Geelong Cats vs Western Bulldogs
Sunday 26th August, 2012, 1:10pm
Venue: Simonds Stadium

Team Announcement:

Western Bulldogs
IN: J Grant, L Jones, C Howard, T Campbell, M Talia
OUT: A Cordy (back), F Roberts (omitted)

View the full Western Bulldogs team announcement here.

Geelong
IN: T Varcoe, B Smedts, C Guthrie, A Christensen
OUT: J Selwood

Head-to-Head:

Round 9, 2012: Western Bulldogs 11. 9. (75) defeated by Geelong 14. 11. (95), Etihad Stadium
NAB Cup Challenge, 2012: Geelong 11. 18. (84) defeated Western Bulldogs 11. 9. (75), Simonds Stadium
Round 11, 2011: Geelong 23. 10. 148) defeats Western Bulldogs 13. 9. (87), Simonds Stadium
Round 20, 2010: Western Bulldogs 9. 6. (60) defeated by Geelong 25. 11. (161), Etihad Stadium
Second Qualifying Final, 2009: Geelong 14. 12. (96) defeat Western Bulldogs 12. 10. (82), MCG
Round 21, 2009: Western Bulldogs 16. 14. (110) defeat Geelong 14, 12, (96), Etihad Stadium

Last time they met:

• The Bulldogs had 45 clearances - 16 more than Geelong for the match
• Inaccuracy in front of goal hurt the Dogs in the second half. While they were only trailing by seven points at the main change they only converted five of their next 12 scoring shots. Geelong on the other hand kicked eight majors from 10 shots on goal to eventually win by 20 points.
• Shaun Higgins and Daniel Giansiracusa kicked three goals each while Tom Hawkins and Steven Motlop kicked three majors apiece for the Cats
• Both teams were equal in inside 50s on the day with 48 each, while Geelong had six more tackles and six more hit-outs than the Dogs.
• One key area where Geelong dominated was in marks (WB 62, GEE 110)

Recent Form:

Western Bulldogs (L L L L L, 16th)
There were a number of promising signs to come out of last week’s clash with Sydney Swans. While the final margin was less than favourable the Bulldogs fought hard against the ladder leaders to win the first quarter by 18 points. While unable to hold onto the lead they were able to stay in the game until the third quarter but the experienced Sydney side gained momentum from there.

Geelong Cats (W W W L W, 7th)
Geelong have all but confirmed their place in the finals and will now be looking to build momentum and potentially earn a home final advantage in week one. Winning four of their past five matches against quality sides including Hawthorn (2nd), Essendon (10th), Adelaide (3rd) and St Kilda (11th) they are proving they are a team to be beaten. Their only loss in that five week period was to West Coast Eagles (5th) by a margin of 5 points. Geelong have not lost to a side outside the current eight this year.

Key Players:

• Last time the Dogs took on the Cats, Mitch Wallis had 24 disposals at an impressive 95.83% disposal efficiency, five clearances, five tackles and a goal. Since then he has continued to find form particularly around the stoppages averaging more than seven clearances in the past three rounds.
• James Kelly’s tackling pressure and clearance winning ability has been on show in recent weeks. While fellow midfielder Joel Selwood is likely to attract a hard tag, Kelly’s contested ball winning abilities have been ramping up as finals approach
• In-form forward Tom Hawkins may only be fourth in the race for the Coleman Medal but his form in the back half of the season has been impressive. With three 5+ goal hauls in the past five rounds he is a very dangerous forward.
• Can Ryan Griffen back up his inspirational performance from last week? While another 47 disposal performance may be a bit of a stretch, his form in recent weeks is nothing to disregard. Geelong’s ability to nullify his influence will be telling.

By the numbers:

• The Western Bulldogs are still finding their fair share of the ball, ranking 5th in the league for disposals to Geelong who are placed 12th
• Geelong are averaging 5.6 hit-outs less than their direct opponent while the Dogs on average have 4.8 hit-outs more than their direct opponent
• Of the teams fielded last weekend Geelong’s side was on average 2 years older with a massive 40 games more games than their Bulldogs counterparts.

Injury List:

Western Bulldogs
James Mulligan (achilles) - season
Mark Austin (wrist) - season
Jack Redpath (wrist) - season
Daniel Cross (ac joint) - season
Luke Dahlhaus (ankle) - season
Tom Williams (foot) - season
Lindsay Gilbee (hip flexor) - season
Dale Morris (leg) - indefinite
Jason Tutt (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks
Daniel Pearce (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks

View the full Western Bulldogs injury list here.

Geelong Cats
Allen Christensen (groin) - test
Orren Stephenson (broken hand) - 1 week
Josh Cowan (achillies) - season
Daniel Menzel (knee) - season