There will be no easy possessions in the VFL this week, Western Bulldogs’ Development Coach Peter German says, as Williamstown prepare to do battle with dominant clearance side Northern Blues on Saturday at Visy Park.

Winning the stoppages and contested ball will be paramount to the Seagulls’ chances against the Blues, while German is also conscious of capitalising on opportunities to hit the scoreboard.

“All the stats from the season so far point to two sides that are pretty good at stoppages and both teams are in the top three for ‘scores for’ as well,” German said.

“It is going to be all hands on deck for all of our players and there isn’t going to be much outside footy through the game – it will be a mixture of hard, aggressive and tough at the ball and who can win that.

“It will come down to who is effective enough to use it to hit the scoreboard.”

The Northern Blues boast an enviable ruck division in Carlton’s Shaun Hampson and Robert Warnock, which has played an integral role in giving the Blues an advantage around the stoppages.

But German is confident that the Seagulls duo of Tom Campbell and Cameron Wood will be able to hold their own and help Williamstown gain first touch.

“That’s why the Northern Blues are ranked number one at the clearances, they have some quality ruckmen and they have some quality players at ground level as well,” he said.

“They have 17 or 18 Carlton players in the Northern Blues at the moment and Tom Campbell and Cam Wood are going to have their hands full.

“In saying that, I’d like to think they’d get their fair share of taps as well and hopefully to our advantage.

“That is going to be one of the key battles in the ruck.”

The Bulldogs ruck stocks will be further bolstered by the return of versatile tall Ayce Cordy, who is poised to play his first game since round four, after being restricted to the sidelines with a fibula stress fracture.

Last time the two sides met in, Cordy was a standout with 36 hitouts and a goal, named as Williamstown’s best player.

A potential top four berth beckons for Williamstown if they can solidify the win against the Blues on Saturday, currently two points out of touch, while the Blues are sitting on seventh place.

Williamstown will take on the Northern Blues at Visy Park on Saturday 22 June 2013, with the first bounce scheduled for 2pm.