Bulldogs looming as flag threat after crushing Demons

Bulldogs 110 defeated Demons 59

Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney is tackled by Marcus Bontempelli.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Dogs loom as a flag chance: The Western Bulldogs - err, Footscray - have become one of the AFL’s hottest teams, seemingly out of nowhere.

Since copping a 48-point hiding from Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, Luke Beveridge’s Dogs have taken down Carlton, Geelong, Sydney and Melbourne in highly impressive fashion.

The 51-point thumping of the hapless Demons at Marvel Stadium provisionally propels them inside the top four with a whopping percentage of 122.4.

With Adelaide, North Melbourne and the Giants to finish the home and away season, the Bulldogs can dare to dream about not only playing finals but making a run at the flag.

From bad to worse for Dees: Reality must be hitting Melbourne at this point.

A club that looked primed to win multiple flags after their 2021 breakthrough exited the past two finals series in straight sets and almost certainly won’t even be part of September this year.

Steven May is back in hospital after reinjuring his ribs, while Christian Petracca won’t play again until next season, while Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney are a shell of themselves.

The silver lining to May’s setback is coach Simon Goodwin might finally abort his Harry Petty-as-a-forward experiment, which has failed miserably

That said, could a drop on the ladder and subsequent high draft pick serve as a launching pad for the Demons, a la 2019?

Clearance woes: Don’t let the final clearance count fool you. Melbourne conceded the first 15 clearances against Fremantle a fortnight ago, then the first 10 against the Bulldogs on Friday night.

The Demons rebounded to win only four fewer than their conquerors by the end of the game, but were playing catch up after their awful start and never truly recovered.

The match would have been over as a contest if Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (2 goals six) and the rest of the Dogs kicked straighter in front of goal. Whatever is going wrong in the middle for Melbourne must be addressed in the last three rounds, and be critically analysed in the off-season because what was once a strength is no longer.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin and Luke Beveridge speak after the Bulldogs’ 51-point victory on Friday night at Marvel Stadium.

Simon Goodwin

Q: How disappointing was that?

Goodwin: It was really disappointing. Obviously, the start was incredibly disappointing. To be on the back foot like that, they dominated us around the ball and were able to score way too easily. I was incredibly frustrated with the way we started the game. There were patches that we were able to bring back into the game we were looking for, but overall nowhere near the level required to beat a team that is in very, very good form.

Q: What are you noticing that is going wrong at the start of matches?

Goodwin: Our clearance game hasn’t been anywhere near the level for a period of time now, especially against really dominant midfield groups. We’ve seen a lack of our ability to win clearance, pressure the opposition to a level to get the game back into a scramble, which is really important around contest areas. It’s a big part of our game we need to work on moving forward. Some of that might be personnel, but there is enough personnel there to get it right.

Q: Do you have an update on Steven May? We saw him get into an ambulance.

Goodwin: Yeah, he’s got some ribs, so obviously we will get them looked at. We’ll get him assessed and just look at where that sits. He’ll go away and get precautionary scans, check everything, make sure everything is right with Steve. Fingers crossed he’s OK.

Luke Beveridge

Q: Is that the best form you have been in since the grand final year of 2021?

Beveridge: It’s pretty close to it, I think. I haven’t got a great recollection of the scorelines over periods where we have strung some wins together. But I think the combination in our game and in our game style and keeping the opposition to low scores and us being able to hit the scoreboard, it would probably have to be the best patch I would say.

Q: Simon just spoke about the inability of his side to win contest and lose territory. How impressive was it from your end?

Beveridge: Yeah, it’s been a bit of a constant with us. It’s part of your reputation that you are pretty solid in close, and then if you can win it either side of the stoppage, then it means that whoever comes to play against you is in for a tough night. If they are going to beat you, they have got to bring their armoury. I think that’s been one area - either side of the stoppage - that we have been pretty good at. Tonight was a bit different in that it wasn’t a huge intercept marking game, so there’s a lot of ground ball, not a lot of composure, it was quite frenetic. Maybe that fuelled some things for us to kick a lot of points at different times. But that’s a starting point for any team, to be good at that, to have necessary craft, but to have the volition to put your bodies in at the coalface where there is a lot of heat. And our boys are doing it extraordinarily well at the moment.

Damien Hardwick will be filthy. The Suns have blown another winnable away game - this time to the Eagles in Perth by 10 points.

Gold Coast led for most of the match, but coughed up the lead in the final three minutes. It had echoes of the Suns’ shocking loss to North Melbourne by four points in round 17 at Marvel Stadium.

To make the finals for the first time in their history, the Suns had to win at least two away games this season. They have yet to win one.

For the Eagles it was a welcome victory at home. It is their third win for the year. The heroes were Jamie Cripps and Liam Duggan who booted match-winning majors in the dying minutes.

It’s a nail biter in Perth. The Eagles have snatched the lead from the Gold Coast with minutes left in the game.

Trailing by two points, Liam Duggan kicked a major and then Jamie Cripps followed up with a cracker to give the Eagles a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining.

The Suns have not won an away game this year, and need a victory to keep their slim finals hopes alive.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn spoke to Fox Footy’s Abbey Holmes after the Demons’ 51-point loss at the hands of Footscray.

Q: How did you evaluate the loss in the post-match meeting?

Gawn: Yeah, they, I don’t have another term, punched us in the face pretty early on in that first quarter. The first 10 minutes was pretty hard to stop. Once we thought we’ve got a little bit of momentum in the second (quarter), we just sort of fell away with anything that resembles a Melbourne player in that second half.

It was tough, especially with a lot on the line in Friday night footy. So it’s disappointing, but we go away on the weekend, almost think about what we’ve done, and then come Monday and attack the back half of the year.

Q: Did you feel that ankle tonight? Was there a bit of pain that you played through knowing what was on the line?

Gawn: Yeah, it’s still an injury. I feel like I’m doing my best. I wouldn’t put my hand up if I didn’t think I could perform. There’s a lot of fit guys that could take my spot quite easily, so I thought I could perform and to be fair, I feel like I was able to do some good things out there tonight at different times. So, it is pretty sore currently, but the four quarters I managed to get through.

Q: There are still three games to be played … but is it disappointing that things might be taken out of your hands?

Gawn: To be honest, I’m not too stressed on the bigger picture. I’m just extremely disappointed with what we put out for our supporters tonight. The main thing is to bring a Melbourne game and something that our members and supporters will be proud of come Saturday night against Port and then the rest will take care of itself. It’s more about putting pride back in a jumper.

It is neck and neck out west.

The Eagles have booted the first goal of the last quarter through Jake Waterman and now trail Gold Coast by four points. Waterman has four for the match.

Damien Hardwick will be firing up the Suns for a big final term. Gold Coast lead the Eagles by nine points at three-quarter time in Perth.

Dimma headed to the boundary line late in the third quarter and his presence at the bench worked, the Suns kicked three straight goals - to Ben King, Ben Long and Brayden Fiorini - to grab a 15-point lead. That margin was pulled back to nine by a Jake Waterman major for the Eagles. Waterman has three for the night.

The Suns are yet to win away from home this season. If they can get it done in Perth they keep their slim finals hopes alive, having never made the September play-offs.

Bulldogs 110 defeated Demons 59

Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney is tackled by Marcus Bontempelli.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Dogs loom as a flag chance: The Western Bulldogs - err, Footscray - have become one of the AFL’s hottest teams, seemingly out of nowhere.

Since copping a 48-point hiding from Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, Luke Beveridge’s Dogs have taken down Carlton, Geelong, Sydney and Melbourne in highly impressive fashion.

The 51-point thumping of the hapless Demons at Marvel Stadium provisionally propels them inside the top four with a whopping percentage of 122.4.

With Adelaide, North Melbourne and the Giants to finish the home and away season, the Bulldogs can dare to dream about not only playing finals but making a run at the flag.

From bad to worse for Dees: Reality must be hitting Melbourne at this point.

A club that looked primed to win multiple flags after their 2021 breakthrough exited the past two finals series in straight sets and almost certainly won’t even be part of September this year.

Steven May is back in hospital after reinjuring his ribs, while Christian Petracca won’t play again until next season, while Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney are a shell of themselves.

The silver lining to May’s setback is coach Simon Goodwin might finally abort his Harry Petty-as-a-forward experiment, which has failed miserably

That said, could a drop on the ladder and subsequent high draft pick serve as a launching pad for the Demons, a la 2019?

Clearance woes: Don’t let the final clearance count fool you. Melbourne conceded the first 15 clearances against Fremantle a fortnight ago, then the first 10 against the Bulldogs on Friday night.

The Demons rebounded to win only four fewer than their conquerors by the end of the game, but were playing catch up after their awful start and never truly recovered.

The match would have been over as a contest if Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (2 goals six) and the rest of the Dogs kicked straighter in front of goal. Whatever is going wrong in the middle for Melbourne must be addressed in the last three rounds, and be critically analysed in the off-season because what was once a strength is no longer.

Adam Treloar hugged his daughter Georgie on the Marvel Stadium turf after celebrating his 250th game with a comprehensive win.

The Bulldogs crushed Melbourne by 51 points in a lopsided scoreline that could have been even more comprehensive considering Footscray kicked 15.20 to Melbourne’s 9.5. The win sees them jump into fourth on the live ladder, ahead of Carlton who play Collingwood on Saturday night.

“I don’t take for granted being able to come out here and do what I love,” said Treloar, who started his career at Greater Western Sydney before crossing to Collingwood and then the Bulldogs.

“This year has been incredible. I just love coming into the football club, representing
the Western Bulldogs.”

Treloar, who had 30 possessions and kicked two goals, said he was extremely proud of his career and the hardships he had overcome.

“It’s what shapes you as the person and the footballer you are,” he told Fox Footy. “I’ve met some great people in my time at the Giants, Collingwood and now the Bulldogs and I have everlasting friendships that I’ll have for the rest of my life.”

Treloar, 31, said he lived and played for his wife, Kim, and daughter Georgie.

“My goals in life have changed a lot. My goals in footy have changed a lot. I’m here for my teammates and I just want to win,” he said.

“Kim is my main motivation in life. So is Georgie, obviously, but from a different point of view. She’s obviously my flesh and blood where I see Kimmy at the highest level and she just is my main motivation in life and I do everything for them.

“They’re the loves of my life, both of them and are thoroughly appreciated.”

It has been an ugly night for Melbourne, but it could have been oh so much worse.

The Dogs have booted 15.20, and many of those behinds were gettable.

The key offender was young gun Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. He has kicked 2.6.

At the final siren, the Bulldogs have beaten Melbourne 110 to 59.

They are on the march and shape as a massive September threat.

Blow the siren, for mercy’s sake.

The Bulldogs have stretched their lead to 48 points with a goal to big man Tim Engish.

It has been a sorry night for Melbourne and news has filtered through that defender Steven May has been taken to hospital for tests.

Earlier we were reporting that he had a back issue, but now the suggestion is that he has hurt his ribs. May was crunched in a marking contest in the second term.