Australian Football

Match Report

The other Saturday afternoon outing takes us to the western side of the city and into the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods hosted the Bulldogs. The Doggies took out both games last season by 11 points, though they almost coughed it up in Round 5 at the Ponderosa and then responding in kind to a late charge at Richmond in Round 13. The Bloods almost got lucky when they visited Elizabeth, down by 40 points at three quarter-time they took advantage of a complacent final term effort by the Dogs but just couldn't complete the job. The later game saw the Dogs drop the intensity in the third quarter before waking from their slumber in the finish. The Bloods, despite a massive thumping of South, were still reeling from the incident in Port Lincoln which has sidelined one of their players. The Bulldogs were also victorious, ending the undefeated run of the Eagles at home. The Bloods seem to be a side that the Doggies have had some difficulty with, despite dropping just one game in their last seven outings. The Bloods certainly dragged the Dogs down to their level early on, happy to retain possession for long periods. But it was at the cost of scoring, the Dogs led by just two points at the first change with the board reading 1.3 to 1.1. The Bloods took the lead after eight minutes in the next period, but it didn't last long as Centrals started to play more like they have over the last few weeks. While accuracy became an issue, they still scored 4.4 to 2.1 in the second term, taking a 17-point lead into the long break. A drop-off in the Bloods' attack in the third quarter allowed the Bulldogs to extend the gap going into the final change, they scored 3.3 to three behinds to lead by 35 points at three quarter-time. Westies did rally hard in the final term, a 15-minute period saw them cut that six-kick deficit to as little as 14 points, scoring 3.4 to one behind. But a late major and behind to the Bulldogs allowed them to keep their unbeaten run as such, winning by 21 points. Harry Grant was again at the forefront for the Dogs, gathering 23 disposals, 10 tackles and eight clearances. The Bloods had Jordan White as their standout, with 17 disposals and 12 tackles.