Head to head: Western Bulldogs 59 wins, Essendon 88 wins, two draws
Last time: Essendon 15.9 (99) d Western Bulldogs 14.6 (90), round 10, 2010 at Etihad Stadium
MISSING IN ACTION
Western Bulldogs
Adam Cooney (hamstring) - season
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) - season
Shaun Higgins (illness) - TBA
Brad Johnson (achilles) - two weeks
Dale Morris (fractured vertebrae) - season
Sam Reid (shoulder) - season
Shane Thorne (knee) - three weeks
Easton Wood (hamstring) - one week
Essendon
Darcy Daniher (adductor) - season
Alwyn Davey (arm) - season
Ricky Dyson (knee) - season
Scott Gumbleton (ribs) - season
Bachar Houli (knee) - test
Jason Laycock (foot) - season
Anthony Long (hamstring) - season
Nathan Lovett-Murray (back) - season
Tayte Pears (pancreas) - season
Taite Silverlock (leg) - season
Jobe Watson (ankle) - test
Andrew Welsh (groin) - season
Mark Williams (ankle) - season
Jason Winderlich (hand) - test
David Zaharakis (knee) - season
FORM
Western Bulldogs: WWWLL
Essendon: WWLLL
SUMMARY
The Bulldogs run of bad luck continued this week when Dale Morris joined Adam Cooney on the season-ending injury list. It was discovered Morris had fractured a vertebrae in his back when he collided with Adam Goodes on Saturday night. Cooney is gone for the year with a hamstring tendon injury and Brad Johnson is out for at least one with a reoccurrence of his achilles problem.
The injuries cap off what’s been a disappointing fortnight for the Dogs with losses to Geelong and the Sydney Swans, but their good form from rounds 15 to 19 has sewn up fourth and booked them a qualifying final against Collingwood.
The injuries cap off what’s been a disappointing fortnight for the Dogs with losses to Geelong and the Sydney Swans, but their good form from rounds 15 to 19 has sewn up fourth and booked them a qualifying final against Collingwood.
Meanwhile, the Bombers have issues of their own that extend beyond persistent calls to sack the coach. Last week, the embattled Matthew Knights had 19 players unavailable and just five played in the VFL.
However, Dustin Fletcher is a chance to return for their final game while Paddy Ryder, Sam Lonergan and Travis Colyer are over the illness that thwarted their health last week.
PLAYER TO WATCH
With their blue-chip, Brownlow medal-winning midfielder Cooney out, now is the time for dashing winger Ryan Griffen to show he’s more than just a burst player. The Dogs will need him to be consistently effective in the middle from now on to make up for where his talented teammate will be missed.
Mark McVeigh will be looking to impress after an up and down season where his body has taken a battering. He’s out of contract, will turn 30 in January, and if the decision hasn’t already been made on his future, he’s got one last chance to convince Knights there’s room for a veteran in the 2011 line up.
QUESTION MARKS
Can the Bulldogs recover from two dispiriting losses and a handful of significant injuries to take a win into their first final against Collingwood?
Will they play Barry Hall, who has a corked thigh, or give him a week off with the Magpies in sight?
What sort of experiments will both sides make given player availability and Eade’s need to find out who will plug the holes in the games that matter?
Is this Matthew Knights’ last game as Essendon coach?
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Bulldogs will win this because they have to. The Bombers have nothing to lose but are suffering even more from a lengthy injury list and the early end to a few players’ seasons for surgical reasons.
If the Dogs don’t win, they’ll cop more than the serve they received from Eade at training on Wednesday. They’ve been hit by omissions but they’ve got the depth to still beat the Bombers.
PREDICTION
Western Bulldogs by 39 points
Chat with host Ben Broad and other fans in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au from 6.40pm Saturday or join the conversation on Twitter: #afldogsbombers.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
