THE Western Bulldogs will take winning momentuminto their mid-season break after they out-ran the Dockers by 26 points inbalmy Darwinconditions at TIO Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dockers did most of the scoring earlyin the game and looked the stronger outfit, but the Dogs finished off the matchin better form and kicked seven goals to three in the final term to win 22.9(141) to 16.19 (115).

Brad Johnson was terrific with five goals,while Jordan McMahon showed what a week in the reserves did for him with anemphatic 22-possession display.

Lindsay Gilbee and Matthew Boyd were alsoprolific, and Luke Darcy rediscovered his goal-kicking prowess with twosix-pointers.

It was a high-scoring and entertainingencounter – with a streaker and all - and both sides were unselfish as far asscoring was concerned and shared the goal-kicking duties throughout the team.

In 27-degree heat, the two sides put on agoal-kicking display for the Darwincrowd in the first half, with 17 individual goal kickers registering majors inopening half – 11 in the first term alone.

There were 23 at the conclusion of thematch, which was just two short of the AFL shared record of 25.

Only Brad Johnson and Robert Murphy - andDocker Chris Tarrant – had multiples to their names by the main break, andJason Akermanis and Matthew Pavlich were yet to find the big sticks.

It was an exciting and high-scoring firstterm, and there was early indication the Top End crowd was in for anold-fashioned shoot-out.

In his first career game, local heroMalcolm Lynch started at full forward and was marked by James Walker, whileBrian Harris took Pavlich and Dale Morris faced Tarrant up the other end.

Lynch was presented with his guernseybefore the game by Johnson, and ran out for the first time wearing the BulldogsNo. 39 – formerly worn by club great and Brownlow Medallist TonyLiberatore.  

The Bulldogs got the jump and had two goalson the board in the opening minute – Farren Ray nailing the first with a longkick from the edge of the centre square that bounced through, and Johnson aftertaking a one-armed mark in front of Scott Thornton.

The Dockers responded and kicked fourunanswered majors before the Dogs got their third, which came via Darcy andgave the ruckman his first goal since round eight.

Fremantle managed to keep the Dogs at baythroughout the term, and took a 13-point lead into the first break afterTarrant slotted his second shortly before the siren.

The Dogs got the opener of the second whenJohnson marked on the boundary and used a centring kick to find Mitch Hahn, whoslotted the big sticks, but the Dockers fired back with two and foundthemselves with a 20-point lead.

The Dockers lost Matthew Carr early in theterm when the tough midfielder was caught by McMahon and hit the turf hard andhead-first, which saw the Docker carried from the field.

While the Dockers continued to play themore promising football, the Dogs used their opportunities well.

With two late goals, one to DanielGiansiracusa and one to Robert Murphy, the Dockers held a mere five-point leadat the long break.

The Dogs hit the front for the first timesince the first term in the opening stages of the third, when Matthew Boyd andJarrod Harbrow kicked goals within a minute of each other, and Troy Cook misseda shot on the run up the other end.

The lead changed another two times beforethe end of the term, and the Bulldogs moved out to a 10-point lead just as redtime ticked over after Lynch, Shaun Higgins and Johnson combined to kick asolid team goal.

The Dogs tried to wind down the clock asthree-quarter time approached, but a costly turnover as the siren sounded gavePavlich a shot on goal, which he coolly converted to draw the margin to onepoint heading into the last.

A brilliant chip pass from Johnson gavedurable midfielder Scott West his first major for the year – and the Bulldogs aseven-point buffer – before Darcy marked and slotted his second shortly after.

The Dockers refused to go away andpunctuated the Dogs' goals with their own, but when Akermanis slotted his firstat the 17-minute mark, a flurry of majors followed and the margin was suddenly27 points – and the Dogs were home.

The only negative for the Dogs came in theform of Murphy, who failed to finish the game after coming off in the thirdterm with suspected hamstring tightness.

Both sides now have a week of rest beforetheir next appointments, but waiting for the Bulldogs on the other side of thebreak are the Kangaroos at the MCG on Sunday, July 1. The Dockers will host theBlues at Subiaco the day before.

WESTERNBULLDOGS: 5.3, 10.5, 15.6, 22.9 (141)
FREMANTLE: 7.4,10.10, 13.17, 16.19 (115)

Goals:
Western Bulldogs: Johnson 5, Murphy 2, West2, Akermanis 2, Boyd 2, Hahn 2, Darcy 2, Ray, Cooney, Higgins, Giansiracusa,Harbrow
Fremantle: Pavlich 3, Tarrant 2, Solomon 2,Headland 2, Sandilands, Mundy, Bell, Warnock,Black, Walker,Dodd

Injuries:
Western Bulldogs: Murphy (hamstring)
Fremantle: Luke McPharlin (hamstring) replacedin selected side by Troy Cook. Matthew Carr (concussion).

Reports:
Western Bulldogs: nil
Fremantle: nil.

Umpires: McLaren,Meredith, Jeffery

Officialcrowd: 11,449 at TIO Stadium, Darwin