AFL Round 1 Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne: All the news and fallout after Dogs win, sickening Luke Cleary collision

An incident in the final term of the clash between the Dogs and Roos brought Marvel Stadium to a standstill. Get an injury update and see what the coaches had to say here.

Western Bulldogs youngster Luke Cleary has been cleared of any structural damage and is in “good spirits” after he was hurt in a horror collision on on Saturday night.

But fellow backman James O’Donnell will undergo surgery by Monday morning to repair a fractured jaw, which could sideline him for weeks.

O’Donnell was subbed out and sent to hospital for an X-ray after a third-quarter collision with North Melbourne forward Paul Curtis during the Bulldogs’ 16-point win.

Cleary, 23, will be monitored under the league concussion protocols, but avoided any other damage to his head or neck and has been discharged from hospital after he slid for the ball and collided with Kangaroos defender Jackson Archer in the final term.

The young Dog was knocked out in a sickening collision. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“He was responsive enough on the ground for them (Bulldogs medical staff) to be optimistic,” Beveridge said on Saturday night.

“From the box, it almost looked like ... when we used to watch Happy Days and every now and then, they’d have some odd characters in it.

“You can’t make light of this, but do you remember the Malachi brothers? The Malachi crunch? From where I was, it just looked like a bad crash, and players went hard and Luke’s come off second-best.”

However, Beveridge didn’t think Archer would have much to worry about from the match review officer.

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” Beveridge said.

“Sometimes when a player’s running that fast for the ball and then a player ends up on the ground ... the slide-under (the knee) rule is there as well, so you don’t know which way it’s going to go.

“I imagine it’s going to be OK.”

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson echoed Beveridge’s sentiments regarding the prospect of Archer copping a suspension.

“It was just an unfortunate collision of the game. I hope the young fella’s OK,” Clarkson said.

“It’s a really interesting one. I didn’t really know what the free kick was going to be. Was it going to be for too high? Or was it going to be for taking the legs out of the opposition?”

Clarkson admitted he didn’t know what else Archer could’ve done to mitigate such a hotly-contested situation as that.

“I don’t really know the answer to that,” he said.

“They’re both young players trying to make their way in the game.

“There’s no malice in it whatsoever. One (Archer) is coming in hard to compete and the other guy (Cleary) is going in low.

“And that’s what I’m saying around the rules of the game. If you decide to go in low, it better not be that you take the legs of the opposition.

“If you stay upright, though, in terms of ‘Arch’ coming in, then you run the risk of someone low - hitting them in the head with your legs or whatever.

“So it’s a really, really difficult one.”

North Melbourne has defensive personnel worries of its own, with Charlie Comben sent for a scan on his ankle on Sunday morning after he limped from the field late in the game.

The Kangaroos believe Comben has not suffered any significant structural damage, but he has a history of lower leg issues including a horror dislocated ankle which ruined his 2023 season.

Comben came from the field after Griffin Logue had already been subbed out with a hamstring strain which is set to sideline him for multiple weeks.

SICKENING COLLISION OVERSHADOWS DOGS’ STATEMENT WIN

The Western Bulldogs have overcome a star-studded injury list and a spirited North Melbourne outfit to open up their 2025 campaign with a hard-fought 16-point win at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dogs headed into the game without inspirational captain Marcus Bontempelli (calf), newly-minted All-Australian Adam Treloar (calf), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Cody Weightman (knee), Liam Jones (hamstring) and Jason Johannisen (hamstring).

And they lost another soldier late in the game when Luke Cleary was knocked out cold in a sickening collision with North defender Jackson Archer as both players had only eyes for the loose ball on the Kangaroos’ half-forward line.

Following a very lengthy delay, Cleary was stretchered from the ground to a warm round of applause from the crowd after each one of his teammates went over to him while he was on the medicab.

Western Bulldogs players check on Luke Cleary. Picture: Kelly Defina/AFL Photos

With the one-two punch of Bontempelli and Treloar missing from the midfield, the likes of Ed Richards (30 disposals and one goal), Tom Liberatore (28 touches) and new recruit Matthew Kennedy (23) stood tall and filled the void as the Dogs ran out 17.11 (113) to 14.13 (97) winners.

Bailey Dale was also fantastic with 29 possessions and two goals from defence, while Nick Larkey kicked five goals for the Kangaroos as the Bulldogs extended their winning streak against North to eight games.

North Melbourne’s effort and desire couldn’t be questioned, but frustratingly for their long-suffering supporters, they missed a real opportunity to pinch an early win against an undermanned opponent and they finished another game behind their opposition in a familiar scenario which was hoped to be a thing of the past.

Laitham Vandermeer celebrates on Saturday night. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The Kangaroos took huge advantages in clearances (27-14), centre clearances (9-3) and contested possessions (74-58) into half-time, but despite all of that, they still trailed the Dogs for inside 50s (23-29) and fell 21 points behind early in the third quarter.

North were their own worst enemies as their poor disposal forward of centre undid all their good work at the coal face and the Bulldogs burnt them on the counter with far superior efficiency in attack.

However, the Roos would not go away as their grit and determination got them back within seven points at three-quarter time. But that proved to be the last big shot they would fire as the Bulldogs made a blistering start to the final term, stretching their lead back out to four goals in the blink of an eye.

KENNEDY CLASS

Early in the final quarter with the game still in the balance, a piece of individual brilliance from Kennedy delivered the goods as he used the outside of his boot to soccer it into an open forward line, while being harangued by Caleb Daniel, and straight in the path of Lachie

McNeil who ran into the open goal to extend the Dogs’ lead to 19 points.

COMBEN CURTAILS DARCY

The last time these two sides met, Sam Darcy kicked a career-high seven goals as the Dogs won by 96 points. On that occasion, in Round 23, Charlie Comben was subbed out early after suffering a concussion. But this time around, Comben shadowed Darcy all night and kept the precocious key forward to one major.

DANIEL DISASTER

One of North Melbourne recruit Caleb Daniel’s first involvements against his old side was one that the premiership Bulldog would rather forget. After taking a mark on the half-back flank, he switched it to Finn O’Sullivan at the top of the Dogs’ 50m line, but missed the target. Aaron Naughton gathered the spill and dished it off to Richards who unloaded a long bomb from 55m out.

Originally published as AFL Round 1 Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne: All the news and fallout after Dogs win, sickening Luke Cleary collision