The Western Bulldogs have gone down by 24 points in their opening round clash against Melbourne at VU Whitten Oval.

The young Dogs were forced to play catch-up from the get-go, finishing 3.4 (22) to 6.10 (46) in the 12th instalment of the Hampson-Hardeman Cup.

The experienced Dees dominated most of the match, and led at every break.

Recording just the one behind heading into the first break, Izzy Huntington opened the Bulldogs’ scoring account for 2022 with a goal against the wind.

00:30

Bone-crunching Huntington tackle puts Dogs on the board

Isabel Huntington has booted the Dogs' first goal of the match after applying an incredible tackle

Unfortunately her day was done not long after that however, leaving the field clutching her knee.

A lift in intensity at the start of the third saw Bonnie Toogood and skipper Ellie Blackburn combine for back-to-back goals, showing glimpses of potential while cutting the deficit to single digits.

But that was as close as the Dogs would get, with Melbourne slotting two more while keeping the hosts scoreless in the last.

Blackburn finished atop of the stats sheet with 21 disposals and seven tackles, while Naomi Ferres (16, three marks) and Elisabeth Georgostathis (14, five tackles) followed suit.

00:38

Blackburn keeps Dogs rolling with ripping running finish

Ellie Blackburn makes it two early second-half goals in a row for the Dogs with this classy finish

Elle Bennetts (12 touches, six tackles) impressed in her first outing in the red, white and blue, while Kirsty Lamb (13, three marks) and Brooke Lochland (13, five marks) were impactful.

The Bulldogs will look to reset with a trip down the highway next Saturday night to face Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.

WESTERN BULLDOGS     0.1     1.1     3.4     3.4     (22)
MELBOURNE     3.0     4.6     5.8     6.10     (46) 

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Huntington, Toogood, Blackburn
Melbourne: Hore 2, Sherriff, Gay, Zanker, Harris 

BEST 
Western Bulldogs: Blackburn, Bennetts, Fitzgerald, Lamb, Lochland
Melbourne: Zanker, Hanks, Birch, Lampard, Hore, Mithen 

AFLW Round 01 | Western Bulldogs v Melbourne

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 08: 2022 AFLW Round 01 match between the Western Bulldogs and the Melbourne Demons at VU Whitten Oval on January 8, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos)
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