AFL round 14 St Kilda v Western Bulldogs: Sam Darcy kicks three on return in Dogs 72-point win

The Dogs have been known to feast on bottom-10 teams, and their second clash with the Saints in 2025 was no different, celebrating Luke Beveridge’s re-signing in style.

The Western Bulldogs have celebrated coach Luke Beveridge’s re-signing in fine style with another crushing victory over St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.

Just two days after Beveridge extended his record tenure at the club into a 13th season, the Dogs smashed the Saints by 72 points in front of just 20,508 fans, which was the lowest crowd for a game between the two clubs in Victoria since 1999.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE SUPERCOACH TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CLASH

The Bulldogs demolished the Saints a mere eight weeks after pumping them by 71 points, ensuring their average winning margin against St Kilda in their past three meetings is now 68 points.

And making the 20.12 (132) to 8.12 (60) result even sweeter for the Bulldogs was the return of prodigious key forward Sam Darcy from a knee injury. The 21-year-old 19 disposals (11 contested), nine marks (four) and three goals, and could have finished with more but for a pair of missed set shots.

If that performance was just a case of “dusting off the cobwebs” from Darcy, then the rest of the competition should be very worried about what he could produce in the second half of the season.

Sam Darcy made a triumphant return. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

After being restricted to their lowest score of the season last week by Hawthorn, the Bulldogs hit back with a vengeance, recording their biggest total of 2025, powered by 13 goalkickers, and it was done off the back of fierce pressure, superior skills and lethal forward efficiency.

The Dogs obliterated St Kilda for inside 50s 68-40 and scored 47 per cent of the time they went forward. They also dominated the ball with huge buffers in disposals (407-341) and marks (121-94) as they also smacked the Saints in contested possessions (130-110) to provisionally move into seventh spot on the ladder.

AFL legend and Fox Footy analyst Jason Dunstall said the performance was an indictment on Ross Lyon’s side.

“It was easy in the end, which is a bit of an indictment on the Saints, they just controlled it, the Western Bulldogs, they did that pretty comfortably,” Dunstall said.

“They weren’t overly competitive, particularly after half time.”

Bailey Williams also starred for the winners, racking up 27 touches and a career-high 17 marks, Bailey Dale was prolific again with 36 disposals and 10 grabs and boom recruit Matthew Kennedy had another top outing with 30 possessions and two goals.

DOGS OUT OF THE GATES

The Bulldogs started stronger with the first three goals. The Saints had 13 of the first 18 clearances, but couldn’t translate that dominance into territory with the Dogs opening up an early 18-10 lead in forward entries.

St Kilda struggled to exit their backline as the Dogs intercepted their rebound-50s at will and even the usually silky Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was missing targets with four clangers by foot.

The Bulldogs’ pressure was fierce as well with 13 of the first 17 tackles, and after another four goals in a row, they quickly took control of the contest early in the second period.

SAINTS DEFICIT BLOWS OUT

St Kilda’s backline was overwhelmed as the Dogs scored almost every time they went forward, with seven of their first 10 goals coming from inside 30m. Before the Saints knew it, they trailed by 41 points midway through the quarter.

The Bulldogs had a huge 9-1 lead in tackles inside 50 deep into the second term and they wrested back the advantage at the stoppages with 11 of the quarter’s first 12 clearances.

The Saints were blown away. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

The Saints kicked three of the next four goals to stem the bleeding, but the floodgates well and truly opened after half-time. The Dogs booted the first four majors of the third quarter and there was no turning back from there as the gaping gulf in class and skill between the two sides became glaringly obvious.

FREIJAH MAGIC

Early in the second quarter, Joel Freijah brilliantly kicked the ball off the deck up to himself in the middle of the ground and booted the ball long. As the ball bounced towards the goal square, Aaron Naughton outmuscled Callum Wilkie in the goal square to kick the easy six-pointer.

SCOREBOARD

ST KILDA 1.4, 5.6, 7.9, 8.12 (60)

BULLDOGS 4.2, 10.4, 16.9, 20.12 (132)

RONNY LERNER’S BEST

Saints: Marshall, Windhager, Wanganeen-Milera, Sinclair, Wilkie.

Bulldogs: Darcy, Williams, Dale, Liberatore, M.Kennedy, Richards, Freijah.

GOALS

Saints: Higgins, Keeler, Sharman, Windhager, Wood, Byrnes, Wanganeen-Milera, Hill.

Bulldogs: Darcy 3, Naughton 3, Khamis 2, Sanders 2, M.Kennedy 2, Freijah, Richards, Davidson, English, McNeil, West, Hynes, Treloar.

UMPIRES Fisher, Deboy, Meredith, Wallace

20,508 at Marvel Stadium

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

RONNY LERNER’S VOTES

3 Sam Darcy (WB)

2 Bailey Williams (WB)

1 Bailey Dale (WB)