-old’s strong start to the year.
It means the Dogs' key defenders can narrow their focus on Ben Brown, who after 12 matches, is leading the Coleman Medal race.
The question the coaches at the Whitten Oval would have been asking all week is; how do they stop the efficient goalkicker?
With skipper Easton Wood to miss with a hamstring injury, their defence has been stretched. Jackson Trengove is most likely to be assigned the task of restricting Brown but will need help.
Last week the 27-year-old had a hard time against Port Adelaide’s Charlie Dixon, who kicked 3.2.
Zaine Cordy could also be used on Brown at times, but is more likely to match-up on Wood.
Goldstein’s time to shine
Todd Goldstein is yet to rediscover the form he had in his career-best 2015 season, but he is showing good signs.
This weekend could be the match to shine against a Bulldogs outfit that has struggled in the ruck department.
The Dogs rank 17th in hit-outs per game, averaging just 25.8, 16.4 less than North.
Tom Boyd has been tasked with the ruck duties this season.
Kicking a winning score
Saturday night will see the 4th-best defence, North, competing with the 4th-worst offence, the Bulldogs.
This year we’ve seen the Roos’ ability to restrict teams, such as Carlton and St Kilda, which they kept to 30 and 43 points respectively.
The Western Bulldogs have struggled to kick a big score and are ranked 15th in goals per game (9.6) which is marginally better than the Suns, Blues and Saints.
Of their 12 matches to date, they have scored more than 100 points twice - against Essendon (104) and Brisbane (107).
Recruit Billy Gowers has been the side’s leading goalscorer kicking 15, but the Dogs will need contributions beyond the 22-year-old if they are any chance of kicking a winnable total.
Bulldogs team
B Bailey Williams, Jackson Trengove, Ed Richards
HB Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Jason Johannisen
C Hayden Crozier, Marcus Bontempelli, Lachie Hunter
HF Caleb Daniel, Josh Schache, Mitch Wallis
F Luke Dahlhaus, Billy Gowers, Patrick Lipinski
FOL Tom Boyd, Toby McLean, Josh Dunkley
I/C Mitch Honeychurch, Marcus Adams, Aaron Naughton
In: Dale Morris, Josh Dunkley, Marcus Adams, Aaron Naughton
Out: Shane Biggs (Omitted), Lukas Webb (Injured), Jack Macrae (Injured), Easton Wood (Injured)
Burning questions
Can North exact revenge?
Last time the sides met, the Dogs walked away with the premiership points by one behind, and the time previous, they won by three points on the inaugural Good Friday match. The Bulldogs have won the past three against North, meaning the latter will be looking to put an end to that streak.
Who will prove themselves on the big stage?
This match will be a stand-alone Saturday night fixture on Channel 7, meaning the whole footy world will be watching. It’s the perfect opportunity to stand-up and silence the critics, but like always, only one team can prevail.
Can the Bulldogs cover their injured stars?
It’s always difficult for a side to cover the loss of its stars, and that will be the case for the Bulldogs who will need to fill the holes left by Easton Wood (hamstring), Jack Macrae (hamstring), Lukas Webb (hand) who will all miss this week. Can the inclusions get the job done?
