North Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs
Sunday May 13th, 2012, 1.10pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Team Line-Up
Western Bulldogs:
IN: J Grant, A Cordy, F Roberts, D Pearce, C Smith, T Dickson
OUT: N Djerrkura (hip), L Jones (back), E Wood (hamstring)
To see the full Western Bulldogs team announcement, click here.
North Melbourne:
IN: Todd Goldstein, Ben Warren, Cameron Delaney, Sierakowski, Brad McKenzie
OUT: Robbie Tarrant, Aaron Mullett
Head-to-head
NAB Cup Round 3: North Melbourne 1. 11. 18. (93) def. Western Bulldogs 0.9.16 (70)
Round 17, 2011: North Melbourne 21. 16. (142) def. Western Bulldogs 17. 9. (111)
Round 18, 2010: Western Bulldogs 22. 11. (143) def. North Melbourne 10. 12. (72)
Round 9, 2010: North Melbourne 7. 15. (57) def. by Western Bulldogs 20. 7. (127)
Round 13, 2009: North Melbourne 12. 14. (86) def. by Western Bulldogs 17. 6. (108)
Last time they met
• North Melbourne collected more disposals with 377 to the Bulldogs 332 and won in the ruck with 44 hitouts to 35. The Bulldogs however had more clearances 44 to North’s 42 and laid more tackles (Bulldogs 67, North Melbourne 53).
• North’s Jack Ziebell had a standout game with 41 possessions, 8 clearances, 6 tackles, 5 marks and a goal to his name.
• Daniel Cross (25 possessions) had a respectable game taking 4 marks, laying 9 tackles and scoring a goal
Recent Form
Western Bulldogs (L W W L, 13th)
The Bulldogs proved in last weekend’s blockbuster against Collingwood that they can play an exciting and competitive brand of football against a good opposition. While they only have two wins on the board from six rounds their standing on the ladder does not entirely sum up their progress. A drop off in intensity in the final quarter ultimately cost them games against Collingwood and Adelaide. They also kept West Coast on a leash until midway through the third term when the Eagles were able to extend the margin. Now that the players are showing more of the contested, physical style of footy a big focus for Senior Coach Brendan McCartney is to sustain that intensity and hardness for the whole four quarters. The Dogs will be looking to back up last week’s performance and see their third win.
North Melbourne (W L W L, 10th)
The Kangaroos had a difficult task in the opening rounds of Season 2012 but have come out the other side with 3 wins and some solid performances. The Roos have already come up against Essendon (4th), Geelong (6th), Sydney (3rd) and West Coast (1st) but have only won one of those encounters - beating Geelong 131 to 114. North’s two other wins are over new kids on the block GWS Giants (NM 183, GWS 54) and Gold Coast (NM 127, GC 93). Key Forward Drew Petrie has been feeling the heat this week after a less than desirable start to the season and will be one of the Roos players wanting to lift after last week’s 25 point loss. North will be eager to get over the line on Sunday and turn their season around. This win is crucial as a loss would see them slide further down the ladder and fall below their break-even point with 3 wins and 4 losses.
Key Players
• Drew Petrie was the leading goal kicker last time they met and looked very dangerous in the forward 50. He finished the day with 5 goals but it could have been much more. So far in Season 2012 Petrie has kicked a total of 9 goals and is still trying to find form.
• After last week’s performance Brian Lake will be brimming with confidence and raring to go. Lake did not play in last year’s clash with North Melbourne but he’s most likely to line up on Drew Petrie in what is set to be one of the key match ups in Sunday’s clash.
• Andrew Swallow is also one to watch as North Melbourne’s leading ball winner. He has also laid the second highest number of tackles in the team. The Bulldogs ability to restrict Swallow’s influence around the stoppages could be telling - he has had 50 clearances in Season 2012 while the second ranked Jack Ziebell has only had 24.
• While Ryan Griffen’s disposal count in the past few rounds has been admirable, his ability to drive the ball into the forward line has also been first class. He is currently ranked second in the league for inside 50s per game with a career high 12 last week against Collingwood.
By the numbers
• Both of these teams know how to find a lot of the pill with North (395 per game) ranked first in total disposals while the Bulldogs (388) ranked second in the league. One slight difference is North have been favouring handballing while the Bulldogs are more inclined to dispose of the ball by foot.
• Sticking with Senior Coach Brendan McCartney’s contested, physical brand of footy the Bulldogs are out-tackling North Melbourne 378 to 357.
• North Melbourne are ranked 2nd in the league in clearances while the Bulldogs are ranked 7th
Injury List
Western Bulldogs
Dale Morris (leg) - Indefinite
Tom Williams (shoulder) - 7 weeks
Jason Johannisen (knee) - 5 weeks
Jason Tutt (knee) - 4 weeks
Easton Wood (hamstring) - 4 weeks
Lindsay Gilbee (knee) - 2 weeks
Lukas Markovic (hamstring) - TBA
Christian Howard (knee) - Test
For a complete injury update, watch the latest episode of BulldogsTV’s Medical Room here.
North Melbourne (Updated 24/04/2012)
Tom Curran (foot) - 3 weeks
Celebrate the Legends of the West. Don't miss out on the Western Bulldogs' Hall of Fame event on 26th May 2012. To book click here.
