WESTERN BULLDOGS v SYDNEY

WHERE & WHEN: Manuka Oval, Sunday 27 May, 1.10pm

MEDIA COVERAGE: Fox Sports1 (Melbourne 1pm, Adelaide 12.30pm, Perth 11am, New South Wales 1pm, Queensland 1pm), ABC Radio (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin), SEN Radio, Triple M (Sydney), afl.com.au (live audio and scoring)

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Played: 140, Western Bulldogs: 71, Sydney: 68, Drawn: 1

LAST TIME: Sydney 17.14 (116) d Western Bulldogs 14.6 (90), round eight, 2006, at the SCG

TAB Sportsbet: Western Bulldogs: $1.84, Sydney: $1.90

MILESTONES: Ryan Griffen and Dale Morris will play their 50th games this weekend. Griffen joined the club via the 2004 NAB AFL Draft as No.3 pick. He was runner-up in the NAB AFL Rising Star award in 2005, and continued his good form in his second season with an average of more than 17 disposals a game running off half-back. Morris is a Cinderella story, with the defender progressing through the VFL until he was elevated from the Dogs' rookie list. He is now considered a key figure in the Dogs' back six, and has averaged nearly 13 disposals in the first eight rounds.

INJURIES: The Bulldogs will test former Eagle Andrew McDougall (thigh) ahead of the weekend's match, while Robert Murphy (hamstring strain) is expected to miss another week. Chris Grant (groin/abdominal) and Damian McCormack (knee) could both be available in two weeks, while Brett Montgomery (neck) continues to be assessed and won't be rushed back. The Swans will test Craig Bolton (hamstring) but won't have Lewis Roberts-Thomson (foot) or Daniel O'Keefe (hamstring) available for at least another week.

RECENT HEAD TO HEAD HISTORY: The Bulldogs don't have a terrific record against the Swans in the past four years, and haven't beaten them since round eight, 2002. Last time these two sides met, the Swans won by 26 points, but in their premiership year of 2005, the Bulldogs got within 13 points. In 2004, the difference was again 26 points, but the Swans' biggest win over the Dogs in recent years came in round 12, 2003 when the Sydneysiders smashed them by 63 points at the SCG. The two sides have never met at Manuka Oval, where the Dogs have a 100 per cent strike rate after a one-point win over the Kangaroos in round six, 2004, and the Swans have two wins, two losses.

RECENT FORM: The Bulldogs were slow to start against the Magpies on the weekend, but ignited in the second term. Their speed and precision left the Magpies reeling, and a 12-goal-to-three second half blew their opposition away after the Dogs trailed by as much as 25 points in the third term. The result was a 33-point win over the Pies.

The week before, the Dogs took on the winless Demons and were lucky to escape with a one-goal victory. Two weeks ago, they travelled to Perth to take on the challenging Eagles at Subiaco, where they fell 15 points short of defeating the reigning premiers. So far this season, the Dogs have defeated Geelong, Richmond, Hawthorn, Melbourne and Collingwood.

The Swans are a game out of the eight in ninth position. The 2006 grand finalists have beaten Richmond, the Brisbane Lions, Melbourne and Port Adelaide. Their most recent win over the Power at the SCG was their most impressive performance of the year.

RED HOT PLAYERS: It's hard to go past Shaun Higgins as the Bulldogs' in-form player. The 19-year-old midfielder kicked four goals on Sunday against the Pies and won the round eight NAB AFL Rising Star nomination. Scott West, Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd were damaging in the midfield, with West leading the charge around the stoppages, while Adam Cooney drifted forward to slot four goals.

For the Swans, speedy defender Tadhg Kennelly was excellent in his first game back since dislocating his kneecap three weeks ago, and Michael O'Loughlin was damaging on the scoreboard with four goals. Luke Ablett and Nick Malceski were also efficient through the middle.

THE X-FACTOR: Jason Akermanis and Brad Johnson. "Aker" showed glimpses of his best last week against the Pies, while Johnson has been unable to replicate the scintillating performance he showed in round one. They are both primed for big games.

QUIRKY STAT: The Bulldogs will want to watch the Swans' big forwards, as Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin have kicked two big bags apiece in the past seven seasons. Hall booted five last year in round eight and six in round 12 of 2003, while O'Loughlin snared five in round nine (2005), and five in round eight, 2001. The Dogs haven't been without their own stand-out performers, and Johnson and Matthew Robbins nailed five each last year. The Swans have averaged 44.8 hit-outs to the Dogs' 27.9 so far this season. Against Darren Jolly and Peter Everitt, the Dogs will need big games from their big men.

WHAT THE COACH SAYS: "They played very well on the weekend and they've just about got a full squad, so they'll almost have their best team in. It's a big challenge for us, but I think we're further advanced than we have been in the last two years.

"We were fairly close (to them) the last two years … but it's a big challenge for us to be a side that's showing that we're improving so we need to do well on the weekend." – Rodney Eade, senior coach.