THE WESTERN Bulldogs have been dealt a huge blow less then an hour before their clash with Essendon, with midfield star Ed Richards a late withdrawal.

Richards has been unable to shake some knee soreness, with Lachie McNeil replacing him in the Dogs' side.

All eyes will be on how Essendon can respond after another week of headlines in a night clash against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-0) stamped their claim to be among the genuine contenders with wins on the road over reigning premiers Brisbane and then later against last year’s ladder-leading Adelaide before a bye.

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The Dogs had little trouble putting away the also rans even as they missed the finals last season and will now be licking their lips at the prospect of a percentage-boosting win against the Bombers.

Essendon (0-3) has endured a horror start to the season as its three defeats have been added to a 13-match losing streak to end last year and bring the club to the brink of its worst ever run of results.

The Bombers’ campaign could be about to go from bad to worse as they come up against their nemesis, with the Dogs winning 11 of these sides’ past 13 clashes by an average 57 points.

The Bulldogs have made two changes with Arthur Jones and Josh Dolan replacing Cooper Hynes and Tom Liberatore.

Nate Caddy (concussion) is out for the Bombers as Tom Edwards comes in for his third AFL game after recovering from his ACL injury.

Western Bulldogs v Essendon at Marvel Stadium, 7.20pm AEST
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Melbourne v Gold Coast at the MCG, 3.15pm AEDT
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