Bulldogs vs Essendon

I couldn't have cared less if this game is the 1000^th of the history of Docklands' roofed stadium, whether you know it as Marvel Stadium, Telstra Dome, ...

As for the Bombers, they play a Hawthorn side that will be smelling blood in the water next week. They have won two games in a row in ultimately different circumstances and that does nothing but bolster the confidence levels – it’ll be some contest Friday night. I’ve been impressed with Matt Guelfi in the past couple of games and it’s good to see some affirmation from fellow Mongrel Jimmy Ayres post-game. Was the talk of the town at Footscray over the pre-season and is doing plenty right. What was the point of dropping Dylan Shiel for this game if you were just going to play him as the substitute? At that point, the Bulldogs converge to tackle Merrett which results in a turnover at the edge of the centre square, and it leads to one of Josh Dunkley’s two goals for the match. He had 10 contested possessions, fifth-most of any Bulldog, but also had seven intercept possessions and nine ground ball gets equal-second for all Bulldogs on the ground. Dale was prominent early in the first quarter, setting up plenty with his blistering pace and the long raking kicks that hit their mark. Dunkley just mowed him down – a good example of a player who wants the footy – Dunkley is a player that plays with hunger every week without fail. Does he change the dynamic of the midfield with his height and power? The poor young lad had no idea what he was getting himself into when he was given the ball to try and run it out of defence. He had plenty of moments where he stayed proactive, and it’s those second and third efforts that separate him from other young key targets in the competition.