The Western Bulldogs have moved into top spot on the AFL ladder after holding Melbourne at bay to walk out 13.7 (85) to 9.11 (65) winners.
The Dogs regained their place on top of the ladder for the first time since losing to Melbourne in round 11 and have put themselves in a good position to secure a home qualifying final.
The loss could see Melbourne drop out of the top two depending on the Geelong result against Richmond tomorrow.
The match started under extremely heavy rain and it was two Brownlow Medal favourites who shone in the wet.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring after a clean pick up and handball out of a stoppage from Caleb Daniel led to a Marcus Bontempelli snap from 30 metres out.
Not to be outdone, Christian Petracca swooped on a ground ball inside 50, gave Bailey Smith a ‘don’t argue’ and snapped one on his opposite foot to give the Dees their first.
Despite Petracca’s brilliance, it was the Dogs who made the most of the wet conditions, finishing their opportunities on goal better than Melbourne to take a 21-point lead into the half.
Melbourne responded after halftime with a five-goal third quarter to keep them in the hunt heading into the final break. The Dees then kicked the first two goals of the last quarter courtesy of Kysaiah Pickett and Ben Brown to cut the margin to four points with 10 minutes to play.
Enter Marcus Bontempelli. Whenever the Dogs need him, he provides. The skipper kicked his second goal of the night after Clayton Oliver was dispossessed deep in the Melbourne backline to put the Bulldogs up by 10 points with seven minutes to play.
The Bont then waltzed out of the middle in the ensuing centre bounce and delivered a lace-out pass on his opposite foot to the chest of a leading Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. The No. 1 pick kicked truly from directly in front to give the Dogs a 16-point buffer.
The result was put beyond doubt when former Demon Mitch Hannan kicked his second from point-blank range to hand the Dogs a 22-point lead.
Brownlow Bont?
Tonight’s game wasn’t only a fascinating one in terms of the AFL ladder, but it could also prove to be a pivotal game when Brownlow night rolls around. You could make the case for four players in tonight’s game having a shot at taking Charlie home later this year.
Clayton Oliver was prolific in racking up 38 disposals (25 contested), eight clearances and seven tackles as he continuously cracked into the contest on a wet night. He was ably supported by Christian Petracca who kicked one major from his 31 disposal, six clearance and seven tackle performance.
As always, Jack Macrae found plenty of the footy, notching 38 disposals to go with nine clearances and 532 metres gained. However, it was Marcus Bontempelli who shone the most on a dreary night at the MCG. The Bont rose in the big moments and finished with 31 disposals, two goals, 10 clearances and 755 metres gained. Three votes.
Weightman a highlights reel:
Cody Weightman is quickly becoming – if he isn’t already – one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. The Bulldogs youngster announced himself on debut with a delightful banana from the boundary to kick his first goal with his first possession. Since then, he has only added to his evergrowing reputation as one of the game’s must-watch players.
Tonight, he has put himself in the conversation for Mark of the Year after using all 208cm of Max Gawn as a stepladder. The Bulldogs sent a long ball down the wing that looked as though it would be swallowed by Melbourne's skipper before Weightman rose miraculously to just about jump over Gawn’s head. Moments later he scored a crumbing goal off the deck to cap off a minute to remember.
What’s next?
Melbourne should be able to pencil in two wins against Gold Coast and Adelaide in the coming weeks but face stern tests away to West Coast in two weeks and Geelong in the final round of the season. The match against Geelong could prove to be decisive in the race for the top two.
The Dogs will feel confident about winning all their remaining matches and sewing up top spot. The only real danger game is against Port Adelaide in the final round of the season. They face the Crows and Essendon at home before a trip to Tasmania to play the Hawks.
FULL SCORE
Melbourne: 1.4, 2.7, 7.9, 9.11 (65)
Western Bulldogs: 3.2, 6.4, 10.5, 13.7 (85)
GOALS
Melbourne: Brown 2, Fritsch 2, Pickett 2, McDonald, Petracca, Viney
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 2, Bruce 2, Hannan 2, Naughton 2, Daniel, English, Smith, Ugle-Hagan, Weightman
BEST
Melbourne: Oliver, Petracca, Neale-Bullen, Lever, Gawn, Hunt
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Macrae, Daniel, Liberatore, Smith, Hunter
INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Keath (hamstring), Richards (concussion)
