The Winter chill is setting into Melbourne, but the action on the field is heating up as we enter Round 13 of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

This Friday night presents a blockbuster at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Hawthorn plays host to the Western Bulldogs.

Fierce traditional rivals Hawthorn and the Dogs will meet for the second time this season when they clash at the MCG on Friday night.

The first meeting earlier in the year went completely the way of the Hawks, who recorded a comprehensive 104-64 victory during Gather Round, with small forward Jack Ginnivan starring through a brilliant 28-disposal masterclass and a goal.

Sam Mitchell’s men will now be looking to carry that psychological edge onto the wide expanses of the MCG and make it six straight victories over the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Luke Beveridge’s side also collected a crucial four competition points in Round 12 with a thrilling 97-93 win over Collingwood.

The Dogs look to be on the up; sitting on equal 5th position with Gold Coast and Melbourne. A win could see them push into the top four and a loss would have them stuck in the wildcard wilderness.

But they’re coming up against a Hawkies side with players like Jack Gunston and Nick Watson who kick goals for fun, even at AFL level.

This will be a huge clash of East vs West; may the best side win.

For the latest team news, analysis, and expert insights, check out our Hawthorn Hawks vs Western Bulldogs Round 13 prediction and preview below.

Hawthorn Hawks vs Western Bulldogs Prediction and Betting Tips

Head-to-Head Prediction

The wide expanses of the MCG provide an excellent test for these ambitious squads. Aside from outright MCG specialists Melbourne, we doubt there is a single team in the competition that plays the big ground better than these high-flying Hawks.

They masterfully spread the ground to exploit space and use their superb skills to create scoring opportunities for their star-studded forward line.

The highly anticipated arrival of midfield star Will Day adds that special extra sauce around the ball, while dashing defender Karl Amon is firmly playing himself into the All-Australian conversation at half-back.

To cap it all off, influential co-captain James Sicily is officially back to his absolute finest form behind the ball, orchestrating their clinical defensive transitions with total authority.

On the flip side, the Bulldogs have successfully rallied after dealing with a mass casualty list mid-season, and getting a few key operators back has massively helped their structure.

Ed Richards is back near his absolute best football, while the ongoing growth of youngster Ryley Sanders has been desperately needed around the ball for the Dogs.

Bulldogs key forward Aaron Naughton gets a golden opportunity to fully dominate aerially without Tommy Barrass on hand to restrict his lead up patterns.

At Docklands, we could easily give these fighting Bulldogs a genuine puncher’s chance to cause an upset. However, at the grand old MCG, the multidimensional threat of Sam Mitchell's system should prove far too potent to ignore over four quarters.

Head-to-head prediction: Hawthorn Hawks by 20 points.

First Goal Scorer Prediction

For this opening major, as is pretty much the case most times the Hawks play, we like veteran forward Jack Gunston to snag the first goal.

The star Hawk forward has been in close to career-best form at 34 years old; kicking bags of five and six goals in his last two starts respectively.

Gunners officially leads the competition in goals with 35 majors this season and one eye on the Coleman Medal.

Hawthorn boasts a well-balanced midfield that loves to share the football around, with  half the squad functioning as attacking distributors.

Up forward, on the other hand - Gunston and his mate Nick Watson remain the tip of the spear, having piled on a combined 65 goals between them this year.

Expect the Hawks to target their star veteran early to send a message to the Bulldogs fans from the opening bounce.

Betting tip: Jack Gunston.

Most Disposals Prediction

We are looking at defender Bailey Dale to be a key distributor out the back for the Dogs on Friday night.

When the Bulldogs lose games, Dale distributes heavily from the backfield and racks up heaps of disposals as the Dogs come out of trouble.

The Hawks usually employ a pretty balanced, multi-dimensional attack, with all their midfielders and distributors generally playing a role and collecting between mid to high 20s in disposals each week.

Because Hawthorn share the volume around so evenly, Dale stands out as a strong contender for most involvements if the Dogs are under pressure in this one.

Betting tip: Bailey Dale.

Odds are subject to change. *

Hawthorn Hawks vs Western Bulldogs Predicted Teams

Hawthorn Hawks Predicted Team List

FB: Jarman Impey, Josh Battle, James Sicily

HB: Flynn Perez, Blake Hardwick, Karl Amon

C: Josh Weddle, Cam Mackenzie, Massimo D'Ambrosio

HF: Jack Gunston, Mabior Chol, Dylan Moore

FF: Nick Watson, Mitch Lewis, Jack Ginnivan

FOLL: Ned Reeves, Jai Newcombe, Josh Ward

I/C: Bailey Macdonald, Will Day, Connor Macdonald, Lloyd Meek, Cameron Nairn

Western Bulldogs Predicted Team List

FB: Nick Coffield, Buku Khamis, Michael Sellwood

HB: Connor Budarick, James O'Donnell, Bailey Dale

C: Adam Treloar, Marcus Bontempelli, Cooper Hynes

HF: Ryley Sanders, Will Lewis, Arthur Jones

FF: Lachlan Bramble, Aaron Naughton, Rhylee West

FOLL: Rory Lobb, Matthew Kennedy, Ed Richards

I/C: Lachie Jaques, Joel Freijah, Jordan Croft, Lachlan McNeil, Tim English

Hawthorn Hawks vs Western Bulldogs Match Details

Date: Friday, June 5, 2026.

First Bounce: 7:40pm AEST

Location: MCG, Melbourne

How to Watch: Fox Footy/Kayo Sports