THE WESTEREN Bulldogs have maintained their unbeaten run with a stunning three-point victory over a revitalised Fremantle at Subiaco Oval today.
The Bulldogs trailed for most of the second half before taking the lead deep into time-on of the final quarter and holding on to win 17.12 (114) to 17.9 (111).
Adam Cooney and Daniel Giansiracusa each kicked two goals in a pulsating final term as the Bulldogs turned a 19 point deficit into an unlikely win.
Jason Akermanis was also magnificent at the death, providing the spark the Bulldogs had been missing for most of the day.
The loss left the Fremantle players devastated as they contemplated an end to their finals hopes despite a much-improved performance.
The home side made an emphatic start to the game and a free kick and 50 metre penalty gifted young gun Rhys Palmer the opening goal with less than two minutes on the clock.
The Bulldogs steadied and despite Aaron Sandilands giving the Dockers the edge in the ruck duels, Cooney, Nathan Eagleton and Ryan Griffen were giving the visitors their fair share of the clearances.
Robert Murphy was providing a lively target up forward for the Bulldogs with two goals for the quarter, while the introduction of Kepler Bradley had an immediate impact for the Dockers as the former Essendon player collected 10 first-quarter possessions including his first goal in Fremantle colours.
The momentum swung wildly throughout the quarter with the lead changing six times before a goal after the siren to Akermanis gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead at the first break.
Akermanis was soon back in the spotlight, with a superb set shot giving him his second goal just minutes into the second quarter. He then cleverly pin-pointed ruckman Will Winson in the goal square as the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 13 points.
But the Bulldogs were struggling to kick-start their normal free-flowing, hard running game as the Dockers continued to frustrate them around the ground and the game became a battle between the two half-back lines.
The surprise hero for the Dockers was Chris Tarrant, who had two goals by half time and worked hard to present a target up the ground.
Fremantle reaped the reward for its hard work when captain Matthew Pavlich goaled after the siren to give the Dockers a one-point lead at the long break.
The third quarter saw the Dockers establish a dominance and, but for some poor discipline and some skill errors, they could have put the lead beyond the Bulldogs’ reach.
Heath Black was providing drive out the centre with Palmer and Garrick Ibbotson, while Brett Peake celebrated his return to AFL level with two sparkling goals for the quarter.
The Bulldogs struggled to find a winner inside the forward 50 but Brad Johnson pulled off a stunning one-handed mark before kicking his first goal to provide a rare highlight for the quarter.
The Dockers held an 18-point lead at the final break but the Bulldogs quickly rallied quickly with early final-quarter goals to Akermanis and Giansiracusa to close the gap to six points.
Fremantle steadied through Tarrant’s fourth goal, quickly followed by Jeff Farmer’s first.
But Cooney, who had been moved forward to shake Ryan Crowley’s tag, popped up with two vital goals before Scott Welsh kicked his second for the game to give the Bulldogs the lead at the 27 minute mark.
Brad Johnson added to the tension with three missed shots – two behinds and one out on the full – before the Bulldogs eventually ran down the clock to the final siren.
Akermanis finished with 19 polished touches and three goals, Murphy also kicked three, and Cooney, Cross, Griffen and Eagleton were high among the Bulldogs best.
Pavlich and Tarrant each kicked four for the Dockers, who will take some heart from the renewed form of Black, Bradley and Peake.
Western Bulldogs 6.3 9.4 11.8 17.12 (114)
Fremantle 6.2 9.5 14.8 17.9 (111)
GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich, Tarrant 4, Peake 2, Bradley, Ibbotson, Mundy, Palmer, Solomon, Crowley, Farmer
Western Bulldogs: Murphy, Akermanis 3, Cooney, Welsh, Giansiracusa 2, Eagleton, Hahn, Hudson, Minson, Johnson
BEST
Fremantle: Bell, Black, Bradley, Tarrant, Pavlich, Palmer, Peake
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis, Griffen, Cooney, Eagleton, Murphy, Giansiracusa, Cross
INJURIES
Fremantle: Andrew Foster replaced in selected side by Brett Peake
Western Bulldogs: Tim Callan replaced in selected side by Tom Williams
Reports: Nil
Umpires: James, Jeffery, Keating
Official crowd: 35,624 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
