THE WESTERN Bulldogs have consolidated their triumphant round 10 trip to Tasmania with another impressive victory, backing up with a spirited 27-point win over St Kilda at Telstra Dome on Sunday afternoon.
It was the second time this season the Bulldogs have beaten the Saints after overcoming a slow start, with the Dogs coming from two goals down at quarter-time to win 15.16 (106) to 11.13 (79).
The win cements the Bulldogs into third place on the ladder six points clear of the fourth-placed Adelaide and two full games clear of the fifth-placed Sydney Swans.
Meanwhile, the result hurts St Kilda's bid to overtake North Melbourne and leap into the eight, and leaves it stranded two points outside the top half of the competition.
Veteran Jason Akermanis was in rare form for the second week in a row, kicking 6.4 and collecting 24 disposals, while Brian Lake was terrific in defence with 22 touches after overcoming a knee injury sustained in the opening term.
Daniel Giansiracusa snared four goals while Lindsay Gilbee and Daniel Cross were both busy and Matthew Boyd had 34 touches. Youngster Callan Ward also made his debut and finished with 12 possessions.
The Saints were dealt a double blow ahead of the opening bounce with Robert Harvey a late withdrawal with calf soreness and Steven King "rested".
Early on, St Kilda dominated but was wasteful up forward, scoring just 24 points from 17 entries into the 50 in the first.
Although the Bulldogs scored just two goals in that opening stanza, they were very much in the game going into the second owing to St Kilda's inability to find the big sticks.
Cross and Lindsay Gilbee started well, and the Dogs were forced to briefly reshuffle their defensive structure when Lake went off hurt in the first term.
Lake returned and reclaimed Justin Koschitzke, and with Dale Morris doing well against Nick Riewoldt, the tall pair was kept to just one behind between them in the first half.
An electric second term from Akermanis had the Dogs lift with the veteran booting three goals, and Adam Cooney became more influential while Boyd found more of the ball opposite Nick Dal Santo.
The Bulldogs clawed their way back in front after gaining ascendency in the midfield, and as the Saints were wasteful with their previous forward thrusts, the Dogs made the most of theirs and outscored their opponents 5.5 to 1.1 for the quarter,
It was a 16-point lead the Dogs held at the long break, with the Saints entering the rooms with not only a midfield capitulation to contemplate, but also a knee injury sustained by Koschitzke that saw him head straight for the race midway through the term.
He returned in the second half but had spells on the bench, but he was the least of the Saints' concerns as the Dogs went on to win the third term four goals to one, with Ward booting his first career goal and Akermanis sealing the quarter with a major.
The Dogs took a 40-point lead into the final term, as the Saints looked for answers after drawing almost level in clearances and inside 50s only to fall behind on the scoreboard.
The Saints took some string out of the final result with a six-goal-to-four fourth term, but the damage had already been done and the Dogs claimed their ninth win of the season in convincing fashion.
The Bulldogs will now host the Brisbane Lions at the MCG next Saturday afternoon.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or the clubs.
ST KILDA: 3.6, 4.7, 5.9, 11.13 (79)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 2.0, 7.5, 11.13, 15.16 (106)
GOALS:
St Kilda: Gram 2, Riewoldt 2, Jones 2, Hayes, Birss, Milne, Dal Santo, Blake
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 6, Giansiracusa 4, Ray, Welsh, Ward, Williams, Griffen
BEST:
St Kilda: Gram, Ball, Birss, S. Fisher, Goddard, Dal Santo
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis, Lake, Cross, Giansiracusa, Gilbee, Boyd, Hargrave, Welsh
INJURIES:
St Kilda: Koschitzke (knee), Harvey (calf) replaced in selected side by L. Fisher, King (back) replaced in selected side by Gwilt
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Reports: Hudson (Western Bulldogs) reported for striking Montagna (St Kilda) in the second quarter
Umpires: McLaren, Schmitt, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 38,914 at Telstra Dome
