Western Bulldogs vs West Coast Eagles
Sunday 28 July 2013, 3:20pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Head to head:

Round 6, 2013: West Coast 21. 11. (137) defeat Western Bulldogs 10. 7. (67), Patersons Stadium
Round 1, 2012: Western Bulldogs 12. 15. (87) defeated by West Coast 21. 10. (136), Etihad Stadium
Round 19, 2011: Western Bulldogs 15. 5. (95) defeated by West Coast 15. 13. (103), Etihad Stadium
Round 9, 2011: West Coast 26. 19. (175) defeat Western Bulldogs 8. 4. (52), Patersons Stadium

Last time they met:

  • West Coast had on average 30+ more games experience, with just six players boasting less than 50 games to the Western Bulldogs 15
  • 14 Eagles took five or more marks, with Mark Lecras, Dean Cox, Ashley Smith and Will Schofield all taking nine – Liam Jones was the only Bulldog to match that feat, while Koby Stevens had five. The Eagles finished the game with 114 marks to the Bulldogs 54
  • Despite the Eagles winning the hitouts (57) rotating between Dean Cox, Nic Naitanui and Callum Sinclair to the Bulldogs 40, the Dogs won the clearances (WB 49, WCE 40)
  • Clay Smith was the standout for the Bulldogs on the day finding 26 disposals, seven inside 50s, four tackles, six clearances and two goals.
  • Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy dominated the scoreboard, with five and four goals respectively.

Recent Form:

Western Bulldogs
Strong performances against Essendon and Hawthorn have confirmed the Bulldogs are heading in the right direction and are starting to see results out on the field. Three season ending injuries in as many weeks means the Bulldogs will take a hit, particularly in the back six – but it also gives the young side the chance to bring fresh legs into the side. The availability of captain Matthew Boyd will also add some strength through their midfield to counter West Coast’s experience.

West Coast Eagles
Two games out of the eight, the Eagles need to maximise every opportunity on the run home if they want to keep their finals aspirations alive. Having won just one game since the mid-season bye, the Eagles still face four top eight sides as well as fellow finals contenders Adelaide in coming weeks.

Key match ups and game breakers:

  • The Bulldogs defenders will need to be on task to disarm two of the competition’s best forwards this weekend. Josh Kennedy has continued his reign as the leading goal kicker in the league this season, boasting 51 goals in 2013. His influence inside 50 sees him rank equal first in goal assists at the Eagles this year. Jack Darling is also potent in the forward line, currently sitting just one goal out of the top ten in the competition. The pair combined contribute to almost 40% of West Coast’s goals this season.
  • The battle will also be heated in the centre square, when two of the AFL’s leading contested players tee off on Sunday. Tom Liberatore (1st) will challenge Matthew Priddis (3rd) at the clearances, while the two teams are currently locked on equal second in the statistic competition-wide. The two players have also shown their wares winning the contested ball with the Bulldogs’ father-son recruit ranking 5th in comparison to Priddis who is in fifth place.
  • Eric Mackenzie has been building form in the Eagles back line in recent weeks, producing some impressive numbers – averaging almost 12 one percenters in the past five rounds and five rebound 50s. In conjunction with Darren Glass in West Coast’s back six, Liam Jones and Jarrad Grant will need to work hard to shake their opponents off and get to the ball first.