Australian Football

Match Report

Just as they did in 1955, the Western Bulldogs have opened their premiership defence with an away victory against Collingwood, the Dogs finishing 14 points clear of the Magpies in a match that saw both sides mix outstanding highlights with many unforced errors that reminded those watching that, even at the highest level of the game, it can take some time to 'brush off the cobwebs'.

Those errors were on display particularly in the first quarter, as both sides struggled to come to terms with the shift from pre-season matches to the higher intensity of games played for premiership points. The Bulldogs settled first, Lachie Hunter kicking the first two goals of the match and Matthew Boyd, playing further up the ground than he did last year, and Jake Stringer adding further majors as the Dogs jumped out to a 21-point lead.

A lovely snap from Steele Sidebottom finally Collingwood on the board before the quarter closed with a great bit of 'pantomime' football that saw every one of the 66,254 fans get involved. Travis Cloke, playing his first match for the Bulldogs and his first against his old side, took a mark right on the 50-metre arc. With the Collingwood fans all booing and the Bulldogs fans cheering on, Cloke went back, took several deep breaths, and nailed a beautiful long goal which saw the Dogs take 20-point lead into the first break.

The Dogs looked like going on with the job as they booted the first major of the second term, a coast-to-coast goal that featured returning skipper Bob Murphy, finished off my Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen. That put the Bulldogs 26 points clear but Collingwood began to turn things around after that. While the Bulldogs kicked a further three goals for the term, the Magpies added six—three of those to Alex Fasolo—to trail by just four points at the long break.

Collingwood continued to attack when played resumed in the third term, and a long goal to Adam Treloar saw the Magpies hit the lead at the two-minute mark. Treloar's goal seemed to spark the Bulldogs, and the momentum swung dramatically over the next 20 minutes, with majors to Bontempelli, Hunter, Liam Picken, Stewart Crameri and Toby McLean seeing them out to a game-high lead of 31 points in time on.

The Magpies responded with a late goal and continued to come with skipper Scott Pendlebury kicking the first of the final term to cut the margin to 19 points. Liam Picken's goal settled the Dogs but two more Collingwood goals had the Pies within 13 points at the 17-minute mark. The Bulldogs shored up their defence after that and, with both sides tiring, held on for a 14-point win, having done just enough to open its premiership defence with a win.

Johannisen (30 possessions, two goals) was outstanding for the Dogs, while Magpie captain Pendlebury (35 disposals, two goals) led from the front and kept his side in the game.

The Bulldogs will unfurl their premiership flag at Docklands next Friday night before hosting their 2016 Grad Final opponents Sydney, while Collingwood will return to the MCG on Thursday night to meet Richmond, which had a first-up win over Carlton. 

GOALS
Collingwood: Fasolo 3; Sidebottom, Pendlebury 2; White, Mayne, Treloar, Goldsack, Hoskin-Elliott
Western Bulldogs: Hunter 3; Johannisen, Bontempelli, Picken 2; M.Boyd, Stringer, Cloke, Liberatore, Crameri, McLean

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Treloar, Sidebottom, Adams, Fasolo, Reid
Western Bulldogs: Dahlhaus, Liberatore, Bontempelli, Johannisen, Hunter, Murphy, Boyd

BEST - THE SATURDAY AGE
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Adams, Grundy, Howe, Fasolo, Sidebottom, Treloar, Hoskin-Elliott
Western Bulldogs: Johannisen, Hunter, Daniel, Liberatore, Macrae, Bontempelli, Dahlhaus

INJURIES
Collingwood: James Aish (virus) replaced in the selected side by Chris Mayne,
Western Bulldogs: Dale Morris (right leg)

REPORTS: Travis Varcoe reported for rough conduct in the first term.

UMPIRES: Deboy, Kamolins, Schmitt

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Brian Taylor, Wayne Carey, Cameron Ling, Andrew Welsh