Key Match Ups
Pearce Hanley vs Tory Dickson
A mouth-watering between Hanley and Dickson awaits on Sunday at the Gabba. Their backgrounds could not be more different with Dickson making an impact in his first AFL season after a number of years dominating in local competitions, while Hanley hails from Ireland having no exposure to the oval ball until the end of 2007. While Dickson’s main focus will be on dominating the scoreboard, his defensive pressure and tackling could be instrumental in stopping Hanley’s run off half back.
Ben Hudson vs Will Minson
Last time the two teams met Ben Hudson (23 hit-outs) was beaten in the ruck by debutant Tom Campbell (28 hit-outs) and Jordan Roughead (17 hit-outs) so he will face an even harder task this weekend when leading ruckman Will Minson is added to the mix. Minson is averaging 32 hit-outs a game while ex-Bulldog Hudson is averaging 25.4.
Jonathan Brown vs Jordan Roughead
Roughead has been honing his defensive skill set in recent weeks to much success, performing admirably against some of the competitions big name forwards. This week is another opportunity for him to prove his worth against powerhouse Jonathan Brown. More than capable of kicking a bag, Roughead will need to stay on task for four quarters to come out victorious.
Game Breakers
Josh Green
The speedy utility may only have 16 career games under his belt but he is proving to be a valuable player in the Lions forward set-up. Slotting through three handy goals last weekend in their win against Port Adelaide, he also has a decent sized tank for a second year player, allowing him to assist through the midfield. Green has kicked multiple goals in six of his 11 appearances this season.
Shaun Higgins
While his main influence this season has been up forward, Higgins could potentially shift down back to provide added experience to the Bulldogs defensive line up as seen last weekend against Geelong. Providing run off half back and shutting down Brisbane’s small forwards will be a change of pace for the 24 year old.
Simon Black
One of the elite midfielders in the past decade, Black has game breaker written all over him. The 2002 Brownlow Medallist is a seasoned veteran - by comparison he has played 84 games more than Bulldog Robert Murphy. His composure and silky skills prove dangerous despite being in his 14th AFL season.
Brian Lake
Named at centre half forward, Lake could provide a more imposing physical presence in front of goals on Sunday. Likely to gain the attention of Daniel Merrett or Joel Patfull, his strong marking ability will be in high demand. Having been trialled up forward in recent weeks, the veteran defender has added a number of goals to the Bulldogs score line and if given an extended run forward of centre could be highly damaging.
