Dogs hand Saints brutal reality check with third thrashing of the year

The Western Bulldogs put the St Kilda Saints to the sword on Saturday night, running out 111 point winners at Marvel Stadium.

The Saints’ turbulent season has continued. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

A second-quarter scoring blitzkrieg at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night was the entree for a goal feast from the Western Bulldogs who scorched their way to the top of the AFL ladder.

In the hours after premiership rivals Melbourne slipped up for the first time in Adelaide, the Bulldogs took their game to a whole new level, leaving St Kilda players with whiplash in a humiliating 111-point victory.

Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli was imperious and Aaron Naughton kicked five second half goals in an obliteration which said so much about both teams.

The words used to describe the Saints, who beat the Dogs in an elimination final last year, are mostly unprintable and for the third time this season they were given an almighty walloping on their home ground.

An ankle injury to Adam Treloar was the sole lowlight on a night the Bulldogs set a new high-bar ahead of next Friday’s blockbuster showdown with the Demons.

A nine-point margin at quarter time was 51-points at halftime after the Dogs put on a clearance display with seven to two from the middle leading to a massive 20 inside 50s for the term.

Those repeat, rapid-fire entries resulted in 12 scoring shots and seven goals as the Saints were shown in absolute terms how far off the pace they were.

That second quarter effort continued throughout the second half as the Bulldogs relentlessly attacked the ball and the man and the flagging Saints couldn’t muster any sort of respectable answer to the challenge presented.

Inexplicably given freedom to roam, Bontempelli was still charging up and down the ground, throwing his body in to marking contests late in the last quarter and his teammates rode on the skipper’s coat-tails.

Bailey Smith played his best game of the season, Jack McCrae did not stop getting the footy and Bailey Dale finished with more than 700 metres gained.

There was not a single bad player in red white and blue.

Stat can’t be right

In a damning reflection of the St Kilda effort, or the desperation of the Bulldogs, the victors not only won the disposal count by 56, The Dogs also made 24 more tackles.

The Bulldogs seemed to walk the ball out of the centre square at will, and the final count of 19 to nine centre clearances defied the fact that St Kilda ruckman Paddy Ryder had 41 hit-outs, 24 more than his opponent Jordon Sweet.

It was such a poor night on the stats sheet for the Saints, there were Bronx cheers with key forward Max King took his first mark for the night deep in the final quarter, and he missed his set shot.

Bont’s Bulldogs slaughtered the Saints. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Unhappy home

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said he “hates” Marvel Stadium, and that comment came after his team won last week.

Brett Ratten must, privately or at least this year, have similar feelings of dread when his team plays “home’ games.

The Saints got smashed by Essendon to the tune of 75 points, the Tigers walloped them by 86 and now the Bulldogs added a 111-point drubbing.

St Kilda has won just two of seven games at Marvel Stadium this year.

No shanks

Last week Saints gun forward Max King was in the gun for kicking 1.5, but that’s accurate compared to the efforts of a couple of his teammates on Saturday night.

First Shaun McKernan and then Ryan Byrnes produced two of the worst set shot shanks in 2021, maybe even years beyond that, in the opening quarter.

McKernan was only 35m out, just to the right of goal and sent his shot so far left of the posts no one knew what happened.

Then Byrnes, going for his first AFL goal, from straight in front, about 45m out, shanked his right, and it landed in the forward pocket, 10m short of the sticks.

When early scoring momentum was crucial in a fast game, they were almost inexcusable misses.

WESTERN BULLDOGS V ST KILDA

WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.5 10.10 15.13 21.18 144

ST KILDA 2.0 3.1 4.2 5.3 33

Goals

Western Bulldogs: Naughton 5, Bontempelli 4, Bruce 3, Dale 2, Weightman 2, Liberatore, Hunter, R Smith, Hannan, Johannisen

St Kilda: Membrey 2, Billings, McKernan, Butler

BEST PLAYERS

Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Dale, McCrae, Naughton Smith, Liberatore,

St Kilda: Ryder, Sinclair, Steele, Crouch, Membrey

CROWD: at Marvel Stadium

INJURIES

Western Bulldogs: Treloar (ankle), Scott (concussion)

St Kilda:

Player of the year votes

3 M Bontempelli (WB)

2 B Dale (WB)

1 J McCrae (WB)