The Western Bulldogs have finished their season on a high with a 20-point win over a gallant Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
A nine-goal second quarter set up the win for the Bulldogs who got another valuable contribution from Tory Dickson who finished with three goals. Matthew Boyd had 40 disposals for the winners, Tom Liberatore 36 and Adam Cooney 30. The Brownlow medallist also kicked two goals.
Just one poor quarter - the second term in which the Bulldogs played superb football and the Demons summoned nothing except some fire for a halftime melee - proved the difference in Melbourne's 16.11 (107) to 13.9 (87) defeat.
Towelled up by nine goals to two in the term, Melbourne actually won the other three quarters.
Neil Craig, a former Adelaide coach who took over after Mark Neeld's sacking but has presided over just one win, admits he has enjoyed his return to senior coaching and with the right conditions in place, would be keen to coach the Demons fulltime.
"What I can say to the Melbourne supporters is there's genuine high-performance talent there," Craig said.
"That should give them a lot of hope. The Melbourne Football Club is not a quick-fix, but they're developing enough talent in their squad for there to be genuine hope, not false hope."
Jack Watts booted four goals for the match, while Jack Grimes and Nathan Jones performed strongly for the Dees.
Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney believed his young side were feeling the pinch after a competitive final two months of the season.
But he labelled their second quarter as "scintillating footy - tough, brave, aggressive and great to watch".
Midfielder Tom Liberatore and ruckman Will Minson were outstanding, Tory Dickson booted three goals and skipper Matthew Boyd had 40 touches.
The AFL match review panel is certain to slap players from both sides with fines over the ugly melee after the halftime siren, which spilled over the sideline and within touching distance of the crowd.
Bulldogs ruckman Will Minson, who had his shirt ripped off, and Demons midfielder Jordie McKenzie were among the most prominent.
The Dogs round off their year having won eight matches for the season.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.3 13.6 14.8 16.11 (107) ?
MELBOURNE 4.5 6.5 9.7 13.9 (87)
GOALS?
Western Bulldogs: Dickson 3, Hunter 2, Cooney 2, Giansiracusa 2, Jones 2, Wallis, Grant, Cross, Liberatore, Minson?
Melbourne: Watts 4, Kent 2, N. Jones, Garland, Howe, Sellar, Viney, M.Jones, Dunn
BEST ?
Western Bulldogs: Liberatore, Murphy, Minson, Hunter, Boyd?
Melbourne: Trengove, Viney, Garland, Watts, Frawley
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: TBC?
Melbourne: Chris Dawes (calf) injured in warm-up
SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Koby Stevens replaced Mark Austin in the third quarter?
Melbourne: Luke Tapscott replaced Max Gawn in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hosking, Armstrong, Fisher
Official crowd: TBC at Etihad Stadium
