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North Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs highlights: AFL live scores, blog

29th August, 2015
Bounce: 4:35pm (AEST)
Venue: Etihad Stadium (Melbourne)
TV: Live, Fox Footy
Head-to-head: North Melbourne 76, Western Bulldogs 75, 3 draws
Last five: North Melbourne 4, Western Bulldogs 1
Last meeting: North Melbourne 17.9 (111) def. Western Bulldogs 8.13 (61) – Round 21, 2014
Betting: North Melbourne $1.75, Western Bulldogs $2.10
The Kangaroos face the Bulldogs in what could be one of the matches of the season. (Source: AFL)
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29th August, 2015
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3505 Reads

Match Result:

The Western Bulldogs ended North Melbourne’s seven-match winning streak on Saturday, defeating them by 23 points.

>>MATCH REPORT: Bulldogs blow North away in final term

North Melbourne 10.13.73 def by Western Bulldogs 14.12.96

Match Preview:

The two self-proclaimed kings of Etihad Stadium, the North Melbourne Kangaroos and Western Bulldogs, face off in a potential elimination final preview. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4:35pm (AEST).

After a spluttering start to the season threatened to keep them out of the finals, North Melbourne have gone on an absolute tear, winning their last seven matches in a row.

The quality of their opposition however has put a few question marks over that streak, with Essendon, Brisbane, Carlton, Melbourne and St Kilda making up the bulk of their run of victories.

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But the Kangaroos gave their doubters some food for thought last week, out-contesting and out-tackling the Fremantle Dockers in a gritty, come-from-behind, 11-point win.

They’ve booked themselves a spot in the finals, but with a home elimination final on the line will be attacking the last fortnight of the season with extra ferocity.

Easily the biggest surprise packet this season, and arguably one of the biggest of the decade, has been the Western Bulldogs.

Despite suffering a hefty loss to the West Coast Eagles in Perth last week, the Doggies have proven over the course of the year that they can match it with anyone – especially at Etihad Stadium, where they’ve won their last eight matches.

But North Melbourne are no dunces at the Dome, having won five of their past six at the very same venue.

With this fixture almost certainly set to feature again in a cut-throat elimination final, the plucky young Dogs will be out to run their opponents off the park.

North Melbourne welcome back star midfielder Jack Ziebell from a one-week suspension, giving the Kangaroos midfield a tough boost against their slick and speedy opponents.

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Given the quality of the opposition they defeated it last week it’s hard to see North making too many other changes. None of their AFL-listed players stood out for Werribee in the VFL, while their other affiliate, North Ballarat, had a bye.

The Western Bulldogs copped a physical bruising in Perth last week in addition to the heavy loss, with Dale Morris (achilles), Michael Talia (ankle) and Jarrad Grant (nose) all in doubt for this week.

Liam Picken and Matthew Boyd both look set to overcome their respective ailments however, with Ayce Cordy, Lukas Webb, Will Minson and Nathan Hrovat listed among Footscray’s best in the VFL.

Prediction
With both of these teams in white-hot form and looking to do some serious damage in September, this has the potential to be one of the matches of the season.

While last week’s loss to West Coast looked ugly on the scoreboard, this young Bulldogs team has proven themselves to be a very resilient group. In the last four matches they’ve played after a loss, the Western Bulldogs have put together some truly superb performances – look for that trend to continue.

Bulldogs by 7 points.

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