MATCH DETAILS

When: Friday 11 October
Where: Mission Whitten Oval
First bounce: 7.15pm AEDT
Admission: Buy tickets now
Membership: Sign up today
Broadcast: 7Mate, Fox Footy and Kayo Sports 

LAST MEETING

N/A

Friday night will mark the first time the Dogs and Dons meet in the AFLW competition, two years after Essendon entered the league. While they’ve never met on-field, there are plenty of familiar faces among the Bombers camp – with former assistant coach Natalie Wood heading up the team, and former forward Bonnie Toogood a co-captain. Ellyse Gamble (24 games at Western Bulldogs) is another familiar face, while Daria Bannister also began her AFLW career in the red, white and blue. Running out onto Mission Whitten Oval full of Pride, the Bulldogs will be keen to get back on the winners list at home. 

THE LINE-UP

Ins: Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Brooke Barwick, Elle Bennetts, Bree McFarlane
Outs: Lauren Ahrens (injured), Naomi Ferres, Analea McKee, Ellie Gavalas

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

– Gemma Bastiani, womens.afl

In recent matches Essendon has established a real resilience in backs-against-the-wall circumstances. It has lived dangerously deep in defence for long periods, and stood up to the challenge, led particularly well by Georgia Clarke, Amy Gaylor, and Maddison Gay, and while the Bombers don't want to live in defence, they will be confident knowing they can remain strong. This presents as a tricky prospect for the Bulldogs, who failed to take a mark inside 50 last week against North Melbourne, and struggle to generate scoring opportunities when their forward 50 is congested. Employing strategies to create space in attack will be important for the Western Bulldogs, who look best with empty grass out the back and the footspeed of players like Heidi Woodley, Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, and now Zimmorlei Farquharson heading toward goal.

Essendon's attack does have the potential to stretch the Dogs' defence, especially with key back Lauren Ahrens (out through) injury. Issy Grant has been strong all season, as has Elisabeth Georgostathis, but with Bonnie Toogood now back in the Bombers' attack alongside Daria Bannister, Paige Scott, Sophie Alexander, and Ellyse Gamble, it will prove a tough line to stop. The Bulldogs are especially vulnerable when the opposition puts speed on the ball, which often isolates their defenders in one-on-ones. Slowing that ball movement up the ground will be important.

WHAT’S ON AT WHITTEN

We’re inviting everyone to join us at Mission Whitten Oval for our Pride Round game against Essendon this Friday night. Here’s just a taste of what you’ll be able to enjoy off-field:

• The crew from Poof Doof will be keeping the vibes going with high-energy drag performances, DJ tunes and much more. 
• Our match-day partner, Victoria University, will help glam you up with glitter hair braiding
• Win amazing prizes thanks to Bulldog Pride, by purchasing your raffle tickets from the cheer squad end of the groud 
• Show your support with free posters and badges thanks to our friends at VRGF
• The team from PrideCup will be at the game selling merch and chatting pro-nouns before the game. 
• Come and grab one and enjoy one of the best footy treats – The Pancake Parlour Pancake Cup!

In case that wasn't enough, you'll also be able to get your face-painted thanks to Black Raven, enjoy free popcorn thanks to NAB, Medibank will be there with their chillout van, keep the energy up with Red Bull, free women-in-sport posters from Cadbury, the best food from Mr. Meatball, ALFA and Nuggies, the pop-up market with our favourite stalls, Bulldogs giveaways during the game and a Maccas Kick2Kick after the final siren. 

For more, click here.

Despite a gallant effort in front of more than 4,000 fans, the Western Bulldogs couldn’t match a strong Essendon outfit, falling by 23 points at Mission Whitten Oval.

With both teams coming to the end of their condensed period of football, exhaustion was evident, and the game devolved into a kick-to-kick slog, finishing with a 3.8 (26) to 0.3 (3) scoreline.

The first quarter was a dog fight, with intensity high from both sides.

The Bulldogs' pressure rattled Essendon, who was winning more of the footy but unable to take marks inside 50, let alone convert on the scoreboard.

The Dogs were poor heading inside 50, unable to capitalise on their good pressure around the field, while Essendon's defenders feasted on the mis-directed kicks.

It took a 50m penalty – coming from an off-the-ball tussle in the goal-square – for the first goal of the game to be kicked, Steph Wales capping off her strong first half with a major.

The Bombers controlled the footy in the first half, with in-form duo Georgia Nanscawen and Maddy Prespakis finding plenty of the ball through the middle, while given how much time the ball was spending in Essendon's half, it was unsurprising Dogs defender Elisabeth Georgostathis was sitting up high in the disposal tally.

The game was remarkably still in the balance at three-quarter time, with the margin at 10 points, although it was hard to see where the Dogs were going to get their goals from to overhaul the Bombers.

Essendon quickly put paid to any ideas of a surprise comeback with two goals in the final term.

Fatigue v tactics
It's safe to say few – if any – will be watching the tapes of this game back, given the relative lacklustre performance from both teams. The Bombers were playing their fourth game in 15 days, the Dogs their third in the same period. Both teams were more than happy to throw extra numbers behind the ball, but it becomes a chicken-or-the-egg question – did exhaustion dictate tactics, or did the choice of tactics come first?

Keaney's class shines above
In an error-riddled game, it took until the final quarter for a clear highlight to emerge. Experienced winger Bess Keaney took a strong mark back with the flight, and pinned up against the boundary, opted for a drop punt kick, a rarity from that position in the era of the snap. She caressed the kick through perfectly, giving the Bombers a 21-point lead and the four points in the bag. 

Up next
The Dogs have a decent chance to record their third win, up against Carlton at Ikon Park on Thursday night. Essendon has a much sterner task, hosting North Melbourne at Windy Hill on Sunday.

WESTERN BULLDOGS     0.0     0.2     0.2     0.3     (3)
ESSENDON                    0.3     1.4     1.6     3.8     (26)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Essendon: Wales, Walker, Keaney

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Berry, Pritchard, Georgostathis
Essendon: Nanscawen, Prespakis, Keaney, Clarke

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Essendon: Nil

Crowd: 4,011 at Mission Whitten Oval