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The Western Bulldogs found an apt venue to continue their hot streak, as their 55-point win over Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium earned them top spot on the AFL ladder tonight.
Tropical temperatures in the 20s made conditions trying in the middle of winter, but the Bulldogs had little trouble adapting and their equally hot kicking skills took them to a 20.15 (135) to 11.15 (81) victory.
Jason Akermanis booted three gems in a haul of four goals, Ryan Griffen ran amok in the first half and also booted two wonderful goals and Dale Morris led a great defensive effort by doing a job on Port star Daniel Motlop, whose return to his home town was miserable.
The Bulldogs’ handsome win, their fifth in succession, gave them top spot halfway through the split round 14 amid a dream season, although reigning premiers Geelong can regain top spot if they beat Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.
It was two moments of brilliance from Akermanis and Griffen that split the game open in the second quarter, when the Bulldogs piled on eight goals to decide the game.
First Akermanis paddled the ball to himself, turned Shaun Burgoyne in a circle and then kicked off the ground for a goal, and then Griffen exploded from the wing with three bounces and a long bomb at full pace.
Akermanis then snuffed the Power out either side of the final change, as he snapped his third goal as the siren sounded to mark three-quarter time, and then burst from the middle to start the final quarter and picked up and goaled in the one motion.
Captain Brad Johnson and Scott Welsh booted three goals each for the Bulldogs, midfielder Daniel Cross was busy again and defenders Ryan Hargrave and Brian Lake constantly picked off wayward Port kicks.
Morris kept the dangerous Motlop goalless – for just the second time this season – and the Port forward ended the match clearly frustrated at his inability to excite his home crowd.
Griffen’s brilliant kicking and hard running set the tone in the first half, although he ended the match nursing a dislocated finger.
The Bulldogs’ burst in the second quarter of six successive goals after the Power closed to within nine points early in the term effectively ended the contest, but the Power at least fought out the match and will remain in 12th position.
David Rodan worked hard in midfield although he lost his way in the final term, when he forgot which way his side was kicking and snapped what he thought was a goal, but was correctly signalled a rushed Bulldogs behind.
Port’s Kane Cornes did a good job curbing Adam Cooney early and getting the ball 41 times himself, after staying in Adelaide last night to be with his wife, who gave birth to the couple’s second child.
But Cooney still ended up with 33 disposals, as the Bulldogs dominated the possession count.
The frustration was also evident on Port’s Danyle Pearce, who had several tangles with Johnson towards the end.
The Bulldogs’ win avenged their previous defeats to Port in Darwin, in 2004 and 2006.
Morris said the Bulldogs had focused on keeping their bodies and heads over loose balls, as they knew they could use the ball well when in possession.
Morris sent a scare through the Bulldogs when he went off in the second term after his knee was twisted in a tackle, but he returned soon after.
“Everything went numb for a little while … but the doc gave me the all clear, so I was pretty lucky,” he told Fox Sports.
The in-form backman was also satisfied with his performance on Motlop, whose night comprised only 10 possessions, one behind and four free kicks conceded.
“We’ve got guys who play different roles at the club and I love the competition and contest of playing on the best, so I’ll take it every week,” Morris said.
Akermanis was earlier this season told by teammates to shelve his post-game handstand, but performed one to the delight of the crowd of 11,373.
Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade was also pleased with the performance.
“We blew them away in the second quarter,” he told Fox Sports.
“The third quarter was a bit down but the conditions were tough … but it’s pleasing to head into the break in that (top) position.”
Coach Rodney Eade said the Bulldogs’ newly acquired status on the top rung of the AFL ladder would not factor hugely for the team.
“I don’t think that really matters at this stage,” he said at the post-match press conference.
“It’s just good to head into the break with a win, which is where we want to be … and it’s good to get through the game, it was pretty tough after the break.”
Prior to half-time, Eade said the Doggies relied on their superior ball skills to streak ahead on the score board.
“I think we just used the ball well, we lifted the pressure,” he said.
Power coach Mark Williams acknowledged his side had “a lot of ball and a lot of opportunity” at the beginning of the game.
But poor kicking decisions and dropped marks inside fifty had hampered their game.
“We were actually playing the top side … there are going to be windows of opportunity and off they go,” he said.
“There was a lot of positives with the game, I was pretty impressed by some of the new players to come in.”
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