THE BOOKMAKERS have the Western Bulldogs red-hot favourites to defeat Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, but some key statistics suggest the match may produce a different result.
While two teams struggling down near the bottom of the ladder rarely grace the marquee slot, the clash between the 16th-placed Bulldogs and bottom-of-the-ladder Blues looms as an intriguing contest nonetheless.
Crownbet have the Dogs clear-cut favorites at $1.42, while Carlton is paying $2.42 to win its first game of the season. But when you take a closer look at the selected teams, the stats argue those prices could easily be flipped.
While the Bulldogs have four points in the bank courtesy of a win over Essendon, the Blues have won one more quarter this season, winning six of the 20 terms they've contested compared to the Dogs' five.
The Bulldogs will go into round six as the AFL's youngest team, with an average age of just 23 years, while they're also the least experienced side with an average 56 games per player, and have no players with 150 games or more to their name.
On the other hand, the Blues are older (24.6) and more experienced (75), and have two players that have notched the 150-game milestone (Kade Simpson and Dale Thomas).
Both sides will field 10 players with less than 50 games of experience.
Brendon Bolton's team also has an advantage when it comes to height (189.3cm) and weight (87.3kg), compared the Bulldogs' average 187.2cm and 85.1kg.
And with the Carlton coach already under pressure for the Blues' winless start to 2018, a loss against the Doggies will be the first time in their 122-year existence the Old, Dark Navy Blues will start a season 0-6.
If you're looking to have a flutter, or haven't lodged your tips yet, good luck, as this encounter looms as the quintessential tipster's nightmare.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: Western Bulldogs v Carlton
Western Bulldogs v Carlton at Etihad Stadium, 7.50pm AEST
NO LATE CHANGES
FINAL INTERCHANGES
Western Bulldogs: Josh Dunkley, Hayden Crozier, Patrick Lipinski, Lin Jong
Carlton: Sam Petrevski-Seton, Matt Kennedy, Harry McKay, Caleb Marchbank
