The last match of the bye rounds sees the Western Bulldogs host a fired up Melbourne Demons at Etihad Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of the match, starting from 3:20pm (AEST).
It’s the start of a season-defining few rounds for both sides.
Reigning premiers the Bulldogs got touched up last week against the Sydney Swans and will be looking to prove that they belong in the top eight by the end of the round.
A loss here could be disastrous for Dogs, after failing to protect Norm Smith Medallist Jason Johannisen last week.
On the other foot, the Demons are coming off the back of an inspired Queen’s Birthday win against Collingwood where Jack Watts made a magical moment by sealing the victory with just seconds to spare.
The Demons have a new sense of belief as they have climbed up the ladder to sixth position and will be hoping to cement their stay inside the eight
The Dogs have rung in the changes, with Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Tom Boyd, Tom Liberatore, Mitch Honeychurch all coming in for Travis Cloke (Soreness), Fletcher Roberts (Omitted), Marcus Adams (Foot), Matthew Boyd (Omitted), Tim English (Omitted). It also will be Honeychurch’s first game in a year.
The Demons are welcoming stability in their line-up as they remain unchanged from a winning line-up. The Dogs have had ten days between games, while the Demons have had six, so it will be interesting to see how match fitness plays out during the match.
The Dogs have won 11 of the past 13 meetings between the sides, and have remained undefeated at Docklands all season. The Demons haven’t defeated the Dogs at Docklands since 2007.
Prediction
The stats don’t lie. The recent match-ups make it very hard to tip against the Dogs – while the Demons are in form, I’m going against the grain here and expecting the reigning premiers to bite back as they go in favourites.
Bulldogs by eight points.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 3:20pm (AEST).
Cat
Roar Guru
Bulldogs are second rate.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
All bark and no bite: Melbourne Demons smash Western Bulldogs to move into fifth The Melbourne Demons have smashed Western Bulldogs to the tune of 57 points at Etihad Stadium to move into fifth on the ladder and send the reigning premiers out of the top eight. The Demons haven’t seen September action for more than a decade, but they seek to change that this year with an impressive 7-5 win-loss record thanks to a 17.11.113 to 8.8.56 victory. The match closes out a string of bye rounds, as the in-form Demons came off a six-day break following an inspiring Queen’s Birthday win last week. A 10-day break for the Bulldogs proved they were not only rusty, but lacklustre against a high-pressure Demons who outclassed the Bulldogs all day. The Demons were led by Jordan Lewis (31 disposals), Clayton Oliver (29, 8 tackles) and Michael Hibberd (27 disposals, 11 marks), and Oscar McDonald (23 disposals, 12 marks, 8 rebounds fifties). Jack Watts led the goal tally with three goals, well supported by Mitch Hannan, Tom McDdonald, Jeff Garlett, and Tom Bugg all recording two each. While the Bulldogs have endured positive recent form at Docklands, they have suffered their first loss at the ground since round 18 last season, ending an 8-game streak at the ground. The loss highlights multiple selection problems for the Dogs as they slide to 9th on the ladder and are in jeopardy of defending their premiership. The Bulldogs had trouble all day with avenues to goal, recording just three marks inside 50. Tom Liberatore had a healthy return with 29 disposals while Jordan Roughead and Tom Boyd dominated the ruck against Tom McDonald. After a slow start to the match, the Demons conceded their lowest score for the season holding the Dogs to just one point in the first quarter, and winning just their third match from the past 14 meetings against the Bulldogs. Although the hitouts were won by the Bulldogs 61-19, the Demons made use of the contest winning the clearances 40-34 and will only get better next week with Max Gawn confirmed to return. A knee injury to Lin Jong soured the loss for the Bulldogs in the first quarter, but Nathan Jones (quad), Watts (hamstring), Neville Jetta (ankle), and Jayden Hunt (shoulder) were likely effects of short turnaround times in matches for the Dogs. The Demons will travel to Perth to play West Coast on Saturday with their third match in just 18 days, while the Dogs have some soul searching in a must-win match against North Melbourne.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Thanks everyone for joining The Roar live blog today. Look out for the post-match report coming very soon. Catch you all on here next time!
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Full Time Stats Western Bulldogs 8.8.56 – Melbourne Demons 17.11.113 Demons led the disposal count 429-412, clearances 40-34, inside fifties 54-50, contested possessions 173-160. Only 3 marks inside fifty for the Dogs as the Demons had 15. Tackles were split evenly at 85 each, however the hitouts belonged to the Dogs with 61-19 Dogs disposals: Liberatore (29), Daniel (28), Dahlhaus (26) Liberatore, Wallis and Roughead all had 9 tackles each, while Cordy had 7 marks. Goals: Dahlhaus, Daniel, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Boyd, Roughead, Picken, Dickson. Dees disposals: Lewis (31), Oliver (29), Hibberd (27) Garlett had 9 tackles, while Olvier and Viney had 8 each. McDonald had 12 marks, with Hibberd amassing 11. Goals: Watts (3), Hannan, McDdonald, Garlett, Bugg (2), Tyson, Petracca, Harmes, Melksham, Salem, Neal-Bullen.
peter wolf
Guest
what a huge victory 4 Dees, they made Western Bulldogs second rate well done Dees
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
THAT'S FULL TIME! Western Bulldogs 8.8.56 – Melbourne Demons 17.11.113
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.8.56 – Melbourne Demons 17.11.113 Suckling has a long shot on goal on the run but also misses. Pretty much sums up the Dogs day.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.7.55 – Melbourne Demons 17.11.113 A behind to Jake Stringer as he registers his first score of the day. He's been extremely quiet.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.6.54 – Melbourne Demons 17.11.113 Neal-Bullen marks 40 metres out in front and points to the stands after a beautiful kick. This is becoming a percentage booster for Melbourne.
Mattician6x6
Guest
The point of the equalisation policy has taken time to truly come to fruition and has definitely led to a way more exciting competition.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.6.54 – Melbourne Demons 16.11.107 Another free kick, this time for Harmes. He sends the ball in long, but it's a miss to the left of the posts. He's had an interesting day in front of goal.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.6.54 – Melbourne Demons 16.10.106 Petracca sends in a high one to the top of the Dees goalsquare, and Tom McDonald gets a kind bounce to kick a running goal on the run straight in front. The Dees are finishing strongly.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.6.54 – Melbourne Demons 15.10.100 Easton Wood gets penalised for a throw as Harmes wraps him up on the 50m line. A set shot for Harmes misses but the Dees reach the ton.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 8.6.54 – Melbourne Demons 15.9.99 Tory Dickson gets his first for the day with a running shot 30 metres out on the left half forward flank after a long tough slug.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 7.6.48 – Melbourne Demons 15.9.99 Garlett has another snap but misses again. 2 goals 4 behinds for him today.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
@Mattician6x6 Every game is winnable, and that's exactly what the AFL wanted to create. It adds to a lot of passion to each supporter base having close matches, or unpredictability enhancing more excitement and more crowds. Makes sense from a business perspective and as a neutral view. But it does also add in a lot of frustration!
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 7.6.48 – Melbourne Demons 15.8.98 Honeychurch misses a set shot to the left of the posts and the Dogs have another behind to bring it back to a 50 point margin.
Mic
Guest
Bulldogs are still playing like a bunch of goobers. Starting to think last year was a complete fluke, and what they are showing us this year is more like normal. Looks like they will go from premiers to missing the eight. The laughs are on you mattyb
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Nathan Jones has his right quad iced up adding to the injury toll. He could just be resting for next week as the Dees have a short run of 3 games in 18 days by next week.
Damien Peck
Roar Guru
Western Bulldogs 7.5.47 – Melbourne Demons 15.8.98 Garlett gets another shot after twisting and turning. Snaps from 40 metres out and ignores teammates as he hits the post.