THE WESTERN Bulldogs remain second on the ladder after round 15 following their 31-point defeat of Melbourne at Telstra Dome on Sunday afternoon.
The Dogs notched up their sixth-straight victory – and second over the Demons for the year – 14.11 (95) to 9.10 (64), after breaking away in the third quarter when they slotted five goals to one.
It wasn't the 95-point pasting the Dogs handed the Demons in round two, but there were still plenty of high points for the in-form side.
Midfielders Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross – in his 100th career game – picked up 58 disposals between them, while Jason Akermanis was colourful around goal with three majors.
Defender Brian Lake notched up 20 possessions against a variety of opponents, while young gun Josh Hill was solid with 21 touches and four tackles in his 11th game.
For Melbourne, backman Colin Garland played his second good match in a row alongside a tough opponent Robert Murphy, while Cameron Bruce did well after starting against Boyd.
The Bulldogs were missing forward Scott Welsh, who was a late withdrawal with back soreness and replaced by key position player Cameron Wight.
Melbourne tried to move the ball as quickly as possible in the first term, but at times was made to pay for sloppy foot skills, and turned the ball over frequently.
The Dogs looked ominous from the outset, although were unable to break through the Demons' defensive flood and couldn't make the most of their forward entries.
In a low-scoring term, the Dogs led by 14 points at quarter-time after the Demons were gifted their first score of the match with 20 seconds remaining following a Will Minson free kick against Lynden Dunn.
Bulldog forward Mitch Hahn, who snared the first major of the game in the opening minute, spent nearly the whole quarter in the rooms after injuring his ankle.
He returned in time for the restart and went straight to centre-half forward, where he was picked up by Chris Johnson.
The Dogs got the first two of the second term through Minson and Jarrod Harbrow, and with the side increasing its tenacity and lifting their tackling rate, looked ready to run away with the match as a 26-point gap opened up.
But Melbourne was tenacious and kept with them. The Demon defence stood up admirably, and they were able to stay in touch. Melbourne were only 20 points shy at the main change.
Brad Green kicked the first goal of the second half to get them within 14 points, and for the first half of the third term the Dees looked like realistic challengers as they stifled the Dogs.
However, midway through the quarter the Dogs decided they'd had enough and stepped up a gear. They booted four unanswered goals after the 13-minute mark, with Daniel Giansiracusa and Akermanis both getting doubles.
At three-quarter time, the difference was 43 points, and the Dogs possessed all the momentum considering the Demons had not goaled in almost a quarter.
In the final term, Melbourne regained some credibility with a four-goal effort, Brad Miller booting three of them including the last of the match.
The Bulldogs' win sets up a blockbuster-quality showdown with top-of-the-table Geelong next week, with the sides to meet for the first time this season at Skilled Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Just two premiership points separate the league's pacesetters, and the Bulldogs have an opportunity to take top spot if they can hand the Cats their first home-ground loss for the year.
Melbourne faces Fremantle at Subiaco next Sunday.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.2 7.4 12.7 14.11 (95)
MELBOURNE 1.0 4.2 5.6 9.10 (64)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 3, Minson 3, Eagleton 2, Giansiracusa 2, Hahn 2, Harbrow, Cross
Melbourne: Miller 3, Green 2, Dunn, C. Johnson, Buckley, Newton
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Cross, Boyd, Lake, Gilbee, Akermanis, Eagleton, Hill, Everitt
Melbourne: Bruce, Garland, C. Johnson, Wheatley, Martin, Miller
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Welsh (back) out, replaced in selected side by Wight
Melbourne: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, McLaren, Keating
Official crowd: 27,446 at Telstra Dome
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
