Jack Macrae, Nathan Hrovat, Jarrad Grant and Shane Biggs make up the four inclusions to the Western Bulldogs squad named to face Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

The Bulldogs have named an extended bench for the afternoon fixture, with Macrae, Hrovat and Grant all impressing with Footscray in the VFL last weekend.

Macrae collected 34 touches in the VFL last weekend while Hrovat and Grant kicked four goals each, and all three have been rewarded for their efforts.

Bulldogs assistant coach Steven King said all three deserved their chance this weekend.

“We’ve just got a few areas we wanted them to work on, they displayed that on the weekend and were quite influential.

“They come in and hopefully have an impact.”

Biggs’ inclusion in the squad puts him on there verge of  first game for the Club after being traded to the Kennel from Sydney at the end of 2014.

The Dogs will play their second and final match at the MCG for the year and King said the wider ground was something to be conscious of.

“Obviously it’s a lot bigger than Etihad so defensively we’re just going to have to make sure our work rate’s there and that we work for each other and cover for each other but it’s just great to get back to the ‘G.”

Although suffering a 105-point loss at the hands of Hawthorn last week, King said Melbourne weren’t to be taken lightly.

MATCH INFORMATION: Ticketing and broadcast information for Melbourne v Western Bulldogs.

“They’ve had some quality opponents the last month so they played some really good footy at the start of the year and that’s what we’ve sort of been going off.

“We know they’re capable and very similar to us in a lot of areas, with some young talent coming through so no doubt it will be a game that they’ll be up for, and likewise with us… it’s going to be a crucial game.”

The Demons are currently third in the competition for contested marks, led by defender Tom McDonald who has been a pillar in defence all season and King identified that as an area of focus for the Dogs.

“It will come down to work rate for us, just about making sure we work really hard for the kicker.

“Making sure we’re competitive not only at ground level where they’ve got some quality mids but in the air, just to make sure we either half a contest or bring it to ground.”

Mitch Honeychurch (general soreness) comes out of the side that faced Fremantle.

Round 8 Melbourne v Western Bulldogs
Sunday 24 May 2015, 3:20pm
Venue: MCG

Sync To Calendar

In: J Grant, N Hrovat, J Macrae, S Biggs

Out: M Honeychurch (general soreness)