The Western Bulldogs will renew hostilities with North Melbourne this weekend at Etihad Stadium in what could be an exciting rematch of their round 14 encounter earlier this year. It was one of the more pulsating games I have watched in my time as a spectator and a writer and I'll be hoping for more of the same here on Sunday.
Whilst the result probably won't have much bearing to the Bulldogs' season, the Kangaroos are still in the hunt to play Finals footy, and a win against a side sitting 14th on the ladder is critical for their season. They were very lucky to get past the Bulldogs last time, with North trailing at every change before getting the victory in the dying seconds thanks to a Jack Ziebell goal in the goal-square off the back of a poor kick inside 50 by Mitch Wallis and poor defensive transition.
How much have the Bulldogs learned since then? We'll find out on Sunday, but they've only won twice since their last meeting with the Roos. The second of those two coming last week against the Saints. After a poor opening quarter, the Bulldogs proceeded to kick six goals in the second term and then produced their best third quarter of the season, piling on eight goals to nil on the back of a big term from Marcus Bontempelli to give them a 35-point win.
It has hardly been the year of the Bulldog in 2018, but they always seem to match up well against North Melbourne, and I have no doubt that Luke Beveridge will be trying to rally his men to try and ruin North's chances of an unlikely Finals' berth and back-to-back wins for just the second time this year. Their past three matches with the Roos have been decided by less than a goal, with North's win in round 14 their first over the Bulldogs since round six in the 2016 season.
This is a game that has delivered such gripping contests for these two sides in recent years, fingers crossed we are in for a similar style of match on Sunday.
The Teams
Western Bulldogs
IN: Billy Gowers
OUT: Roarke Smith (Rested)
B: Dale Morris, Aaron Naughton, Ed Richards
HB: Hayden Crozier, Zaine Cordy, Jason Johannisen
C: Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae, Patrick Lipinski
HF: Billy Gowers, Josh Schache, Toby McLean
F: Tory Dickson, Marcus Bontempelli, Jordan Roughead
FOL: Jackson Trengove, Josh Dunkley, Mitch Wallis
INT: Caleb Daniel, Brad Lynch, Lin Jong, Fergus Greene
EMG: Lewis Young, Mitch Honeychurch, Callum Porter, Tim English
The Bulldogs have made one change to the side that beat St. Kilda last Saturday, with Roarke Smith labelled as 'rested' after he was concussed in a tackle in the opening quarter last weekend. But in some good news for the Bulldog faithful, the club's leading goal-kicker this year, Billy Gowers is back in the team after he missed the last fortnight with ankle soreness. Gowers has been a real find this year coming off the Bulldogs' rookie list, kicking 21.17 in 17 games in 2018.
Also a special mention goes out to Dale Morris, who plays his 250th game this weekend. It's been a long journey for the 36-year old, who was picked up by the club as a mature-aged rookie at the end of 2004, and despite a number of injuries, he's become a premiership player and is still here playing some decent football in defence.
North Melbourne
IN: Shaun Higgins
OUT: Nathan Hrovat (Omitted)
B: Majak Daw, Scott Thompson, Sam Wright
HB: Jamie Macmillan, Robbie Tarrant, Marley Williams
C: Paul Ahern, Jed Anderson, Trent Dumont
HF: Jy Simpkin, Jarrad Waite, Mason Wood
F: Jack Ziebell, Ben Brown, Kayne Turner
FOL: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Shaun Atley
INT: Shaun Higgins, Luke McDonald, Ryan Clarke, Will Walker
EMG: Nathan Hrovat, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tom Murphy, Declan Mountford
A big game for the Roos here and have made just one change following their three-point win over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba last Saturday, welcoming back Shaun Higgins after he only missed last week's game as he went in for minor knee surgery. Higgins trained during the week and proved his fitness and will be ready to take on his former club, which he had a very strong second half in the last time they met. Higgins will replace another former Bulldog in Nathan Hrovat, who has been omitted from the side.
Recent History (Past 10 Matches)
Round 14, 2018 – Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 11.9.75 def by North Melbourne 12.5.77 Round 14, 2017 – Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 15.17.107 def North Melbourne 16.10.106
Round 4, 2017 – Etihad Stadium: North Melbourne 12.14.86 def by Western Bulldogs 12.17.89
Round 20, 2016 – Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 9.7.61 def North Melbourne 7.5.47
Round 6, 2016 – Etihad Stadium: North Melbourne 9.7.61 def Western Bulldogs 6.9.45
Round 22, 2015 – Etihad Stadium: North Melbourne 10.13.73 def by Western Bulldogs 14.12.96
Round 21, 2014 – Etihad Stadium: North Melbourne 17.9.111 def Western Bulldogs 8.13.61
Round 2, 2014 – Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 8.6.54 def by North Melbourne 12.11.83
Round 7, 2013 – Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 15.7.97 def by North Melbourne 22.19.151
Round 19, 2012 – Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 8.13.61 def by North Melbourne 18.7.115
Players To Watch
Western Bulldogs
Dale Morris
Morris is an absolute warrior and will no doubt play game 250 this weekend. He's come such a long way and has endured so many injuries, but here is he playing on he's playing well enough to go another year. He is set to sign a one-year extension – that's how much the coach believes in him and how much he believes in himself. He's only played the eight games this year due to injury, but he has more often than not, made a positive influence in the Bulldogs' defensive structures. Has got a big job ahead of him as the defenders have to tame the influences of Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite.
Marcus Bontempelli
He's finding a little bit of form at the back end of the season after missing a few games with a burst appendix. There is talk of him playing with a bung hip, but he showed no signs of it in the third term against St. Kilda last week, kicking four third-quarter goals to really put the Saints to the sword. The Bulldogs will hoping there's more of the same from the Bont this week if the Bulldogs consider themselves any chance of derailing North's Finals ambitions.
North Melbourne
Ben Brown
Kicked five on the Bulldogs back in their round 14 win and was influential all throughout the game. Since then he has struggled in recent weeks, kicking just four goals in his last three games and is under pressure from the likes of Tom Hawkins and Buddy Franklin in the race for the Coleman Medal. With Jarrad Waite back in the team this time around, this pair will most likely cause a number of headaches for the Bulldog defenders and Brown needs to get some form back ahead of September.
Paul Ahern
This young man has been one of the many feel-good stories of the 2018 AFL Season. A first-round pick for GWS in the 2014 Draft, Ahern has had two knee reconstructions and was traded from the Giants to North Melbourne at the end of 2016. After missing all of 2017, Ahern made his debut for the club in round 11 this season against Brisbane and starred with 29 disposals. Since then his form has been a little up and down, but 37 touches against a top team such as the Eagles underlines his potential. A must-watch on Sunday.
Final Verdict
It's 10th vs 14th on the ladder, but everything points to North Melbourne getting the job done over the Bulldogs. I'm hoping it's a close one like it has in recent years, but the Dogs are going to find it hard to stop Waite and Brown if they can get going. Ziebell down forward has also been a revelation this year, kicking 31.28 in 19 games this year and also looms a threat – he did kick the match-winner last time after all. And stopping Ben Cunnington and Shaun Higgins in the middle is going to be key as well.
I will be also excited to see if we will get another chapter in the Josh Dunkley-Shaun Higgins battle in the middle. Dunkley only kept Higgins to just 10 disposals in the opening half, before he stamped his authority on the contest in the second-half. Since that game, Dunkley has been in really good form, averaging 28 disposals and 7.6 tackles per game.
I will be looking forward to seeing if whether or not Jason Johannisen can back up his career-night last Saturday against the Saints. He had 42 disposals last week, but in his last two games against North, he's managed a combined 39 disposals. I will be also keen to see if Hayden Crozier, who had a career-high 30 disposals last time against North, can be as damaging as he was back in round 14.
North Melbourne By 20 Points