The Western Bulldogs took a 14-point win over North Melbourne on Saturday night, confirming they’ll play finals in 2016.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Western Bulldogs 9.7.61
North Melbourne 7.5.47
The match of the round is at Etihad on Saturday night, as the Western Bulldogs take on the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:25pm (AEST).
This arguably looms as something of an early elimination final.
The Dogs and the Roos sit in seventh and eighth respectively, both a game and a big chunk of percentage outside the top four.
With a three-game gap between themselves and ninth spot, both are virtually certain of playing finals, but recent history tells us that it’s very hard to make a serious premiership run from fifth to eighth position.
So one way or the other both teams need almost everything to go right in order to be realistic flag chances, and that needs to start with tonight’s game.
Unfortunately, not much has been going to plan for either team lately.
The Roos consolidated their finals spot in the last two weeks with wins over Collingwood and St Kilda, but that broke a streak of five consecutive losses. Injuries have played a role, as has the quality of the opposition, but in truth they’ve simply fallen out of form at a bad time.
The Dogs could argue that they are the victims of bad luck, with their injury list mounting alarmingly over the course of the season. Marcus Adams, Jack Redpath, Matt Suckling, Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore, Mitch Wallis and of course Bob Murphy are among the first choice players unavailable for them tonight.
Undermanned as they were, they showed a lot of resolve to get as close as they did to Geelong last week, but it does rather feel as though there are too many obstacles in their way.
That said, after tonight their draw looks rather manageable for the remainder of the season, so a win tonight would give them a genuine chance of pushing into the top four should the teams above them stumble.
That seems less likely for the Kangaroos, who face Hawthorn, Sydney and GWS in their remaining fixtures.
Still, every result, including tonight’s, could mean the difference between travelling interstate in the first week of the finals or playing in the more familiar environment of the MCG. That’s certainly a prize worth winning.
When these sides met earlier in the season the Roos were in the middle of an extended winning streak, and ground out a modest win in a low-scoring – and quite frankly tedious – affair. It wouldn’t surprise me if tonight’s game was also decided by the defences, the Dogs remain one of the league’s most miserly teams and North’s backline is packed with quality and experience.
At selection, the Dogs regain veterans Dale Morris and Matthew Boyd from injury, while Nathan Hrovat and Lukas Webb also get a chance. Koby Stevens and Jed Adcock have been omitted, with Liberatore and Macrae unavailable.
Just one change for the Roos, with full forward Jarrad Waite missing through a hip problem, replaced by Majak Daw.
While North Melbourne haven’t been in the best form of late, particularly against other finals sides, they still field a team with a lot more experience than the Dogs, and that maturity and stability is a decent edge near the end of a tough season in what could well be a tight, tense game.
On another day I might tip the Dogs, but tonight I reckon it’ll be North in a nailbiter.
Trev
Guest
Can't see who to take out but if the votes were 4,3,2,1 then Roberts would get one for me. Shut down Petire and his spoil,collect, delivery in the last was brilliant,
TomC
Roar Guru
» Click here to read the full match report Votes Tough one tonight. Very few genuine standouts. 3. Marcus Bontempelli (WB) - Mostly he gets the nod because of the attention he copped from the Roos' players. He took that in his stride to still have a big impact on the game, with 19 possessions, 9 tackles, and a goal. 2. Easton Wood (WB) - Playing off half back he had 20 possessions and 10 marks, including a number of interceptions at important moments. He has become a real big moment player. 1. Jason Johannisen (WB) - JJ was the most direct player in a game where there was all too much chipping sideways. He had 22 touches, including 8 inside 50s and a mammoth goal from 60m out. Boyd and DIckson were also good. Goldstein, McMillan and Wells were probably the Roos' best.
TomC
Roar Guru
Match review In short, the Dogs were more disciplined and better organised tonight. While they lost the clearances and broke even in contested possessions, their defensive setup made it impossible for the Roos to get any sort of offensive run going. Even when the Roos were able to force a turnover and try to counterattack, the Dogs ran hard to defend and usually managed to shut it down. The result was a combination of an impressive, coordinated team defensive effort by the Dogs, and the Roos complete inability to find a plan to get through it. North's strategy, such as it was, appeared to be to try and control possession, chipping short and wide at every opportunity. Presumably this had more to do with lack of options than anything else, but whatever the cause North simply couldn't create a significant number of scoring opportunities, and consequently finished with just seven goals for the match. After falling behind by 26 points early in the final quarter, North rallied briefly to get within striking distance in the last few minutes, but in truth they never looked likely to score multiple goals in a short space of time, and had that game been played for any length of time that would have been the case. They just simply didn't have the damaging players needed to put the Dogs under serious pressure. This result leaves them pretty much destined for a mediocre 8th finish, and it's hard to imagine them turning this result around should they meet the Dogs again in the first week of the finals But Western may have higher aspirations, sitting outside the top four by just one game plus percentage, with a favourable looking draw to come.
TomC
Roar Guru
I said earlier that this game felt like a mirror image of these teams' first meeting this year, and so its proved. The score in that game was 61 to 45 in favour of the Roos, and tonight at full time it's 61 to 47 the Dogs' way.
Swannies
Guest
Go Doggies! Great effort considering their injuries. North are gonners in September.
TomC
Roar Guru
That's full time Western Bulldogs 9.7.61 North Melbourne 7.5.47
TomC
Roar Guru
Dickson gets into the back of his opponent while attempting to collect the ball and engineer a scoring chance. The Roos can clear, but it won't matter. We're inside the last minute now.
TomC
Roar Guru
Lachie Hunter takes a mark just forward of the wing for the Dogs, and that's pretty much game over. Two minutes to play, and three goals required, with the ball in the wrong part of the ground from their perspective.
TomC
Roar Guru
Dahlaus with a chance to send the Bulldogs forward, but he kicks without looking and Goldstein marks. Just three minutes left. And North don't seem to have any ideas about how to get the ball forward. It's completely static out there right now.
TomC
Roar Guru
The Dogs have cleared the pressure, and work it out wide to Wood who marks on the wing unopposed. He bombs long, and Stringer loses his opponent to mark at the front of the pack uncontested. Stringer will now shoot to ice the game from 45m out, on a 45 degree angle. It's a terrible attempt, hooked well wide and out on the full. Four minutes to play, and the Roos need three goals.
TomC
Roar Guru
The Roos are desperately pushing it forward by any possible means. They're at half forward now for a ball up.
TomC
Roar Guru
The Roos break from half back, but there's no one forward of centre. Six minutes left.
TomC
Roar Guru
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE North go forward again, as Gibson launches a long kick to the top of the square. Goldstein reaches up and can't quite mark, but Roughead following through on the spoil collects him high, and that's a free kick. Western 61 North 47 A couple of quick goals, and the Roos are within striking distance. The Dogs' fans aren't happy with the free kick, but it was a sloppy spoiling attempt. The Roos have got a few soft ones in the last couple of minutes, but that one was there. 7 and a half minutes left.
TomC
Roar Guru
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE A free kick for Jack Ziebell within shooting distance. It was for interference at a ball up, and it's a really awful decision. But Ziebell makes the most of the opportunity. He kicks the goal from 35m out. Western 61 North 41 9 minutes left in the match.
TomC
Roar Guru
Actually, pretty sure it was McKenzie's kick, rather than McMillan.
TomC
Roar Guru
GOAL BULLDOGS Shocking turnover for the Roos in their backline, as McMillan's ugly grubber kick clean bowls Harvey, and Picken swoops on the loose ball. Stringer leading hard into space, and Picken hits him lace out. Stringer's shot from 35m out is good, and the Dogs restore that 26 point gap. Western 61 North 35 11 minutes left in the match.
TomC
Roar Guru
20 points with 13 minutes left. It's certainly gettable for North, but they need the next couple of goals at least.
TomC
Roar Guru
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE Consecutive forward stoppages for the Roos, but this time it breaks for them, as Wells roves from a smart Goldstein hit out and fires through a goal along the ground. He's doing his bit. He needs some help. Western 8.7.55 North Melbourne 5.5.35
TomC
Roar Guru
Wells has been working hard in this quarter, and now he dashes away from a stoppage with the ball to drive the Roos forward. Thomas gathers, but is stripped of the ball before he could kick it. It's out of bounds in the Roos' forward area.
TomC
Roar Guru
Ziebell coming off the ground for the Roos with a very nasty gash to the head. 15 minutes of gametime left.