Editor
It’s a grand final rematch as the Western Bulldogs raise the flag against the Sydney Swans. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:50pm (AEDT).
The Bulldogs’ premiership defence looked to be off to a sublime start last Friday night, after dominating the first quarter.
But the Doggies fell asleep during the second, and ended up surrendering a five-goal lead early in the third.
They rebounded with five unanswered goals to take a strong lead into the final quarter and while they were lacklustre from then, they did just enough to hold on for a 14-point win.
A win is a win, but Luke Beveridge knows his boys will have to lift if they’re to enjoy another win over last year’s minor premiers and runners-up.
Sydney’s start to 2017, however, couldn’t have been worse.
Despite missing more than a few of their best 22, the Swans were tipped to make light work of Port Adelaide at the SCG, but instead found themselves locked in for a tight tussle all evening.
After playing catch-up for most of the first half, horrendous ball use saw John Longmire’s men blown away by the Power in a shocking 28-point Round 1 boilover.
The task gets no easier this week against the Dogs, and this tight competition the season can get away from you quickly.
After suffering a six-game losing streak against the Swans between 2011 and 2014, the Bulldogs have bounced back under Luke Beveridge, winning all three matches since, including two at the SCG.
Remarkably however, these two sides have played at Etihad Stadium only three times, with Sydney triumphing on all three occasions by an average of 60 points.
Prediction
The Bulldogs looked shaky at times against Collingwood last week but, as the elite teams do, they found a way to win despite playing below their best.
Sydney will be looking to rebound after a shocking effort last week, but still appear to have far too many outs to trouble the premiers on their fearsome home deck.
Bulldogs by 26 points