1. Dunkley’s return

Approximately 12 weeks after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction, Josh Dunkley will line up for his seventh match of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The star midfielder’s remarkable recovery sees him come straight back in to face Gold Coast.

Earlier this season, the 24-year-old was named best on ground in the Bulldogs’ 62-point win over the Suns, registering 38 possessions, seven clearances and two goals.

Dunkley is one of five inclusions, with the Dogs to also be boosted by the return of key forward Aaron Naughton from concussion.

02:57

Match Committee | Round 18

Join Jordan Kounelis and Matt Rendell as they preview the Round 18 match against the Gold Coast Suns.

2. Losing Libba

While it’s worth celebrating the ins, there’s one out in particular that has us thinking – how do you cover the loss of Tom Liberatore?

The 29-year-old has been a crucial member of the Bulldogs’ on-ball brigade this season, averaging 23.9 touches, 8.4 clearances and 4.6 inside 50s.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and even Caleb Daniel spend more minutes inside.

And while welcoming back Josh Dunkley should help, it’ll be interesting to see what else Luke Beveridge and co. have planned in the absence of the clearance king. 

3. Midfield masterminds 

On the topic of midfielders, we’re taking a closer look at our skipper Marcus Bontempelli, and in-form Sun Touk Miller.

There’s no denying Bontempelli has taken his game to another level this year – averaging 27.3 disposals, 5.1 tackles and 569.8 metres gained, while adding 21 goals.

Then there’s Miller – the 25-year-old Sun who is averaging 30.9 touches and 5.5 clearances in a standout season.

Get your popcorn ready, because this battle is going to be a good one.

00:57

Dogs of the West | Ed and Otis

Ed Richards introduces us to his Groodle Otis, thanks to Pedigree.

4. Road trip record

A Bulldogs’ win on Saturday would mean they remain undefeated in interstate games this season.

There was the round six win over GWS in Canberra, a gutsy triumph over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, and for the first time in club history, wins at Optus Stadium over both Fremantle in round 12 and West Coast in round 15.

With just one more game scheduled outside of Victoria – pending any COVID-19 reshuffling – the Dogs will be setting their sights on finishing their 2021 campaign with six out of six interstate wins.

Despite the Bulldogs’ record at Metricon Stadium being 10 wins and seven losses – many of those games coming during last year’s hub – their record against Gold Coast is much more promising, having won 10 of their 13 match-ups.