Top Dogs outclass Crows on Mars

THE Western Bulldogs have taken another step forward in their march towards their maiden AFL minor premiership with a comprehensive forty-nine-point win over lowly Adelaide.

Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and Caleb Daniel spearheaded a dominant midfield display as the Bulldogs overpowered their opponents in a 15.15 (105) to 8.8 (56) victory, played before empty stands at Mars Stadium.

The result means Luke Beveridge’s side retains top spot on the ladder for another week, with just three home-and-away rounds remaining.

The Bulldogs’ deep midfield ensured they got on top at stoppages and controlled the territory battle for long periods, with Macrae (31 disposals and 12 clearances) at the heart of their efforts.

Tall forwards Josh Bruce and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicked two goals each, as did speedster Jason Johannisen, while Bailey Dale (31 disposals) impressed with his accurate distribution from half-back.

Former Bulldogs captain Easton Wood returned from injury for his first game since round nine, replacing hamstrung fullback Alex Keath, and combined well with remodelled backman Josh Schache in a resolute defence.

“We approached the game with the intensity level that we needed to… I felt like it was pretty consistent,” Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

“It was a pretty even spread of contributions from the boys.

“We had a really good spread of goal kickers, we had a dozen goal kickers, and any coach always likes to see that. That’s healthy.”

Rory Sloane (26 disposals) and Ben Keays (22) worked tirelessly for Adelaide while Elliott Himmelberg and Taylor Walker finished with two goals each.

“We were playing against a very good side today and they capitalised on all of our mistakes,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said.

“They were able to inflict a fair bit of damage on us when we got things wrong, but I was pleased to see in the second half the way we fought it out.

“We didn’t give up, we kept battling and we’re going to learn a lot from today’s game.”

The Bulldogs conceded the first two goals before kicking five of the next six into a stiff breeze to gain the upper hand by quarter-time.

Number one draft pick Ugle-Hagan was lively early, kicking one goal after a strong mark and showing poise with a delayed handpass in traffic to help set up Johannisen for another major.

The Bulldogs’ midfield unit was firmly on top and a lop-sided inside-50 count (36-18) in the first half was reflected on the scoreboard, where they held a 35-point lead at the main break.

Dogs captain Marcus Bontempelli (15 disposals) was relatively quiet by his standards but kicked a superb goal from 50 metres out after spinning out of a tackle in the dying stages.

– BY SHAYNE HOPE/ AAP