Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane Lions
Saturday 7 June 2014, 7:40pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Head-to-head:

Round 22, 2013: Brisbane Lions 15. 10. (100) defeat Western Bulldogs 13. 15. (93), Gabba
Round 1, 2013 – Western Bulldogs 19.13 (127) defeat Brisbane Lions 7.17 (59), Etihad Stadium
Round 23, 2012 – Brisbane Lions 19.14 (128) defeat Western Bulldogs 9.7 (61), Gabba
Round 13, 2012 – Western Bulldogs 7.14 (56) defeated by Brisbane Lions 18. 6 (114), Etihad Stadium
Round 2, 2011 – Western Bulldogs 19.9 (123) defeat Brisbane Lions 6.9 (45), Etihad Stadium   

Last time they met:

  • Tom Liberatore showed his dominance through the midfield collecting 27 possessions (18 contested) at 81.5% efficiency, 14 clearances, six tackles and six inside 50s.
  • Brownlow votes: T Rockliff 3, M Leuenberger 2, L Dahlhaus 1
  • Brisbane had seven multiple goal scorers with Matthew Leuenberger, Josh Green, Brent Staker, Daniel Merrett, Andrew Raines, Daniel Rich and Dayne Zorko kicking two each – but Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus was the only player to kick three goals
  • The Lions were dominant in the first half taking the margin to 50 points at the main change. The momentum changed however with a fast-finishing Bulldogs holding them to two goals in the final two quarters while kicking nine themselves.

Recent form:

Western Bulldogs

Mixed results have faced the Bulldogs 2014, with three wins to their name so far. A number of contests have been fought out to the end but it hasn’t been quite enough to get them over the line. The most recent loss to Fremantle saw a number of positive signs in the Bulldogs team defence and pressure against one of the competition’s elite – but the young Dogs struggled to penetrate the Dockers last line of defence. This weekend’s clash against Brisbane provides another chance to take away the four points in front of a home crowd. The likely inclusion of Matthew Boyd will help the Bulldogs on the inside, while Jarrad Grant could be an option to provide a point of difference in the forward line.

Brisbane Lions

A tumultuous season on and off the field over the past 18 months has influenced the Lions’ ladders position in 2014 but a win against Carlton on the weekend gives reason to look forward. Blooding seven debutants in 11 rounds so far, the Lions are firmly in a rebuilding stage and are trying to fast track their development by getting games into the kids. The lack of a replacement for Johnathon Brown in the forward line has caused headaches at times but Brisbane are a club that prides themselves on finding multiple avenues to goal and will do so again on Saturday night.

Key matchups and gamebreakers:

  • A close-checking midfield role has given Mitch Wallis a position to make his own in the past 12 months and he again showed how effective he can be against Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe last week. Recalled to the senior side for the round 11 clash, the father-son recruit made the most of his opportunity, holding his opponent to 14 touches while getting 20 of his own. Another challenge presents itself in his 50th career game this week on one of the Lions core midfield group in Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden or Pearce Hanley.
  • Josh Green has been forging a reputation as a reliable defensive forward at the Lions in recent seasons and was influential in his team’s win against Carlton last week. Kicking eight goals over the past three weeks, the 21-year-old is also a key player for the Lions going inside 50.
  • Both the Bulldogs and Lions have a versatile key position stocks which could prove useful across four quarters. Jordan Roughead began in the forward line against Fremantle before shifting to fullback where he has played most of his football in the past two seasons. Tom Williams and Fletcher Roberts are also familiar with the swingman role, having both spent time in attack and defence. For the Lions Daniel Merrett has the flexibility to play a range of positions. While he has played the majority of his football in the back six he was drafted as a forward – his ability to pinch hit in the ruck could also be drawn upon with the loss of Trent West with an ACL injury.