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The Western Bulldogs will be out to prove they’re better than last week’s loss when they take on the high-flying Adelaide Crows. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4:40pm (AEST).
Widely tipped to be in wooden spoon territory in 2015, the Bulldogs came out snarling over the first two rounds with spirited victories over West Coast and Richmond.
But just when they were becoming the talk of the town, a 70-point shellacking at the hands of the Hawks brought them back to earth with a thud.
The Dogs weren’t the first team to cop a hiding from Hawthorn in Tassie, and they certainly won’t be the last, but they’ll be keen to prove that they really are a team on the rise.
The Crows on the other hand have enjoyed a sublime start to their season, with three comprehensive victories perching them atop the AFL ladder. Talk of Patrick Dangerfield’s contract has evaporated in light of the club’s scintillating touch, and they’ll be looking to make it four convincing wins in a row as they head into a mouth-watering Southern Showdown next week.
Adelaide looked somewhat vulnerable at times against Melbourne a week ago, so they’ll be looking to get back to the white-hot form that saw them clinically dismantle North Melbourne and Collingwood.
The Bulldogs will likely have two big ins for two big outs, with late withdrawals Matthew Boyd and Marcus Bontempelli likely to replace injured duo Dale Morris and Mitch Wallis.
Jack Redpath and Lachie Hunter could squeeze their way onto the Bulldogs team sheet, but coach Luke Beveridge didn’t seem too furious with last week’s performance and may give his strugglers another week to prove themselves.
Adelaide, rather Patrick Dangerfield, managed to escape their physical contest with Melbourne, rather Bernie Vince, unscathed, which means Phil Walsh gets to enjoy the most pleasurable headache in footy.
Debutant Jake Kelly only managed seven touches, but broke an AFL record with 10 tackles, which could mean SANFL stars Jarrod Lyons and Matthew Crouch will be spending another week in the state league.
These two sides have been pretty evenly matched over the years, and while the Bulldogs hold a 21-18 all-time advantage, the last 10 games have been split 5-5.
Interestingly however the Crows are 2-6 all-time against the Dogs at Etihad, and have lost 11 of their past 16 matches at the Docklands venue. That said, the Bulldogs haven’t enjoyed their home ground lately at all, with the club losing 10 of their 14 matches at the venue last season.
Prediction
Despite strong starts to the season, both clubs still have a lot to prove in 2015. The Crows are keen to show the AFL world they’re a threat in 2015, while the Bulldogs are desperate to prove they’re no easybeats.
Look for these clubs to go all-out in what should be a much more entertaining match than people anticipate, but with superior established talent this will be another four points for Adelaide.
Crows by 26 points.