Where and when: Marvel Stadium, Saturday May 25, 2:10pm AEST
Last time they met: Marvel Stadium, round 21, 2018: North Melbourne 12.13 (85) defeated by Western Bulldogs 13.14 (92)
A half-time lead of 28 points and finals hopes both evaporated for North Melbourne as the Western Bulldogs piled on eight goals in the third quarter. Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae and Caleb Daniel all had 40-plus possessions in Dale Morris’ 250th game, while Ben Brown kicked four goals.
What it means for the Western Bulldogs: The Dogs are one of five sides sitting a game outside the top eight and with a trip to face reigning premiers West Coast before the bye, taking care of business against the 17th-placed Roos is a must.
What it means for North Melbourne: Three of the Kangaroos’ last four games have been competitive losses, with a win against Carlton. They did beat Adelaide earlier in the season, but they’d want another scalp to generate belief.
How the Western Bulldogs win: Linking via handball and getting supply inside 50 has served the Dogs reasonably well. The Roos are one of the few sides that handball more frequently, but the Dogs have been more effective.
How North Melbourne wins: Ben Brown has kicked 15 goals in the last four games against the Dogs’ well-documented smaller defence. The key forward is the focal point.
The stat: These teams like taking games down to the wire. The previous six clashes have been decided by 16 points or fewer with the Bulldogs holding a 4-2 ascendency.
The match-up: Jared Polec v Jason Johannisen
Line-breaker and quality ball-user is a combination in the X-factor category and both Polec (89th in the Official AFL Player Ratings) and Johannisen (132nd) have those skills. The stars have averaged 22 disposals apiece this season and could play a defining part.
It’s a big week for: Bailey Smith
Named the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in round nine, Smith has fitted in seamlessly and provided an exciting dynamic to a gritty Dogs midfield group. Pick No.7 in last season’s draft accumulated 28 possessions against Geelong and is an increasingly prominent influence on games.
Big call: Both sides hit the ton in a free-flowing shootout.
Prediction: Western Bulldogs by 25 points
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Chris Scott a late OUT.
*Brad
Feel like a fool for mixing up Chris/Brad, had planned to post this joke since yesterday!
Ha ha ..
Maybe Brad will take an assistants role at the Cats next year.
He could take the presser after a bad loss.
He has had way more experience 😉
I laughed it was funny!!
A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
NO LATE CHANGES
FINAL INTERCHANGES
Western Bulldogs: Bailey Smith, Toby McLean, Patrick Lipinski, Bailey Williams
North Melbourne: Luke Davies-Uniacke, Luke McDonald, Nick Larkey, Cameron Zurhaar
For captaincy:
TU: Macrae
TD: Jelly
Can someone please let Macrae know that the game has started?
Also, why on Earth did it not occur to me to put the VC on Goldstein!? Competent ruckman vs Bulldogs usually equals a big score…
Same here…so obvious in hindsight. Ah well…the cost of goldy to grundy after r13 not getting higher.
Is Ziebell out there come on do something
He was playing forward today.
SC relevant scores at HT:
DOGS
Dunkley: 77
Bont:66
Daniel: 63
Libba: 59
Macrae: 52
ROOS
Goldy: 79
Cunnington: 57
Macmillan: 37
Ziebell: 23
Higgins:22
1/2 Time
Western Bulldogs 6.6.42
Josh Dunkley 77
M. Bontempelli 66
Caleb Daniel 63
Tom Liberatore 59
Hayden Crozier 53
Jack Macrae 52
Bailey Smith 49
Jason Johannisen 47
Lachie Hunter 42
Mitch Wallis* 42
Sam Lloyd 40
Patrick Lipinski 39
Bailey Williams 33
Matt Suckling 29
Toby McLean 26
Tim English 25
Jackson Trengove 23
Aaron Naughton 21
Easton Wood 17
Ed Richards 16
Bailey Dale 14
Zaine Cordy 12
Nth Melb 10.4.64
Todd Goldstein 79
Jed Anderson 63
Robbie Tarrant 59
Ben Cunnington 57
Cameron Zurhaar 52
Mason Wood 51
Tarryn Thomas 45
Ben Brown 42
Luke McDonald 40
Jamie Macmillan 37
Jared Polec 35
Kayne Turner 33
Scott D. Thompson 31
Marley Williams 30
Jasper Pittard 29
Trent Dumont 28
L. Davies-Uniacke 27
Jy Simpkin 26
Jack Ziebell 23
Shaun Higgins 22
Shaun Atley 22
Nick Larkey 19
Go Dunks 100+ at 3QTR time. Macrae might be cheap after his bye. I hope so anyway.
Sounds like Eddie Macguire is taking shots at Brad Scott ahaha
No idea how McCrae scored the ton today. Glad he did though 🙂
For non-owners, Macrae should rise about $6.8k and have a BE of approx 125 next week. Very doable, but at least he won’t be as expensive as I feared after his bye.
FULL TIME
Bulldogs 13.12.90
North Melb 18.7.115
Bulldogs
Josh Dunkley 130
M. Bontempelli 118
Tom Liberatore 110
Sam Lloyd 108
Caleb Daniel 106
Jack Macrae 105
Jason Johannisen 104
Bailey Smith 88
Hayden Crozier 87
Lachie Hunter 84
Matt Suckling 76
Mitch Wallis* 74
Tim English 73
Patrick Lipinski 67
Toby McLean 61
Bailey Williams 53
Easton Wood 48
Bailey Dale 37
Aaron Naughton 34
Ed Richards 33
Zaine Cordy 31
Jackson Trengove 27
Roos
Todd Goldstein 140
Shaun Higgins 108
Ben Cunnington 99
Jed Anderson 96
Jared Polec 93
Mason Wood 91
Robbie Tarrant 80
Ben Brown 79
Nick Larkey 77
Scott D. Thompson 75
Jasper Pittard 72
Trent Dumont 71
Cameron Zurhaar 68
Luke McDonald 66
Shaun Atley 65
Jy Simpkin 63
Marley Williams 57
Tarryn Thomas 56
Kayne Turner 52
Jack Ziebell 50
Jamie Macmillan 45
L. Davies-Uniacke 44