The Western Bulldogs will meet Collingwood at Victoria Park in a do-or-die Elimination Final on Sunday afternoon.

MATCH DETAILS

AFLW Finals Week 1 | Elimination Final
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs

When: Sunday 6 November
Where: Victoria Park 
Gates Open: 2.10pm 
Game Starts: 3.10pm AEDT 
Admission: Tickets $10, AFLW members will require their digital membership card to purchase tickets here. 
Broadcast: Channel 7, 7Plus, Fox Footy, Kayo. The match will also be streamed live on womens.afl  and the Official AFLW app. 

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SEASON SEVEN SUMMARY

Western Bulldogs 7^th 7-3 109.8%
Collingwood 6^th 7-3 118.4%

LAST MEETING

Western Bulldogs 6.5 (41) def. by Collingwood 10.6 (66)
Round 8, Season six

The Bulldogs were on the wrong end of a 25-point result against the Pies earlier this year in season six. The Dogs had no answer for Collingwood’s spread and ball use, unable to shut down the run and carry that split open a typically strong Dogs defence. There were some patches of positivity from the young Pups, but ultimately not enough. Ellie Blackburn (18 disposals, four tackles, two goals), Kirsty Lamb (21, four marks, one goal), Elisabeth Georgostathis (11, five tackles) and Jess Fitzgerald (nine touches, one goal) were among the Bulldogs’ best on ground. 

TALKING POINTS

Fifty for Fez

Another through and through Bulldog in Naomi Ferres will reach the elusive 50-game milestone this weekend. Since being drafted via the VU Western Spurs – as a lifelong Dogs’ supporter mind you – Ferres has been one of the team’s most underrated yet ultra-reliable defenders. This season she has not missed a beat, averaging 12 disposals, four intercepts and three tackles. Her match-winning mark inside defensive 50 to seal the 2018 Grand Final win will forever go down in red, white and blue history, and on Sunday we’ll have an opportunity to celebrate her entirely.

First time for everything

The Bulldogs have played only two matches at Victoria Park – both against Collingwood – throughout the six years of AFLW, so on Sunday will get the chance to get one back on the ledger. Of those two outings, the Bulldogs are yet to win at Victoria Park, and have not beaten Collingwood since their incredible 2018 flag year. Can the Dogs break some hoodoos in the Elimination Final? There is a first time for everything, after all.

Aerial game the area of Dogs’ dominance

As highlighted in Gemma Bastiani’s latest analysis for womens.afl, the Bulldogs’ aerial game in season seven has set them apart from the rest. The side has reached impressive feats for both contested marks and hit-outs over the past 10 weeks – helped by the improvement of ruck Alice Edmonds. This key area has the potential to be the Dogs’ advantage over higher-placed sides come finals according to Bastiani, with the group leading the competition for average contested marks throughout the home-and-away season.