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Match preview: Western Bulldogs v Collingwood
Paul Bastin
Jun 18, 2019 10:11AM
Where and when: Marvel Stadium, Sunday June 23, 3:20pm AEST
TV, radio and online: Click here for broadcast guide
What it means for the Western Bulldogs: Given their upcoming run of fixtures, it's big. They face Collingwood, an interstate trip to Port Adelaide and Geelong in the next three games, so this result could be the difference between breathing new life and momentum into their season or falling irretrievably adrift of the chasing pack outside the eight.
What it means for Collingwood: Five teams currently lead the race to finish top four, and with Geelong setting the pace, pressure remains on third-placed Collingwood and co. Their eight wins in the past nine games started by beating the Bulldogs and they need to keep the ball rolling.
The stat: Collingwood star ruckman Brodie Grundy won the hitout count 60-6 against Tim English in round four this season. The All Australian monstered his more inexperienced opponent and in doing so had the highest percentage of hitouts in a game during the AFL era.
The match-up: Marcus Bontempelli v Scott Pendlebury
Both are stars, both are born leaders, both are left-footers, both find time and space like few others. The similarities between Bontempelli (14th in the Official AFL Player Ratings) and Pendlebury (25th) are evident. If either gets the upper hand, their side will be well on the way to a win.
It’s a big week for: Josh Dunkley
The Bulldogs' midfielder re-signed with the club for a further three years on Tuesday and has set a remarkable standard in the past six weeks, averaging 32.5 disposals to provide another dimension in the middle. A career-best 41 touches last week against Carlton alerted many to his rapid rise, and now arguably the premier midfield group in the competition awaits as his latest challenge.
Big call: Dunkley gets leather poisoning again with 40-plus disposals.
Prediction: Collingwood by 12 points
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