AFTER the Lions drew against Essendon and the Bulldogs went down in an upset to West Coast, Saturday night’s match now takes on major significance, with the winner at the Gabba to move into fourth with just two rounds remaining.

The Bulldogs have lost three of their past five and were dealt a cruel blow on Monday with news rugged midfielder Daniel Cross would undergo ankle surgery.

He is one of their prime movers and a huge loss in the midfield battle that will go a long way to determining the outcome.

Forward Scout:
The club: Western Bulldogs

2009 to date: It wasn’t long ago the Bulldogs looked a genuine premiership threat, but just two wins in their last five sees a big question mark hanging over them. Despite their recent wobbles, the Bulldogs are still in fourth place and have their double chance destiny in their own hands. Since demolishing Hawthorn by an extraordinary 88 points, the Bulldogs have lost to Collingwood, St Kilda and most recently West Coast to derail their season. They finish with the Lions, Geelong and Collingwood in an examination that will test just how far they’ve come in 2009.

The coach: After five years at the kennel, Rodney Eade has been re-signed for another two seasons. He has done a superb job with the Dogs, about to lead them into their third finals campaign in his fifth season. After being clearly the third best team in 2008, Eade was keen to elevate the Dogs this year and his potent midfield has his team again in the mix. Rocket has an outstanding coaching record and his men will never be far from the mark.

The gun: He might not get the headlines of some of his more illustrious teammates, but one of the main men in the Bulldogs engine room is Matthew Boyd. He has not missed a game in the last four seasons and the 26-year-old is a master in the contested footy stakes. Boyd has not got less than 20 possessions in any game this season and is often the catalyst for his team’s explosive running. He has good hands in tight and is often the man feeding the ball to the likes of Shaun Higgins, Akermanis and Lindsay Gilbee.

The sleeper:  Lindsay Gilbee. He is not the highest possession winner in his team, but much like Josh Drummond for the Lions he is the architect of his team’s run from the backline. Gilbee is arguably the best kick in the competition and his laser-like right boot can pick apart the best defences. Gilbee can also go forward and hurt you on the scoreboard and must be negated to stop the Dogs.

The bolter: Callan Ward. The 19-year-old was nominated for the NAB Rising Star award after his two goal 22-possession game against Fremantle in Round 18, which was just another in a string of solid performances from the midfielder. He juggled high school studies with senior football last year, playing six games, and has gone on to make 15 appearances so far this season. Ward is a valuable midfield contributor and has shown he can go forward with two goals in each of his past three matches.

Strengths: The Bulldogs have an elite midfield that must be stopped. With Boyd, Adam Cooney, Akermanis, Higgins, Gilbee and co they have players that can both win the ball and use it brilliantly. If you give the Dogs time with the ball they will cut you apart. Their kicking skills are superb and their unusual smaller forward line that looks to targets like Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson and Robert Murphy is hard to match up on.
 
Weaknesses: While they are blessed with a raft of classy midfielders, the Bulldogs have a lack of key position players. Brian Lake is a colossus in the backline, but Tom Williams is still developing in his key post. Likewise, Hahn and Murphy are classy forward finishers but are not your typical targets. If delivery is pressured, the Dogs struggle to find strong marking options. They have also made a habit of starting big matches slowly, giving up big leads against Geelong and Collingwood before roaring home late.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.