Brisbane Lions vs Western Bulldogs 
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 4:40pm
Venue: Gabba

Team Announcement:

Western Bulldogs
IN: B Lake, M Panos, P Veszpremi, F Roberts
OUT: D Giansiracusa

View the full Western Bulldogs team announcement here.

Brisbane Lions
IN: A Buchanan, E Yeo, S Docherty
OUT: Nil

Head-to-Head:

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
Round 12, 2010: Western Bulldogs 17. 19. (121) defeat Brisbane Lions 8. 8. (56), Etihad Stadium
Round 4, 2010: Brisbane Lions 13. 23. (101) defeats Western Bulldogs 12. 7. (79), Gabba
Semi Final, 2009: Western Bulldogs 16. 11. (107) defeat Brisbane Lions 8.8. (56), MCG

Last time they met:

• Ash McGrath slotted through a game high five goals for the Lions while versatile tall Daniel Merrett kicked four
• It was the young guns from both teams that were the main ball winners for the day with no one over the age of 23 collecting 25 or more possessions. Tom Rockliff however had 40 touches, while Jack Redden (31), Dayne Zorko (29), Pearce Hanley (29), Tom Liberatore (29) and Christian Howard (25) had their fair share
• The goal conversion rate was telling in the result with Brisbane kicking at 75% accuracy while the Bulldogs were only 33.3% accurate in front of goals
• 12 of Brisbane’s goal were from marks indicating that they were highly dangerous from their 15 marks inside 50

Recent Form:

Western Bulldogs (L L L L L, 15th)
A more spirited showing in recent weeks from the Bulldogs should bode well with Members and Fans alike. While unable to secure the four points the team has been highly competitive against Sydney (2nd) and Geelong (6th) including a second half comeback against the Cats last week which saw the margin at a mere 21 points heading into the final term. The fact that the Bulldogs had 9 players with 50 or more games compared to Geelong’s 13 cannot be downplayed.

Brisbane Lions (L L L W W, 13th)
An upset win over Adelaide a fortnight ago has ignited a fire in the Lions outfit on the run home. Win or lose the Lions are destined to finish 13th on the ladder but a third consecutive win would be a positive to finish the season. Last time they met McGrath and Merrett led the forward line but this time round McGrath will be restricted to the sidelines, while Merrett has played predominantly down back in the past month. Brisbane will need to rely on a number of emerging forwards to produce a winning score line and hope Jonathan Brown’s reasonable form continues.

Key Players:

• Between Daniel Rich and Dayne Zorko last weekend they had 13 tackles, three goals, nine clearances and 15 inside 50s. The two have been highly influential assisting through the middle and shifting forward this season - particularly Dayne Zorko who in his first season has averaged 19.5 disposals, 4.6 marks, 6.6 tackles, 5.2 inside 50s and has kicked 19 goals.
• Finding form before his 50th career game Jarrad Grant will be looking to reproduce last week’s three goal haul. Giving meaning to the term ‘super sub’ Grant made an impact from the moment he came onto the ground. Playing a more multi-faceted role this season Grant can also be utilised in defence.
• Averaging three goals a game in the past five rounds Jonathan Brown is rekindling his form from earlier in the season. The powerhouse forward has only managed to kick four or more goals on four occasions this year but if left unaccountable will be eager to add to that tally
• While last year it was Tom Rockliff dominating the Lions midfield, this year Jack Redden is giving him a run for his money in the race to the Merrett-Murray Medal. Arguably in career best form this season, Redden is averaging over seven clearances in recent weeks as well as laying 13 tackles last weekend. He is also averaging 24.9 disposals and 4.9 marks in his fourth AFL season.
• After re-signing with the Club this week Mitch Wallis will be looking to end the season with a bang. Stepping up his dominance around the stoppages he has averaged seven clearances in the past four weeks, while his 29 disposals at 82% efficiency against Geelong was influential.

By the numbers:

• The Western Bulldogs are averaging 44 hit-outs per game to the Lions 34 with a match up this weekend between Will Minson and ex-Dog Ben Hudson posing as a highlight
• In the one percenters stat the Lions are leading the league (with defenders Joel Patfull, Matt Maguire and Daniel Merrett all ranked in the top 15 of the AFL) while the Bulldogs are ranked 14th in the competition
• The Dogs are averaging 265.3 effective disposals per match compared to the Lions 249.3
• In the past ten times they have gone head to head the Bulldogs have won seven clashes

Injury List:

Western Bulldogs
James Mulligan (achilles) - season
Mark Austin (wrist) - season
Daniel Cross (AC joint) - season
Dale Morris (leg) - season
Luke Dahlhaus (ankle) - season
Jack Redpath (wrist) - season
Tom Williams (foot) - season
Lindsay Gilbee (hip flexor) - season
Jason Tutt (hamstring) - season
Daniel Pearce (hamstring) - season
Jason Johannisen (calf) - season
Liam Jones (hamstring) - season
Daniel Giansiracusa (knee) - season

Brisbane Lions
Richard Newell (shoulder) - season
Jesse O’Brien (adductor surgery) - season
Bryce Retzlaff (knee) - season
Brad Harvey (ankle) - season
Brent Staker (knee) - season
Ash McGrath (leg/wrist) - season
Matt Leuenberger (achilles) - season
Mitch Golby (foot) - season
Matt Maguire (ankle surgery) - season
Jared Polec (adductor) - 1 - 2 weeks