When and where: Saturday 28 July, 3.20pm AEST, SCG
Broadcast: Channel 7, Fox Footy, Kayo
Head-to-head: Played 167 (won 84, drawn one, lost 82)
Last time we met: Round 11 2024, WB 12.16 (88) def. by Sydney 16.6 (102)

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What it means

With back-to-back wins against top-eight teams, the Bulldogs are enjoying a solid run of momentum heading into a meeting with the ladder-leaders. It’s quite the opposite for the Swans, who have dropped three of their last four games, albeit by a combined margin of five points. A red, white and blue win on Sunday – pending other results – could see the Dogs sneak into eighth by the end of the round, which would be huge heading into the final month of home-and-away season.

Who to watch

Adam Treloar has enjoyed an impressive 2024 campaign to date, putting him right in the mix for what could be his maiden All Australian blazer. The 31-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down, collecting 31 disposals to go with three goals and eight tackles against the Cats in difficult conditions. Having made the squad on three occasions, could his 13^th season be the one he strikes? With his 250^th milestone on the horizon too, all things are trending positively for Treloar.

Digger 150

All Australian defender Bailey Dale will celebrate his 150^th career match this Sunday afternoon. After being drafted with pick 45 in 2014, Dale was initially tried as a forward. A pre-season positional switch in 2021 however proved a masterstroke, establishing the now 28-year-old as one of the competition’s most effective rebounding half-backs. Hopefully we’ll see plenty of Dale’s dashing run out of defence against the Swans.

Mouth-watering match-ups

Sunday’s match will be filled with plenty of eye-catching battles wherever you look across the ground. From the midfield in Marcus Bontempelli against Isaac Heeney and Tim English v Brodie Grundy, to Bailey Dale taking on Errol Gulden or Ed Richards starting on Chad Warner, there are plenty of mouth-watering match-ups to enjoy. It’s a game not to be missed, as the Dogs continue to charge towards the top eight.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has steered the Western Bulldogs to a stunning 39-point win over Sydney at the SCG on Sunday afternoon.

With their third straight win over a top-four contender, the Bulldogs recorded the 12.15 (87) to 7.6 (48) victory off the back of pure workrate, handing the Swans their biggest loss since round six last year.

Ugle-Hagan's four goals headlined a big day for the Dogs' tall forwards, with Aaron Naughton (18 disposals, 10 marks) and Sam Darcy (10 disposals, one goal) also wreaking havoc on Sydney's defence.

While the Dogs' height seemed, on paper, to be the biggest challenge for Sydney, particularly with key defender Lewis Melican subbed out with injury in the second term, it was in fact on the deck where it was soundly beaten.

Adam Treloar (40 disposals, seven score involvements), Marcus Bontempelli (22 disposals, one goal), and Tom Liberatore (22 disposals, eight clearances) took charge at the contest, setting the Bulldogs up beautifully right across the ground.

The Western Bulldogs brought the pressure and energy at the ground ball, worrying the Swans into panicked, rushed disposal and capitalising on the turnover.

A desire to hunt the ground ball was reflected in the contested possession count, which the Dogs won 162-135.

When the Swans did find control, regular scoring wasn't forthcoming, meaning the Dogs' dominant opening term kept the home side at an arm's length for the duration.

Their forward line was powerless in the face of a disciplined Bulldogs defence, further impacted by Logan McDonald's shift down back in the second term.

Match Details

SYDNEY                                0.1     2.1      4.4         7.6 (48)  
WESTERN BULLDOGS          5.5     7.7     10.12     12.15 (87)  

GOALS
Sydney: McLean 2, Roberts, Mills, McDonald, Hayward, Gulden
Western Bulldogs: Ugle-Hagan 4, West 2, McNeil 2, Richards, Poulter, Darcy, Bontempelli

BEST
Sydney: Roberts, Grundy, Gulden, Heeney
Western Bulldogs: Treloar, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Jones, Ugle-Hagan, Naughton

INJURIES
Sydney: Melican (right hamstring)
Western Bulldogs: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Luke Parker (replaced Lewis Melican in the second quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Caleb Daniel (replaced Nick Coffield in the final quarter)

Crowd: TBC at the SCG