Match

Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne

Commentary / 24 Jun 2017

Pre Game

59:30

Welcome to Etihad Stadium for the Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne Round 14 clash.

59:33

Outs for Bulldogs: T.Boyd, L.Jong

59:34

Ins for Bulldogs: J.Redpath, T.Campbell

59:35

Outs for Kangaroos: L.Hansen, K.Turner, J.Anderson

59:36

Ins for Kangaroos: J.Macmillan, M.Daw, A.Swallow

59:40

Don't forget to enter your tips for this match, you have until the bounce to make your selection.

00:00

Despite sitting outside of the top eight currently, the Bulldogs are up on their tackle numbers compared to their premiership winning season last year. They are averaging 76.9 tackles per game this season, compared to 68.7 in 2016.

Quarter 1

00:00

Q1 is now underway.

00:14

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Liam Picken)

01:51

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Taylor Garner)

04:11

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Majak Daw)

04:21

The two sides have contrasting game styles to start this match. North Melbourne are using the ball by foot as much as they can, with 14 of their 16 disposals all kicks. Alternatively the Dogs have only had 3 kicks from their 13 disposals.

05:22

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Tom Campbell)

06:38

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Nathan Hrovat)

07:11

North Melbourne have grabbed 11 more marks than the Bulldogs. This is a different trend for the Roos, who are ranked last for marks per game this year averaging 79.3.

07:36

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Bailey Dale)

09:39

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Todd Goldstein)

09:54

All four scoring shots for North Melbourne has been sourced from possession chains originating in their defensive half. Their first two goals have came following intercept possessions.

11:30

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)

13:49

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Tom Campbell)

15:10

The Bulldogs are enjoying first use of the football from stoppages, leading clearances six to three. This is an area that the Dogs have struggled in recently, ranked 17th for clearances in the last four weeks.

15:40

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Mason Wood)

19:05

Luke Dahlhaus has attacked the football in his typical ferocious style, winning a game-high five contested possessions leading to six disposals. Most impressively, he is going at 100 per cent disposal efficiency.

19:16

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Easton Wood)

20:41

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Andrew Swallow)

23:00

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)

24:03

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Bailey Dale)

25:20

North Melbourne are struggling to get their hands on the football, recording just 58 disposals compared to 88 for the Dogs. Only once this season has North recorded less than 70 disposals in a quarter.

25:34

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jake Stringer)

29:03

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Rushed)

30:11

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Lachie Hunter)

30:14

The siren has sounded to end Q1.

30:24

Bailey Dale has had an impressive opening quarter winning a game-high nine disposals with four contested possessions along with booting a goal. Nine disposals in a quarter is a career-high for Dale.

Quarter 2

00:00

Q2 is now underway.

00:45

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nathan Hrovat)

01:55

The clearance work of the Bulldogs is beginning to cause major headaches for North Melbourne. They lead the clearances 13 to six, with five of their scoring shots coming from this source. In comparison, North have only kicked one behind from a stoppage.

03:22

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jarrad Waite)

04:34

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Matthew Suckling)

05:29

The transition of the football from a kick-in has been first class by the Dogs. Of their four kick-ins, three have resulted in an inside 50 resulting in two scoring shots at goal. North have only entered their attacking 50 once from their five kick-ins.

06:04

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Liam Picken)

07:56

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Ryan Clarke)

09:44

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Shaun Higgins)

10:53

The Dogs have grabbed 10 marks inside their attacking 50, resulting in five goals whilst North have only taken five marks in the same zone. The most inside 50 marks in an opening half for the Dogs this season is 11, coming against the Lions in round five

12:14

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Rushed)

14:06

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jack Redpath)

16:03

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Mitch Wallis)

17:07

The Western Bulldogs lead the inside 50s 25 to 16, and have recorded four more in the second quarter. North Melbourne has lost the inside 50 count eight times this season, losing all eight of these matches.

22:48

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Jake Stringer)

24:28

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Jack Redpath)

25:22

The Bulldogs have won 15 more contested possessions than the Roos, won 10 more clearances, laid nine more tackles, grabbed 20 more marks and amassed 54 more disposals in a dominant display.

29:38

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jarrad Waite)

30:17

The Bulldogs half-time score of 10.8 (68) is the highest first half score against North Melbourne since 2008. In this same match, like tonight North only managed seven first half goals yet went onto defeat the Dogs by three points.

30:31

The siren has sounded to end Q2.

30:41

It was a stellar first half by Marcus Bontempelli who has been everywhere. He has won four centre-bounce clearances, and leads the match in tackles with eight, metres gained with 335 and has applied 14 pressure acts.

Quarter 3

00:00

Q3 is now underway.

02:16

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Ben Brown)

02:39

North Melbourne has started the second half in resilient style winning the first two clearances, laying the first three tackles and having the first three inside 50s. They were behind in all of these categories in the first half.

04:27

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Liam Picken)

05:24

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Mitch Honeychurch)

06:07

Jarrad Waite has performed well as a high lead-up target for North Melbourne, grabbing seven marks and winning 10 disposals at 100 per cent efficiency. Six of his marks have been taken in between the forward 50 arcs.

07:17

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Ben Brown)

09:50

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Declan Mountford)

10:37

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jamie Macmillan)

11:35

Shaun Higgins has been busy in the third quarter, winning three clearances along with his three inside 50s. Higgins has enjoyed a great run of form in 2017 averaging 21.9 disposals and 8.8 contested possessions per game, both career high numbers.

12:14

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Mitch Honeychurch)

12:41

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Luke Dahlhaus)

14:21

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Majak Daw)

17:24

The Bulldogs have only won eight forward half intercepts in the match, yet remarkably have kicked six goals straight sourced from these eight turnovers.

20:59

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Ben Brown)

21:53

Both sides have been extremely efficient by foot, with the Dogs going at 72 per cent kicking efficiency and North at 73 per cent. These results are much higher than their season averages of 65.9 per cent and 64.6 per cent respectively.

22:05

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Liam Picken)

22:27

Bulldogs Interchange - Liam Picken off due to an injury.

23:09

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Rushed)

24:55

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Toby McLean)

25:09

30 clearances for the Western Bulldogs is their equal-highest result for the season. Toby McLean has led the way winning six, the best clearance performance for the year.

26:19

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jake Stringer)

28:03

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Mason Wood)

31:04

The siren has sounded to end Q3.

31:14

North Melbourne managed to win the third quarter by eight points to reduce the margin to 13. This was a result of North managing to even up the contested possession and clearance differential, resulting in two more inside 50s for the quarter.

Quarter 4

00:00

Q4 is now underway.

00:21

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Declan Mountford)

01:57

Jack Macrae leads the match in disposals with 26. A prolific ball-winner throughout his career, this is the ninth time this season he has collected 25 or more disposals, a feat he achieved 15 times in 2016.

04:07

Kangaroos Interchange - Jack Ziebell off due to an injury.

04:12

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jake Stringer)

06:05

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Jack Redpath)

06:42

The Bulldogs lead the contested possession differential by 17, their second largest differential this season. The Dogs have four players who have won 10 or more contested possessions, led by Toby McLean with 12.

07:36

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Tom Campbell)

11:23

SCORE GOAL - Bulldogs (Matthew Suckling)

12:53

Tom Campbell has been monumental in the ruck up against an All-Australian ruckman in Todd Goldstein. He has won a career-high 41 hit-outs, with 10 of these being won to advantage,

14:24

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Ben Cunnington)

16:10

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Ben Cunnington)

18:22

With the game in the balance, the Bulldogs have managed to restrict North Melbourne to just 44 disposals whilst winning 76 of their own. The Bulldogs have an overall 85 disposal differential advantage, their highest result this year.

20:05

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jarrad Waite)

21:55

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Majak Daw)

22:28

A strong contested mark to Majak Daw leads to his second goal of the match. This is the sixth time in his 27 game career that Daw has kicked multiple goals in a match.

24:25

Bulldogs Interchange - Zaine Cordy and is possibly out for the game.

24:37

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Ben Cunnington)

25:40

Ben Cunnington has brought the margin back to just one point with his second goal, his seventh for the season. He has been a bull a the contest tonight, winning a game-high 19 contested possessions to go with his six intercepts.

28:51

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Shaun Higgins)

28:58

North Melbourne continue to pressure the Bulldogs late in the match. They have had 19 inside 50s in this final term, 10 more than the Bulldogs. This is their fourth highest inside 50 result in a quarter this season.

29:51

SCORE BEHIND - Bulldogs (Jake Stringer)

31:04

The siren has sounded to end Q4.

31:14

A thriller at Etihad Stadium comes to an end, with a late Jake Stringer behind breaking the deadlock and giving the Bulldogs a one point win. This result sends the Bulldogs back into the top eight and remain in finals contention.