The changes
IN: M. Boyd, T. Campbell, P. Lipinski
OUT: T. Cloke (General Soreness), J. Stringer (Hamstring), T. Dickson (Omitted)
What to expect
The Western Bulldogs have persisted with their game style that garnered them the 2016 premiership.
Yet, in 2017, the process has not delivered the same level of sustained success as it did in their historic season last year.
The Dogs remain one of the most willing handballing teams in the competition, ranking second behind only Melbourne.
They have also continued to maintain one of the best balances of winning the ball inside and outside the contest of any side in the league, sitting sixth for contested possession and seventh for uncontested possession.
Yet, for all of these strengths, the Dogs have not been able to generate midfield dominance in 2017, rating a lowly 15th for clearances per game.
This is not helped by the fact that they are the second worst side in the competition for average hit-outs per game.
The midfield has been an area that opposition sides have acknowledged is pivotal to the Dogs’ success this year.
If the Hawks can produce a difficult on-ball battle for the Dogs’ midfielders, it will put the brown and gold in a strong position to finish the 2017 season off with a win.
Players to watch
At 21 years of age, Marcus Bontempelli is already an out-and-out superstar of the competition. Not known for his ability to gather huge numbers of possessions, Bontempelli is more likely to hurt the opposition with the impact of his touches with his exquisite left-foot kick and contested ball winning ability.
The 2016 All Australian midfielder and reigning club best and fairest winner is averaging 23 disposals per game this year, reaching the 30-touch mark on just two occasions this season. But the former number four pick has still been highly influential, averaging career-high numbers in contested possessions (11.9) and tackles (6.4).
Luke Dahlhaus is one of the Bulldogs’ most important players. He poses a great threat to opposition sides with his ability to win the ball in the midfield but also be dangerous around goals.
Dahlhaus, who turned 25 this week, has averaged 25.3 possessions this year, making him the Bulldogs second highest possession winner on the year.
This includes a career-high rate of 16 uncontested possessions per game.
The Dogs will have to be wary of this talented pair, who can both be match-winners for their club when up and about.
