Western Bulldogs vs Essendon
Sunday 20 July 2014, 4:40pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Head-to-head:

Round 7,2014: Essendon 10. 13. (73) defeated Western Bulldogs 9. 11. (65), Etihad Stadium
Round 16,2013: Western Bulldogs 14. 6. (90) defeated by Essendon 18. 13. (121), Etihad Stadium
Round 14, 2012: Essendon 21. 14. (140) defeat Western Bulldogs 8. 8. (56), Etihad Stadium
Round 21, 2011: Western Bulldogs 15. 11. (101) defeated by Essendon 23. 12. (15), Etihad Stadium
Round 1, 2011: Essendon 16. 17. (113) defeat Western Bulldogs 8. 10. (58), Etihad Stadium

Last time they met:

  • The Bulldogs led in a number of statistical categories in what was a close encounter, finishing in front in hitouts (WB48,Ess33), clearances (37,34), inside 50s (50,46), disposals (378,335) and contested possessions (135,117). But Essendon were +27 in marks and +31 in kicks.
  • The Bulldogs made Essendon work hard for the four points, with the away side winning three quarters of football. It was Essendon’s dominant third term, however, that secured them the win, with the Bulldogs unable to close the gap after the final change
  • Jobe Watson (Ess) and Luke Dahlhaus (WB) were the only two players to record multiple goals in the match, with an even spread across both teams hitting the scoreboard. The young Bulldog also collected 32 disposals, despite the close attention of Heath Hocking in the second half.
  • Dustin Fletcher was huge for the Bombers in their back six, obstructing a number of the Bulldogs attacking plays, collecting 25 touches, nine marks, seven rebound 50s and nine one per centers

Recent form:

Western Bulldogs
A win against the Gold Coast Suns in Cairns last week will  boost the Bulldogs confidence for the run home this season. Despite fielding their least experienced side of the season, the young Dogs led inside the contest but also produced 20 more inside 50s and eight additional scoring shots – showing they are improving at turning their dominance inside into fruitful attacking plays. The recent victory is on the back of a solid six weeks of football – winning in three of those games. The likely addition of Ryan Griffen into the side - after he missed last week through illness - will also be a major boost.

Essendon
Since the two sides last met, Essendon have won six and lost three – including an upset loss to Melbourne by the smallest of margins. Five of those games however have been decided by less than two goals, meaning the Bombers have had to fight to the wire in a number of recent matches. Jake Carlisle has been finding form in their forward line, while David Zaharakis and Brendon Goddard have been standing up through the midfield and back six. One of three teams sitting on nine wins at the bottom of the eight, a win on the weekend would begin to give the Bombers more certainty about a finals appearance.

Key matchups and gamebreakers:

  • In round seven, a combination of Liam Picken and Koby Stevens playing shutdown roles worked relatively well against Jobe Watson and Brent Stanton, while the Bulldogs also have Mitch Wallis at their disposal to deploy in a defensive role.
  • Joe Daniher, Paul Chapman and Brent Stanton have been the Bombers most frequent avenues to goal this season, combining for 49 goals so far. Jake Carlisle also showed he is capable of kicking big numbers with a bag of four last week against Collingwood.
  • While Jack Macrae dominated possession in the win against the Gold Coast, the Bulldogs could also regain the services of Ryan Griffen and possibly even Adam Cooney this week when they take on a more experienced Bombers outfit. Combine this with an in form Tom Liberatore and the Club’s midfield looks increasingly damaging. It will provide a good battle in the area with Essendon’s strong midfield depth.
  • Essendon had a staggering 148 marks against the Pies in round 17, with five players boasting over 10 grabs in the game. The Bulldogs will need to prevent the Dons from moving the ball as easily as they did against Collingwood