The third of Sunday AFL Round 21 matches is between Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows. The game is set to commence at 4:40PM local time with the game to be played at Etihad Stadium. Away team Adelaide Crows go into the match as the favourites in the market. View our preview and teams for the game between Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows.

Round: Round 21 4:40 PM August 18, 2013
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Weather: 14° Shower or two.

Featured Bookmakers:

Western Bulldogs $2.12 vs Adelaide Crows $1.72 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Western Bulldogs $2.12 vs Adelaide Crows $1.72 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison by AFL Odds:

Western Bulldogs	2.12	2.15	2.12	2.15	2.12	2.15
Adelaide Crows	1.72	1.70	1.72	1.70	1.72	1.72

Preview:

The Western Bulldogs have found some form in the past month and our playing with a purpose that was desperately missing from the first half of their season.

They’ve accounted for West Coast and Carlton and made Sydney earn their victory over them in round 19 in the last three weeks

Adelaide, who only sit two wins above the Bulldogs on the ladder, have had a season of ups and downs and that is well demonstrated by their results over the past month.

They’ve registered wins over Geelong and North, had a heartbreaking loss to Port and although competitive, fell several goals short of both Collingwood and Fremantle.

That said this is the first time in five rounds that the Crows come up against a team sitting outside of the eight.

The market is the closest of all games this round and rightly so.

Both teams match up well across the park and there’s little in the season stats to separate them.

Where the difference may lay is in the clearances and hit-outs, both areas of the game where the Bulldogs have a slight advantage over the Crows and against teams strong in similar areas, the Crows have just failed to produce the goods.

This game is a good way to finish the round and whilst it will have no bearing on the competition, expect a strong clash with little separating the two sides.

Teams:

Western Bulldogs:
B: L.Picken J.Roughead D.Morris
HB: T.Young M.Austin R.Murphy
C: M.Boyd T.Liberatore D.Cross
HF: R.Griffen J.Grant D.Giansiracusa
F: L.Dahlhaus T.Campbell K.Stevens
FOLL: W.Minson M.Wallis A.Cooney
EMG: E.Wood J.Macrae J.Tutt
I/C (from): L.Jones L.Hunter D.Addison T.Dickson
In: Lachie Hunter, Matthew Boyd, Jack Macrae
Out: Nil

Adelaide Crows:
B: R.Laird B.Rutten A.Otten
HB: L.Brown D.Talia B.Smith
C: R.Sloane P.Dangerfield N.van Berlo
HF: B.Vince T.Lynch B.Crouch
F: J.Petrenko L.Johnston I.Callinan
FOLL: S.Jacobs R.Douglas S.Thompson
I/C (from): M.Jaensch M.Wright D.Mackay S.Kerridge S.Shaw S.McKernan M.Grigg

In: Shaun McKernan, Matthew Jaensch, Ian Callinan, Sam Kerridge
Out: Ricky Henderson (knee)

Adelaide’s Laird named Rising Star nominee

Young Adelaide star Rory Laird has earned round 20′s AFL Rising Star nomination.

The 19-year-old defender proved his worth in the Crows’ gritty nine-point win over North Melbourne at AAMI Stadium on Sunday, racking up 24 disposals, 14 kicks and seven marks.

The youngster has played 15 games since making his senior debut in round four, having been elevated from the side’s rookie list following an injury to Sam Shaw.

Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said he had been very impressed with Laird’s development during his debut season.

“He’s not a sexy defender and probably doesn’t stand out in games, but he gets a lot of the footy, makes good decisions and cuts his man out of the play,” Sanderson said.

“Rory is a vital cog in our defence and he’s showed some real class and composure for a rookie-listed player in just his first AFL season. His last quarter against North Melbourne was just exceptional.”

Laird is the third Crows player to be receive a Rising Star nomination this season, behind Sam Kerridge and Brad Crouch.