The Western Bulldogs will be looking to bounce back against Essendon on Sunday afternoon at Marvel Stadium.

MATCH DETAILS

Round 7 v Essendon
When: Sunday 1 May 2022
Where: Marvel Stadium
Game Starts: 3.20pm AEST
Gates Open: 1.45pm AEST
Admission: Buy tickets here
Broadcast: Channel 7.

Macca’s Kick 2 Kick is back for the 2022 AFL season! Fans are encouraged to bring their own footballs to enjoy the Macca’s Kick 2 Kick experience on Sunday, approximately 10-15 minutes after the final siren.

2021 SUMMARY
Western Bulldogs 5th: 15-7 132.8%
Essendon 8th: 11-11 109.1%

LAST MEETING
Western Bulldogs 13.7 (85) def. Essendon 4.12 (36)

Last year’s elimination final in Launceston was the most recent encounter between these two sides. Despite the red-and-black heavy crowd, it was the Bulldogs who prevailed, dominating after half-time - booting eight goals to none while recording 33 more contested possessions, 10 more clearances and 11 more inside 50s to progress through to week two of the finals series. Cody Weightman (12 disposals, four goals) and Aaron Naughton (five marks, three goals) were important, while Jack Macrae (36 disposals, eight clearances) and Tom Liberatore (35 disposals, seven tackles, seven clearances) were prolific in the slippery conditions.

13:58

Luke Beveridge | 'We haven't been on the better side of the ledger'

AFL Head Coach Luke Beveridge speaks to the media ahead of the Round 7 match against Essendon.


THE TALKING POINTS

Dunks’ 100th

Star midfielder and fan favourite Josh Dunkley will celebrate his 100th AFL match this weekend. The 25-year-old was drafted to the Bulldogs with pick 25 in the 2015 National Draft, and 10 months later became the youngest player to feature in the Dogs’ drought-breaking premiership win over the Swans. Dunkley has enjoyed a hot start to season 2022, averaging 29 disposals, seven marks and 4.8 clearances per match, while registering the equal-most tackles (42) so far.

03:50

100 Games | Josh Dunkley

Look back at the best moments of Dunks' career to date before he plays his 100th game against Essendon in Round 7.

Sunday session

This weekend will mark the Bulldogs’ first Sunday matchday for the season. Remarkably, the previous two times they’ve played on a Sunday was also against Essendon – last year in round 21 and the elimination final in Launceston. Throughout the 2021 season, the Dogs played eight Sunday afternoon games and were triumphant on seven occasions. Their recent history against Essendon is also promising – losing just one of their last eight encounters with the Bombers.