Head to head: Western Bulldogs 54 wins, Geelong 90 wins, two draws
Last time: Geelong 17.14 (116) d Western Bulldogs 17.12 (114), round nine, 2009, at Docklands
MISSING IN ACTION
Western Bulldogs
Shaun Higgins (hamstring) – available
Daniel Giansiracusa (knee) – available
Daniel Cross (ankle) – 1 week
Ryan Griffen (hamstring) – 2 weeks
Tom Williams (foot) – 2 weeks
Geelong
James Kelly (hamstring) – test
Paul Chapman (hamstring) - test
Darren Milburn (ankle) – test
David Wojcinski (ankle) – test
Max Rooke (knee) – test
Nathan Djerrkura (quad) – 1 week
Bryn Weadon (quad) – 1 week
Scott Simpson (fractured ankle) – 3 weeks
Travis Varcoe (shoulder) – 3-4 weeks
Josh Hunt (knee) – season
Matt Egan (foot) – season
Mitch Brown (broken leg) – season
Ranga Ediriwickrama (hamstring) – season
FORM
Western Bulldogs: WLWLW
Geelong: WWWLW
SUMMARY
The Bulldogs' form has been topsy-turvy of late. Wins over Essendon and Freo have been interspersed with losses to the Saints and – in one of the biggest upsets of the season – West Coast at home. There Dogs were accompanied by many furrowed brows when they took the trip to Brisbane last week, especially considering their injury concerns, but they returned winners, accounting for Michael Voss' men by 18 points.
Meanwhile, it has not been all smooth sailing for the Cats either. After easily disposing of Melbourne in round 16 at Skilled Stadium, they knocked Hawthorn off by a solitary point the week after at the MCG. If that wasn't enough to keep their supporters on the edge, they hosted Adelaide in round 18 and prevailed in a two-point cliff hanger. It seemed two close ones were enough to push the Cats over the edge, because the next week they got fixed up by Carlton. Last weekend, they were back to their thrill-seeking ways with a five-point with over the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs)
The man most likely to be leading the Dogs' best and fairest has largely flown under the radar this year. The tough ball-getter could be bounced clearly into focus this Friday if he is chosen to run with Gary Ablett again, like he did in the second half of the round-nine encounter, when the Bulldogs came steaming home after giving up a big lead.
Paul Chapman (Geelong)
The Cats' forward comes back in after a two-week hamstring injury, which is perfect timing considering the forced exit of Travis Varcoe. In his last game, he kicked six goals against Adelaide – can he return and make a similar impact?
QUESTION MARKS
For much of the season, the Dogs were rated the next best thing to St Kilda and Geelong. With Collingwood taking over that mantel in the past few weeks, can Rodney Eade's charges respond and make a powerful statement about their September intentions?
Will Geelong bring Brad Ottens in on the big Friday night stage or wait until a more subdued clash with Fremantle at Skilled Stadium in round 22?
Can the Cats get some consistency running through their team with most of their best 22 finally coming together?
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
