As it happened: Dogs dominate Dockers on the road in heated clash at Optus Stadium

Fremantle’s season is hanging by a thread after the Western Bulldogs exacted retribution for being bundled out of finals last year, winning at Optus Stadium by 49 points.

Neither side had set the world alight going into the round six opener, but the Dockers have now slumped to 2-4 with a daunting trip to Brisbane next weekend threatening to put a substantial dent in their quest to return to finals.

Cody Weightman celebrates a goal, as the Dogs overwhelmed the Dockers in Perth.Credit: Getty Images

The Dogs failed to maintain the rage in the second half of their elimination final last year, but learnt the lessons from that loss to well and truly earn Friday night’s win, opening the floodgates in the final term to win comfortably in the end.

They laid 20 tackles inside their forward-50, more than double their season average of nine going into the clash, which provided the foundation for 14 more scoring shots.

Read full match report here.

Well that’s all for the evening!

Thanks for joining us as the Western Bulldogs secured a mammoth 49-point win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium.

We’ll back be tomorrow and all through the weekend to keep you updated with all the live action from round six, right up to Tuesday’s blockbuster Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon.

Join us tomorrow as Port Adelaide host West Coast and GWS face off with Brisbane before the huge grand final rematch between Geelong and Sydney.

Until then, goodnight and go well!

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said he thought Rory Lobb handled the night well given the pressure of playing against his former club on their home deck.

“It’s interesting. If you ask the players about playing here [Optus Stadium], they’ll tell you they really enjoy it. They love the oval, they probably enjoy the fanatical and parochial audience,” said Beveridge.

Fremantle v Western BulldogsCredit: Getty

“In a way it’s probably as challenging for the home team as it is away teams at times, if things aren’t turning out so well, you probably feel the pressure of your home deck as well... I mean, Rory, I think he was looking forward to it.

“Playing for Fremantle and GWS, both clubs have got a place in his heart, they always will, and the circumstances with him were that he wanted to come to Victoria and we were fortunate enough that he chose us.

“But I’ve got no doubt, and if you ask him, he enjoyed his time at the Dockers and he didn’t kick too straight tonight but I thought he had a real impact. I thought he handled the night pretty well.”

Fremantle’s season is hanging by a thread after the Western Bulldogs exacted retribution for being bundled out of finals last year, winning at Optus Stadium by 49 points.

Neither side had set the world alight going into the round six opener, but the Dockers have now slumped to 2-4 with a daunting trip to Brisbane next weekend threatening to put a substantial dent in their quest to return to finals.

Cody Weightman celebrates a goal, as the Dogs overwhelmed the Dockers in Perth.Credit: Getty Images

The Dogs failed to maintain the rage in the second half of their elimination final last year, but learnt the lessons from that loss to well and truly earn Friday night’s win, opening the floodgates in the final term to win comfortably in the end.

They laid 20 tackles inside their forward-50, more than double their season average of nine going into the clash, which provided the foundation for 14 more scoring shots.

Read full match report here.

Rory Lobb said the hostile reception he received from the Fremantle fans was expected but contributed to nerves.

“It’s all part of it. I mean, they probably got me with a couple of set shots there. I put a bit of pressure on myself to kick them and probably need to work on that through the week but, yeah, it’s a great atmosphere down here,” Lobb told Channel Seven.

“It’s probably the most nerves I’ve had in a while [coming over] other than a final. But... I just wanted to play well.”

Rory Lobb was the centre of attention throughout the match.Credit: Getty Images

Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli acknowledged some problem areas from the night, including coughing the ball up too much, but said he’s happy with the improvement shown since the slow start to the season.

“I think we’re seeing our game evolve probably as the weeks go on,” Bontempelli told Channel Seven post-game.

“We obviously had a pretty average start to the season. We wanted to really probably showcase our brand and our style a bit more and as much as it hasn’t fully been there the last couple of weeks, I think there’s been signs.

“Today [we] connected better.”

He said to be fair to Fremantle, the match was an arm wrestle for a while there, and his side struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard early. But in the face of this, they tried to keep composure and get back control of the game, which they ultimately did.

“You try not to get frustrated because you know you’re working hard. The scores not coming but the game looks the way we wanted it to for fair chunks,” Bontempelli said.

The Western Bulldogs have secured a huge win on the road and are now 3-3.

Cody WeightmanCredit: Getty

Fremantle, however, are 2-4.

Jason Johannisen has copped a late knock to the head, which could be one to watch following the game.

We’ll keep you updated!

Late in the final quarter, Tom Liberatore was also sent to the bench after seeming like getting a knock to the head.

Michael Walters has kicked his first of the night, but the Dogs had already sealed the win.

The margin now sits at 49-points with less than two minutes to go.

Freo fans have started to leave the stadium as they stare down their fourth loss of the season.

The Bulldogs have now kicked three in a row this quarter, the last from captain Marcus Bontempelli.

With seven minutes to go, it doesn’t feel like there’s much Fremantle can do now.

The Western Bulldogs lead Fremantle 15.15 (105) to 9.8 (62).

Adam Treloar has capped off his good performance tonight with another goal.

It extends the margin to 37-points and puts a possible Freo comeback further out of reach.

Cody Weightman has come off due to the blood rule.