Western Bulldogs v St Kilda

Both teams have named experienced lineups for Saturday’s clash at Etihad Stadium.

For the Doggies – Daniel Giansiracusa and Ben Hudson have been named, while for the Saints in come Nick Riewoldt and Brendon Goddard.

St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs have looked fairly solid during previous NAB Cup games in what should be a close, hotly contested match.

Barry Hall has continued to fit in comfortably at Doggieland like a well worn pair of slippers, contributing 6 goals in a winning performance.

Last week the Western Bulldogs got over the line in a thriller by 2 points over a much improved Port Adelaide side, with Barry ‘Don’t poke the Bear’ Hall dominating the contested ball up in the Dog’s forward 50.

Brad Johnson will be wishing he could get his hands on some silverware, even if it is a preseason GF.

The Saints meanwhile, had a convincing win over Fremantle pumping them by a healthy 70 points.

It wasn’t spectacular, but when St Kilda needed to they turned on the ignition switch and showed the huge gap between a top team in the AFL (St Kilda) and a certain cellar dweller in the Dockers.

Champion Bulldog Brad Johnson will be missing from the side with a calf strain, which would be a bit of a blow to him if the Western bulldogs get up and win their first Grand Final in 40 years.

Daniel Giansiracusa will take over the skipper duties.

For the Saints, Lenny Hayes will be also be sidelined due to a calf strain and Michael Gardiner is still recovering from a jarred knee.

Jason Blake will slot in to take the ruck duties for the red, black and white.

It should be a great game as both teams look to be taking the NAB Cup game seriously -and why not….there’s been only dust collecting in both the Bulldog’s and Saint’s trophy cabinet for a long time.

Who will win? It’s always hard with these pre season games and not much will separate these two teams on the day, but I’ve just got the feeling St Kilda can curb the Barry factor enough to get over the line.

St Kilda by 4 points

Challenge Games (Local Time):

Friday March 12th

• Brisbane Lions v Hawthorn at Southport, 3.30pm
• Carlton v Adelaide at Visy Park, 4pm
• Sydney Swans v North Melbourne at Narrandera, 7pm

Saturday March 13th

• Melbourne v West Coast at Casey Fields, 2pm
• Richmond v Essendon at Morwell, 3.30pm
• Port Adelaide v Collingwood at Mt Gambier, 4pm
• Fremantle v Geelong Cats at Subiaco, 4.30pm

Your NAB Grand Final Tips & Observations

So what are your tips & observations for the Grand Final of the 2010 NAB Cup? Do you agree with Johnnytruent? if yes or no please post your tips and observations about the NAB competition in the comments section.