Roar Guru
Round two of the NAB Cup kicks off tonight at Etihad Stadium tonight as two sides predicted to be at opposite ends of the table in 2013 – Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn – do battle. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 7.40pm AEDT.
For the Western Bulldogs, it could be a bleak season.
They are yet to win a match since round 12 last year and, despite a full-strength team, look likely to struggle again.
The message from Whitten Oval seems to be one of patience as they attempt to get some game time and strength into this relatively young list.
Should Bulldogs fans be expecting any massive improvements this season? Probably not.
Coach Brendan McCartney isn’t worried or panicking either. He’s after improvement in some key areas such as ball movement, efficiency and contested ball.
If you’re a Dogs fan, keep an eye out for that across this game. They come in with a very healthy list and with completely no fear, as they won’t make the final of the NAB Cup after two heavy defeats in week one.
At Hawthorn, they are also unlikely to make the final following two losses to the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns.
It shouldn’t be of too much concern to fans though, as the Hawks were without the bulk of their midfield brigade.
Keep in mind they started their pre-season training a good five to six weeks after the Bulldogs, so for Hawthorn, they are just after game time for most of their players.
Playing under the controlled conditions of Etihad Stadium will suit them better than the greasy conditions up at Metricon Stadium last weekend.
There were positives with some of the new draftees at Glenferrie Oval, such as Jonathan Simpkin and Sam Grimley, but they did have to see a couple of their stars take a seat on the sidelines.
Paul Puopolo escaped serious injury, but will still need to sit out the rest of the pre-season after hyper-extending his knee. He is out with bone-bruising so he should be back by round one.
Cyril Rioli will also need to wait until the start of the season with his ankle in a moonboot, while Brian Lake will be rested this week with a slight calf strain.
There will be a couple of key inclusions to the Hawthorn line-up, with both Brad Sewell and Sam Mitchell expected to make their return.
Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson should be expecting a victory in tonight’s game as they try to amp up their charge towards the opening round.
But it could be the exuberance of the Bulldogs, who can really test teams at Etihad with their pace, that could provide us with an entertaining pre-season contest.