Arguably the game of the round, North Melbourne takes its seven game winning streak to Etihad Stadium on Saturday, facing the Western Bulldogs in a twilight encounter.
Both sides possess an identical 13-7 record, with the Bulldogs edging North out by only a few percentage points.
Teams
North Melbourne
B: Michael Firrito, Robbie Tarrant, Shaun Atley
HB: Sam Wright, Scott Thompson, Nick Dal Santo
C: Jamie Macmillan, Jack Ziebell, Ben Jacobs
HF: Shaun Higgins, Drew Petrie, Brent Harvey
F: Ben Brown, Jarrad Waite, Robbie Nahas
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Andrew Swallow
Int: Ryan Bastinac, Lachlan Hansen, Taylor Garner, Sam Gibson
Emer: Mason Wood, Kayne Turner, Aaron Mullett
In: Jack Ziebell, Taylor Garner
Out: Lindsay Thomas (foot), Luke McDonald (soreness)
Milestones: Michael Firrito (250 games), Shaun Higgins (150 games)
Western Bulldogs
B: D Morris, J Roughead, Z Cordy
HB: M Boyd, J Hamling, E Wood
C: R Murphy, J Macrae, S Biggs
HF: L Dahlhaus, T Dickson, S Crameri
F: L Hunter, J Stringer, L Picken
Fol: J Redpath, M Wallis, M Bontempelli
Int: J Grant, L Webb, M Honeychurch, J Johannisen
Emer: T Boyd, C Daniel, L Jong
In: M Boyd, L Picken, J Roughead, M Honeychurch, L Webb, Z Cordy
Out: T Campbell (thigh), M Talia (ankle), D Pearce, C Daniel, L Jong, R Smith (all omitted)
New: Z Cordy
Etihad record
While Saturday may be a home game for the Kangaroos, their opponent has made Etihad Stadium a fortress of their own in 2015.
The Bulldogs have won eight games in a row at the venue by an average margin of more than 50 points, kicking almost 19 goals per match.
However, as Brad Scott mentioned in his weekly media conference, the Bulldogs’ defence has largely escaped mention despite their quality effort in the winning streak.
No opponent in the eight games has managed more than 86 points (Collingwood, Round 17), with four scores below 60.
North has had a similar output in its own current streak at Etihad. It has won four in a row, with no opponent scoring more than Fremantle’s 83 last week, while averaging more than 106 points per game.
Scoring methods
Against Fremantle, North scored an amazing 8.3 from chains that started in its own defensive 50.
To briefly explain how this stat is tallied, let’s use a stoppage inside North’s defensive 50 as an example. If North have the first possession and then proceed to march it cleanly down the field to score, it counts as a score launch from defensive 50.
The Roos did that 11 times against the Dockers; to further understand how rare this achievement is, the average per game across the AFL is approximately 3.5.
The Kangaroos are the best side in the competition at score launches from defensive 50, but come up against a Bulldogs’ side who lead the AFL in score launches from forward 50.
Defensive pressure from the likes of Tory Dickson, Luke Dahlhaus and Stewart Crameri has often forced opposition to cough up possession, with the end result of seeing the ball sail straight back over their head for a Bulldogs goal.
With the strengths of both sides directly colliding on Saturday, one area will likely have to give.
Rebounding backs
The Bulldogs possess a multitude of options across the half-back line who can be extremely damaging.
Robert Murphy, Matthew Boyd and Jason Johannisen all average more than 20 disposals a game and form the nucleus of the Bulldogs’ rebound. The two veterans (Murphy and Boyd) are performing at a level belying their status as the oldest men in the side most weekends.
Johannisen, the youngest of the three at just 22-years-old, has enjoyed a breakout season. He’s third at the club for both inside 50’s and rebound 50’s, demonstrating his effectiveness both deep in defence and in the forward half.
It makes the forward pressure of North’s smalls a vital area of the game. If the likes of Robbie Nahas and Taylor Garner aren’t able to minimise the influence of the Bulldogs’ runners, the Roos’ defenders will have to deal with inside 50 entries delivered under little pressure, a recipe for a tough afternoon.
