Sunday 21 April 2013, 2:45pm (local time)
Venue: AAMI Stadium
Head-to-head:
Round 2, 2012: Adelaide Crows 11. 16. (82) defeated Western Bulldogs 9. 10. (64)
Round 13, 2011: Western Bulldogs 14. 16. (100) defeated Adelaide Crows 10. 10. (70)
Round 19, 2010: Adelaide Crows 7. 11. (53) defeated by Wester Bulldogs 8. 13. (61)
Round 5 2010: Western Bulldogs 18. 13. (121) defeated Adelaide Crows 10. 12. (72)
Last time they met:
• Scott Thompson (34 disposals), Bernie Vince (25) and Brent Reilly (24) were Adelaide’s key possession winners, while Ryan Griffen (31), Matthew Boyd (28) and Liam Picken (28) were important for the Bulldogs
• The battle around the ball was keenly contested, with Adelaide just shading the Bulldogs 33 to 32 in the clearances – Boyd won seven himself while Vince led for the Crows with six
• Adelaide were superior in converting their inside 50 attempts, creating a scoring shot 51% of the times the ball went inside their forward arc (kicking a goal 22.4% of the time), as opposed to the Bulldogs who scored 32% of the time and registered a major from just 18% of inside 50s.
• Slow starters, the Bulldogs found their rhythm as the game progressed, winning the second half by 7 points (but ultimately lost the game by 18).
Recent form:
Western Bulldogs
Getting out of the blocks quickly will be on the top of the Bulldogs priorities list on Sunday, as they look to secure their second win of the season. With four forced changes to the side through injury, the Club will be hoping a number of young pups capitalise on their senior opportunities., including two top-10 draft picks who are poised to make their debut in Jake Stringer and Jack Macrae.
Adelaide Crows
Last year’s Preliminary Finalists may have only won one game this season but just looking at the quality on their list, are still very much a formidable opponent. The Crows will be eager to notch a win to increase their standing and correct their indifferent start to 2013. The loss of Nathan van Berlo (knee) will hurt the Crows’ midfield rotations and on-field leadership, but with good depth will likely find a suitable replacement to cover their injured skipper.
Key match ups and game breakers:
• The return of Matthew Boyd at the centre clearances will be important to the Bulldogs ability to assert their authority around stoppages. While Richmond were able to restrict Tom Liberatore’s influence last week, the addition of Boyd won’t give Adelaide the same luxury.
• Patrick Dangerfield and Scott Thompson are the powerhouse figures in the Crows’ midfield and the Bulldogs will need to curve their influence if they want to take home the four points.
• The Bulldogs are averaging 14 more hitouts than their direct opponents each week – due largely to an in-form Will Minson. The Crows on average have had 7.3 less hitouts than their direct opponents in the first three rounds.
• Taylor Walker has kicked two or more goals in each of his three games this season, alongside Richard Douglas and Josh Jenkins who have kicked multiple goals on two occasions.
What we said:
“We do have ready-made replacements and we’ll need them to face the challenging trip to Adelaide to take on the Crows on Sunday…Our mantra all year has been to hang into games for a little bit longer, we certainly didn’t do it on the weekend, but the focus this week is to get a good start and play the way we need to play and want to play and do it for longer.”
- Western Bulldogs Senior Coach Brendan McCartney
What they said:
““I’ve watched all three of their games and their win against Brisbane in round one was super impressive. We learned a lot about how they’re playing. A bit like us, they pride themselves on contested ball and numbers around the contest. Their pressure is very good… It’s a match between two teams with only one win and two losses, so winner takes all I guess this weekend. It’ll be a really fiery clash.”
- Adelaide Senior Coach Brenton Sanderson
