LUKE Beveridge's tenure at the Western Bulldogs is off to the perfect start after his side overcame an undersized West Coast by 10 points in their season-opening clash at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
In an entertaining contest full of momentum swings, the Dogs' highly-talented youngsters led a stirring 13.13 (97) to 14.3 (87) triumph, soured for the Eagles by a season-ending knee injury to key defender Mitch Brown.
Jack Macrae (31 possessions), Mitch Wallis (24), Marcus Bontempelli (22, one goal) and Luke Dahlhaus (22, one goal) combined with veteran Matthew Boyd (33) to lead only the Dogs' second round one win since 2010 and the first for new coach Beveridge.
High-priced recruit Tom Boyd was well-held by impressive young Eagle Jeremy McGovern but kicked an important late goal for his new club, while Jake Stringer was a constant threat and finished with three goals.
Beveridge said the win was a lift for the club after a tough off-season when the Dogs parted ways with their former coach, captain Ryan Griffen and a host of senior players.
"It's a positive vibe, so I couldn't be happier for everyone at the club. Our administration, our board – everyone's gone through a really tough period," he said.
"So if we can win some games early and give our fans a little bit of hope, and there's a bit of light there, that's really crucial for us at the moment."
The Dogs – who trailed by two points at the final change - struggled to put the Eagles away despite having 10 scoring shots to three in the final term and dominating the key statistics for the match.
The Bulldogs won contested ball (156-137), inside 50s (58-41) and clearances (49-33), but West Coast's accuracy kept them in the contest.
However, a free kick and ice-cold set shot goal by Tory Dickson gave the Dogs their decisive 10-point buffer at the 21-minute mark.
Eagles small forward Jamie Cripps bagged five goals in a career-best performance, but it wasn't enough for the visitors.
In his first game as captain, Shannon Hurn (22 disposals) led a reassembled defensive unit superbly, while Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis (28) was his usual composed and prolific self.
In a setback the Eagles' backline could ill afford after reigning club champion Eric Mackenzie went down with a season-ending knee injury during the NAB Challenge, Mitch Brown was carted from the field midway through the first quarter.
Brown's left knee – which was reconstructed in 2008 - buckled in a seemingly innocuous marking contest, which saw the re-jigging of a defence already missing Will Schofield (ankle).
"It's just footy, isn't it?" coach Adam Simpson said. "Unfortunately we lost him early and had to adapt.
"I thought our backs actually had a good crack but there was plenty of supply."
In the face of immense pressure, West Coast's defence contained key Dogs forwards Boyd and Redpath to two goals between them.
West Coast's scoreboard efficiency kept them in touch and direct attack through the corridor was their most threatening mode of scoring.
Three times the Eagles took the ball coast-to-coast from a Hurn kick-in for goals to Luke Shuey, Josh Kennedy and Nic Naitanui in a clear set play.
When Shuey kicked his second major to start the second term it sparked a run of four unanswered Eagles goals to blow the score out to a game-high 15-point lead.
But the Dogs had more run in their legs late in the match and secured just their second win over the Eagles from the past seven meetings.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.0 7.5 11.6 14.13 (97)
WEST COAST 3.1 7.1 12.2 14.2 (86)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Stringer 3, Johannisen 2, Dickson 2, Picken, Honeychurch, Dahlhaus, Wood, Redpath, Bontempelli, T. Boyd
West Coast: Cripps 5, Shuey 2, Kennedy 2, LeCras, Lycett, Lamb, Gaff, Naitanui
BEST
Western Bulldogs: M. Boyd, Macrae, Dahlhaus, Johannisen, Stringer, Bontempelli
West Coast: Hurn, Priddis, Shuey, Cripps, Masten
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
West Coast: Brown (left knee), Sheppard (TBC)
SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Jarrad Grant replaced Jack Redpath at three-quarter-time.
West Coast: Tom Lamb replaced Mitch Brown in the first quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ryan, Schmitt, Jeffery
Official crowd: Approx. 22,000 (TBC) at Etihad Stadium
