1. Bob's day
It was a day reserved for Western Bulldogs skipper Bob Murphy, who played his 300th game. He missed most of 2016 after a knee reconstruction but has returned without missing a beat this season, showing his typical verve and precise kicking. A delightful left foot chip to a leading Josh Dunkley in the last quarter was a perfect example. The 34-year-old picked up 20 disposals and was an important cog up forward later in the game. Appreciative Dogs fans made sure their captain felt the love, cheering him when he led the team onto the ground and whenever he touched the ball. He booted a goal to bring the margin back to seven points in the third quarter, much to the delight of the crowd. The Lions were classy at the end of the game, helping form a guard of honour as Murphy was chaired off the ground by Easton Wood and Matthew Boyd.
2. A tale of two teams' goalkicking
The two sides could barely have been more different in front of goal. The Dogs won inside-50s 17-6 in the first term and had 16 shots on goal but trailed by five points at quarter-time. Lin Jong's missed set shot from 15m out, directly in front, was inexplicable under the roof at Etihad Stadium. But he was hardly the only culprit. The Brisbane Lions were the opposite, and didn't miss a shot at goal until halfway through the second term when Eric Hipwood blazed away from outside 50. Up until that point they had booted nine straight. The Dogs ended the game with 45 shots on goal from their 62 inside-50s, and were able to overwhelm the brave Lions.
3. Stuttering premiers yet to kick into gear
After a youthful Bulldogs pinched a premiership from seventh spot, many people had concerns about how they would play this year. Even after Saturday's win took the Dogs to 4-1, it's hard to assess their form. They rallied from a 38-point deficit in the second quarter to overcome the Lions, and required a similar effort last week against the winless North Melbourne. Banking wins without playing their best football is a plus for Luke Beveridge but he would like to see better form from his men ahead of next Friday's clash against Greater Western Sydney.
4. Zorko's shocker saved by a Biggs mistake
The Lions led by five points when Dayne Zorko took an excellent one-on-one mark against Shane Biggs, who was recalled to the senior team this week. Directly in front and about 15m out, it should have been a certainty for the Lions star. However, the poor kicking that spread through the Dogs seemed to infect Zorko, and the ball floated off his boot and didn't make the distance. Luckily for him, Biggs went over the mark and Zorko was awarded a 50m penalty. He made no mistake the second time around and based on the look on his face afterwards, Zorko knew he was lucky not to have cost his team.
5. Adams the solution to forward line woes?
The Bulldogs were without Travis Cloke, who suffered broken ribs on Good Friday after copping a bone-crunching bump from North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell. With fellow big men Jack Redpath (knee) and Jordan Roughead (hamstring) sidelined and Tom Boyd well held, defender Marcus Adams was moved up forward and showed some promise. He offered a lead-up option early in the game and was involved in plenty of forays forward. One effort was truly impressive, when the West Australian somehow hauled in a one-handed mark despite being caught behind his opponent.
