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| Line | Western Bulldogs | St Kilda |
| Full Back | [24] Buku Khamis, [19] Liam Jones, [29] Lachlan Bramble | [27] Arie Schoenmaker, [44] Callum Wilkie, [29] Jimmy Webster |
| Half Back | [39] Jason Johannisen, [7] Rory Lobb, [31] Bailey Dale | [13] Ryan Byrnes, [7] Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, [2] Marcus Windhager |
| Centre | [34] Bailey Williams, [20] Ed Richards, [27] Joel Freijah | [8] Bradley Hill, [35] Jack Sinclair, [32] Mason Wood |
| Half Forward | [30] Lachlan McNeil, [33] Aaron Naughton, [21] Tom Liberatore | [40] Max Hall, [22] Darcy Wilson, [10] Mitch Owens |
| Full Forward | [18] James O'Donnell, [10] Sam Darcy, [14] Rhylee West | [43] Cooper Sharman, [47] Anthony Caminiti, [1] Jack Higgins |
| Followers | [44] Tim English, [4] Marcus Bontempelli, [8] Matthew Kennedy | [19] Rowan Marshall, [6] Jack Macrae, [9] Jack Steele |
| Interchange | [36] Luke Cleary, [42] Sam Davidson, [26] Josh Dolan, [6] Cooper Hynes, [9] Ryley Sanders | [4] Lance Collard, [14] Liam Stocker, [23] Liam Henry, [24] Angus Hastie, [34] Hugo Garcia |
| Emergencies | [5] Jedd Busslinger, [25] Caleb Poulter, [13] Oskar Baker | [3] Zak Jones, [5] Tobie Travaglia, [31] Harry Boyd |
Western Bulldogs :
In : God
Out : Harmes
St.Kilda :
In : Schoenmaker, Henry
Out: : Travaglia, Jones
Form guide
History
| Western Bulldogs | Detail | St Kilda |
| 79 | All Time Wins | 85 |
| 14 | Wins at Venue | 16 |
| 5 | Wins in Last 10 | 5 |
| Western Bulldogs | Score | Round | Score | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 19.10 124 | 2024 R6 | 9.10 64 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 5.11 41 | 2023 R2 | 14.8 92 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 13.6 84 | 2022 R18 | 7.14 56 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 21.18 144 | 2021 R10 | 5.3 33 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 9.10 64 | 2020 EF | 10.7 67 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 7.7 49 | 2020 R2 | 14.4 88 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 14.5 89 | 2019 R18 | 17.14 116 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 15.13 103 | 2018 R20 | 9.14 68 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 13.12 90 | 2017 R10 | 7.8 50 | St Kilda |
| Western Bulldogs | 9.6 60 | 2016 R18 | 11.9 75 | St Kilda |
| Stat | Western Bulldogs | St Kilda Saints |
| Kicks | 204.2 | 218.6 |
| Handballs | 159.2 | 145.0 |
| Disposals | 363.4 | 363.6 |
| Marks | 83.0 | 89.2 |
| Goals | 13.0 | 14.0 |
| Behinds | 10.8 | 11.2 |
| Scoring Shots | 23.8 | 25.2 |
| Tackles | 53.4 | 58.4 |
| Hitouts | 37.4 | 29.0 |
| Frees For | 18.8 | 17.0 |
| Frees Against | 19.2 | 17.4 |
| Goal Assists | 11.2 | 12.0 |
| Inside 50s | 53.4 | 53.6 |
| Contested Possessions | 137.8 | 128.8 |
| Uncontested Possessions | 222.4 | 224.8 |
| Effective Disposals | 260.0 | 259.4 |
| Disposal Efficiency % | 71.5% | 71.3% |
| Clangers | 52.0 | 55.0 |
| Contested Marks | 9.6 | 5.4 |
| Marks Inside 50 | 10.4 | 13.2 |
| Clearances | 38.8 | 40.0 |
| Centre Clearances | 14.6 | 12.6 |
| Stoppage Clearances | 24.2 | 27.4 |
| Rebound 50s | 36.2 | 38.4 |
| One Percenters | 44.2 | 35.8 |
| Bounces | 5.8 | 8.0 |
| Kick to Handball Ratio | 1.28 | 1.51 |
| Conversion % | 54.6% | 55.6% |
| Disposals Per Goal | 27.95 | 25.97 |
| Disposals Per Scoring Shot | 15.27 | 14.43 |
| Metres Gained | 5961.6 | 5798.6 |
| Turnovers | 60.8 | 65.4 |
| Intercepts | 59.6 | 67.4 |
| Tackles Inside 50 | 9.4 | 11.6 |
| Key Player | Western Bulldogs (Avg Per Game) | St Kilda Saints (Avg Per Game) |
| Tom Liberatore | 14.6 kicks, 14.6 hballs, 29.2 disps | - |
| Jack Sinclair | - | 20.2 kicks, 27.6 disps |
| Bailey Dale | 17.8 kicks, 7.6 hballs, 25.4 disps | - |
| Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera | - | 19.6 kicks, 26.8 disps, 1.0 goals |
| Ed Richards | 14.8 kicks, 11.2 hballs, 26.0 disps | - |
| Jack Macrae | 12.8 kicks, 16.2 hballs, 29.0 disps | - |
| Tim English | 8.6 kicks, 15.6 disps, 32.8 hitouts | - |
| Rowan Marshall | - | 9.2 kicks, 8.6 hballs, 17.8 disps, 5.4 marks |
| Sam Darcy | 11.2 kicks, 16.2 disps, 8.2 marks, 2.8 goals | - |
| Mason Wood | - | 11.8 kicks, 17.2 disps, 7.2 marks, 1.8 goals |
Higgins v Bramble? - Higgins has been in good form and can snag two or three without many chances. Be interesting to see who we go with. Either Bramble or Cleary I'd say.
Saints half backs - West and McNeil are going to have be really be on their game and Hynes to a lesser extent to stifle the hbs. Sinclair and Wanganeen-Milera are class and a real handfull and have contributed to the foward half turnovers they are good at.
Windhager - Saints bonafide tagger. Has had some big jobs already (Taranto, Holmes, Rozee) so expect him to take a mid. Might be Liberatore.
Wilkie v Darcy - Dogs can really make our bomb it to Darcy mantra this week. They are short in defence. Wilkie is their best and will take Darcy. English needs to try and ensure he can stay with Marshall when he goes back and become dangerous.
Wings - Hill and Henry (who's back for Travalglia) are part of that forward half turnover team and provide a lot of drive. Wings are not a strong suit for the dogs but think Davidson is good at the defensive stuff.
Wood/Sharman/Owens - these are their tallish goal scorers. Mostly mid sized so will be interesting matchups for our KPDs. Jones may get Sharman, Lobb v Owens, Khamis v Wood at a guess. Wood may go up to a wing if Henry plays forward.
One to lookout for
Darcy Wilson - half forward/winger (#22), he's super fast and clean. Really like the way he plays he's one to keep an eye on as might not be a famaliar name.
Opposition analysis
Strong turnover and forward half scoring team. Once it's in they like to keep it in and pressure and cause repeat entries/shots. Stoppage another strong score source.
| Score Source | Average Points |
| Centre Bounce | 13.8 |
| Kick-In | 3.6 |
| Stoppage | 42.0 |
| Turnover | 49.6 |
| Defensive Half | 29.6 |
| Forward Half | 51.8 |
When they have it
Kickout from behind
Like to spread out and not necessarily commit to one side. Leaves lot of space for picking targets. Half backs often kick out.
Slow play defensive transition
Chip it around by foot until they can find a kick to the forward half / wing. That seems to be the break glass if they can't get it deeper through the corridor to the launch pad ish area around 50-70 out.
Like to get it to the wing the Marshall is on. Will switch if they can.
Fast play defensive transition
Like to get it in the hands of Sinclair or Wanganeen-Milera, get it in and lock it in. Will use corridor if available. Flick it around by hand under pressure.
When it's in dispute
Centre Bounce setups
Setup usually with pretty distinct role players, Macrae on the defensive side, Steele on the attacking side and Windhager as a run with with Marshall as first ruck. Steele and Windhager can swap around at times.
Stoppage
Even numbers generally, if possible will have a defender on the attacking side covering the front exit.
When opposition have it
Kickout from behind
Like to go tight man on man. Don't seem to zone at this phase. Very much like a lot of sides now. They allow the short kick to the boundary.
Summary
St Kilda are a structured, pressure-oriented side that thrives on forcing turnovers and capitalising in their forward half. Their scoring profile is built on repeat entries, with nearly 50 points per game coming from turnovers and over 50 from forward-half chains — a clear sign they aim to lock the ball in and swarm with pressure. Off half-back, the Saints rely heavily on the composure and foot skills of Sinclair and Wanganeen-Milera to set up play. They’ll chip the ball laterally in slow play to find a corridor opening or shift to a wing — often the side Marshall is on — to launch inside 50. In faster play, they’re happy to use handball chains and corridor movement to transition quickly.
Defensively, they play tight man-on-man from opposition kick-ins and are aggressive in contests, often deploying Windhager as a run-with midfielder to shut down key ball-winners. At stoppages, they generally keep even numbers but position a defender on the attacking side to guard the exit. Their centre bounce setup is role-driven: Marshall in the ruck, Steele as the attacking mid, and Windhager applying pressure. St Kilda’s discipline around structure and ability to generate scores from defensive pressure makes them a dangerous opponent, particularly if allowed to control territory.
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