Australian Football

Match Report

The Western Bulldogs have returned to the winners list with an upset win over fourth-placed GWS at Docklands on Saturday. The Bulldogs had started the season well but lost their past three games and were expected to struggle against the Giants, who had won their last three. But the Dogs came out snarling, their ferocity around the ball and in the tackle putting GWS on the back foot from the start. The Dogs jumped to a 37-point quarter-time lead, and kept the Giants at bay throughout the match, winning by 45 points.

After a tight first six minutes in which neither side scored, Tory Dickson kicked things off with a mark and goal. James Stewart answered with a major at the 10-minute mark but the Bulldogs then commenced their charge. Luke Dahlhaus snapped a goal at the 13-minute mark, and then Tom Boyd marked and goaled to put the Dogs 13 points ahead. The onslaught went on for the next 15 minutes, with Mitch Wallis, Liam Picken, Dahlhaus, Will Minson and Dickson again all adding goals, giving the Bulldogs a 43-point lead. Jeremy Cameron scored a late one for the Giants, leaving them 37 points adrift at quarter time.

The goals dried up somewhat in the second quarter, the first not coming until the 11-minute mark. It was kicked by Dickson, his third giving the Dogs a 45-point lead. The Giants sparked up briefly after that, with majors to Adam Treloar and Tom Scully within a minute of each other, but a Johannisen goal for the Dogs took the margin back out to 40. As they had done in the first term, the Giants booted a last-minute goal in the second via Cam McCarthy to cut the difference to 35 at half time.

GWS kicked the first two goals of the third quarter via Cameron and Toby Greene to move to within 23 points and spark mild panic amongst Dogs supporters, who had witnessed their team surrender a 55-point lead against St Kilda three weeks earlier. But the Bulldogs settled and dominated the rest of the term, adding 3.7, the goals kicked by Koby Stevens, Dickson and Minson and the lead was out to 48 points at the last change of ends.

With three of the first four goals of the last quarter via Jarrad Grant, skipper Bob Murphy and Picken, the Bulldogs settled the matter once and for all, taking the their lead beyond the 10-goal mark. The Giants scored consolation goals through Stewart, ex-Bulldog Ryan Griffen and Cameron but the Bulldogs coasted home by 45 points. Griffen, who had walked out on the Bulldogs over the summer, had little influence on the contest and was booed by Bulldogs fans each time he got one of his 10 touches.

Wallis was brilliant for the Bulldogs, with 36 disposals (a personal best) and seven tackles, while Easton Wood (18 touches and eight intercept marks) and Matthew Boyd (32 possessions, eight marks) were also outstanding. For the Giants, Callan Ward (19 touches and four tackles), Lachie Whitfield (11 marks, 31 disposals) and Heath Shaw (10 marks, 28 possessions) all had fine games.

The Bulldogs will take on Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval next Saturday night before having a bye in round 11, while GWS will host Brisbane at the Sydney Showground and play Collingwood at the MCG prior to a week off in round 12.

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Dickson 4; Dahlhaus, Minson, Picken 2; T. Boyd, Wallis, Johannisen, Stevens, Grant, Murphy,
GWS: Cameron 3; Greene, Stewart 2; Treloar, Scully, McCarthy, Griffen

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Western Bulldogs: Wallis, M. Boyd, Wood, Minson, Dahlhaus, Dickson, Murphy
GWS: Ward, Whitfield, Shaw, Greene

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
Western Bulldogs: Wallis, Wood, Dickson, Dahlhaus, M. Boyd, Minson, Macrae, Stevens, Murphy
GWS: Whitfield, Shaw, Ward, Shiel, Scully

INJURIES 
Western Bulldogs: Stringer (ill) replaced in selected side by Jong
GWS: Haynes (knee)

SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Marcus Bontempelli replaced by Shane Biggs in the fourth quarter
GWS: Adam Kennedy replaced by Josh Kelly in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Harris, Chamberlain, McInerney

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Dermott Brereton, Tony Shaw, Cameron Mooney