Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne
Saturday 4th August 2012, 1:45pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Team Announcement:

Western Bulldogs
IN: J Sherman, J Johannisen, T Campbell, D Addison, Z Skinner
OUT: L Gilbee (soreness), L Dahlhaus (soreness), D Cross (shoulder), P Veszpremi (omitted), L Jones (omitted)

To see the full team announcement, click here.

North Melbourne
IN: C Garlett
OUT: L Thomas (suspension)

Head-to-head:

Round 7, 2012: North Melbourne 12. 11. (83) defeated by Western Bulldogs 15. 11. (101), Etihad Stadium
Round 17, 2011: North Melbourne 21. 16. (142) defeats Western Bulldogs 17. 19. (111), Etihad Stadium
Round 18, 2010: Western Bulldogs 22. 11. (143) def. North Melbourne 10. 12. (72), Etihad Stadium
Round 9, 2010: North Melbourne 7. 15. (57) def. by Western Bulldogs 20. 7. (127), MCG
Round 13, 2009: North Melbourne 12. 14. (86) def. by Western Bulldogs 17. 6. (108), MCG

Last time they met:

• It was the Bulldogs mid-sized forwards that dominated with Tory Dickson bagging a game-high four goals while Daniel Giansiracusa kicked three. Lindsay Thomas and Drew Petrie kicked three each for the Kangaroos
• Matthew Boyd found plenty of his own ball ending the game with 44 possessions (as well as seven marks, four tackles and five inside 50m)
• The Bulldogs won the first half by 19 points but the second half saw a very even contest between the two teams with North winning the half by one point - resulting in an 18 point victory to the Dogs
• Falling just short of 400 disposals for the game, the Dogs had 398 possessions between them as opposed to the Kangaroos who had 333.

Watch match highlights from the Western Bulldogs Round 7 defeat over North Melbourne on the media player above.

Recent form:

Western Bulldogs (L L L L L, 15th)
After securing the win last time the teams met in round seven, the Bulldogs will be looking to repeat the performance. Having lost their past six games, they urgently need to break their bad run. Senior Coach Brendan McCartney articulated in this week’s press conference that he will be urging the team to up the intensity for the full four quarters.

North Melbourne (W W W L W, 8th)
Finding form on the run home North Melbourne have won six out of seven games since their Round 11 bye. In fact North have only lost three games since the last Bulldogs meeting. Still vying for one of the final spots in the top eight, North will leave no stone unturned. Their dominance in the forward line has been one of their big strengths this season - they have scored less than 100 points on only seven occasions this year.

Key Players:

• One key match-up fans are more than likely to see this weekend is Brian Lake on Drew Petrie. Lake has been solid in defence for the majority of the season and will be very eager to add another scalp to his impressive record
• While Petrie will be kept accountable by Lake, North Melbourne have a number of other forward options that need to be kept in check. Lachlan Hansen has shown a number of occasions that he is capable of kicking a bag as he continues to find his feet this season and will be keen to get his confidence up with finals looming
• Another forward finding their feet this season is the Bulldogs mature aged recruit Tory Dickson. Kicking his first four goal haul last time these two teams met, Dickson will look to replicate his performance. With Shaun Higgins going down to injury it is important that Dickson makes his mark to assist veteran Daniel Giansiracusa in the Dogs forward half
• 2012 Rising Star nominee and inside midfielder Mitch Wallis has continued to impress in his second AFL season. Missing only one game since Round 4, Wallis is emerging as an important cog in the future Bulldogs midfield and with Daniel Cross missing through injury, now is the time for Wallis to continue to step up
• Veteran Brent Harvey is a vital player in the North Melbourne line-up. Instrumental through the midfield, Harvey is also a proven goal kicker. A real experienced campaigner he cannot be left to run riot

By the numbers:

• Both teams average 39 clearances a game so expected a heated duel around the stoppages and while North will be without Jack Ziebell through suspension the Dogs will be without Cross through the midfield
• The two teams are highly ranked in the league for getting their hands on the ball (Western Bulldogs are ranked 4th while North Melbourne is 5th) - despite their lower standing in the league North are also averaging 64  more disposals per game than their direct opponent each week
•  It is a different matter with contested ball. The Bulldogs have had 2506 contested possessions (6th) this season to the Kangaroos 2430 (12th).
• The Bulldogs ruck division has been strong this year with Will Minson taking the lead - averaging 4.7 more hit-outs than their direct opponent

Injury List:

Western Bulldogs
James Mulligan (achilles) - season
Mark Austin (wrist) - season
Jack Redpath (arm) - season
Daniel Cross (ac joint) - season
Dale Morris (leg) - indefinite
Shaun Higgins (hamstring) - 2 weeks
Lukas Markovic (hamstring) - test
Easton Wood (general tightness) - test
Adam Cooney (knee) - test

For a complete injury update, watch the latest episode of BulldogsTV’s Medical Room here.

North Melbourne
Tom Curran (foot) - season
Leigh Adams (shoulder) - test
Scott McMahon (groin) - test
Jack Ziebell (suspension) - 2 weeks
Lindsay Thomas (suspension) - 2 weeks