AFL Western Bulldogs v Essendon: Bombers turn blowtorch onto Bulldogs in big Friday night win

All the pressure was on the Bombers during the week, but a big Friday night win over the Bulldogs has turned the heat onto Luke Beveridge’s men.

Jay Clark and Ronny Lerner

2 min read

April 12, 2024 - 11:52PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

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Western Bulldogs’ 2024 fixture was meant to help relieve the pressure.

After two years without a finals win, there was a collective sigh of relief in the western suburbs when Luke Beveridge’s men were drawn to face four non finalists in the first six rounds.

A soft start, and a chance to get the confidence up, we thought.

Yet the team which made the grand final only two and a bit seasons ago has taken the blowtorch off Essendon and put it squarely on themselves after waving a white flag in the fourth term at Marvel Stadium in the 29-point rout.

It was a credit to Essendon who put copped the ‘edge’ jokes all week to respond in exactly the manner coach Brad Scott would have desired.

There was Zach Merrett’s crunching tackle on Adam Treloar, a manful effort from Sam Durham on Superstar Marcus Bontempelli, Jayden Laverde’s courageous beeline for the ball, one of Xavier Duursma’s best games of his career, and Kyle Langford’s desperation at everything aimed his way.

The pressure is back on Luke Beveridge after consecutive losses. Picture: Michael Klein

It was a kind of sleeves-up performance from the red and black, a team still missing spearhead Peter Wright, after a genuine belting from Port last weekend.

But they won’t be the story this week, the Bombers.

The story is the Bulldogs, and how they can be staring at the prospect of a 2-4 start to the season unless they can roll St Kilda next week under the Thursday night spotlight.

Perhaps its “Bont or bust” for the red, white and blue.

He might be the best player in the competition, and one of the club’s greatest ever players already.

But he was down on Friday night and without Bontempelli’s usual brilliance the Dogs copped a beating in the middle from Merrett, Durham, Duursma and Co.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan had some breathtaking aerial moments, but the partnership with Aaron Naughton should be better than it is, and Cody Weightman had little impact.

It is hard to see Western Bulldogs forking over blockbuster money for Tim English, and Beveridge is clearly unimpressed with Bailey Dale’s form, making him the sub, while Caleb Daniel played twos.

On paper, they look to have so much more high-end talent than St Kilda it isn’t funny.

But if the Dogs can’t win that next week approaching a much tougher fixture mid-season, then it will be time for the really tough questions for a club which inexplicably lost to West Coast not that long ago.

Jake Stringer celebrates snapping a goal. Picture: Michael Klein

When Jade Gresham and Durham snapped goals late they had slammed on four majors in a row and Jake Stringer, who has been the most maligned player in the competition and branded overweight and lazy in recent years, showed that is no longer the case.

It might be an unpopular call, but he looks fit and sharp, Stringer, and was a threat against the club which effectively booted him out of the club on the back of the 2017 premiership hangover.

Stringer buried Tom Liberatore into the turf in a crunching tackle with 10 minutes left in a manner that left the tough nut struggling back to his feet.

The edge was back for Essendon, and the Dogs could be falling off one already this season.