Roar Guru
It doesn’t get much better than this, as the Western Bulldogs look to keep their premiership defence alive against the Essendon Bombers in a proverbial eight-point game. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 1:10pm (AEST).
After a crushing 59-point loss against Adelaide two weeks ago, the Western Bulldogs premiership defence was teetering.
Yet, talk of a hangover was put on hold after a workman like 20-point victory over Carlton and a 54-point win over the struggling Gold Coast Suns, righted the ship – albeit temporarily.
Heading into Sunday’s clash, the Dogs are now just outside the top eight on percentage.
However, the men from Footscray are yet to rediscover their breathtaking form from their magical Final’s run of last year.
In fact, the defending champions are yet to string together good, consistent football, with their lengthiest winning streak only two games long.
Scoring continues to be an issue for the Dogs, who have only crossed the 100-point threshold twice since Round 6 – in Round 14 against the 17th ranked Kangaroos and against the 15th ranked Suns in Round 18.
Averaging just 82 points per game, the Bulldogs will need to find more avenues to score if they are to keep up with the high-octane offense of the Bombers (98 points per game).
Perhaps an indication of a more attacking brand of football from the Bulldogs, veteran defender Dale Morris and midfielder Mitch Honeychurch have been replaced by forward duo Travis Cloke and Tory Dickson.
Jack Redpath will also miss the crucial clash for the Dogs due to suspension, with utility Lukas Webb coming in for his third game of 2017.
In contrast to their opponent’s patchy form, the Bombers enter the match in fine touch having won three matches in a row and as such are unchanged from the team that defeated the Kangaroos by 27-points last week.
Prediction
Arguably the match of Round 19, the clash between the Dogs and Bombers could prove to be a virtual elimination final.
After limping into the finals last year, Luke Beveridge’s men showed they can flip the switch to play incredible football and thus should not be underestimated.
However, after four years in football hell, a rejuvenated Bomber team spearheaded by a multipronged and speedy attack may prove too much for an undermanned and inexperienced Dogs defence.
Expect a tight contest throughout, but the men in red and black may pull away late.
Bombers by 19 points
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