Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge was pleased to see others share the load up forward in his side’s 32-point win over Essendon on Sunday.
Putting the Bulldogs into 10th spot on the ladder, the win came about without focal point Aaron Naughton kicking a goal - the first time he has failed to do so since round 16 last year.
"We had 10 (goalkickers) in the end… it's important every week. Going into the game you would think Naughton would get at least a couple… the ball hit his hands in that third quarter a few times…. he'd normally hang onto those," he said.
Lachie McNeil bobbed up with three goals, while Robbie McComb booted two.
"We said before the game amongst our ranks that both teams would have really important role players… some uncertainty with what they've been doing, some uncertainty at times with what we've been doing as far as getting the end result," Beveridge said.
"I just felt that everyone played their part at different stages. It was important that some of our lads that haven't played a lot of footy made an impact. It was good to see Robbie McComb be involved in the game. Obviously, Lachie McNeil kicked three goals.
"The spread of contribution… and I just felt our backline held up extremely really well and some of their overlap play was high-end.
"It's just a shame we leaked a few late; that margin was looking pretty good for a while. Anyway, you can't have it all."
Beveridge said Naughton "should be OK" to face Port Adelaide on Friday night.
"He was a little bit sore throughout the course of the game… we sat him down for the last seven or eight minutes. He should be okay, but he just fell a bit awkwardly up that far end (of the ground) late in the third quarter," said Beveridge.
"It's a five-day break, though, for us, going into Port Adelaide, so it's really critical that we recover well and make the most of it, freshen up."
The Dogs will also be sweating on the fitness of Mitch Wallis, who was subbed out after hurting a foot.
"We're hoping it's a joint thing, rather than a bone thing. He's sore," Beveridge said.
