The Western Bulldogs accounted for the Melbourne Demons on Sunday afternoon, in a game that resembled more of a Gilbert and Sullivan production than it did a football match.
The Dees were treated to a footballing clinic by the Bulldogs in the first half. The Dogs kicked the first 12 goals of the game while tearing the Demons apart, before a firecracker start to the third term by the Demons had every Bulldogs supporter remembering how their team gave up a 55-point lead St. Kilda in Round 6.
An exciting last term saw the doggies run away 98-point winners, scoring 24.9.153 to Melbourne’s 8.7.55.
The Etihad Stadium roof was almost lifted off its hinges at quarter time, as the Bulldogs received a rapturous standing ovation from their fans after they kept Melbourne goalless while scoring 8.3 themselves. Jarrad Grant kicked three of those goals himself. The Bulldogs looked silky, and the Demons looked anything but in a quarter that might have caused many neutrals to turn their TVs off early.
The Bulldogs began the second quarter where they had left the first, and kicked four goals to blow their lead out to 74, before Jeff Garlett snagged the Demons’ first major after a quick counter attack. Young gun Jesse Hogan made it two in a row for the Dees, but Bontempelli and Dickson kicked true to negate the Dees’ only two majors of the match to half time.
The first half had everything from the Doggies: Matthew Boyd took a magnificent, high-flying mark before laying a bone-crunching, goal-saving tackle, Dahlhaus had plenty of the football and was using it well, and the forward combination of Stringer, Redpath and Dickson were exciting.
The second half was expected by many to be a fizzer, but it was anything but. The Demons came out firing after the long break to pile on five unanswered goals to bring the lead back to 42-points at 3QT.
You would be forgiven if you thought the teams had swapped guernseys at half time, as the Demons worked hard and played with the skill that has seen them become one of the most improved sides of 2015. The Bulldogs appeared rushed, pressured, and they had more handling errors than the Wallabies did in their disappointing Bledisloe Cup match last night.
The Doggies were left goalless in the third quarter, and it seems an incredible comeback was on the cards.
However, the Bulldogs wrestled back control of the momentum, to kick 10 goals to one in a return to their first-half selves.
Putting the third-quarter aside, the Bulldogs were impressive. Say what you will about the quality of the Demons, the Bulldogs seem to be hitting their straps at the time when it counts most, and today’s game does their top-four aspirations no harm at all.
New Bulldogs ruck man Tom Campbell was prolific, and he was given endless support by his midfield team, especially the likes of Luke Dahlhaus, Mitch Wallis, Jackson Macrae and Lachy Hunter. Veterans Matthew Boyd and Robert Murphy were solid in defence, along with All-Australian certainty Easton Wood.
It’s hard to find positives in the Demon’s game today, however, Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones and Jesse Hogan were laborious and deserve some recognition.
Today’s percentage-booster for the Doggies sets up an exciting run-home for the boys from the West, who travel to Perth next week to face premiership-contenders West Coast, before meeting North Melbourne in Melbourne and Brisbane at the Gabba.
Melbourne face Carlton, Fremantle and GWS in their final three games.
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