They had to work hard for it, but the Bulldogs eventually came away with a 32-point victory over the Lions to give Bob Murphy the perfect 300th game.
It was a frustrating start for the Bulldogs, as they had the better of the early going, but couldn’t capitalise in front of goal.
Lin Jong in particular was a culprit, as he had two bad misses in the first quarter.
The Lions took full advantage of this inaccuracy, as their five goals from six first quarter entries was enough to see them with a five-point quarter time lead.
The second quarter was a different story, as the Lions started getting on top in the contest.
Tom Rockliff and Mitch Robinson led the way in the middle, as they put together one of the better quarters you’ll see from a midfield pairing not named Dangerwood.
The game was fairly tight until a four-goal burst in five minutes helped the Lions to a 32-point lead at half time.
Youngster Eric Hipwood kicked three first-half goals to lead the Lions, who looked like springing the biggest upset of 2017.
The second half began with four Bulldogs goals, including one for Robert Murphy to give the Bulldogs fans what they came for.
The second part of the third quarter was surprisingly tight, as the Bulldogs’ kicking woes came back.
They followed those first four goals with four straight behinds, and the Lions held onto a five-point lead going into the final change.
Tom Rockliff provided the perfect start to the last quarter, taking a strong mark and goalling within the first couple of minutes, and when Zorko goalled not long after to take the margin back out to 11, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Lions could hold on.
However, it wasn’t to be for the underdogs, as Luke Dahlhaus put the Bulldogs in front for good with a sharp set shot from the pocket.
Five late goals from the Bulldogs blew the margin out to 32 points, but this game was certainly tighter than the final margin suggests.
Final score
Western Bulldogs 17.20.122
Brisbane Lions 14.6.90
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