So, we're into the home stretch now, with just three games remaining of season 2023. This week we travel back down to Melbourne to take on the winless Western Bulldogs. It's been a horrid season for the Bulldogs who, as a foundation team and past winner, you'd expect to see up at the other end of the table, battling away with the likes of Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne. But they've had a bad run with injury, and also attracted comments from their coach, Nathan Burke, that maybe they didn't attack pre-season in the most professional manner.
We should expect our women to face a highly focused Bulldogs. They will be desperate to avoid a winless season, and they have this week and next to register a win (facing the Kangaroos in the final round). And I imagine they will be buoyed by what has left us so despondent this week - the absence of Morphett. This will have ramifications across the ground. Not only will we miss her ruck work, her follow up work, and her around-the-ground presence, our forward line will likely be robbed to cover her, with Bella Smith and Lexi Hamilton the two most likely to share the ruck duties in Ally's absence.
We do welcome back Brooke Lochland this week, but Aliesha Newman misses another week. Hopefully the club is just being ultra-cautious with her concussion suffered two weeks ago against Port.
Elsewhere, Lauren Szigeti, Jaide Anthony and Amy Whelan lose their spots. We welcome back two of the Irishwomen: Julie O'Sullivan, who was unlucky to lose her spot a couple of weeks back, and Paris McCarthy, who played a couple of games in the middle of the season. Sargent-Wilson also returns for her first game since round 2.
TEAM: Gowans confirms multiple changes for Bulldogs clash
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