Thursday night footy is back at Marvel Stadium as the Bulldogs look down the barrel at starting the season 0-3 against a Lions side fresh off a win against premiership hopeful Melbourne.
Let’s take a look at the big talking points ahead of an important game to start Round 3.
Where are the Bulldogs at?
At the beginning of the season, many predicted the Bulldogs to bounce back into premiership contention quickly, unfortunately for them their 4 pronged tall forward line has not worked early in the season with young star Sam Darcy dropped for this weeks important clash. The resigning of Luke Beveridge for a further 2 years has left many fans scratching their heads.
Their next 3 games are against Richmond, Port in Adelaide and Fremantle in Perth and will most likely be going into all 3 as outsiders. If the Bulldogs start the season 0-6, what happens with Luke Beveridge?
Who wins the battle of the midfield stars?
What a battle this shapes up to be between some of the best midfielders in the competition. There’s All Australians and future All Australians across the board with potential matchups such as Bontempelli vs Neale, Liberatore vs Dunkley, Ashcroft vs Macrae and Berry vs Treloar, whoever wins this battle is likely to win the match.
After a bitter departure from the Bulldogs, all eyes will be on Josh Dunkley as he faces his old side for the first time.
Team Changes
Western Bulldogs
In: A.Jones, A.Treloar, R.Lobb, J.Johannisen
Out: S.Darcy (omitted), R.West (omitted), T.McLean (omitted), T.Duryea (illness), R.McComb (sub)
Brisbane
In: K.Coleman
Out: D.Rich (quad), D.Robertson (sub)
Arthur Jones will make his debut for the Bulldogs, with the young indigenous speedster impressing in the VFL and over the pre-season after being drafted to the club in 2021.
Key Matchups:
Oscar McInerney vs Tim English – With both midfields stocked full of talent, the two big men will have a massive say in which team comes out on top at the end of the night. Tim English has announced himself over the past year as one of the competitions best ruckmen with his ability to influence the game around the ground a highlight. The ‘Big O’ specialises around the contest, being extremely clean below his knees for a ruckman.
Prediction – Brisbane by 17pts
