1. The first bounce

There’s no love lost between the Bulldogs and Giants. 

It’s one of the AFL’s newest rivalries, with the two western suburbs clubs locking horns in a number of big games in recent years.

The Bulldogs had the wood over the Giants in the regular season last year, winning by 61 points.

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But the Giants had the last laugh when it mattered, putting on a physical display in the elimination final to win by 58 points and end the Bulldogs’ season.

And both teams won’t have been pleased with last week’s result.

Expect this game to be on for young and old from the start.

The skipper

Marcus Bontempelli is a superstar.

And this won’t be how he pictured his first season as skipper starting, particularly after the way the Bulldogs’ season came to a close in 2019.

The Bulldogs’ midfield has been beaten by Collingwood and St Kilda this year.

Our captain is key to turning that around against the Giants, and you just know he’ll have his sights set on making a big impact.

The forwards

The Bulldogs finished 2019 as one of the competition’s highest scoring teams.

But so far this year, they’ve been unable to recapture that devastating form around goal.

Could this be the game?

The Giants’ backline boasts some handy players – Nick Haynes, Zac Williams and Phil Davis, just to name a few

But you get the sense the likes of Aaron Naughton and Josh Bruce aren’t too far away from making their presence felt in 2020.

The crowd

Almost 1,000 supporters will be in red, white and blue at Marvel Stadium to watch this clash

Albeit, in cardboard cut-out form!

Thanks to our partner, PEDIGREE® , the Bulldog army will be out in force under the Friday night lights for this crucial clash.

Could it be that added presence which helps the Bulldogs taste victory for the first time in 2020?