Head to head: Western Bulldogs 55 wins, Geelong 91 wins, two draws
Last time: Geelong 14.12 (96) d Western Bulldogs 12.10 (82), qualifying final, 2009, at the MCG
MISSING IN ACTION
Western Bulldogs
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) - season
Jarrod Harbrow (quad) - test
Sam Reid (shoulder) - season
Brennan Stack (hamstring) - test
Shane Thorne (knee) - 4 weeks
Geelong
Mitch Brown (shoulder) - season
Cameron Ling (hamstring) - test
Max Rooke (knee) - test
Jesse Stringer (hip) - season
Harry Taylor (shoulder) - 1 week
Adam Varcoe (knee) - season
FORM
Western Bulldogs: WWWWW
Geelong: WLWWL
SUMMARY
There’s no faulting the Western Bulldogs’ form line with seven wins from eight starts. The streak has put a game on the fifth-placed Fremantle and has narrowed the gap between them and St Kilda to two points.
However, an illness is sweeping through the Kennel and it appears no one is exempt from catching the bronchial problem. Adam Cooney will struggle to play while Robert Murphy, Dale Morris, Lindsay Gilbee and Brodie Moles were sent home from training on Wednesday. While Shaun Higgins and Jarrod Harbrow are expected to be available, there could be a mass exodus of Dogs as the bug takes hold.
Geelong has issues of its own.
With a number of players fighting for form and fitness after injuries, the Cats have fallen a game and a half behind the Magpies after losing to them last weekend.
With Tom Hawkins and James Podsiadly so far out of touch they are chances for omission and Harry Taylor out with a shoulder, the Cats have their own decisions to make at the selection table.
PLAYER TO WATCHWith Tom Hawkins and James Podsiadly so far out of touch they are chances for omission and Harry Taylor out with a shoulder, the Cats have their own decisions to make at the selection table.
With the number of Bulldogs potentially unavailable, omissions based on form might be unlikely. However Rodney Eade was going to struggle to drop Nathan Eagleton anyway given the veteran’s blistering game against Adelaide. Recalled for the ill Higgins, Eagleton was integral in the final quarter of his 10th match for the season and will be pushing for September consideration if he continues with his form.
The Brownlow medallist in Jimmy Bartel has been taking a trip back in time with a sleeved jumper in recent weeks but it’s more to hide a sore elbow than make a fashion statement or combat any dislike of the cold. He’s also had an ankle problem that pushed him out of round 18. However, he has been up and down over his last four games - will we start to see him level out as the season reaches the business end?
QUESTION MARKS
Will the sick puppies at Whitten Oval get well in time? How many of their key players will spend Saturday night under a doona with a hot water bottle instead of running around at Etihad Stadium?
How much will Geelong’s stinging loss to Collingwood - and strong post-match words from Matthew Scarlett in which he labelled the players “terrible” and “embarrassing” - affect them on the rebound?
David Wojcinski has already been named as Taylor’s replacement. Will the Dogs try to exploit the Cats for height in attack?
Has former Cat and suspected source of the Dogs’ bug Tim Callan really been working as a double agent since he moved to Whitten Oval at the end of 2007?
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Cats were steaming after being shown up by the Magpies in nearly every key area on Saturday night. Over the past three years, they’ve lost just one game in each season from round 20 onwards.
Given the Dogs’ sickness concerns and the fact they played in atrociously wet Adelaide conditions last week, expect them to have a bit of a downer. And maybe for Tim Callan to be sent to solitary confinement.
PREDICTION
Geelong by 29 points
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The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
