Richmond vs Western Bulldogs
Sunday 12th August 2012, 3:15pm
Venue: MCG
Team Announcement:
Western Bulldogs
IN: L Gilbee, R Hargrave, L Jong, A Hooper, F Roberts, J Sherman
OUT: J Tutt (hamstring), C Howard (adductor), T Liberatore (club suspension)
To see the full team announcement, click here.
Richmond
IN: M Dea, T Derickx, B O'Hanlon
Head-to-head:
Round 8: 2011: Western Bulldogs 23. 15. (153) defeat Richmond 18. 10. (118), Etihad Stadium
Round 2, 2010: Richmond 7. 6. (48) defeated by Western Bulldogs 17. 18. (120), MCG
Round 11, 2009: Richmond 14. 5. (89) defeated by Western Bulldogs 24. 13. (157), Etihad Stadium
Round 3, 2009: Western Bulldogs 16. 14. (110) defeat Richmond 8. 15. (63), Etihad Stadium
Round 5, 2008: Western Bulldogs 19. 16. (130) drew with Richmond 20. 10. (130), Etihad Stadium
Last time they met:
• In Round 8 last year the Bulldogs played one of their best games for the season with Lindsay Gilbee kicking six goals, Will Minson kicking four and Jarrad Grant slotting through three
• Bulldogs won the clearances (WB45, RICH37) and tackles (71, 56) - while Richmond got on top of the Dogs taking 29 more marks
• The Dogs polled all six Brownlow votes (Boyd 3, Minson 2, Gilbee 1)
• Jack Riewolt lead the Tigers in the forward half with four goals with Robin Nahas was their main ball winner on the day
Recent Form:
Western Bulldogs (L L L L L, 15th)
While the final margins have been unflattering for the Bulldogs in recent weeks, the side has been putting in some solid performances early before losing momentum in the second half. Blooding two debutants last week saw the Dogs field a side with nine players having played under 15 career games (as a comparison, Gold Coast Suns had two). With a number of more experienced campaigners pushing to return from injury the Bulldogs will hope to play out the full four quarters with the same ferocity and defensive pressure that saw them leading North Melbourne early last week.
Richmond (W L L L W, 12th)
Despite only winning two of their past five games, Richmond have been a highly competitive outfit in the past month. Not going down without a fight, the largest margin in the past three defeats has been a mere four points - they also notched wins over Brisbane Lions and Melbourne. While rugby convert Karmichael Hunt effectively shut down the Tiger’s finals aspirations in Gold Coast’s upset win, Richmond will be looking to have a solid run home.
Key Players:
• Ranked fourth in the Coleman Medal, Jack Riewoldt has been a powerhouse up forward for the Tigers. His accuracy in front of the big sticks has let him down, as he finds himself at 50% accuracy— but if left to roam free has been very dangerous.
• Dylan Addison emerged as a potential option up forward kicking two goals and three behinds last weekend on return from a jaw injury. Known for his endeavour in the back six, his pressure acts could be just as effective as a defensive forward
• Averaging more than three goals in the past five rounds, in-form Robin Nahas is another Richmond forward that the Bulldogs need to be wary of. He has already exceeded his personal best 29 goals in the season and doesn’t look to be slowing down.
• Trent Cotchin has been dominating the clearances, laying on the tackles and assisting on the scoreboard in recent weeks and has easily been one of Richmond’s best players this season. Ranked second at Richmond for disposals, tackles, contested possessions and clearances he needs to be shut down.
• With Luke Dahlhaus out for the season through injury, Clay Smith’s tackling pressure and hardness around the ball will be valuable through the middle. With a career best nine tackles last week his defensive nous and fearless approach will be vital.
By the numbers:
• Both teams are averaging similar numbers in tackles (WB63.7, RICH64.8), handballs (163.3, 168.1), clearances (39.2, 39), marks (87,3, 88,8) and hitouts (43.8, 42) this season
• The Dogs main ball winner Matthew Boyd is ranked second in the competition for total possessions whereas Richmond’s Brett Deledio is ranked seventh
• Richmond have averaged 47.3 disposals and 7.2 marks more than their direct opponent this year
• The Dogs have two players who have played all 18 games this season while Richmond have ten meaning almost half of their line-up has played every game in 2012
Injury List:
Western Bulldogs
James Mulligan (achilles) - season
Mark Austin (wrist) - season
Jack Redpath (arm) - season
Daniel Cross (ac joint) - season
Luke Dahlhaus (ankle) - season
Dale Morris (leg) - indefinite
Shaun Higgins (hamstring) - 1 week
Easton Wood (general tightness) - test
Lukas Markovic (hamstring) - test
Adam Cooney (knee) - test
Jason Tutt (hamstring) - TBA
To see the full injury report, click here.
Richmond
Nathan Foley (heel) Season
Ty Vickery (shoulder) Season
Dylan Grimes (hamstring) Indefinite
Matt Arnot (hamstring) 1-2 weeks
Jake Batchelor (knee) Test
