Western Bulldogs vs GWS Giants
Sunday 31 August 2014, 4:40pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Head-to-head:

Round 4, 2014: GWS Giants 12. 11. (83) defeated by Western Bulldogs 17. 8. (110), StarTrack Oval
Round 15, 2013: GWS Giants 12. 11. (83) defeated by Western Bulldogs 13. 9. (87), StarTrack Oval
Round 5, 2012: GWS Giants 9. 8. (62) defeated by Western Bulldogs 15. 14. (104), Manuka Oval
NAB Cup Round 1, 2012: GWS Giants 1. 3. 3. (30) defeated by Western Bulldogs 0. 5. 5. (35), Blacktown Olympic Park

Last time they met:

  • GWS jumped out of the gates kicking five first term goals but couldn’t hold the momentum with the Bulldogs winning each of the subsequent quarters and the game by 27 points
  • Matthew Boyd racked up 39 disposals, followed by Jack Macrae with 30, while Heath Shaw led for the Giants with 27
  • Giants leading goal kicker Jeremy Cameron continued his strong streak against the Bulldogs kicking three majors, while Stewart Crameri kicked four for the Bulldogs
  • GWS won the clearances +4, contested possessions +2 and hitouts +8

Recent form:

Western Bulldogs
Facing three of the top six in the past month of football, the Bulldogs have been tested in their run home for 2014 and GWS Giants’ form will make for another challenging game. The Bulldogs have already won eight more quarters than last season and are ranked third in tackles league-wide and are third in handballs. The team also has the retirement of Daniel Giansiracusa to provide inspiration for a fitting send off for a Club great.

GWS Giants
The Giants have shown they can compete better defensively this season, placed fifth in clearances, third in rebound 50s, seventh in tackles and sixth in hitouts this season. Getting the ball inside 50 has still been a problem area for the young side – particularly now that their two key tall targets have been struck down with injury. Toby Greene has been in fine form accumulating 42 disposals in last week’s eight point loss to Collingwood. The performance was off the back of a 64 point win over Melbourne in round 21.

Key matchups and gamebreakers:

  • The Bulldogs draft class of 2012 has come in leaps and bounds in the back half of the season with both Jack Stringer and Nathan Hrovat earning rising star nominations. The duo alongside Jack Macrae were all strong contributors in last week’s clash against Sydney – collectively adding 73 disposals, 22 marks, three goals and three goal assists
  • Rhys Palmer and Devon Smith have been handy up forward for the Giants in the absence of tall forwards Jeremy Cameron and now Jon Patton. The pair have combined for 11 goals in the past three weeks.
  • Clearance machine Tom Liberatore is finishing the season strongly, having collected seven or more clearances in 11 games in 2014 and has him first in the competition in that statistical category. The 22-year-old is also first overall in tackles and equal fourth in contested possessions – while still boasting 73.4% efficiency.