Where and when: Etihad Stadium, Friday 30 April, 7.40pm
Head to head: Western Bulldogs 70 wins, St Kilda 74 wins, three draws
Last time: St Kilda 9.6 (60) d Western Bulldogs 7.11 (53), preliminary final, 2009, at the MCG

MISSING IN ACTION
Western Bulldogs
Matthew Boyd (hand) - test
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) - 2 weeks
Ryan Hargrave (neck) - test
Andrew Hooper (shoulder) - TBA
Christian Howard (hip) - 3 weeks
James Mulligan (hamstring) - test
Liam Picken (ankle) - 4-5 weeks
Shane Thorne (knee) - 12 weeks
Jason Tutt (ankle) - 2 weeks
Callan Ward (groin) - 4 weeks

ST KILDA
Jason Gram (hip) - TBA
Luke Miles (stress fracture fibula) - TBA
Farren Ray (ankle) - TBA
Nick Riewoldt (hamstring) - 11-15 weeks
Jesse Smith (ankle) - TBA

FORM
Western Bulldogs: LWWLW
St Kilda: WWWWL

SUMMARY
The Bulldogs got their season back on track on Friday night with an easy win over Adelaide. They tired in the second half after a tough few weeks that involved a pair of shortened breaks, a physical game against Hawthorn and a trip north to face the Brisbane Lions.

The Dogs' run was back against the Crows. Daniel Giansiracusa stole the show in an impressive midfield performance that offset the absence of Matthew Boyd. Brad Johnson returned while Jordan Roughead and Jarrad Grant came in and did enough to hold their spots.
 
The Saints lost their first game for the year against Port Adelaide in what was one of four upset results for the round.

It was a low-scoring affair and the Saints simply struggled to kick goals. Justin Koschitzke didn't fire in his first game back from suspension and Brendon Goddard failed to back up his five-goal performance from the week before. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jarrad Grant broke into the side for his second senior game, which was much more impressive than his debut match last year. Grant chased, tackled and applied pressure while chipping in with two goals. With Josh Hill pushing to reclaim his spot, Grant will need to keep performing if he's to hold his selection.

With Riewoldt out for at least three months, the Saints need Justin Koschitzke to stand up and take the load up forward. The Saints were left lacking when he managed just 11 touches, four marks and no goals. Now is the chance for Koschitzke to break out of Riewoldt's shadow.

QUESTION MARKS
The Bulldogs are yet to topple a top-eight side with wins against Richmond, Hawthorn and Adelaide. Losses to Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions have hurt their credibility - can they claim a big scalp?

The Dogs were hurt by two shortened breaks and a tough game - the Saints are on the tail-end of a pair of six-dayers plus a game that ended in the wet. Will lethargy set in?

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Bulldogs had pace against the Crows, despite missing Matthew Boyd. Their form is taking shape and they'll be desperate not to let another big kill slip. The Saints will be fired up after their loss but their recent hectic fixture and slug-it-out loss to Port Adelaide could hurt their run. It's a game that's won in the midfield and this week that will go the way of the Dogs with the Saints to be a little flat footed.

PREDICTION
Western Bulldogs by nine points

Follow Mark Conway's inside view of the Western Bulldogs v St Kilda at #afldogssaints on Twitter.com from 7.40pm Saturday or @AFL_MarkConway1#afldogssaints

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.