The Western Bulldogs will host Fremantle at VU Whitten Oval on Tuesday night, looking to register its first win of the 2022 NAB AFLW season.

MATCH INFORMATION

AFLW – Additional Match
When: Tuesday 1 February
Where: VU Whitten Oval
Game Starts: 7.10pm 
Gates Open: 6pm
Admission: Buy tickets here
Broadcast: Fox Footy. The match will also be streamed live on womens.afl and the Official AFLW app. 

You can follow @BulldogsW on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates throughout the match. Don't forget to tag all your posts with the official club hashtag #MightyWest

2021 SUMMARY

Western Bulldogs 8^th (5-4) 88.2%

Fremantle 5^th (6-3) 185.1%

LAST MEETING

Round 6 2020

Western Bulldogs 8.3 (51) def. by Fremantle 10.6 (66)

Playing in front of no crowds for the first time – which would soon become the norm in live sport – the Bulldogs and Dockers put on a show the last time they met. While the Bulldogs led for most of the day, a final-quarter blitz from Fremantle claimed the win late. Ellie Blackburn was prolific in the midfield with 18 disposals and two goals, while Izzy Huntington was important in defence. The combined aggregate score of 117 points was also an AFLW record, up until only nine days ago when Richmond and Fremantle combined for 124 points.

TALKING POINTS

A chance to bounce back

While in a typical season, the Bulldogs would have to wait a week to turn things around, this time they’ll need to wait just five days from their last match. While the short break between games is not ideal, the silver lining is that they’ll have the opportunity to rectify their mistakes and bounce back sooner.

Inaccuracy in front of goal

While the Dogs had four more scoring shots than their GWS counterparts on Friday night, they were on the wrong end of a 21-point buffer. There’s no denying the opportunities up forward were present, but on Tuesday night it will be about making the most of them.

Home ground advantage

The Bulldogs have made VU Whitten Oval quite the fortress in recent times, having won four of their past five games at home. Prior to their season-opening loss to Melbourne, the last time the Dogs had gone down at VU Whitten Oval was back in 2020 - remarkably against Fremantle. 

Derailing the Dockers

For the Bulldogs to end Fremantle’s undefeated streak, one area of focus will be limiting the influence of Kiara Bowers. The veteran midfielder and reigning joint AFLW best-and-fairest is averaging 23.3 disposals so far this season, while recording double-digit tackles in her first three matches.