Western Bulldogs take care of business against lacklustre Crows

The Western Bulldogs proved far too strong on Saturday as the Adelaide Crows slumped to ugly depths in brisk conditions.

BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA - MAY 20: Cody Weightman of the Bulldogs celebrates after scoring a goal during the round 10 AFL match between Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows at Mars Stadium, on May 20, 2023, in Ballarat, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The Western Bulldogs continued their surge towards the top four with a comprehensive 45-point victory over Adelaide in a match played in brisk conditions in Ballarat on Saturday.

With a midfield led by Bailey Smith running rampant in regional Victoria, the Bulldogs set the tone with a dominant opening term on the way to claiming their fifth win in succession.

Missing several key players including their former skipper Taylor Walker, the Crows kicked the first goal of the match but rarely looked threatening in attack thereafter.

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The Crows were restricted to their lowest score since a 63-point loss against Essendon in Rd 17, 2021, with their hold on eighth spot reliant on other results later in the round.

Adding to a testing day for the Crows, forward Izak Rankine was reported for a bump on Bulldog Taylor Duryea in the third quarter of the clash.

The pair were going for the football when Rankine, who kicked a second term goal, barrelled into the Bulldog, making high contact with his right shoulder.

Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli had his knee assessed by trainers in the third term but kicked a last term goal when finishing with 29 disposals.

Jason Johannisen, the 2016 Norm Smith Medallist, injured a hamstring in the third term and is unlikely to travel to Darwin to play against the Gold Coast Suns next week.

Bont and the Dogs had a day out. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Photos via Getty Images )

The absence of Walker, who proved the matchwinner in a thriller between the two clubs in Ballarat in the corresponding match last year, was a significant blow for the Crows.

With the former captain and fellow tall Riley Thilthorpe injured, and defender Tom Doedee also missing, they were undermanned.

This was exacerbated when Mitch Hinge was substituted in the opening quarter with concussion sustained in a heavy collision when spoiling forward Aaron Naughton.

Critical to the Crows success in Ballarat a year ago was their ability to cramp the Bulldogs for room. This led to a dour struggle before a final term shootout.

But from the infancy of Saturday’s clash, it was clear the Crows would be chasing the Bulldogs all day, with the home side having twice as many handballs in the first term.

At every stoppage Smith appeared off the leash and was able to help himself to 15 disposals for the quarter, 12 of them claimed in uncontested fashion. He finished with 37 touches.

Crow Rory Laird also gathered 15 possessions in the first term, but the majority of his were earned in the contest, with the Bulldogs earning far more of the footy all day.

The Crows couldn’t keep up. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Photos via Getty Images )

Liam Jones is proving one of the recruits of the season in his return to the Western Bulldogs.

Jones is less the Prodigal Son than a man who is enjoying a remarkable turn of fortunes after retiring from Carlton due to the Covid vaccination mandate imposed at the end of 2021.

After a season playing in southeast Queensland, the 32-year-old was lured back by the Bulldogs and has proven a key position pillar in one of the competition’s best defences.

The Crows personnel problems were a factor in their struggle to score, with Adelaide recording their lowest score to halftime for the year when restricted to just three goals.

But there is also the quality of the opposition to consider, with the Western Bulldogs defensive efforts again coming to the fore on an occasionally wet day at Mars Stadium.

Heading into the match, the Bulldogs had conceded just 678 points for the year at an average of 75.3 per match, which is the third most miserly behind St Kilda and Collingwood.

Originally published as Western Bulldogs take care of business against lacklustre Crows