Tony Liberatore would have been doubly proud at Etihad Stadium last Friday night. Not only did the 283-game Bulldogs champion get to see his beloved team unfurl the 2016 premiership flag, he also got to see son Tom celebrate his 100th AFL match by playing a vital role in the Dogs' stirring 23-point win over last year's Grand Final opponent Sydney. 

The younger 'Libba' had 19 important touches as the Bulldogs came back from a 23-point first-quarter deficit to win their first home game of the season. But Tom's most significant number was perhaps his tackle count, a statistic synonymous with the name Liberatore.

Liberatore Senior was renowned for his tackling, his incredible strength and vice-like grip seeing him lead the AFL's tackle count season after season during his playing days. 

Liberatore Junior laid 16 tackles in Friday's match, an amazing twice the number of any other player on the ground, to ensure the Swans never got away with the ball easily. It was the younger Liberatore's second-highest tackle count of his career, beating the 14 he had laid only a week earlier against Collingwood.

Tom's highest tackle count on record - 19 against Melbourne in round eight last year - ranks as the equal-highest ever in an AFL match, with Sydney's Jude Bolton and North Melbourne's Jack Ziebell also having reached that figure once each.

The way Tom has started the 2017 season, it might not be long before 'Libba' breaks the deadlock and sets a new outright record.