The Western Bulldogs have delivered a statement 47-point win over Geelong at GMHBA Stadium to snap the Cats’ three-game winning streak and continue their charge towards the AFL top eight.
A week after toppling Carlton, Luke Beveridge’s charges handled wet conditions at GMHBA Stadium best, leading from start to finish to claim a 13.17 (95) to 7.6 (48) win in front of 27,967 fans.
Adam Treloar (31 disposals, three goals) and Ed Richards (28 disposals, two goals) were superb as the Bulldogs smacked Geelong around the contest.
Reborn defender Rory Lobb kept Jeremy Cameron to one goal and six touches and racked up 21 disposals, 14 intercept possessions, and nine marks himself as he brilliantly led a hard-working Bulldogs defence.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicked four goals, with Aaron Naughton adding two on his return.
Geelong gun Tom Stewart (25 disposals) was typically hard, while Max Holmes (23 touches) also fought through the match.
The Bulldogs are ninth, two points outside the finals places, while Geelong sit fourth and could slip lower by round’s end after their third defeat at GMHBA Stadium this season.
Geelong swung two late changes, withdrawing Shannon Neale and Tom Atkins for Ted Clohesy (substitute) and Brandan Parfitt.
It was a scrappy affair in sodden, wet conditions.
Beveridge had to wipe down the window of his coaches’ box as it misted up with condensation late in the first quarter.
Ugle-Hagan drew first blood with an impressive long-range effort, before Sam Darcy added another.
Geelong were goalless at the break, with the Dogs holding a 13-point lead.
Richards brilliantly volleyed another goal to kick off the second quarter, hacking the ball with his left foot out of a stoppage.
Tyson Stengle and Oliver Henry gave Geelong a much-needed foothold midway through the second term.
But the Bulldogs still led by 19 at the main break, after leading contested possessions (85-71), clearances (27-23), tackles (51-37) and inside-50s.
Patrick Dangerfield goaled early in the third quarter, before Stewart took full advantage of a 50-metre penalty to cut the margin to nine.
Naughton took a huge, courageous mark from a speculative Ugle-Hagan snap to restore a three-goal lead and steady the Bulldogs.
From there, the quarter see-sawed until Cameron nailed his first to cut the lead to 17 at three-quarter time.
But Naughton marked and goaled from the top of the square early in the fourth to send the Bulldogs on their way, before an Ugle-Hagan long bomb – one of three final-quarter goals – sealed the deal.
The Bulldogs next face Sydney at the SCG on Sunday while Geelong travels to Hobart to play North Melbourne on Saturday.
© AAP 2024
