1. Unleash the Flea

When Cody Weightman was spotted touring the Kennel late last year, Bulldogs fans got a little bit excited.

When his name was called out by the Bulldogs with pick 15 in the draft, that excitement grew.

It’s taken seven weeks for the 19-year-old to earn his call up, but it’s time to unleash the ‘Flea’.

The dangerous small forward will get his chance against the Bombers – and has a game suited to Friday night, prime-time footy. 

As Mitch Wallis said when presenting his guernsey on Wednesday, we’re not expecting spectacular – just for the young gun to play his role.

We’re excited to see what he might be able to do.

2. Dons defence

The Bulldogs forward line has already had some challenges in 2020.

Last week against the Blues, the ball went inside 50 on 53 occasions, but the Bulldogs could only manage seven goals.

This week, the Bulldogs will have to conjure a winning score against one of the competition’s strongest back lines.

The Bombers have conceded just 56.6 points per game in 2020, with key defenders Mick Hurley and Cale Hooker, plus the likes of Adam Saad and young gun Jordan Ridley, having an important impact.

But the Bulldogs’ forward line has plenty of firepower and will be hoping Josh Bruce and co can get the job done.

3. The Bevo Factor

One thing the Bulldogs haven’t done under Luke Beveridge, is lose to the Bombers.

The Bulldogs have won all five clashes between the two teams since 2015, by an average margin of 56.4 points.

That included last year’s 104-point win, and an 87-point win on the back of a Stewart Crameri seven-goal haul in 2015.

As Beveridge said on Thursday, this is a very different Essendon team to last year.

But here’s hoping we can get back on the winners’ list and continue that streak.

4. Clearance contest crucial 

If there’s one thing the Bulldogs will be looking to rectify from last week, it’s the start.

And after Carlton got the jump on them – on the scoreboard and around the ball – that’s where we’ll be looking to see a different Bulldogs outfit tonight.

There’s no shortage of quality in the Bulldogs’ on-ball brigade.

Tim English has taken some great strides in 2020 already and young gun Bailey Smith has taken his game to a new level this year.

But it’s the Bulldogs’ experienced midfield stars who hold the key – and the likes of Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and Tom Liberatore will be determined to lead from the front.

The Western Bulldogs have responded to last week’s loss in emphatic fashion, thrashing Essendon by 42 points at Metricon Stadium.

The Bulldogs secured their fourth win in their last five games, on the back of a dominant performance from Tim English.

The emerging ruckman picked up an equal career-high 22 disposals (17 contested) for the third time this season, took seven marks, won six clearances, kicked a goal and had eight score involvements.

MATCH CENTRE | Full match wrap, highlights, player and team stats from the Bulldogs and Bombers clash.

The Bulldogs were emphatic in the middle stages of the game, kicking five straight majors in the third term to set up the comprehensive victory.

The win enabled the Club’s percentage to climb significantly, on the back of its highest score of the 2020 season to date.

It was also the sixth straight win by the red, white and blue against the Bombers. 

The Dogs’ midfield stood up for four quarters, winning the clearances by eight, with Jack Macrae (29 disposals), Lachie Hunter (26), Marcus Bontempelli (23) and Tom Liberatore (22) finding plenty of the ball.

Debutant Cody Weightman booted two brilliant goals, including a miraculous checkside goal from the boundary with his first kick in football, after a towering pack mark.

Mitch Wallis was the game’s highest goalkicker, with three, as 10 players hit the scoreboard for the winners.

The Dogs took a slender lead into the first break after a free-flowing opening, despite some missed opportunities in front of goal.

They controlled the second term as English helped his midfielders to an ascendancy in the clearances, but the margin was only extended to 13 points by half time.

It was as close as the Bombers would get as the Dogs put the foot down, at one stage blowing the margin out to 55 points.

The victory ensures the Western Bulldogs retain the EJ Whitten Cup, having won the past six encounters between the two clubs.

The Bulldogs face the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium in Round 8 next Thursday, July 23.

ESSENDON                      3.3    4.3    4.6      7.9 (51)
WESTERN BULLDOGS    4.1    6.4    11.7    14.9 (93)

GOALS
Essendon: Laverde 2, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Snelling, Hooker, Zaharakis, Smith
Western Bulldogs: Wallis 3, Suckling 2, Weightman 2, Bruce, English, Johannisen, Lipinski, Richards, Vandermeer, Dale

BEST
Essendon: McGrath, Saad, Hurley, Parish
Western Bulldogs: English, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Macrae, Smith, Daniel

INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil