1. Old mates
There are two inclusions to face the Hawks… and they’re both former Hawks, in Taylor Duryea and Matthew Suckling.
A bit of much-welcomed experience for the Bulldogs in a crucial clash.
This season has been a tough one for Duryea, who has yet to get on the park due to a persistent quad injury.
He has finally been able to overcome it and gets his chance after two strong scratch match performances. The 29-year-old will play his first AFL game since last year’s elimination final, more than 12 months ago.
Suckling also impressed in last week’s scratch match, with three goals in his second game back from a hamstring injury.
Go well, lads.
2. Big boys + McEvoy
Chemistry is still building in the Bulldogs’ forward line, and specifically between key pillars Josh Bruce and Aaron Naughton.
The pair have combined for just 23 goals in 2020 – with six of Naughton’s 11 coming against the Adelaide Crows, and six of Bruce’s 12 against North Melbourne.
But both were important last week – particularly after quarter time – against a West Coast Eagles’ defence led by intercept mark kings Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass.
Bruce and Naughton will need to bring their A-game in the air again against the Hawks, with big Ben McEvoy returning to complement James Frawley and Sam Frost, plus swingmen Jack Gunston and Tim O’Brien.
If they can have a significant scoreboard impact, that’s a bonus.
3. Are you magnetic?
Whatever happened to the Aussie band Faker?
They had that huge hit This Heart Attack, and this other one called Are You Magnetic?
We’re getting a bit off topic.
But while we’re on the subject of magnets – and specifically, a magnetic attraction to the football – there are few better than Jack Macrae and Tom Mitchell.
Macrae ranks second in the competition for disposals and Mitchell fifth.
Both are the definition of elite. Both will be hugely important around the ball this week.
4. Back-to-back
You’ll have to dig a little bit to find out when the Bulldogs last recorded back-to-back wins against the Hawks.
All the way back to 2009-10, in fact.
Only one member of the Bulldogs’ travelling party to Adelaide this weekend played in either of those wins – now runner/coach Daniel Giansiracusa.
The Bulldogs recorded a memorable win against the Hawks last year, overturning a five-goal deficit at three-quarter time.
Prior to that, the Hawks had won 10 of the previous 11 matches between the sides.
With a finals berth on the line, there’s never been a bit time to improve that winning record against the brown and gold.
