WESTERN BULLDOGS Â Â 6.5 Â Â Â Â 11.9Â Â Â Â 12.15Â Â Â Â 15.17Â Â Â (107)
GOLD COASTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3.2 Â Â Â Â 5.3 Â Â Â Â 6.8 Â Â Â Â Â 8.11 Â Â Â (59)
GOALS - Western Bulldogs:  Smith 3, Wallis 3,  Stevens 2,  Picken 2, Redpath,  Stringer,  Jong,  Boyd,  Dickson. Gold Coast: Lynch 3,  Matera 2, Ah Chee 2, Davis.
BEST - Western Bulldogs: Stevens, Bontempelli, Smith, Macrae, Biggs, Wallis, Hunter, Suckling. Gold Coast: Lynch, Ah Chee, Hall, Miller, Kolodjashnij.
UMPIRESÂ Jacob Mollison, Shane McInerney, Curtis Deboy.
CROWD 8509 at Cazaly's Stadium.
Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon claimed during the week his club made more money from one home game transferred to Cairns than the other 10 at Etihad Stadium put together.
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Dogs belt depleted Suns
Western Bulldogs defeated Gold Coast Suns by 48 points on Saturday night.
That's a pretty compelling argument on the financial front. But the football case is looking no less convincing, either, after the Dogs' 48-point win over Gold Coast on Saturday night, their third from three outings at Cazaly's Stadium.
It certainly didn't hurt that the Suns, having won their last two games and shown reasonable form for at least a month, were suddenly hit by the injury curse again, going into this game without top midfield trio Gary Ablett, Dion Prestia and Michael Rischitelli.
But the Bulldogs didn't appear to need much help in any case, taking charge early and building a seven-goal lead by half-time.
As is so often the case in matches played in the tropical north, the skills and scoring deteriorated markedly the longerit went, meaning that big a gap was always going to be more than enough.
The only real concern for the Bulldogs came right on the stroke of three-quarter time, when Jake Stringer injured his right AC joint after a heavy bump from Suns big man Steven May. Stringer was taken straight to the rooms, his evening over, and the Dogs will sweat on his fitness for next week's game against St Kilda.
Gold Coast booted the first goal of the game, and the Suns had another good little period midway through the first term too, with spearhead Tom Lynch twice sneaking clear into space and capitalising on long kicks both times from Ryan Davis. But that was pretty much that. The Bulldogs, bigger, stronger and just better, controlled the play, and after two bursts of three goals straight in just five minutes in the first term, controlled the scoreboard, too.
Liam Picken got them under way with a great dash around a forward pocket then snapping truly, before Clay Smith reminded people again just how big an asset he may be to the Bulldogs' for the rest of this season.
Smith had already managed to hit the post from only 12 metres out after playing on from a mark. But he had another opportunity soon enough, again marking and playing on, this time with the right result. Barely a minute later, he was at it again, squaring a one-on-two marking contest, regaining his balance quicker and snapping on his right foot.
Lynch hadn't long got the Suns back into the contest when it was Koby Stevens' turn to chip in with a brace of six-pointers, the on-baller threatening to become as prolific on the scoreboard as he'd already been around the ball.
And the Bulldogs' superiority for physical strength as well as skill was underlined perfectly by the next goal, pressure at the next centre bounce forcing another turnover, which Tory Dickson gleefully seized upon for his first goal.
A blowout was on the cards within five minutes of the commencement of the second term, by which time the Bulldogs' had extended their lead to 33 points after two more goals to Jake Stringer and Jack Redpath.
Lynch was doing everything he could to keep Gold Coast at least competitive, setting up another goal for the Suns with a strong mark and handball to Brandon Matera for the little man to run into a vacant goal square.
But the Bulldogs ruled all over the ground, Lynch's key forward cohort Peter Wright struggling for a touch, and former Swan Shane Biggs super impressive off half-back.Â
And in the middle, Gold Coast, without skipper Gary Ablett and Dion Prestia, were really struggling, bumped off the ball too easily, the Bulldogs already having more than doubled their opponent for stoppage wins by half-time.
The third quarter, to be frank, was diabolical, Tom Boyd's impressive roost and Lynch's third goal for the Suns cancelling each other out in the first three minutes and not a single major to either side for the rest of the term, just a string of wasted opportunities and a total of 11 behinds.
And while the scoring ante was thankfully upped a little in the last, the heat (at least metaphorically) had long gone out of the game. By then, the surrounds sure seemed a long way from the Whitten Oval.
 But Cairns continues to prove a handy, if unusual "second home" for the Bulldogs for both money and match points.Â
VOTES
(Rohan Connolly)
Koby Stevens (WB) ………..8
Marcus Bontempelli (WB)….7
Jack Macrae (WB)………….7
Clay Smith (WB)……………6
Mitch Wallis (WB)…………..6