AFL Media (Marc McGowan)
The true test begins now for the Western Bulldogs.
Luke Beveridge's puppies made hard work of it before posting their third win on the trot on Saturday night, holding off a desperate – but still winless – Brisbane by 14 points at Etihad Stadium.
The Lions slashed the deficit to seven points with four of the first five goals of the last quarter to set up a grandstand finish, only for the Bulldogs to barely do enough.
A Friday night date with the Crows at Adelaide Oval kicks off a season-defining period for the 2016 premiers including clashes with Collingwood, Melbourne then the Power in Adelaide after the bye.
They will attack that month-long stretch with heightened confidence – and a midfield that has woken from its early-season slumber.
Best: Macrae, McLean, Hunter, Bontempelli, Suckling
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The Age (Peter Ryan)
The Lions pushed and pushed and drew within seven points midway through the last quarter before the Bulldogs’ Bailey Dale smothered a Lewis Taylor handball and kicked to Marcus Bontempelli, who wandered into an open goal and eased the growing pressure.
The passage of play reflected the difference between the two teams with the Lions unable to capitalise when they needed to be clean and the Bulldogs confident enough to hurt their opponent’s mistakes.
Bulldogs defender Matt Suckling, who played well, then ended the discussion with a long left-foot goal launched from outside 50 metres in the manner he is renowned.
Best: Macrae, Hunter, Bontempelli, Suckling, Williams.
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Herald Sun (Sam Edmond)
Jack Macrae just plays football.
There’s no controversy, no quirky backstory or even a strange off-field pursuit.
Whenever the name Jack Macrae is written or spoken, the word “unassuming” is never far away.
Indeed, former captain Bob Murphy calls him “the most confident shy person I’ve ever met”.
And there’s nothing wrong with any of that, particularly when you just might be the most in-form midfielder in the competition.
Macrae finished with a personal-best 47 disposals — 26 coming in the first half — in the Western Bulldogs’ 14-point win over the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night.
