St Kilda vs Western Bulldogs
Sunday July 29th 2012, 3:15pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Team Announcement:
Western Bulldogs
IN: L Jones, T Dickson, C Smith, D Addison, J Johannisen, J Roughead, R Hargrave
OUT: S Higgins (hamstring), M Austin (wrist), N Djerrkura (omitted), A Cordy (omitted)
To see the full team announcement click here.
St Kilda
IN: F Ray, T Ledger, B Wilkes
OUT: Nil
Head-to-head:
Round 3, 2012: Western Bulldogs 5. 10. (40) defeated by St Kilda 15. 13. (103), Etihad Stadium
Round 12, 2011: St Kilda 12. 9. (81) defeat Western Bulldogs 8. 9. (57), Etihad Stadium
Preliminary Final, 2010: St Kilda 13. 10. (88) defeats Western Bulldogs 8. 16. (64), MCG
Round 6, 2010: Western Bulldogs 6. 10. (46) defeated by St Kilda 7. 7. (49), Etihad Stadium
Preliminary Final, 2009: St Kilda 9. 6. (60) defeat Western Bulldogs 7. 11. (53)
Last time they met:
• Captain Matthew Boyd was the leading ball winner with 39 disposals, eight marks, six tackles, eight i50s
• Stephen Milne kicked three goals while Nick Riewoldt and Brendan Goddard kicked two apiece
• St Kilda players on average had an extra 20 games under their belt in comparison to the Western Bulldogs
• While St Kilda won the first three quarters, the Western Bulldogs fought back to win the final term by 6 points
• St Kilda accounted for the Western Bulldogs in a number of areas [StK, WB]: disposals (392, 352), marks (128, 83), scoring shots (28, 15), tackles (69, 54)
Recent Form:
Western Bulldogs (W L L L L L, 15th)
After a heartbreaking loss against Carlton last weekend the Bulldogs will be keen to come out firing. After leading at each of the breaks the Dogs couldn’t quite hold onto the lead in the final term allowing Carlton to take away the four points. The loss marks their fifth straight. Despite the drop off in intensity in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs can still take some positives away from the game and will be looking to improve on last week’s performance.
St Kilda (W L L W W L, 10th)
St Kilda have been a mixed bag in 2012 with eight wins and eight losses so far this season. A 29 point loss to Sydney last week put a dampener on their previous consecutive wins but if they can find more consistency in the back end of the season then finals are still a possibility. While Captain Nick Riewoldt has been reasonably quiet by his own standards in recent weeks, Stephen Milne finding form around the goals has been instrumental.
Key Players:
• With Shaun Higgins restricted to the sidelines with a hamstring we'll need to find other goalkickers, veteran Daniel Giansiracusa could be one to step up. A four goal haul to Luke Dahlhaus last weekend indicates that he has rediscovered his goal kicking prowess
• Lining up for his 200th classy midfielder Brendon Goddard will be looking to regain some form and put in a solid showing. His teammates will also be eager to take home the four points for their two-time All-Australian.
• Clearance machine Tom Liberatore found a career high ten clearances last weekend against Carlton and has stepped it up in recent weeks, averaging 7.2 per game in the past five weeks
• After dominating the ruck last week Will Minson will be looking to replicate his performance against an undermanned St Kilda ruck division. Ben McEvoy was beaten comprehensively despite an injury to Shane Mumford. Minson is currently ranked 3rd overall in the AFL in average hit-outs and will want to capitalise on the opportunity.
• Milne has been highly effective in the forward line in previous weeks including two five goal hauls in the past three rounds. The Bulldogs will need to find a way to nullify his influence in the Saints forward 50m.
By the numbers:
• The Western Bulldogs on average have 20 more disposals per game than St Kilda - the Bulldogs are also averaging 9 more disposals than their direct opponent per game.
• The Bulldogs are also ahead on the stats sheet in hit-outs, ranking 4th in the league (45 per game) while St Kilda is 17th (32 per game)
• Five Bulldogs have lined up for all 16 games so far this season while St Kilda has had a more settled line up with eight of their players having played every game.
• Alongside the Bulldogs advantage in the ruck they are currently ranked 4th in clearances in the league (40 per game on average). St Kilda however are ranked 9th in the AFL for clearances.
Injury List:
Western Bulldogs
James Mulligan (achilles) - season
M Austin (wrist) - season
Dale Morris (leg) - indefinite
Jack Redpath (wrist) - TBA
Shaun Higgins (hamstring) - 3 weeks
Lukas Markovic (hamstring) - 2-3 weeks
Easton Wood (general tightness) - 2-3 weeks
Dylan Addison (jaw) - test
Adam Cooney (knee) - test
To see the Bulldogs full injury list, click here.
St Kilda
Darren Minchington (hip) - season
Rhys Stanley (hamstring) - 3-4 weeks
Jason Blake (ankle) - 3-4 weeks
Warrick Andreoli (shoulder) - 3-4 weeks
