THE Western Bulldogs are the ‘‘pressure kings’’ of 2015.
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After two rounds, the undefeated Dogs are ranked number one in tackles per game.
The Dogs have laid 167 tackles, in front of Essendon with 151, the team that knocked off the reigning champs Hawthorn last week by having a physical impact.
In Marcus Bontempelli they have the competition’s best tackler (20), while Luke Dahlhaus (17), Mitch Honeychurch (13), Lin Jong (12), Will Minson, Dale Morris, Mitch Wallis (12) and Liam Picken (11) have all reached double figures.
The Hawks have laid 121 tackles so far this season, 11th on the league’s list, with Paul Puopolo (14) their best, followed by Shaun Burgoyne (10).
But Hawthorn is determined to remind the Dogs that they don’t mind getting down and dirty when the two sides meet at Aurora Stadium on Sunday.
‘‘We will have to start well and get the ball down into the forward line, which means we will be the ones who will be applying the pressure and making it tough for them to get it out,’’ running defender Matt Suckling told The Examiner.
‘‘We want to be able to put the pressure on them, and when we do turn it over not just rush it back, because they are good at that pressure. We will need to be composed, take a deep breath and not rush.
‘‘That’s when they will get the ball back, and you see how fast they are, they will transition it quickly.’’
Suckling, 26, worked closely with Western Bulldogs coach Luke Berveridge when he was the defensive boss at the Hawks over the past three years.
He expected Beveridge to have some ‘‘dirt’’ on the players that he worked with, and they would have to be ‘‘on their game’’ due to this.
Suckling believed there had been plenty of good and plenty of bad from the first fortnight of the season, and that the loss to Essendon was a reminder that the players ‘‘need to be at their best every week’’.
The 79-game player was the feel-good story of last year’s premiership after missing out on the 2013 flag after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee at Aurora during that year’s pre-season.
He is averaging 22 possessions a game in 2015, and says he feels much more comfortable with his body after being back in the game for more than a year.