The Western Bulldogs will travel to WA this weekend to face West Coast at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday afternoon.
MATCH DETAILS
Round 9 v West Coast
When: Saturday 22 October
Where: Mineral Resources Park
Gates open: TBC
First bounce: 5.10pm AEDT (2.10pm AWST)
Admission: Tickets $10, free entry for AFLW members using their digital membership card. Purchase or redeem tickets here.
Membership: Sign up here
Broadcast: Fox Footy
SEASON SIX SUMMARY
Western Bulldogs 7th 4-5-1 95.2%
West Coast 14th 1-9 42.9%
LAST MEETING
Western Bulldogs 10.8 (68) def. West Coast 1.2 (8)
Round 9, Season six
The Bulldogs enjoyed a percentage-boosting win over the struggling Eagles at Optus Stadium earlier this year, as they kept their finals hopes alive in the penultimate round of season six. Dynamic duo Kirsty Lamb (20 disposals, four tackles, one goal) and Ellie Blackburn (23 disposals, three marks) starred in the 60-point thumping, which saw the hosts kept scoreless until late in the third quarter. Nell Morris-Dalton slotted two goals, while Deanna Berry kicking her major first since returning from an ACL injury was a highlight.
TALKING POINTS
Winning in the West
Since the league’s inception, the Bulldogs have played three games in Western Australia, with their most recent outing their only triumph. While their other two matches were only lost by a combined 22 points back in 2019 and 2020, the Dogs’ line-up will look significantly different this time around, and should enter the clash off the back of a confidence-boosting win over St Kilda .The Eagles are a much-improved outfit this season however, so the Bulldogs will no doubt need to be at their best against the hosts.
Throwing around the magnets
Not for the first time this season, Nathan Burke and his coaching panel have thrown around the magnets. Against the Saints we saw a number of positional changes – including Elisabeth Georgostathis and Elle Bennetts slot back, De Berry and Eleanor Brown push into the middle, and Sarah Hartwig inside attacking 50. In his post-match press conference, Burke conceded they were still working out how to maximise certain individual talent, so don’t be surprised if they opt that way again this weekend.
Win and we’re in
With the end of the home-and-away season approaching, the Bulldogs’ equation is simple: win their final two games, and they’ll qualify for their first finals series since 2018. That final just so happened to be a Grand Final – as captain Ellie Blackburn reminded viewers on Sunday afternoon. Sitting in eighth spot and a game clear of Gold Coast in ninth has given the Bulldogs some breathing room, but victories to close out the regular season are still as important as ever.
