WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.5 8.9 12.10 17.12 (114) MELBOURNE 2.2 5.5 7.9 12.10 (82)
GOALS Western Bulldogs: Stringer 5, Redpath 3, Picken 2, Dickson 2, Dale, Hunter, Wallis, Liberatore, McLean. Melbourne: Watts 3, Kennedy 2, Garlett 2, Oliver, Petracca, Hogan, Viney, McDonald.
BEST Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Hunter, Dahlhaus, Liberatore, Stringer, Wallis, Campbell, Boyd. Melbourne: Viney, Tyson, Vince, McDonald, Watts, Kennedy.
UMPIRES: Schmitt, Findlay, Wallace.
CROWD: 39,921 at MCG.
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Western Bulldogs scoop big win off Demons
The Dogs thump Melbourne into submission with a 32-point victory at the MCG.
At three quarter time at the MCG Tom Liberatore laid 17 tackles. He clamped seven tackles on in the first quarter alone. The record for the most tackles in a game is 19.
Liberatore equalled the record. He teased at the idea of breaking it, but it proved unnecessary to overly exert in a final quarter when the work had already been done and the heat was out of the game.
Liberatore's effort overshadowed the fact that for the other team Jack Viney had 16 tackles. This would ordinarily be noteworthy but, in the context of Liberatore, was not.
His tackling also spoke to the depth of game that the Bulldogs possess. This was the team that excited with its high energy, fast sling shot run from the half back line last year but is still predicated on the ball and man hunting game. The Dogs defensively suffocate around the ball and create the real and implied pressure on the opposition when they have the ball. Melbourne was hurried into error.
With the loss of the half back runners Bob Murphy, Jason Johannisen and Matthew Suckling there has needed to be more than just fast pace and punishing counter-punching.
Importantly the Bulldogs played well and won on the MCG a ground they have seldom visited and shaped as a potential impediment again this year when casting ahead to September. They looked as comfortable on the ground as any venue. The Bulldogs now sit third on the ladder and play GWS next week in Sydney. Generational change is upon us.
Generational change is not yet upon Melbourne. This game reflected two teams separated by class but also a few years of depth of experience. Melbourne is not yet ready. They lack the spread of experienced talent of the Bulldogs and so were never able to bridge the five goal lead that
Max Gawn should have been able to offer the Demons an advantage in the ruck and first use of the ball but he had little to no impact on the contest. Tom Campbell was good in the ruck and nullified Gawn such that the clearance numbers were similar, the hit out figures negligible. This was also why the tackling figures were so important for the Bulldogs, they hunted the player with the ball around the stoppages.
Jack Viney was dogged and Dom Tyson reliably industrious but there was too little craft and run from outside and behind the ball. They relied on Jesse Hogan forward and had one of his miss-firing days. Not until late did Jack Watts began to exert an influence.
The Bulldogs in contrast had a plethora of runners. Marcus Bontempelli, particularly early was a relaxed presence while Luke Dahlhaus has become a week-in week-out player. With Lachie Hunter and Mitch Wallis the Dogs were far cleaner by hand around the packs than the double-handling Demons.
It's a brave strategy that asks a defender to not keep body contact on a player like Jake Stringer. Melbourne were zoning but it had no undue effect in holding the Bulldogs up because they had a blend of forwards able to find space and command the ball. Jack Redpath kicked goals, Tory Dickson, back in the side, finished with two.
There was a moment in the third quarter that illustrated the difference between the teams on the day. Jesse Hogan missed a set shot at goal from 25 metres out. It would have brought the margin back to 25 points after the Demons had been unable to kick a goal all quarter. He missed.
From the kick in the Dogs found Picken on a wing who went long to Stringer and he too moved it on quickly to little Caleb Daniel who kept the ball alive on the boundary, turned his opponent inside out and curled a kick to Bailey Dale in the goal square for a goal. Wasted opportunity at one end was met with fat ball movement and a goal at the other end. The five goal margin restored.
A Matthew Boyd forearm to the head of Tom Bugg might be a problem for the veteran looking ahead to next week's GWS clash while Bernie Vince was reported for a high bump that too could be problematic for the Demon already suspended this year.