Matthew Boyd passes the ball
Matthew Boyd topped the Bulldogs with 33 touches and a goal (Robert Cianflone(file photo): Getty Images)
The Western Bulldogs battled to a hard-fought seven-point win against a scrappy Melbourne outfit in their AFL eighth clash at the MCG this afternoon.
The Bulldogs had to come from behind at halftime and survive a fourth quarter surge by the Demons to eventually win 15.14 (104) 15.7 (97) for their fifth win of the season.
Rodney Eade’s side finished third on the ladder but fell short of their best against Melbourne, perhaps showing they have better days ahead of them thanks to a committed display.
The win came at a price, however, with forward Robert Murphy lasting less than a quarter with a hamstring strain that Eade says will sideline him for a few weeks.
Trailing by two goals at the final change, the Demons pulled within eight points midway through the final term when Aaron Davey (28 touches, one goal) finished with a free kick the length of the field. Matthew Boyd stopped the Bulldogs’ keeper just two minutes later and said the Demons showed they would cause plenty of problems as the season progressed.
“They have played very good football in the last month,” he told Fox Sports.
“They are a much improved side and they are on the rise.
“We didn’t start so well with the breaks but as the day went on we got better which was good.”
Boyd, who paced the Bulldogs with 33 possessions, five tackles and one goal, said the team needed to increase its intensity in the final two periods after trailing by three points at halftime.
“It’s just a matter of workload, we just had to pick up our work rate and really focus,” he said. “They brought it back through the middle really well and we wanted to stop it, but in the first half we just didn’t.
“[Tackling] is an area of the game where we really need to improve. It’s improved over the last couple of weeks and we want to continue to improve the pressure of tackling and closing down the space.”
Lack of calm
Ultimately, Melbourne’s ineffectiveness with the ball worked against them, with several walks and handballs unmarked in the final half.
Disappointingly, some senior players were blamed as Brad Miller didn’t score as the Demons rolled forward and even Davey himself coughed up a ball that came out of defence.
The home side secured a tight finish when Matthew Bate kicked his fourth goal of the game to cut the deficit to seven points with 80 seconds left, but the Demons could not find the two goals they needed in the dying stages. Jason Akermanis was among the Bulldogs’ best with four goals and 19 touches and Scott Welsh kicked three big wins, including the decisive goal late in the fourth quarter.
Defender Lindsay Gilbee stamped his authority in a game where defenders ended up with 28 shots and two goals.
Brent Moloney had 37 for the Demons, with Bate and Russell Robertson (three wickets) looming ahead.
Demons coach Dean Bailey would have been pleased with the form of his younger brigade as sophomore Cale Morton collected 37 touches.
Jack Grimes produced a superb performance in his third senior game with 25 disposals in defence, while the returning Kyle Cheney grabbed 22 possessions. Bulldogs: 15.14 (104) – J Akermanis 4, S Welsh 3, L Gilbee 2, D Addison, M Boyd, A Cooney, M Hahn, B Johnson, R Murphy
Demons: 15.7 (97) – M Bate 4, R Roberston 3, A Maric 2, A Davey, N Jones, B McLean, R Petterd, C Sylvia, S Valenti
