Westernbulldogs.com.au looks at four hot topics ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Saints at Etihad Stadium.
Stoppage wars
The Saints were impressive at the coal face last weekend, winning the stoppage count 40-30, and the clearances 61-44 over a formidable Port Adelaide outfit. The St.Kilda midfield brigade, led by Jack Steven, Leigh Montagna, David Armitage and Seb Ross chalked up 122 possessions between them as they continuously dined out on big man Tom Hickey’s 56 hit-outs.
That said, the Dogs engine room were pretty good against their weekend opponent too, so even for the non-aligned fan, this battle should be lots of fun to watch.
The milestone match
Whether sides get up for milestone matches is debatable, but when it’s a legend of a football club like Nick Riewoldt playing his 300th match, you can be pretty sure that the young Saints will be looking to stamp their authority on the contest early in honour of their skipper.
Assistant coach Rohan Smith told westernbulldogs.com.au on Thursday that his side should expect a fight from team eager to make their mark on the competition, and with early season wins a premium, this game shouldn’t be lacking in spark, that’s for sure.
Lasso a Roo
Speaking of Riewoldt, the St.Kilda captain told SEN Radio earlier in the week that he’d spent the pre-season preparing to play a midfield role in 2016, only to find himself spending a majority of last week’s game in the forward half.
So where does he play this week? He’s again been named at centre half-forward, but you can be sure Luke Beveridge and his match committee would have spent some time planning for every contingency. With Paddy McCartin coming into the side, we can expect Riewoldt to play up the ground more this week where it’s unlikely he’d face a direct opponent.
Back the Dogs to back their system over one-on-one match ups.
Whose house?
A lot’s been made of Etihad Stadium and the Dogs’ supposed home ground advantage, something the Victorian clubs haven’t really enjoyed since the move away from suburban football and the introduction of the interstate clubs. That said, the Bulldogs haven’t lost at Docklands since Round 7 last year, and experts say that the small ground and quick surface suits Luke Beveridge’s style of football.
But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Etihad is St.Kilda’s home deck too, they’re a young and quick team who’ll be keen to impress their fans. It’ll be game on this Saturday night, make no mistake.
