The 16.14 (110) to 8.15 (63) victory sees the Dogs behind only St Kilda after three rounds of the young season, while Richmond drops to 0-3 and last place on the ladder after the heavy defeat.
Richmond got the jump on the Dogs in the first term. The Bulldogs could not take advantage of their scoring opportunities, booting seven behinds before Daniel Giansiracusa finally managed a goal at the three-minute mark of the second term.
That was the first of six goals for the Bulldogs in that quarter, a term where they kept the Tigers to just one. They wrestled back the lead with a rare Dale Morris goal at the 14-minute mark, and didn’t look back.
The Bulldogs would have had seven second-quarter goals but for a howler by Ryan Griffen late in the term.
It was a day where the young talent for both teams failed to make an impression on the contest. No. 1 picks Brett Deledio and Adam Cooney were well below their best for their respective sides, and Griffen made some uncharacteristic errors. Richard Tambling, the man taken by the Tigers after Griffen in the 2004 draft, turned in one of his more forgettable performances.
By contrast, Nathan Foley, who came to Richmond via the rookie list, was one of his team’s best. The Bulldogs’ latest rookie list product Liam Picken, so impressive last week against Kangaroos champion Brent Harvey, was a standout once again.
Picken had the job on Deledio, and the second-gamer's relentless pressure reached breaking point in the second quarter. A clash between the pair resulted in Deledio leaving the field to have a gash in his head stitched up as the umpire took Picken’s number.
Similarly, Daniel Jackson wore Griffen closely in the first half. Both taggers had new assignments in the third quarter, with Deledio moving to the forward line and Jackson moved on to Lindsay Gilbee.
Gilbee was his side’s best player. He provided the running through the lines and exceptional disposal that was missing from Richmond.
The third quarter was frustrating for players and coaches alike. Richmond was hesitant in pushing forward and made numerous skill errors, while the Bulldogs had the chance to put the Tigers away, but committed too many skill errors of their own.
The Bulldogs looked considerably cleaner by hand and foot, but only had a 21-point buffer over Richmond at the final break.
While the scoreboard showed that Richmond still had a hope of winning the game, Jason Akermanis had other ideas.
The Bulldogs veteran booted three goals in the first six minutes of the final quarter to effectively shake off any doubt that his team was going to take the points.
Western Bulldogs 0.6 6.11 10.13 16.14 (110)
Richmond 3.4 4.8 7.10 8.15 (63)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 4, Higgins 2, Johnson 2, Giansiracusa 2, Gilbee, Hill, Hahn, Minson, Morris, Cooney
Richmond: White 2, Foley, Riewoldt, Richardson, Brown, Morton, Tuck
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Gilbee, Akermanis, Higgins, Cross, Lake, Picken, Giansiracusa
Richmond: Foley, Tuck, McGuane, White, Richardson
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Harbrow replaced in selected side by Tiller
Richmond: None
Reports: Picken (Western Bulldogs) reported for striking Deledio (Richmond) in the second quarter
Umpires: Nicholls, Schmitt, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 46,261 at Docklands
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
