Greater Western Sydney's difficulties in its second season are well documented, with last weekend's 86-point defeat to North Melbourne the club's 13 straight this year. But the Giants enjoy playing in Canberra, the scene of one of their two wins last season, and could be boosted by the return of co-captain and key defender Phil Davis from a a back injury.
Meanwhile, the Dogs have won just three games this year, the last coming against Port Adelaide in round 10. Despite a furious last quarter rally, they still fell short against Melbourne last week and will be hell-bent on victory against the Giants.
WHERE AND WHEN: StarTrack Oval, Saturday, July 6, 1.45pm
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide and odds
LAST MEETING
R5, 2012, Western Bulldogs 15.14 (104) d GWS Giants 9.8 (62) at Manuka Oval
THE SIX POINTS
1. These two sides have met once before, also in Canberra last season. On that day, Ryan Griffen and Matthew Boyd led the way in the Bulldogs' comfortable 42-point win.
2. The Manuka ground is quite familiar to the Dogs, who played one home game a year at the venue between 2007-11. Their overall record in Canberra is five wins and two losses.
3. GWS coach Kevin Sheedy boasts a strong 27-18 win-loss record against the Bulldogs across his long career. But his last victory against them came in round 10, 2005.
4. Despite their lowly ladder position, the Bulldogs have two players ranked inside the top 20 in the Official AFL Player Ratings: Griffen at No.11 and Boyd at No.18. Callan Ward is the highest ranked Giant at No.24 overall.
5. One area in which these two sides excel is centre clearances. The Bulldogs are ranked first in the competition with 15.4 per game, while the Giants are fifth at 13.9.
6. Getting the ball forward is another matter, though. GWS is ranked 17th with 41.2 inside 50s per game, just below the 15th-ranked Dogs (47.5). Whoever can get in front in that category on Saturday will go a long way towards winning.
