Western Bulldogs vs Melbourne Demons: AFL live scores

I agree about his importance overall, but we'll have to agree to disagree on his importance to this game. I don't agree that we "don't deserve to make it". If we make it then we deserve it. If we don't, then we don't. Same applies to all 17 other clubs. Particularly this year when there are no double-up matches. If anything, we've had as hard a fixture as anyone else given we've played at more venues than any other side and we've had, I believe, as many four day breaks as anyone else. But still, simple point is this: whichever 8 teams finish in the top 8 will have deserved to play finals this year.

It is true it wasn’t his best game, which I mentioned in my first comment but he was nevertheless structurally important to the result. He doesn’t have to kick a bag every game to have an influence. If he didn’t play, I doubt the dogs win. He is their most important player now since he is their only real good target up forward. Wallis has been outstanding and is doing well but it isn’t sustainable for him to be carrying load in the forward line. He will only get better with Naughton in the side. The dogs have had a lot of injuries to key players this year and I reckon they will get on a roll now with a fit best 22 on the park. They are a dangerous side when things click for them. Melbourne failed their biggest test of the year today against a side they were competing with to make the 8. They don’t deserve to make it and I reckon the dogs will win at least one of their next two games against Geelong and WC

But that's not at all what happened. This wasn't a case of Naughton making contests and letting small forwards crumb the packs, nor was it a case of him drawing May away from the action, nor was it a case of Naughton coming higher up the ground and getting involved in scoring chains. Naughton, quite simply, did nothing today. Almost every time he went near it May beat him. Wallis made his own space and took his own marks (ripping game), and generally the rest of their goals came from really fast and efficient movement of the ball from their back half, exposing our defence and opening up the forward 50 for whoever was free at the time. Like I said, I would have thought Dogs supporters would be rapt with how the game played out from that perspective. Adding Naughton to what they had today really makes them a dangerous prospect for any side (although I would add this: we're copping, rightly, a lot of heat for our poor record against good sides. But the Dogs haven't beaten a side in the top 8 either).

Sometimes good key forwards don’t need to kick goals and still contribute to the game. The one percenters and things that don’t get put on the stats sheet are still important to the outcome of the game. He just had to create a contest and help the other dogs forwards get into the game, which he did today I thought. It just made the Dog’s win all the more better since they didn’t have to rely on one of their best players to have a big game to get the result. Mitch Wallis won the dogs the game in the forward and has been outstanding this year. He has gone to another level this year.

Just a reminder: neither will North Melbourne. But at least I get to watch some wins this year!

Better team (by a distance) won, but Naughton was soundly beaten by May today and it wasn't like they were scoring by him creating contests or anything like that. In fact, in my view Naughton's presence on the ground had no impact on the result at all. I'd suggest that might even be one of the positives from the game. The Dogs can play good football without needing to rely on Naughton to kick a bag.

Couldn’t finish watching that game, well done Bulldogs…

They are living in a fool's paradise if they thought their list was up to the quality of the top 8 sides. The dogs were the best side they had faced in weeks and it showed. Smith and Bontempelli gave the Melbourne mids a lesson today. Max Gawn was the only player in their best 22 that wasn't playing so they don't really have any excuses for the result. It easy to look like a million bucks when you playing against sides that apply zero pressure like the Crows, Pies and North did in the past few rounds but today the Dogs crushed them with their efficiency and relentless pressure

And 2 heads :happy:

60 years and counting of first class mediocrity.

Guilty as charged. I just thought the Bulldogs were a bit inconsistent too.

Kangas by 1

Haha. We have devils not demons.

If you guys can’t beat Norf, you don’t deserve to play finals.

Never change, Melbs. So many lols :laughing:

Me too CJ

They are a middle of the road side and that is it. They are nowhere near a flag and they are delusional if they think they are in the same category as the top 8 sides. Got showed up yet again by a side with a better list. Speaking of hype, why is Petracca getting so much hype this year? I watched today’s game and he didn’t contribute anything when their backs were against the wall. He is solid but not exceptional like most of Melbourne’s list. He is a b grader at best imo.

Nice to have you back calling it as you see it HTH. Don’t spare the Pies if North get us.

Because the experts on here aren’t actually experts.

Pathetic effort by a pathetic team that should have been tossed out of the AFL years ago. Tanking got them nowhere.