AFL Round 10

Western Bulldogs v Essendon
Saturday 17 May | 7:35pm AEST
Marvel Stadium, Docklands • Wurundjeri
Broadcast: Kayo/Foxtel

Tickets: Purchase Here

Get ready for Marngrook at Marvel Stadium. The Western Bulldogs are taking on Essendon for a Saturday night clash in Sir Doug Nicholls Round on the land of the Wurundjeri people.   

The Western Bulldogs will host Essendon in the 31st EJ Whitten Cup clash this weekend. Named in honour of Club legend Ted Whitten, the Cup has been contested since 1995 in the first encounters between the two clubs each season. This year, that encounter will fall this Saturday evening in the inaugural Marngrook at Marvel Stadium during Sir Doug Nicholls Round. 

Before the first bounce, be sure to visit our Fan Zone, located outside Gate 7 on the concourse, where we will have an inflatable, Western Bulldogs-branded giveaways, handball targets, and a special appearance from the team at NOVA FM.

 Please be seated by 7pm to enjoy a special Didgeridoo and Light Show performance. This will be followed by a live Welcome to Country ceremony led by Aunty Joy Murphy.

NEED HELP ON MATCH DAY? 

The Bulldogs’ membership team will be at the match-day pavilion near Gate 1 (Barkly Street end). 

To contact us before match day:

• 📆 Monday – Friday, 10 AM – 4 PM
• 📧 membership@westernbulldogs.com.au
• 📞 1300 46 36 47

When: Saturday 15 March
Where: Marvel Stadium, Wurundjeri
First bounce: 7:35pm AEDT
Admission: Buy tickets now
Broadcast: Fox Sports 3, Kayo Sports
What’s on: See what’s on around the ground in our game-day guide.

Upgrade to Level 1 seats behind the goals for just $30! - Purchase here and use the code BULLDOGS2025 to unlock this offer

Don’t just witness history. Be part of it: Sign up as a Bulldogs member TODAY.  

Already a member? After the game, look out for two member-exclusive pieces of content from the coaches. Stay across your email and the Club website to access. 

LAST MEETING

Round 23, 2024
Western Bulldogs 20.18 (138) def. North Melbourne 6.6 (42)

The Bulldogs all but secured a finals berth with a 96-point win over the Roos late in the season. Sam Darcy starred with a career-best seven goals, taking advantage of an undermanned defence, while Adam Treloar (33 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (29) and Joel Freijah (29) found plenty of the footy in a dominant midfield performance.

 THE LINE-UP

Ins: -
Outs: -
New: Sam Davidson (debut), Josh Dolan (debut), Matt Kennedy (club debut)

WHO TO WATCH

As revealed on Thursday, the Bulldogs have handed league debuts to mature-age draftee Sam Davidson and underrated youngster Josh Dolan. The two will be keen to start their AFL careers on the right foot, and if the pre-season hit-outs are anything to go by, Dogs fans and members will be in for a treat with this pair.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

• Martin Pegan, afl.com.au

The injury-ravaged Western Bulldogs look vulnerable as they prepare to start the season without several key parts of their best 22. But coach Luke Beveridge is unlikely to give his side any room for excuses as the Bulldogs aim to make a fast start against a side that won only three matches last year. 

North Melbourne is out to break a horror seven-match losing streak against the Bulldogs after being defeated by an average 58 points in all of their clashes since 2020. The Kangaroos now have an opportunity to break that hoodoo and live up to the promise of a new year with an emerging side with the Bulldogs starting the season weakened by an injury crisis. 

The Western Bulldogs staved off a North Melbourne mid-match comeback to secure a 17.11 (113) to 14.13 (97) win at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dogs held a 28-point lead minutes into the second quarter, but the Roos had pulled it back to under a goal late in the term and trailed by just seven points at the final change.

However, with the first three goals of the fourth quarter the Bulldogs opened a comfortable gap before the two sides, or more accurately the Dogs and Paul Curtis (three final term goals of his own), traded majors through till the final siren.

Nick Larkey started his season in fine form with five goals, while the Dogs attack stood strong without Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Aaron Naughton and Laitham Vandermeer each slotting three and Sam Darcy marking strongly.

A nasty collision late saw Bulldog Luke Cleary taken from the field on a stretcher and the club will have concerns over the young defender's health.

The doctor is in the house
Richmond was so busy at last year’s Telstra AFL Draft it overlooked VFL Tiger Sam Davidson, despite the 191cm forward impressing through the season and winning the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal. The Bulldogs snapped up the 23-year-old with pick 51 and saw immediate results on Saturday night as he slotted his first goal on debut. Davidson put his medical studies on hold to give footy a red-hot crack, and if his first-up performance was anything to go by, the doctoring may need to wait a while longer.

WESTERN BULLDOGS      5.3    8.5     12.7      17.11 (113)
NORTH MELBOURNE        1.4    6.7    10.12     14.13 (97)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Vandermeer 3, Dale 2, Sanders 2, McNeil 2, Richards, Freijah, Harmes, Davidson, Darcy
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Curtis 3, Davies-Uniacke 2, Zurhaar, Simpkin, Scott, Darling

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Dale, Richards, Naughton, Liberatore, Vandermeer, Darcy
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Powell, Larkey, Sheezel, Daniel

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: James O'Donnell (jaw), Cleary (head)
North Melbourne: Archer (leg)

SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Arthur Jones (replaced O'Donnell at three-quarter time)
North Melbourne: Darcy Tucker (replaced Phillips in the third quarter) 

Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium