Where and When: Saturday, 1.45pm AEST, Marvel Stadium
Last time they met:
The Bulldogs won by 20 points two months back in round 14, beating the GIANTS in a shootout, 19.11 (125) to 16.9 (105). The Dogs led by just five points at the end of a frantic first half, but set the win up with a five-goal-to-one third quarter. Jack Macrae dominated, racking up 37 disposals for the game, while Cody Weightman and Aaron Naughton kicked five goals each, Weightman scoring all his in the first half. Toby Greene was impossible to stop at the other end, scoring seven goals for the game, while Jesse Hogan added three more. The pre-game loss of Matt Flynn hurt the GIANTS, especially after Brayden Preuss went down early with an ankle injury.
Broadcast:
Saturday’s match will be shown live on Channel 7 in NSW and the ACT as well as Fox Footy and Kayo nationally from 1:30pm.
For the latest television and radio broadcast guide, click here.
What it means for the GIANTS:
The chance to finish the season on an optimistic note remains, with last week’s win over Essendon full of spark that was missing the week before against Sydney. For the leaders it is an opportunity to steer the younger players through the rest of what has been a challenging year so that they feel good about themselves and what is to come; for the younger players there is a chance to find where they need to push themselves to next year and beyond. It is also the chance to do both things against two good opponents, starting with our favourite rival.
Where’s the opposition at?
The Dogs are one of a few teams scraping for a spot in the top eight after what has been an up-and-down season. For them the job over the next two weeks is simple: they need to win while hoping Carlton, Richmond and St Kilda lose. They have a short injury list and a couple on the way back, with defenders Ryan Gardiner and Jason Johanissen in the mix to return from injury against the GIANTS. Buku Khamis will miss for them with concussion.
Player watch:
Jesse Hogan has quietly been piecing together the best of his two years at the GIANTS. After nine games in 2021 the key forward played his 16th match for the season against the Bombers last week, kicking four goals to take him to 30 for the season. It’s his best games tally since his last year at Melbourne in 2018, and his best goals tally since that season too.
In the mix:
There will be no more Toby Greene for season 2022 – he’s off for surgery on a fractured thumb. James Peatling was subbed out of last week’s game with concussion and will miss, and the delayed nature of Tim Taranto’s concussion means he won’t be back in the side this week either. Matt Flynn has also been ruled out for the last two games due to ankle surgery. There aren’t many on their way back, though Conor Stone got through 60 minutes of last week’s VFL match on his return from hamstring issues. There’s a number of players ready to be called upon if required: Xavier O’Halloran, Cooper Hamilton, Cam Fleeton, Callum Brown, Wade Derksen, Jake Stein, Zach Sproule and Will Shaw all did their bit in the VFL and will put their hands up for a late-season call-up.
