BRISBANE Lions coach Michael Voss has thrown down the gauntlet to his players ahead of their must win-game against the Western Bulldogs in Melbourne on Sunday.

Voss said his playing group may think they’re better than they really are at his Monday press conference after the Lions’ one-point loss to North Melbourne last weekend. The loss leaves the Lions clinging to their finals hopes with a 5-6 record after 11 rounds.

While Matt Maguire will miss the match with a foot injury, the Lions are hopeful of regaining full-back Daniel Merrett from a six-week hamstring injury. His return would be good timing for a match-up with Bulldogs forward Barry Hall.

Ash McGrath will be missing for four to six weeks with a hamstring injury in a further blow to an already thin defence.

The Dogs are also coming off a disappointing loss, going down to Collingwood by 10 points after a fourth-quarter fightback.

Exciting midfielder-forward Shaun Higgins injured an ankle against the Magpies and will miss the match against the Lions, but classy forward Robert Murphy is in the mix for inclusion.

The teams met in round four at the Gabba with the home team getting the four premiership points.

Forward scout: Western Bulldogs

2010 to date
After falling just short of a grand final berth in 2009, big things were expected of the Bulldogs this season. With the addition of Barry Hall up front, they sported a similar list but have struggled to match the hype after starting with a bang with victory in the NAB Cup.

They lost to Collingwood in round one and have been a bit stop-start since. After successive losses to Essendon and Collingwood (again) in the past two weeks, the Dogs have dropped to a 6-5 record and are just inside the top eight. Captain Brad Johnson has missed a large chunk of the season with an achilles injury and former Lion Jason Akermanis has created headlines for all the wrong reasons in a disrupted first half of their campaign.

The coach
Rodney Eade has a proven ability to turn struggling sides into genuine premiership contenders, previous done so with the Sydney Swans. He has developed this Bulldogs team and, piece by piece, added the extras needed to challenge Geelong and St Kilda.

Eade is a measured coach who has the happy knack of getting the best out of recycled players. Akermanis, Hudson and now Hall have all flourished under his coaching. Rocket has shown his versatility as a coach by creating a hard-nosed outfit in Sydney and now an exciting run-and-gun team with the Bulldogs. He is meticulous and leaves nothing to chance.

The gun
He was an All-Australian and the club’s best and fairest last season, and Matthew Boyd has shown no signs of slowing down in 2010. After getting off to a blistering start over the first month, Boyd’s season was disrupted by a broken hand. But the tough in-and-under player returned against Melbourne in round 7 and has steadily improved, culminating in a 36-touch performance against Collingwood on Sunday.

The sleeper
He was one of the league's biggest off-season signings and Barry Hall has paid his way in the first 11 rounds. The former Saint and Swan has 37 goals and while his real worth will only be judged come finals time, there is no doubt the full-forward has given the Bulldogs a focal point to zero in on.

Hall kicked four goals when the teams met in April. Daniel Merrett has often struggled with Hall’s strength and will have his hands full if he returns from a hamstring injury.

The bolter
Josh Hill is an exciting small forward who has been in good form of late. He’s just 186cm but has a great leap and is a strong contested mark. The 21-year-old plays above his height and is a tricky match-up for the Lions, particularly with McGrath’s injury. Hill now has 51 games under his belt and is developing the consistency Dogs fans would love. He has 18 goals in nine matches this season, including nine in his past three.

Strengths
They have strengths all over the park, but the Bulldogs' engine room is where they get their punch. Daniel Cross, Adam Cooney and Boyd are all hard-ball winners, while Ryan Griffen and Mitch Hahn also add some muscle. The half-back line led by Lindsay Gilbee and flying Jarrod Harbrow must also be kept in check, putting extra emphasis on the Lions’ forward pressure.

Weaknesses
While the Bulldogs have still found avenues to goal, their resources are being stretched, which is handy for a thin Lions defence. Johnson, Murphy and Akermanis have all had their problems this season, and now the loss of Higgins adds to their woes. It leaves a lot of the goal-scoring in the hands of Hall. If the Lions can close down his space there is a lot of pressure on the midfielders to come forward and help out on the scoreboard.

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