Western Bulldogs vs Sydney Swans
Sunday August 19th 2012, 3:15pm
Venue: Eithad Stadium
Team Announcement:
Western Bulldogs
IN: L Markovic, A Cooney, R Griffen, S Higgins, E Wood, A Cordy, L Jones
OUT: R Hargrave (suspension), J Grant (omitted), A Hooper (omitted), J Sherman (omitted)
View the full Western Bulldogs team announcement here.
Sydney Swans
IN: B Meridith, M Morton, S Reid, M Spangher
OUT: T Dennis-Lane
Head-to-head:
Round 10, 2012: Sydney 20. 12. (132) defeats Western Bulldogs 5. 10. (40), SCG
Round 18, 2011: Sydney 16. 18. (114) defeats Western Bulldogs11. 9. (75), SCG
Round 7, 2011: Western Bulldogs 10. 5. (65) defeated by Sydney 10. 13. (73), Manuka Oval
Semi Final, 2010: Western Bulldogs 11. 11. (77) defeats Sydney 10. 12. (72), Etihad Stadium
Round 21, 2010: Sydney 17. 12. (114) defeats Western Bulldogs 10. 10. (70), SCG
Last time they met:
• Sydney found 100 more possessions than the Bulldogs (WB327, SYD 427)
• Jude Bolton led the charge finding a massive 41 disposals, nine marks, four tackles and two goals
• The Bulldogs still managed to win the ruck battle (WB64, SYD56) with Will Minson racking up a game high 48 hit-outs
• The Swans started the game in scintillating form kicking nine goals in the first quarter to the Bulldogs one.
• It was Sydney’s small forwards causing headaches in their forward 50 with Lewis Jetta (4), Ben McGlynn (3) and Trent Dennis-Lane (3) looking dangerous
Recent Form:
Western Bulldogs (L L L L L, 15th)
While it was a less than desirable end result last weekend against Richmond, some positives can be taken out of the game. The Bulldogs showed real fight in the second and third quarters working their way back into the game after the Tigers fired early. The young and spirited Dogs hung on until the middle of the third quarter which is an improvement on previous weeks. The diversity of players contributing on the scoreboard in recent weeks has also been promising. With a number of experienced campaigners poised to re-join the side this week, the Bulldogs will be hoping to play out the full four quarters and compete strongly against the in-form Sydney side.
Sydney Swans (W W W W L, 1st)
The top of the table Swans have only lost four games this season and only one since their mid-season bye round. After falling to Collingwood last weekend by a mere eight points, Sydney will want to build momentum going into the finals series. Despite sitting on the top of the ladder with a sizeable gap in percentage, a top four birth is not yet confirmed and Sydney will be out to solidify their standing.
Key Players:
• He had a fair run in the forward line last time the teams met, yet Lewis Jetta has not scored multiple goals since round 16, including last week where he was unable to score a major at all. His ability still can’t be underestimated across the forward half.
• Leading the league in clearances (having averaged more than 9 clearances in the past four games) Josh Kennedy is one of Sydney’s key playmakers. A career best 40 disposals and 11 inside 50s last weekend proves he is building for a solid finals campaign.
• Emerging midfield duo Clay Smith and Mitch Wallis have been taking on more responsibility in the midfield in recent weeks and that is set to continue against Sydney. Last time the two teams met Sydney marginally won in the clearance count but these young pups will be keen to switch that result this time around.
• Alongside Captain Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken is the only player who has not missed a game this season. In fact Picken has not missed a game since Round 8, 2010. It’s easy to forget that the 26-year-old is yet to play his 100th game, yet the ruthless tagger is an integral member of the Bulldogs line-up. On numerous occasions this year Picken has demonstrated that he can not only nullify his opponent but also get the footy and that is what he will be looking to do on Sunday.
By the Numbers:
• Sydney are on the bottom of the ladder for marks averaging 75 a game while the Bulldogs average 89.
• The Swans however are averaging more marks inside their forward 50 with 10.8 to the Bulldogs 8.7.
• The Bulldogs had seven players with under ten career games playing last weekend and only seven players with over 100 games experience.
• Sydney on the other hand had only three players with less than 50 games experience - Luke Parker (26), Alex Johnson (39) and Trent Dennis-Lane (19).
Injury List:
Western Bulldogs
James Mulligan (achilles) - season
Daniel Cross (ac joint) - season
Luke Dahlhaus (ankle) - season
Mark Austin (wrist) - season
Jack Redpath (wrist) - season
Dale Morris (leg) - indefinite
Jason Tutt (hamstring) - 2-3 weeks
Adam Cooney (knee) - test
Ryan Griffen (back tightness) - test
Shaun Higgins (hamstring) - test
To see the full injury list, click here.
Sydney Swans
Gary Rohan (leg) - season
Jude Bolton (knee) - 2-5 weeks
Tom Mitchell (foot) - 1-2 weeks
Mark Seaby (calf) - 1-2 weeks
Shane Biggs (leg) - 1 week
Eugene Kruger (hamstring) - test
Sam Reid (knee) - test
