After five rounds of seeing some of the high-end talent in the league line up on a Friday night, we get a bit of a change of pace this weekend as two of the bottom three teams on the ladder face off in the Round 6 opener. The Western Bulldogs will host Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Friday night from 7.50pm. We preview the big game and give our betting tips below.
Carlton are still in search of their first win in 2018, and they currently sit dead last on the AFL ladder, and along with the Lions they are the only winless teams left in the league. It doesn’t bode well for the Blues, who are also riddled with injuries to a bunch of key players at the moment.
Skipper Marc Murphy will be sidelined for the Friday night clash with a foot injury, along with some other key players including possibly Matthew Kreuzer, who will need to pass fitness tests after a groin injury has kept him out of the team the last few weeks.
The Western Bulldogs aren’t without their fair share of injury concerns as well. Their backline is currently in shambles, with no Marcus Adams or Dale Morris while forwards Jack Redpath and Tory Dickson will both be out of the line-up Friday night.
While Carlton are still in the midst of a rebuild phase, and weren’t really expected to shock anyone this year, the Western Bulldogs will be bitterly disappointed with their start to the 2018 campaign. Looking to bounce back from their premiership hangover of a 2017, they just haven’t been able to put it together yet, and their lack of structure, particularly in the key forward and defence positions on the ground.
The midfield unit of the Western Bulldogs is still extremely talented. Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Macrae have been fantastic so far this season and the Dogs will get Lachie Hunter back from suspension this weekend. Their performance against the Bombers in Round 3 showed signs of what the Bulldogs can put out, especially in perfect conditions at Etihad Stadium
The Blues haven’t done much to inspire confidence this season and while they have some promising rookies in the likes of Charlie Curnow, I just think the Dogs should be too good in the middle of the ground for them on Friday night, especially without the experience of Murphy to rely on.
TIP: Western Bulldogs -15.5 - $1.92 at Sportsbet
