WHO: Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne
WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Saturday August 6, 7.25pm AEST
TV AND RADIO: Broadcast guide
TICKETS: Purchase tickets

THE LAST FIVE

R6, 2016, North Melbourne 9.7 (61) d Western Bulldogs 6.9 (45) at Etihad Stadium
R22, 2015, Western Bulldogs 14.12 (96) d North Melbourne 10.13 (73) at Etihad Stadium
R21, 2014, North Melbourne 17.9 (111) d Western Bulldogs 8.13 (61) at Etihad Stadium
R2, 2014, North Melbourne 12.11 (83) d Western Bulldogs 8.6 (54) at Etihad Stadium
R7, 2013, North Melbourne 22.19 (151) d Western Bulldogs 15.7 (97) at Etihad Stadium

SUMMARY (AFL.COM.AU)

With both sides battling injuries and indifferent form in recent times, Saturday night's clash is a chance to build some form ahead of a likely finals campaign. The Dogs were meritorious losers last week against the Cats after losing another two key players to injury, while North returned to form with a comfortable win over St Kilda.

Jarrad Waite's absence is a blessing for the under-manned Bulldog defence, but fellow tall Drew Petrie has a habit of saving his best for the Dogs and has a career-best 46 goals against them. If a midfield led by Marcus Bontempelli can get the upper hand, that will give Luke Beveridge's side the best chance of victory.

With both sides yet to mathematically book a finals berth, Saturday night's clash looms as a beauty. 

Lachie Hunter had 44 disposals the last time the two sides met

THE HEADLINES

Opposing Threat: Bulldogs
Injuries to key players have made things tough for the Bulldogs in recent weeks.… MORE

Roos wary of Dogs
"The thing you're weighing up is how much time do you put into one player"… MORE

Last Time: Bulldogs
It was a low scoring encounter under the Friday night lights at Etihad Stadium… MORE

TEAMS

Western Bulldogs

B: D Morris, F Roberts, E Wood
HB: J Johannisen, J Hamling, M Boyd
C: L Hunter, M Bontempelli, L Picken
HF: L Jong, J Stringer, C Smith
F: T Dickson, T Boyd, C Daniel
Fol: J Roughead, L Dahlhaus, J Dunkley
Int: N Hrovat, Z Cordy, L Webb, S Biggs
Emer: T McLean, W Minson, B Dale

In: M Boyd, D Morris, N Hrovat, L Webb
Out: J Adcock (omitted), K Stevens (omitted), T Liberatore (ankle), J Macrae (hamstring)

North Melbourne

B: Scott Thompson, Michael Firrito, Aaron Mullett
HB: Jamie Macmillan, Robbie Tarrant, Nick Dal Santo
C: Sam Gibson, Daniel Wells, Ryan Clarke
HF: Lindsay Thomas, Ben Brown, Brent Harvey
F: Jed Anderson, Drew Petrie, Jack Ziebell
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Andrew Swallow, Trent Dumont
Int: Brad McKenzie, Ben Cunnington, Shaun Atley, Majak Daw
Emer: Lachlan Hansen, Corey Wagner, Declan Mountford

In: Majak Daw
Out: Jarrad Waite (hip)
Milestone: Jamie Macmillan – 100 games

Majak Daw is North's only inclusion to the side

THE COACH SAID - BRAD SCOTT

"We've got basically a mini-finals series before September, where we get a great opportunity to finetune our game style, the way we play, and test ourselves against some genuinely good opposition.

"We're really confident with the work we're doing, we'll get the results."

THE SIX STATS (AFL.com.au)

1. Injured North star Jarrad Waite was the difference in round six kicking four of his teams nine goals. Daniel Wells had 27 disposals. Lachie Hunter was comfortably the Bulldogs’ best with 23 kicks and 21 handballs.

2. The Bulldogs’ scoring continues to struggle, the lowest of the top eight teams averaging 86 points per game and they sit ninth overall. But their defence is ranked third, conceding only 76 points per game.

3. The Kangaroos have dominated the Bulldogs recently winning six of the past eight matches including three by 50 points or more.

4. The Bulldogs continue to dispose of the ball more than any other team, the only side to average more than 400 disposals per game with 420.3.

5. The teams have played 20 times at Etihad Stadium with North Melbourne winning 12 games to eight; the Bulldogs have won seven of 11 matches at Etihad this season.

6. Despite his recent good form, Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli has slipped two spots to seven overall in the Schick AFL Player Ratings. Veteran Brent Harvey is the Kangaroos’ highest ranked player at 22.

Robbie Tarrant is on his way to submitting an All-Australian calibre season

THE BURNING QUESTIONS

What type of game will it be?

For seven of the last eight quarters between the sides, the game has been low scoring, but high pressure. Take into account how North defeated St Kilda last week, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect more of the same.

But how will the Bulldogs approach things? Welcoming back Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris may influence their thinking, considering the veteran duo will help their defensive structures enormously.

A run of games for Daw?

With Jarrad Waite sidelined until September, it marks Majak Daw’s opportunity for an extended run in the AFL side for the first time in 2016.

After four goals and nine marks in the VFL last week, Daw enters the Roos’ outfit in peak condition. Whether he spends the majority of his time forward, in the ruck or as a midfielder against the Bulldogs, he’ll undoubtedly be a keenly-watched participant on Saturday night.

How will the midfield matchups look?

In Round 6, North elected not to run with a strict tag even though Bulldog Lachie Hunter amassed 44 disposals on the night.

In recent weeks Trent Dumont has been given the task of matching up on the opposition’s best midfielder, but not in the mould of the tag Ben Jacobs is renowned for. Against the Saints, Dumont was able to restrict Jack Steven while also going forward; a role he might reprise this Saturday night.

Will this affect September seedings?

Heading into Round 20, North and the Bulldogs are separated by percentage only, with the chance for one side to head a game clear of the other.

For the loser, any hope of top four and a double chance will likely be over, barring a remarkable set of results in the last three rounds.

Trent Dumont is cementing his spot in the North midfield