1. Travelling Wilburys
21,681kms. That’s how far the Suns have travelled so far this season after the Commonwealth Games basically swallowed up their home base for pretty much the first half of the season.
So how is this for an itinerary? They’ve had stopovers in Cairns, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, and now will board a bus from Melbourne to Ballarat to take on the Dogs this Saturday afternoon.
But before you start cashing in your chips, If not for the hiccup against Adelaide last weekend, they might be four and two, so it’s kind of hard to tell if it’s having much of an impact.
Something to keep an eye on as the game goes on. Maybe.
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2. Back to the Goldfields
For the first time this season the Bulldogs Express will point it’s nose down the Western Highway and head for the heart of the Victorian Goldfields.
It’s the first of two official fixtures in Ballarat this season, with Port to come in Round 19, and a win will do plenty for the Club’s September aspirations and at the same time reward the Dogs’ rapidly growing local fan base.
Seeing the old Eureka Stadium dressed in red, white and blue splendor while the smell of food trucks and freshly cut grass fill the air, is quickly becoming a highlight of the fixture, and if you haven’t experienced Mars Stadium, treat yourself.
So here we are. We’ve almost used up all of our David Bowie references and planetary puns and what we want most is the four points. As Bob Murphy said on westernbulldogs.com.au on Wednesday, it’s time to make Mars a place where the opposition fears to tread.
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3. Any Given Saturday
How much time and preparation do you put into your pre-game address as skipper? That’s the question facing Dogs’ vice-captain Marcus Bontempellli this week as takes on the captaincy role in the absence of Easton Wood.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Bont has been in charge. If you remember back to Round 11, 2016, the then 20-year-old lead the Dogs to victory over the Eagles in his 48th game, all the while earning the title as the youngest winning captain in AFL/VFL history.
But that was not the only time he has rallied the troops during a game, either. Speaking on RSN on Tuesday, Bontempelli revealed Wood has invited him to give the boys a rev up in more recent times.
“The last couple of weeks I’ve had a little half time spell,” he said. “I know as a player you only want one or two things and at the end a little fire up so you can run away and start the game,” he said.
“I probably won’t give it too much thought and that might mean I stuff it up, but you’ve got a 50% chance, don’t you?”
We may never know if it scales Al Pacino in ‘Any Given Sundays’ heights, or something more conservative, but either way, we’re pretty sure the captain’s cap is in good hands.
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4. Next man up
While Wood headlines the Dogs’ recent outs ahead of the weekend, the Suns will also be without co-captains Tom Lynch and Steven May.
It’s a big blow for any side to be missing two of their key cogs, and even more so when they’re co-captains. But ultimately we’re getting to that point of the season where we sort out the contenders from the pretenders and the visitors will be pretty keen to atone for last week’s 48-point loss to the Crows.
So in short, no one will remember who played and who didn’t play once the ball is bounced and both sides are still packing more than enough talent to get the job.
One person who could make a difference is Jack Macrae, who’s probably in career best form and is leading the Dogs in disposals, contested possessions, tackles and clearances and is second in metres gained and marks.
He’s also averaged 32.5 touches in his last four against the Suns, and had a career-high 43 back in 2014.
