TonyK
CibbuanoRound four preview: West Coast v Western Bulldogs
April 18th 2009 16:59
VENUE and TIME: Subiaco Oval, Sunday 19 April, 4.40pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 37, West Coast 23, Western Bulldogs 13, Draws 1
LAST TIME: Western Bulldogs 20.14 (134) def West Coast 11.8 (74), Round 6 2008 at Etihad Stadium
RECENT HISTORY: West Coast has won six of its past nine clashes against the Western Bulldogs with four of those wins coming at Subiaco Oval.
FORM: The Eagles bounced back from their nine-point loss to Brisbane in round one with a 50-point demolition of Port Adelaide at Subiaco Oval before being thumped to the tune of 97 points by a red-hot St Kilda side at Etihad Stadium last weekend. The Bulldogs remain undefeated after opening their season with a convincing 63-point win over Fremantle at Subiaco Oval then recording a hard-fought victory over the Kangaroos in wet conditions at the MCG before overcoming a sluggish start to down Richmond by 47 points on Easter Monday.
MEDICAL ROOM: West Coast welcomes back veteran defender David Wirrpanda (back-related hamstring) for the clash against the Dogs. Youngsters Nick Naitanui and Tony Notte will be unavailable for at least two to three weeks with knee injuries. Midfielder Luke Shuey (groin) is sidelined indefinitely while rugged utility Beau Waters (shoulder) will miss the remainder of the season. The Bulldogs suffered a major blow ahead of this clash with Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney ruled out after undergoing minor knee surgery this week. The Dogs say Cooney is a chance to return for the round five match against Carlton. Robert Murphy made his return from a knee injury via the VFL yesterday while Chris Ogle (glandular fever) will miss at least another week.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Liam Picken vs. Daniel Kerr
In West Coast’s only match at Subiaco Oval so far this season Kerr starred, racking up 28 possessions and booting four goals in his side’s convincing win over the Power.
Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade will be keen to limit his effectiveness at the stoppages and shut-down his creative run.
Matthew Boyd has done the job on Kerr in the past but Eade will most likely give Picken the task of tagging the star West Coast midfielder.
Picken has restricted North Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey and Richmond young gun Brett Deledio to 18 and 16 possessions respectively in the past fortnight and if he can do a similar job on Kerr on Sunday it will go a long way towards securing victory for the Dogs.
The 22-year-old does not give his opponents any time or space so Kerr will need his teammates to block for him at the stoppages if he is going to have any hope of having an influence.
Adam Selwood vs. Ryan Griffen
Griffen was instrumental in the Bulldogs’ first two wins of the season - he collected 23 possessions and booted three goals against the Dockers before helping himself to a game-high 28 disposals and one goal against the Kangaroos.
The dynamic Bulldogs midfielder was well below his best in the win over the Tigers and will be keen to bounce back on Sunday.
The wide open expanses will suit the hard-running Griffen and with Cooney out of the side you would expect the 22-year-old to come in for some close attention.
Selwood is arguably West Coast’s best stopper in the midfield and looms as the obvious candidate to run with Griffen in what shapes as being a pivotal duel.
While it is vital that Selwood pays close attention to Griffen, he also needs to win his own football at the stoppages and force the 78-gamer to be accountable.
Tyson Stenglein vs. Daniel Cross
Cross was among his side’s best in the win over the Tigers with 27 possessions - 18 of which were by hand.
Like former Bulldogs star Scott West, Cross is damaging with his ability to win the football at close quarters and use it cleanly by hand to find his teammates in space.
If the Eagles are going to be any hope of shutting down the Bulldogs’ running game they will need to limit Cross’ effectiveness at the stoppages.
With Selwood likely to run with Griffen you would expect Stenglein to be given the task of negating Cross who collected the three Brownlow medal votes the last time these two sides met in round six last year.
Stenglein has struggled somewhat so far this season and will need to lift and apply immense pressure and not give Cross any time or space at the stoppages otherwise the Bulldogs midfielder will set up his side’s impressive band of runners who will tear the Eagles to shreds.
Brian Lake vs. Quinten Lynch
West Coast’s forward line failed to fire in the loss to the Saints with the Eagles managing just nine goals for the match.
Mark LeCras has been a shining light up forward for West Coast so far this season, booting 12 goals but he has received little support with the next best forwards in Lynch and Ashley Hansen kicking just five and four respectively.
The Eagles will need the likes of Lynch to step up and provide a marking target inside 50 and have an impact on the scoreboard as LeCras can’t be expected to do it all on his own in the forward line.
Lynch has averaged 20 possessions, 10 marks and three goals in his past three matches against the Bulldogs.
The Eagles will need a similar performance from him on Sunday if they are going to record an upset win but his task won’t be an easy one as he will most likely be matched up by Lake who is the leader of a Bulldogs backline that is the second best in the competition so far this season.
West Coast was able to kick a winning score against Port Adelaide because of their willingness to move the football quickly through the middle of the ground - they will need to do the same on Sunday if Lynch and co. are going to be any chance of having an impact.
It is also vital for West Coast that they use the football cleanly going forward and not just bomb it inside 50 otherwise they will be punished on the rebound by arguably the most skilled side in the AFL.
VERDICT: Expect a vastly better performance from West Coast on Sunday after coach John Worsfold laid down the law following the humiliating loss to St Kilda, saying career’s were on the line if he didn’t see a more committed effort from his players. The Eagles go into the match with an eight-day recovery period in comparison to the Bulldogs' six and with hot weather expected in Perth fatigue could become an issue for the Dogs. But the men from Whitten Oval have enough runners to last the four quarters and they should prevail with their superior skills and multiple options in attack set to be the difference. Bulldogs by 19 points.
WEST COAST v WESTERN BULLDOGS
WEST COAST
B: Adam Hunter, Darren Glass, Mark Nicoski
HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Brett Jones
C: Adam Selwood, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa
HF: Andrew Embley, Ashley Hansen, Brent Staker
F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, David Wirrpanda
Foll: Dean Cox, Daniel Kerr, Tyson Stenglein
I/C: Mitch Brown, Chad Fletcher, Chris Masten, Will Schofield
Emg: Ryan Davis, Brad Ebert, Ben McKinley
In: Staker, Wirrpanda, Schofield
Out: Ryan Davis, Brad Ebert, Ben McKinley
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dylan Addison, Brian Lake, Dale Morris
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Tom Williams, Ryan Hargrave
C: Liam Picken, Matthew Boyd, Nathan Eagleton
HF: Shaun Higgins, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Josh Hill, Will Minson, Jason Akermanis
Foll: Ben Hudson, Daniel Cross, Ryan Griffen
I/C (from): Daniel Giansiracusa, Jarrod Harbrow, Stephen Tiller, Callan Ward
Emg: Jarrad Grant, Adrejs Everitt, Sam Reid
In: Harbrow
Out: Adam Cooney (knee)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 37, West Coast 23, Western Bulldogs 13, Draws 1
LAST TIME: Western Bulldogs 20.14 (134) def West Coast 11.8 (74), Round 6 2008 at Etihad Stadium
RECENT HISTORY: West Coast has won six of its past nine clashes against the Western Bulldogs with four of those wins coming at Subiaco Oval.
FORM: The Eagles bounced back from their nine-point loss to Brisbane in round one with a 50-point demolition of Port Adelaide at Subiaco Oval before being thumped to the tune of 97 points by a red-hot St Kilda side at Etihad Stadium last weekend. The Bulldogs remain undefeated after opening their season with a convincing 63-point win over Fremantle at Subiaco Oval then recording a hard-fought victory over the Kangaroos in wet conditions at the MCG before overcoming a sluggish start to down Richmond by 47 points on Easter Monday.
MEDICAL ROOM: West Coast welcomes back veteran defender David Wirrpanda (back-related hamstring) for the clash against the Dogs. Youngsters Nick Naitanui and Tony Notte will be unavailable for at least two to three weeks with knee injuries. Midfielder Luke Shuey (groin) is sidelined indefinitely while rugged utility Beau Waters (shoulder) will miss the remainder of the season. The Bulldogs suffered a major blow ahead of this clash with Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney ruled out after undergoing minor knee surgery this week. The Dogs say Cooney is a chance to return for the round five match against Carlton. Robert Murphy made his return from a knee injury via the VFL yesterday while Chris Ogle (glandular fever) will miss at least another week.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Liam Picken vs. Daniel Kerr
In West Coast’s only match at Subiaco Oval so far this season Kerr starred, racking up 28 possessions and booting four goals in his side’s convincing win over the Power.
Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade will be keen to limit his effectiveness at the stoppages and shut-down his creative run.
Matthew Boyd has done the job on Kerr in the past but Eade will most likely give Picken the task of tagging the star West Coast midfielder.
Picken has restricted North Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey and Richmond young gun Brett Deledio to 18 and 16 possessions respectively in the past fortnight and if he can do a similar job on Kerr on Sunday it will go a long way towards securing victory for the Dogs.
The 22-year-old does not give his opponents any time or space so Kerr will need his teammates to block for him at the stoppages if he is going to have any hope of having an influence.
Adam Selwood vs. Ryan Griffen
Griffen was instrumental in the Bulldogs’ first two wins of the season - he collected 23 possessions and booted three goals against the Dockers before helping himself to a game-high 28 disposals and one goal against the Kangaroos.
The dynamic Bulldogs midfielder was well below his best in the win over the Tigers and will be keen to bounce back on Sunday.
The wide open expanses will suit the hard-running Griffen and with Cooney out of the side you would expect the 22-year-old to come in for some close attention.
Selwood is arguably West Coast’s best stopper in the midfield and looms as the obvious candidate to run with Griffen in what shapes as being a pivotal duel.
While it is vital that Selwood pays close attention to Griffen, he also needs to win his own football at the stoppages and force the 78-gamer to be accountable.
Tyson Stenglein vs. Daniel Cross
Cross was among his side’s best in the win over the Tigers with 27 possessions - 18 of which were by hand.
Like former Bulldogs star Scott West, Cross is damaging with his ability to win the football at close quarters and use it cleanly by hand to find his teammates in space.
If the Eagles are going to be any hope of shutting down the Bulldogs’ running game they will need to limit Cross’ effectiveness at the stoppages.
With Selwood likely to run with Griffen you would expect Stenglein to be given the task of negating Cross who collected the three Brownlow medal votes the last time these two sides met in round six last year.
Stenglein has struggled somewhat so far this season and will need to lift and apply immense pressure and not give Cross any time or space at the stoppages otherwise the Bulldogs midfielder will set up his side’s impressive band of runners who will tear the Eagles to shreds.
Brian Lake vs. Quinten Lynch
West Coast’s forward line failed to fire in the loss to the Saints with the Eagles managing just nine goals for the match.
Mark LeCras has been a shining light up forward for West Coast so far this season, booting 12 goals but he has received little support with the next best forwards in Lynch and Ashley Hansen kicking just five and four respectively.
The Eagles will need the likes of Lynch to step up and provide a marking target inside 50 and have an impact on the scoreboard as LeCras can’t be expected to do it all on his own in the forward line.
Lynch has averaged 20 possessions, 10 marks and three goals in his past three matches against the Bulldogs.
The Eagles will need a similar performance from him on Sunday if they are going to record an upset win but his task won’t be an easy one as he will most likely be matched up by Lake who is the leader of a Bulldogs backline that is the second best in the competition so far this season.
West Coast was able to kick a winning score against Port Adelaide because of their willingness to move the football quickly through the middle of the ground - they will need to do the same on Sunday if Lynch and co. are going to be any chance of having an impact.
It is also vital for West Coast that they use the football cleanly going forward and not just bomb it inside 50 otherwise they will be punished on the rebound by arguably the most skilled side in the AFL.
VERDICT: Expect a vastly better performance from West Coast on Sunday after coach John Worsfold laid down the law following the humiliating loss to St Kilda, saying career’s were on the line if he didn’t see a more committed effort from his players. The Eagles go into the match with an eight-day recovery period in comparison to the Bulldogs' six and with hot weather expected in Perth fatigue could become an issue for the Dogs. But the men from Whitten Oval have enough runners to last the four quarters and they should prevail with their superior skills and multiple options in attack set to be the difference. Bulldogs by 19 points.
WEST COAST v WESTERN BULLDOGS
WEST COAST
B: Adam Hunter, Darren Glass, Mark Nicoski
HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Brett Jones
C: Adam Selwood, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa
HF: Andrew Embley, Ashley Hansen, Brent Staker
F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, David Wirrpanda
Foll: Dean Cox, Daniel Kerr, Tyson Stenglein
I/C: Mitch Brown, Chad Fletcher, Chris Masten, Will Schofield
Emg: Ryan Davis, Brad Ebert, Ben McKinley
In: Staker, Wirrpanda, Schofield
Out: Ryan Davis, Brad Ebert, Ben McKinley
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dylan Addison, Brian Lake, Dale Morris
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Tom Williams, Ryan Hargrave
C: Liam Picken, Matthew Boyd, Nathan Eagleton
HF: Shaun Higgins, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Josh Hill, Will Minson, Jason Akermanis
Foll: Ben Hudson, Daniel Cross, Ryan Griffen
I/C (from): Daniel Giansiracusa, Jarrod Harbrow, Stephen Tiller, Callan Ward
Emg: Jarrad Grant, Adrejs Everitt, Sam Reid
In: Harbrow
Out: Adam Cooney (knee)
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