The Western Bulldogs staved off a North Melbourne mid-match comeback to secure a 17.11 (113) to 14.13 (97) win at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

08:13

AFL R1 | Match Highlights

The Bulldogs and Kangaroos clash in round one of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

The Dogs held a 28-point lead minutes into the second quarter, but the Roos had pulled it back to under a goal late in the term and trailed by just seven points at the final change.

However, with the first three goals of the fourth quarter the Bulldogs opened a comfortable gap before the two sides, or more accurately the Dogs and Paul Curtis (three final term goals of his own), traded majors through till the final siren.

00:21

Team Song: Western Bulldogs | Round 1

Watch the Bulldogs celebrate their round one win.

Nick Larkey started his season in fine form with five goals, while the Dogs attack stood strong without Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Aaron Naughton and Laitham Vandermeer each slotting three and Sam Darcy marking strongly.

00:47

AFL R1 | Double delight as young and new Dogs excite

Joel Freijah nails a beauty from the restart before Matt Kennedy's super soccer sets up Lachie McNeil's first.

A nasty collision late saw Bulldog Luke Cleary taken from the field on a stretcher and the club will have concerns over the young defender's health.

00:32

AFL R1 | Debut Dog Davidson delivers career first

Sam Davidson drills his maiden major in the big time and his teammates swarm him

The doctor is in the house
Richmond was so busy at last year’s Telstra AFL Draft it overlooked VFL Tiger Sam Davidson, despite the 191cm forward impressing through the season and winning the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal. The Bulldogs snapped up the 23-year-old with pick 51 and saw immediate results on Saturday night as he slotted his first goal on debut. Davidson put his medical studies on hold to give footy a red-hot crack, and if his first-up performance was anything to go by, the doctoring may need to wait a while longer.

WESTERN BULLDOGS      5.3    8.5     12.7      17.11 (113)
NORTH MELBOURNE        1.4    6.7    10.12     14.13 (97)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Vandermeer 3, Dale 2, Sanders 2, McNeil 2, Richards, Freijah, Harmes, Davidson, Darcy
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Curtis 3, Davies-Uniacke 2, Zurhaar, Simpkin, Scott, Darling

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Dale, Richards, Naughton, Liberatore, Vandermeer, Darcy
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Powell, Larkey, Sheezel, Daniel

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: James O'Donnell (jaw), Cleary (head)
North Melbourne: Archer (leg)

SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Arthur Jones (replaced O'Donnell at three-quarter time)
North Melbourne: Darcy Tucker (replaced Phillips in the third quarter) 

Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium