Australian Football

Match Report

The Western Bulldogs' season is back on track - but only just - after they defeated North Melbourne by the narrowest of margins at Docklands on Saturday night. The Bulldogs set up the win with a strong first quarter, after which they kept the Kangaroos at arm's length until the last 15 minutes of the match. In that last 15 minutes, North turned the game on its head, kicking 4.2 to nil to run down a 26-point deficit to level the scores with about a minute to go. The Roos levelled the score with a behind, and the Bulldogs went coast-to-coast from the kick in, with the ball being marked by Jake Stringer, whose set shot scored a behind, just enough to give the Dogs a one-point win.

It took only 14 seconds for the Bulldogs to register a score, Liam Picken scoring a behind after the Dogs got an immediate centre clearance. The first major of the match went North's way, though, with Taylor Garner marking and kicking truly at the two-minute mark. The Bulldogs levelled the scores with a beautiful roving goal to Bailey Dale but a major to Todd Goldstein had North back in front after 10 minutes. From there, though, the Bulldogs hit their stride and goals to Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Campbell, Easton Wood, Dale and Lachie Hunter right on the siren saw them take a three-goal lead into the first break.

North bounced back as soon as the second term began, with ex-Bulldog Nathan Hrovat snapping a goal in the first minute to cut the margin to 12 points, and Jarrad Waite reducing the margin to an even goal with another major not long after. The two sides each added another goal before the Bulldogs broke away once more in the latter half of the quarter, with goals to Mitch Wallis, Jake Stringer and Jack Redpath seeing them out to a game-high 27-point lead before Waite's second pulled it back to 21 at the half.

Ben Brown gave the Kangaroos a good start to the third quarter with a strong mark and goal but Picken's not long after had the Bulldogs' lead back out to 21 points. A brace of goals to Brown  and Jamie Macmillan had North back within 10 points but the Bulldogs kept responding and the Roos could not narrow it to single figures. Just before three-quarter time, they had a chance to do just that but ex-Dog Shaun Higgins, who was having a set shot for goal, did not hear the umpire's call to play on, and he was run down by Stringer, preventing a kick that could have cut the margin to seven. As it was, the Dogs led by 13 at the final change.

Both sides missed chances in the first five minutes of the final term, but when Redpath and Matt Suckling kicked goals at six and 10-minute marks, the Bulldogs' lead was back out to 26 points and they looked the winners. But a goal from Ben Cunnington at the 14-minute sparked a stunning Kangaroo revival, and when Waite, Majak Daw and Cunnington again added further majors, North was back within a point.

Incredibly, the Roos appeared to take the lead soon after that when Brown looked to have marked. He played on and kicked what would have been a goal, but he had not heard the umpires call of a free kick for a block on Bulldog Easton Wood by Mason Wood. The Dogs took the kick with the aid of a 50-metre penalty and cleared the ball out of defence. It came back soon after, though, and a high snap from Higgins went through for a behind and levelled the score. The Dogs rolled the dice from the kick out and a beautiful pass from Lachie Hunter landed in the arms of Stringer, whose subsequent behind was enough to give the Dogs a thrilling one-point win, one which could prove very valuable come season's end.

Marcus Bontempelli was back to his best for the Bulldogs, with 10 tackles and 28 important touches, while Jack Macrae was as good as ever, also laying 10 tackles to go with his 32 possessions. For North, Cunnington (28 disposals, two goals) was magnificent, and played a huge part in the Kangas' last-quarter revival.

The Bulldogs are still just outside the eight, but they have a positive 7-6 record and a win over sixth-placed West Coast (also 7-6) at Docklands next Saturday will see them back inside. North sits second-last on the ladder with a 4-9 record, but its percentage of 93.4 is indicative of just how competitive throughout the season. The Roos will face Gold Coast (14th, 5-8) at Carrara on Saturday night. 

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Picken 3; Redpath, Dale 2; Hunter, Wallis, Suckling, Dahlhaus, Stringer, Wood, Campbell, Bontempelli
North Melbourne: Waite 3; Wood, Daw, Brown, Cunnington 2; Macmillan, Goldstein, Hrovat, Garner, Clarke

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Macrae, Picken, Campbell, Wood, Dahlhaus
North Melbourne: Cunnington, Brown, Waite, Hrovat, Higgins

BEST - THE AGE
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Stringer, Picken, Campbell, Macrae, Hunter, Wood
North Melbourne: Cunnington, Waite, Brown, Higgins, Swallow

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
North Melbourne: Nil

UMPIRES: Donlon, O'Gorman, Findlay 

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Paul Roos, Mark Ricciuto, Brian Lake