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The Western Bulldogs have gotten away with a 3-point win over the Port Adelaide Power in a close-faught match at Adelaide Oval.
Final score
Port Adelaide Power 14.13.97
Western Bulldogs 15.10.100
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The Port Adelaide Power and the Western Bulldogs will do battle for an extremely valuable four premiership points at the Adelaide Oval this afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 1:40pm (AEST).
Both Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs come into this match with back-to-back wins in the last fortnight. For Port, although the level of their opponents hasn’t been great, they have come away with resounding 45 and 67-point wins away from home.
On the other hand, the Bulldogs have just snuck over the line in the last two weeks. In Round 10 they finished over the top of an injury-ravaged Collingwood in the last quarter, while last week they withstood a late comeback from West Coast to record an eight-point victory at Etihad Stadium.
Of course, Port are yet to defeat a top eight side this season. As such, Ken Hinkley has been quick to temper any external media hype in the lead-up to this week’s game. Nonetheless, Port will certainly be buoyed by their recent performances, and ‘inside the four walls’ at Alberton this match will be seen as a real opportunity to make strides towards a finals berth.
For the Dogs, this is also a match with significant September ramifications. Indeed, considering the evenness of the competition this year, the Western Bulldogs will be anxious to finish in the top four come Round 23. An elimination final against a finals-hardened Hawthorn side at the MCG or a re-match against the Crows in week 1 are surely not on Luke Beveridge’s wish list.
Consequently, if the Dogs are to secure the double chance in September, this game appears to be a must-win. Fixtures against Geelong and Sydney either side of their Round 14 bye will certainly be no easier.
In team news, Port are unchanged from last week’s victory. For the Bulldogs, Mitch Honeychurch comes in for the injured Toby McLean. As such, the back six for both sides are still significantly depleted: Jack Hombsch, Alipate Carlisle and Tom Jonas out for Port, with Bob Murphy, Easton Wood and Jason Johannisen on the treatment table for the Dogs.
Who this favours is difficult to ascertain. Port appear to have unearthed a couple of gems in Darcy Byrne-Jones and Logan Austin, while the Dogs’ defence has stood up extremely well for a number of weeks in spite of their injuries.
At any rate, the midfield appears to be where this game will be ultimately decided. Interestingly, in a number of key areas, Port and the Dogs are very evenly matched. Both sides are averaging 38 clearances a game. Moreover, while much has been said about the Bulldogs and the strength of their defensive rebound, both sides are averaging 57 inside 50s per week.
As such, and taking into consideration Port’s home ground advantage and the Bulldogs’ lack of interstate travel, this game could well boil down to key individual match-ups. Indeed, on paper, fascinating duels loom between Brad Ebert and Lachie Hunter, as well as between Robbie Gray and ‘The Bont’.
All in all, then, this looks like it’s going to be a cracking Saturday afternoon at the footy. If Port can break even with the Dogs at the contest, they appear to have the speed and skill up forward to kick a winning score. However, that’s far more easily said than done. The Dogs are 8-3 for a reason, and have proven incredibly difficult to score heavily against. Their young midfield group has also been extremely impressive.
Prediction
For mine, if the Western Bulldogs turn out an 8/10 performance or better, they will win. However, if their high standards drop a bit this week, as can easily happen with developing sides, Port may creep over the line in front of a roaring home crowd.
Dogs by 3
Exotic: The losing side to score 55-65 points. This has happened the last five times these teams have met.
See the result differently? The bullish Bulldogs to wreak havoc on the Port Adelaide ‘Pretenders’? Please let me know! And, of course, don’t forget to join The Roar this afternoon at 1:40pm (AEST) for live score updates and debate in our live blog.
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