THE WESTERN Bulldogs have their eyes on a top-six spot when they take on West Coast to open Sunday's proceedings.
The Bulldogs are once again stuck in the mid-ladder logjam as they have followed stirring victories over the likes of top-four contenders Melbourne and Hawthorn with largely uncompetitive performances against Adelaide and now Sydney.
BULLDOGS v EAGLES Follow it LIVE
The Dogs need to take the game on more to make the most of their firepower as only the bottom-four sides have scored fewer points this year.
West Coast gave up another huge head start before matching Adelaide for almost three quarters in a further sign that it is not far off the pace even if results are yet to flow.
A road trip to take on the increasingly shaky Bulldogs could be a free hit as the Eagles continue to search for a victory that would take them to five wins for just the second season since 2021.
The Western Bulldogs have made five changes, with Rhylee West recalled after a surprise omission last week, but the Dogs lose defensive duo Nick Coffield and Connor Budarick to injury.
Jedd Busslinger is back to provide support in defence, and Bailey Williams is also back in the side.
West Coast is unchanged.
Western Bulldogs v West Coast at Marvel Stadium, 1.10pm AEST
NO LATE CHANGES
A confident Melbourne does battle with Richmond at the MCG in the 3.15pm AEST game.
Melbourne surged back into the top-four race with a stunning start against Hawthorn before taking the foot off the accelerator in the second half and losing some of the percentage gains it briefly held.
DEMONS v TIGERS Follow it LIVE
The Demons will still be riding high from a first interstate victory this year and now return to their happy hunting ground at home where they have won all eight matches this season.
Richmond gave the red-hot Carlton a huge scare under lights but was not quite polished enough to finish the job as it fell to the narrowest of its five straight defeats.
The Tigers have at least been able to get games into more of their highly touted prospects in recent weeks as their injury list slowly clears up and will be out to make the most of playing a fourth match in a row at the MCG.
Richmond has named its eighth debutant of the season, with Zane Peucker to play his first game. He joins Dion Prestia and Sam Grlj as additions to the side.
However the Tigers are without key defensive duo Jayden Short and Jack Ross, who both miss through injury, while Steely Green has been omitted.
Melbourne remains unchanged.
Brisbane can continue its march toward a top-four finish when it closes the round against Essendon.
Brisbane is showing that history can repeat as it shakes off a slow start to the campaign to build momentum with four consecutive victories either side of a bye.
LIONS v BOMBERS Follow it LIVE
The Lions underlined the threat they pose with a win against the Cats, after beating the Swans a week earlier, while they have become the heaviest scoring side over this ominous stretch with an average 117.5 points a game.
Essendon continued on its downward spiral with the fifth straight loss under caretaker coach Dean Solomon arguably the most concerning of the lot.
The Bombers have rarely been competitive in that stretch, especially when the game is on the line, but barely gave a whimper in the loss to the Saints and will likely have to dig in to avoid even worse against the two-time reigning premiers.
Essendon has made a huge statement at selection, dropping Ben McKay among five changes, with Bombers interim coach Dean Solomon swinging the axe after his side's poor showing against St Kilda.
Will Setterfield, Nik Cox and Saad El-Hawli are also omitted, while Jordan Ridley has been managed.
The Bombers have Archie Roberts back from a shoulder injury, defender Angus Clarke is in for his first game of the season and Harry Jones has also been recalled
The Lions are closing in on their strongest team with Hugh McCluggage and Dayne Zorko both back to face the Bombers.
Darcy Gardiner will miss with injury, with James Tunstill omitted.