An unchanged Western Bulldogs line-up has been named for Saturday afternoon’s clash with the ladder-leading Geelong Cats at GMHBA Stadium.
Key defender Fletcher Roberts – who was a late inclusion for ruckman Tim English for the win against the Brisbane Lions – has retained his place in the side.
English, who was ruled out through soreness, has not recovered in time to face the Cats.
Lewis Young, Rhylee West, Pat Lipinski and Bailey Williams have been named as the emergencies.
The Cats sit a game clear at the top of the AFL ladder heading into round eight, with seven wins and one loss.
Their record has included wins against last year’s the likes of Collingwood, Adelaide and West Coast, with their one loss by four points to current top-four side GWS Giants.
Full of confidence after back-to-back wins against finals contenders Richmond and Brisbane Lions, a win would see the 10th-placed Bulldogs potentially sit in the top eight at the conclusion of round nine.
Forward Sam Lloyd believes the Dogs will be up for the fight against the in-form Cats.
The Dogs will be out to win their first game on Geelong’s home turf since 2003, with the Cats claiming the points in the sides’ past eight meetings at Kardinia Park.
ROUND 9 TEAM
B: Jason Johannisen, Fletcher Roberts, Hayden Crozier
HB: Caleb Daniel, Zaine Cordy, Easton Wood
C: Lachie Hunter, Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards
HF: Billy Gowers, Aaron Naughton, Sam Lloyd
F: Toby McLean, Marcus Bontempelli, Mitch Wallis
Foll: Jackson Trengove, Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae
Int: Matt Suckling, Bailey Smith, Will Hayes, Lachie Young
Emer: Lewis Young, Rhylee West, Pat Lipinski, Bailey Williams
MATCH DETAILS
Geelong Cats v Western Bulldogs
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Saturday 18 May
4.35pm AEST
For match information, click here.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Round 15, 2018 – The Dogs claimed victory in a two-point nail-biter – snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Cats – with Harry Taylor missing a set-shot after the final siren. Little separated the teams throughout the night, with the lead changing at each interval. Dog-turned-Cat Luke Dahlhaus starred in red, white and blue with 29 disposals, with Josh Dunkley (27 disposals, two goals) and Toby McLean (25 disposals, 11 tackles) also having a big impact. Cats stars Joel Selwood (34 disposals), Tim Kelly (34 disposals), Gary Ablett (31 disposals) and Patrick Dangerfield (31 disposals) all had plenty of the ball. Tom Hawkins and Ed Richards kicked three goals each for the Cats and Dogs respectively. The win ended a run of five losses in 2018 for the Bulldogs.
BROADCAST INFO
TV – FOX Footy (live from 4.30pm)
Radio – Triple M, ABC, SEN 1116, 3AW, K Rock
