AFL: Do or die for Bulldogs and Hawks

It is do or die for the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn as they clash in the opening Elimination Final at the MCG on Friday night.

The winner will progress through to the semi-finals, while the loser will see their season come to an end right there.

The Bulldogs have gone on to win the grand final when finishing outside of the top four before, and they can be backed at 10.00 to do it again.

Hawthorn recovered from a poor start to the season to steamroll into finals, and with momentum on their side, they could go far.

The Hawks can be backed at 11.00 to win the grand final and are many peoples dark horses to go all the way.

For one the season will come to an end, for another the premiership dream will be alive and kicking. The stakes could not be much higher.

. What: Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn
. Where: MCG, Melbourne
. When: 19:40 (AEST), Friday 6th September
. How to watch: Foxtel, Kayo, Channel 7
. Odds: Western Bulldogs 1.72, Hawthorn 2.15

Bulldogs handed Treloar boost

There is some good news for the Bulldogs ahead of the game after gun midfielder Adam Treloar declared he will be fit to play.

Treloar has been suffering from some tightness in his calf, but told reporters on Monday that he should be good to play.

The midfielder will still need to prove his fitness in training, and everyone connected to the Bulldogs will be keeping their fingers crossed.

Treloar earned All-Australian selection this season after averaging 31.7 disposals a game throughout the campaign.

If passed fit, he can be backed at 1.65 to collect 30+ disposals against the Hawks.

The Bulldogs finished the regular season strongly with four wins out of the last five games.

Confidence should be high after beating Greater Western Sydney by 37 points in the last game, with Aaron Naughton booting a couple of goals.

Naughton can be backed at 13.00 to kick the first goal of the game, or 1.19 to score at anytime.

Hawks on a high

Hawthorn will be buzzing heading into finals after winning the last three games of the regular season.

Two of the wins were against North Melbourne and Richmond, but they did smash Carlton by 74 points, while they gave GWS a run for their money before losing by two points.

Another win will take them a step closer to the grand final, and they cannot be written off.

The Hawks have beaten the Bulldogs in two of the last three meetings, and both were very close encounters.

In Round 8 this season they won by seven points, while in Round 22 in 2023, they won by just two points.

If it is to be close again, the Hawks can be backed at 6.00 to win by 1-12 points. The Bulldogs are the same price to win by the same margin.

Connor MacDonald booted three goals in that Round 8 win, and can be backed at 1.44 to score at anytime.