After falling just three points short of Hawthorn in Round 3, the Western Bulldogs responded by handing Carlton a six goal defeat at Etihad Stadium last Saturday.
The Dogs have a 3-1 record but recent injuries to Jason Johannisen, Bob Murphy and with an injury cloud over Tom Boyd and Matthew Suckling, they’ll be relying on list depth to cover the loss of some of their more senior players.
Who to watch
Lachie Hunter (33 disposals), Shane Biggs (32) and Jackson Macrae (26) found plenty of the ball against the Blues last weekend and the Lions will find it hard to restrict the Bulldogs midfield, which also has plenty of depth.
Marcus Bontempelli has a lethal left boot, he kicked three goals against the Blues. Former West Coast Eagles midfielder Koby Stevens (two goals, 25 disposals against Carlton) poses a dangerous threat across half-forward.
Injury watch
Jason Johannisen joins the injury list at the kennel and will miss Saturday’s match against the Lions with a serious hamstring injury.
Johannisen follows Western Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy on the sidelines, however the Doggies believe they’re capable of covering the injured duo.
“As bad as injuries are it’s an opportunity for other guys to come into the team and play a role,” said Western Bulldogs midfielder Lin Jong.
“We’ve got so many guys that can go through there who’ve been playing well in the VFL and everyone would be ready to step up and fill that role.”
Tom Boyd and off-season recruit Matthew Suckling will face a final fitness test to determine whether they will line-up for the Dogs on Saturday night.
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Match Preview: v Western Bulldogs
