1. Dead Eye’ returns

Tory Dickson has been a consistent contributor for the Western Bulldogs for the best part of a decade.

The 32-year-old returns this week for a crunch clash with the Cats.

It’s his first game for 2020, but Dickson is no stranger to the big stage and has some solid scratch-match form behind him.

His track record of 181.61 from 113 games proves he knows where the big sticks are.

And in what are expected to be dewy, night-time Gold Coast conditions, Dickson’s goal-smarts could have a big say on proceedings.

2. Bontempelli v Dangerfield

You’d imagine these two are likely to go head-to-head at different stages on Friday night.

But even if they don’t, the impact they are able to have on the game will be critical.

Bontempelli, the Bulldogs’ skipper, has put together a scintillating fortnight of football to lead his side to wins against Melbourne and the Adelaide Crows.

Dangerfield has similarly had an important impact over the past two weeks.

Both are among the competition’s elite midfielders, for their ability to win the ball around the stoppage and generate an offensive impact.

3. Dogs’ track record

Make no mistake, the Bulldogs will have a point to prove.

Their record against current top-eight sides this year is 0-5 – with early-season losses to Collingwood and St Kilda followed by a string of defeats to Richmond, Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions in the first ‘footy frenzy’.

Despite those outcomes though, the Bulldogs sit in eighth spot on the ladder.

It makes Friday night’s clash against the Cats super important.

A win would go a long way to solidifying that spot inside the eight, but a loss could see them slip back to 11^th – depending on other results across the round – and make those finals ambitions just a little bit harder to achieve in 2020.

 

4. Stop the Tomahawk

Bulldog boss Luke Beveridge admits Tom Hawkins is going to take some stopping.

The Cats’ spearhead has had a sensational 2020 season, not only leading the Coleman Medal tally with 33 majors, but being a joint leader for goal assists (16).

Stopping Hawkins goes a long way towards the Bulldogs getting four points.

That job looks likely to fall to new defensive chief Alex Keath.

Keath has had an outstanding debut season in red, white and blue and will no doubt be excited by the challenge – and probably hoping for some aerial assistance from time-to-time from the likes of Easton Wood and Hayden Crozier.

Geelong recovered from a 36-point deficit to defeat a gallant Western Bulldogs by 11 points at Metricon Stadium on Friday night.

The Bulldogs, who finished the game with two fit players on the bench after Laitham Vandermeer and Easton Wood succumbed to hamstring injuries, were overrun by the Cats in the last quarter. 

Geelong kicked five goals to two in the final term to secure the win, including the last three of the game, after the Dogs held a 10-point lead at three quarter time.

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The Bulldogs led for almost the entirety of the match after a scintillating opening, but the Cats hit the lead at the 19-minute mark of the final quarter when Tom Hawkins kicked truly from a set shot.

The loss leaves the Dogs with seven wins and seven losses after 14 rounds, ahead of a bye in Round 15.

Their finals destiny will be revealed in the last three games of the 2020 campaign, in matches against West Coast, Hawthorn and Fremantle.

Lachie Hunter kicked a goal and led the possession count for the Bulldogs with 27, adding 10 score involvements to be his team’s most influential player.

Jack Macrae (26 disposals) also found plenty of the ball, while Aaron Naughton booted two goals and took four contested marks.

MATCH CENTRE | View player and team stats from the Bulldogs and Cats clash.

Patrick Dangerfield was Geelong’s most consistent performer with 32 possessions.

The Bulldogs could do little wrong in the opening quarter, kicking six unanswered goals from individual sources as their pressure and ball movement proved too slick for their opposition.

From there though, the Cats gradually worked their way into the contest, reducing the margin to 18 points after kicking the only three goals of the second term, and to under two goals by the final change.

The teams went goal-for-goal early in a frenetic last stanza, until Geelong kicked clear in the final minutes.

MATCH DETAILS

Western Bulldogs           6.3          6.6          7.7          9.7 (61)

Geelong Cats                     0.3          3.6          5.9          10.12 (72)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 2, Dunkley, Crozier, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Richards, McLean, Hunter
Geelong Cats: Hawkins 2, Miers 2, Rohan 2, Stanley, O’Connor, Dahlhaus, Duncan 

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Hunter, Daniel, Crozier, Johannisen, Macrae
Geelong: Dangerfield, Stewart, Guthrie, Rohan, Parfitt, Henry

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INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Vandermeer (hamstring), Wood (hamstring)
Geelong: Tuohy (ribs)