Western Bulldogs gain momentum against wasteful Brisbane Lions
For the first time this season the Brisbane Lions sit on the bottom of the ladder.
Winless they might be but they should not be friendless after keeping the Western Bulldogs honest for most of the night under lights at Etihad Stadium.
The Lions pushed and pushed and drew within seven points midway through the last quarter before the Bulldogs’ Bailey Dale smothered a Lewis Taylor handball and kicked to Marcus Bontempelli, who wandered into an open goal and eased the growing pressure.
The passage of play reflected the difference between the two teams with the Lions unable to capitalise when they needed to be clean and the Bulldogs confident enough to hurt their opponent’s mistakes.
Bulldogs defender Matt Suckling, who played well, then ended the discussion with a long left-foot goal launched from outside 50 metres in the manner he is renowned.
In the end the Bulldogs were too good, led by Jack Macrae who continues to elevate his game to heights only the top echelon of midfielders reach, and are back square after eight rounds with four wins and four losses.
At half-time Macrae had 26 disposals and five tackles, gliding past for 14 handballs received before swinging on to his left foot to push the Bulldogs forward.
He finished with 47 disposals after Mitch Robinson was sent to sit on his shoulder after half-time and quieten him down and was best on ground.
The Lions were too fumbly when it mattered, squandering opportunities they created to score with either poor kicking for goal or an error that gave the ball back to the Bulldogs.
Young forward Eric Hipwood was particularly wasteful in front of goal, as accurate as a swing bowler who can’t find his line until midway through the third quarter, when he finally kicked a goal around his body from the forward pocket.
It was his only goal for the game, but he kicked the ball wildly out of bounds on the full on several occasions and also missed set shots from directly in front, marring what would otherwise have been a good game.
By contrast, Bontempelli, who was dangerous forward after missing last week with a hip injury and the rookie Billy Gowers who is yet to play a game of AFL football without kicking a goal, gave the Bulldogs some scoring power inside 50 kicking six goals between them.
Bontempelli was, as usual, particularly classy, winning his one-on-one battles with ageing champion Luke Hodge and reality television winner Matt Eagles with ease when he found himself alongside them deep inside the forward 50.
The Bulldogs controlled Dayne Zorko with Mitch Honeychurch sitting on his tail throughout and restricting his influence as the Bulldogs dominated possession winning the disposal count 438 to 335.
Zorko was strong in the last quarter kicking four goals for the game but he, along with a few of his midfield teammates, did not have enough influence in the first three quarters and finished with 24 disposals.
It was only when the Lions tackled hard they worried the Bulldogs but they could not sustain the pressure for four quarters.
Charlie Cameron exemplified that inconsistency, bouncing across the ground at pace, either to win the ball in the air or apply pressure in the first quarter but he could not sustain his influence.
Cameron can make mistakes, his limbs sometimes appearing to act on his first instinct before his mind has decided whether the option is the best one, but it is that characteristic which makes him exciting to watch.
Dayne Beams had an unusually off night with just 17 disposals after returning to form in the previous two games and his influence was missed while Daniel Rich and Robinson make too many mistakes for experienced players.
Without young defender Aaron Naughton, who sat out the final three quarters after badly spraining his ankle at quarter-time, it was a good win for the Bulldogs who now face a true test against Adelaide next Friday night.
For the Lions they are alone without a win, adding the 14-point loss to three losses by under 10 points, but they are not without promise.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.3 9.5 12.8 16.11 (107)
BRISBANE LIONS 4.1 6.5 8.8 14.9 (93)
Goals: Western Bulldogs: M Bontempelli 4 B Gowers 2 P Lipinski 2 T McLean 2 B Dale C Daniel J Dunkley M Suckling M Wallis T Boyd. Brisbane Lions: D Zorko 4 C Cameron 3 D McStay 2 O McInerney 2 C Rayner E Hipwood H McCluggage.
BEST: Western Bulldogs: Macrae, Hunter, Bontempelli, Suckling, Williams. Brisbane Lions: Cameron, Martin, Berry, Bailey
Umpires: Dean Margetts, Leigh Fisher, Alex Whetton.
Official Crowd: 20,865 at Etihad Stadium
VOTES
9: Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs)
8: Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
7: Matt Suckling (Western Bulldogs)
7: Charlie Cameron (Brisbane Lions)
7: Lachie Hunter (Western Bulldogs)