As the GIANTS head into their first-ever Friday night game at UNSW Canberra Oval, we take a look at the stats that could make a difference against the Bulldogs.
The Western Bulldogs are one of the highest possession teams due to their use of quick handballs and fast tempo style of football.
The Dogs rank second in the competition for disposals (average 404 per game) and sit fourth in the competition for handballs (189 per game).
Their run comes from their halfback line and their willingness to play on. They are ranked the top side in the competition for playing on after taking a mark.
On Wednesday GIANTS coach Leon Cameron commented that the team that could lock the ball in their forward half would win the game.
“We’ve got better at turning the ball over in our front half, but we’ve still got a way to go,” he said.
“The challenge for us is to be consistent every week and if we’re not consistently good at stopping the ball from rebounding out of our front half this week then they will absolutely carve us up.”
Friday night will be a battle of two of the best sides for forward 50 defensive pressure.
The Bulldogs are ranked second in the competition for time in forward half (6:56 minutes more than their opposition) while the GIANTS are sitting in fourth (6:34 minutes).
The Dog’s forward pressure has seen them increase their scoring from 2016.
The reigning premiers average 98 points per game (up from 86 points per game last year) but are behind the GIANTS who rank third in the competition with 115 points per game.
One area that the Dogs have been slow starters in 2017 is being able to use the football first around the contest.
The Dogs rank last in the competition for hit outs to advantage (-7) and are 16th in the AFL for clearance differential (-4).
The GIANTS on the other hand are ranked first in both areas, with Shane Mumford and Rory Lobb winning 10 more hit outs to advantage than their opponents and the midfield winning the clearances 12.6 more times than the opposition.
Despite not getting their hands on the football first the Bulldogs’ tackling pressure is immense and has lifted from last year.
They are ranked first for tackles per match with 70.4 per game and are second in the tackling differential after being in 16th place at the end of 2017.
