The Western Bulldogs’ could have a foot in the door of making the 2018 AFLW Grand Final by the end of this weekend, as they travel to Moe to take on the hosting Collingwood Magpies on Sunday afternoon in a match that pits the ladder leaders against the team sitting at the bottom of the table. Despite where these two sides are placed on the ladder and despite witnessing what the Dogs produced last Friday night, this game will be closer than what some are suggesting.
The Bulldogs produced one of the greatest performances, both from a team standpoint and from an individuals standpoint. Brooke Lochland broke the AFLW record for most goals in a match with a stunning seven-goal haul as the Dogs broke the league-scoring record, the biggest winning margin record and the record for most goals in a game by a team. The Dogs ran rampant over a very hapless Carlton side.
Now sitting on top of the ladder with three wins from four games and an extremely healthy percentage, the Bulldogs last three games see the Dogs play two teams in the bottom three – Collingwood and GWS – and could seal up a spot in the Grand Final as soon as next weekend. But they must focus on this weekend’s opposition, who are riding high following their first win of 2018 last weekend.
Much like last season, the Pies started the year horribly, losing the first three games, with a few questionable moves leading to some experts to question about the credibility of coach Wayne Siekman. But credit must be given where it’s due to the Magpies. Facing a wave of criticism, they travelled up to Alice Springs and in very hot conditions, took out a team that is - on paper - a much better team in the Melbourne Demons. Not only did they beat them, they won by a very comfortable 32 points.
Mathematically, the Pies are still remarkably in the running to play the Grand Final in the lead up to round five, despite sitting last on the ladder. However, they will need to win every game from here and rely on a ton of other results to fall in their favour. There is no doubt that they will come out on Sunday with something to prove and they will be keen in knocking off a team that is currently the favourite to take home the premiership this year.
The Teams
Western Bulldogs
IN: Emma Mackie OUT: Bailey Hunt (Omitted)
B: Hayley Wildes, Libby Birch, Nicole Callinan HB: Hannah Scott, Aasta O'Connor, Angelica Gogos MID: Tiarna Ernst, Emma Kearney, Kirsty Lamb, Ellie Blackburn HF: Brooke Lochland, Lauren Spark, Monique Conti F: Kirsten McLeod, Bonnie Toogood, Kim Rennie INT: Naomi Ferres, Jenna Bruton, Emma Mackie, Aisling Utri, Laura Bailey EMG: Bailey Hunt, Deanna Berry
The Western Bulldogs have only made one change following their record-breaking win last Friday night over Carlton, with Emma Mackie in for her second game of the season after she was dropped following the Dogs' round one win over Fremantle. Mackie, who did win Box Hill's best and fairest in the VFLW last year has fantastic endurance and will hope to have a better outing this time around. She replaces Bailey Hunt, who only had three disposals and three tackles in their win over the Blues last week.
Collingwood
No Change
B: Emma Grant, Ruby Schleicher, Illish Ross HB: Chloe Molloy, Cecila McIntosh, Melissa Kuys MID: Emma King, Jaimee Lambert, Brittany Bonnici, Amelia Barden HF: Sarah D'Arcy, Jasmine Garner, Stephanie Chiocci F: Meg Hutchins, Moana Hope, Christina Bernardi INT: Holly Whitford, Sarah Dargan, Lauren Tesoriero, Jess Duffin, Caitlyn Edwards EMG: Kristy Stratton, Bree White
Collingwood coach Wayne Siekman has made no changes to the team that defeated Melbourne last weekend, opting to go for the same 21 that comfortably accounted for the Demons. Whether or not that game plan that they rolled out was intentional or not, the Pies played a brand of footy that was vastly different in the opening three weeks of the AFLW.
Interesting fact about the last-placed Magpies is that Collingwood are third in the league for goals kicked in 2018, averaging over five goals per game, and are second in the competition for marks, averaging 53 marks per game, behind the Western Bulldogs. However, in terms of contested footy, they are the worst in the league, ranked last in the league in clearances and seventh in the league in contested possessions. The only team worse than the Pies in this statistic is the Western Bulldogs.
Last Time They Met – Round 4, 2017
Western Bulldogs 3.7.25 Def by Collingwood 5.2.32
In the fourth of a four-game home stand, the Western Bulldogs had a prime opportunity to get win number two on the board against a Collingwood side that had failed to get a win on the board from their first three attempts. After a struggling opening half that saw both sides each register a goal to their name, Collingwood busted the contest wide open with a four-goal third quarter that the Bulldogs would struggle to recover from. The Dogs kicked two goals and kept the Pies goal-less in the final quarter, but they visiting Magpies would take home the four points, holding on to win by seven points.
Alicia Eva was the standout in Collingwood’s midfield, recording 14 disposals and a goal, whilst Jasmine Garner was the big focal point up forward, snagging two majors from 11 disposals. Nicola Stevens and Meg Hutchins were key in a defence that kept the Dogs’ forwards to just one goal in three quarters. The Dogs’ best players included Kirsty Lamb, who kicked two-thirds of the Bulldogs’ goals with a pair of majors, whilst Ellie Blackburn recorded 19 disposals for the Bulldogs’ in a losing effort.
Players To Watch
Western Bulldogs
Brooke Lochland
After what can be described as the best individual performance in the history of the AFLW, all eyes will be on the former speed-skater as we await what kind of performance she puts out for the Western Bulldogs on Sunday. I don’t expect another bag of five, six or seven goals, but she will be getting some close attention this weekend and her influence is always needed up forward. As it stands at the moment, Lochland leads the league in goals kicked this year, with nine goals from four matches and has consistently been a very good player.
Emma Kearney
Very fascinating to read during the week that Emma Kearney is amongst the top targets to sign with the North Melbourne women’s team, that is set to come in next year. Due to North’s association with the Melbourne University Football Club in the VFLW, Kearney, along with a handful of other Bulldogs playing for the Mugars, are strongly linked with a move next year. Kearney is having another fantastic season, averaging over 20 disposals, five clearances and six tackles per game and is amongst the favourites for the league’s best and fairest this year.
Collingwood
Jaimee Lambert
This will be the first time that sees Jaimee Lambert, who was taken with the Bulldogs’ first pick in the expansion draft in 2016, take on her old team mates. Lambert was traded to the Pies in a multi-team deal that saw the Bulldogs land the number one and number four draft picks in the 2017 AFLW Draft and the Pies lose talented midfielder Alicia Eva to GWS. Since joining the Pies, Lambert has been very solid, posting up an average of 16 disposals, three tackles and two inside 50s per game. Will we see a best on ground performance from the former Dog?
Chloe Molloy
Ever since she made her debut in round one, Chloe Molloy has been every bit as impressive as media experts have predicted. Whilst personally, it’s a little disappointing that she’s not playing as a forward, she has been outstanding playing as a defender. Molloy averages 15 disposals and three marks per game and is amongst the top-five in the AFLW for rebound 50s, averaging three per game. Whilst it sounds very impossible that she will line-up forward, I would love to see another instalment of the rivalry between her and Libby Birch, who have had a brief, yet exciting history against each other at state level.
Final Verdict
There was a lot to enjoy about Collingwood’s win last week and if they can try and replicate what they did against the Demons, then they are a huge chance to knock off the top-of-the-table Bulldogs. However, I don’t think they’re going to get it done against a side that is on fire – a side that is devoid of their two best forwards. Without Katie Brennan or Izzy Huntington, they still destroyed Carlton last week, and they did it with such ease.
Whilst it isn’t going to be as easy as it was last Friday, the Bulldogs have still got an incredible amount of talent on every line and with their game plan as strong as it’s ever been, it will take a massive effort from the Pies to get them their second straight win. Brittany Bonnici did a great job in shutting down Daisy Pearce last week, so it won’t surprise me to see her line up against Ellie Blackburn or Emma Kearney come the first bounce.
The Bulldogs’ defence has been outstanding – second in the league for conceding points in a game, conceding an average of 25 points per game. Moana Hope is in some good form at the moment up forward, as is Jasmine Garner, so it’ll be interesting to see who goes where at the start of it all. If the Dogs can halt their influence up forward, then it could be another big win to the Daughters of the West here.
Western Bulldogs By 25 Points