Collingwood vs Western Bulldogs
Sunday 16 June 2013, 4:40pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Head-to-head:
Round 6, 2012: Western Bulldogs 11. 11. (77) defeated by Collingwood 15. 8. (98), Etihad Stadium
Round 6, 2011: Collingwood 15. 15. (105) defeat Western Bulldogs 8. 9. (57), MCG
Qualifying Final, 2010: Collingwood 17. 22. (124) defeat Western Bulldogs 8. 14. (62), MCG
Round 11, 2010: Collingwood 17. 11. (113) defeat Western Bulldogs 16. 7. (103), Etihad Stadium

Last time they met:

  • Ryan Griffen had 12 inside 50s, five more than any other player on the field, with Simon Buckley and Travis Cloke both producing seven
  • The Western Bulldogs won the first and third quarters but Collingwood ran out 21 point winners 
  • Scott Pendlebury won the Rose-Whitten Medal for the match as well as taking out the three Brownlow votes

Recent Form:

Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs will head into the round 12 clash with two consecutive wins under their belt and fresh legs after the bye. The inclusion of Adam Cooney and Matthew Boyd will bolster the team as they contend with a more mature Collingwood outfit. Being competitive for longer and team defence have been key messages from Senior Coach Brendan McCartney all season and the second year coach will be eyeing his team’s progress against quality opposition.

Collingwood
Collingwood are in hot form at the moment, winning their past two games by an average of 61 points. Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Heath Shaw have stepped up a gear in recent weeks and Luke Ball has also been influential in his most recent outings after returning from a knee reconstruction. The Pies will be determined to get the four points this week to keep in close touch with the top four as they look to the second half of the season.

Key Matchups and Game Breakers

  • Nick Lower will again be faced with a hard task on Sunday, with Pendlebury looming as a likely target. Despite playing a negating role Lower has still averaged 17 disposals in the past six weeks, while this season he has found almost six tackles per game. He has also restricted a number of the competition’s elite midfielders. 
  • If past performance this season is anything to go by then Will Minson should have the ruck dual covered this weekend against Darren Jolly. While Minson is touted as one of the in-form ruckmen of the league averaging more than 41 hit outs per game and 11 hit outs more than his direct opponent. 
  • The scoring power of Collingwood’s midfield can prove a game changer, so the Bulldogs ability to apply pressure and prevent them from pushing forward and capitalising in front of goals will be pivotal.