1. Match of the round doesn't disappoint
The Western Bulldogs' banner on Sunday read "We've beaten the rest, let's beat the best". And while they fell agonisingly short against the premiers, the Bulldogs showed they have the maturity and class to match it with the best. In a thrilling game, the Hawks kicked the opening five goals of the match, but mid-way through the second term, the Dogs clicked into gear. They stormed the Hawks, ruffling feathers and found themselves with a 19-point lead at the final break. As the Hawks came at them, the Dogs fought back, the lead changing eight times in the last quarter. Young Hawthorn forward James Sicily sealed the win for the Hawks with a remarkably composed kick with under a minute to go. The Dogs most certainly didn't have their colours lowered, but the game ended on a sour note with Bob Murphy injuring his knee in the final minute of the game.
2. Bulldog's cruel blow
The skipper's injury was salt in the wounds for Bulldogs fans. As Sicily took his final kick, Dogs fans had their eyes glued to the bench as their beloved captain was carried from the ground with what looked like a serious knee injury. It was an innocuous-looking incident, like many ACL injuries are. In the final minute of the game, with Sicily in prime position to take the mark, Murphy pivoted to try and get around his opponent Luke Breust and spoil the ball. That small movement may be enough to realise the Bulldogs' worst fears. In the rooms after the game, Murphy was seen being consoled by family and Dogs officials as the reality of the situation began to set in.
3. Dirty day for top Dog
It was a dog day for forward Jake Stringer who found his match in Hawk Ben Stratton on Sunday. Stringer struggled to find space in the Bulldogs' attacking 50 with Stratton wearing him like a glove at every contest. The premiership Hawk matched Stringer in the air and at ground level and was close to best on ground in the thriller. Stringer did have his moment in the final term, winning a free kick in a marking contest to give the Dogs a three-point lead at the 28-minute mark. But it didn't take the shine off what was a brilliant performance by the defender. Stringer finished the game with 13 disposals and 1.2.
4. Friends turn foe
After two flags and 102 games for the Hawks, Matt Suckling joined the Bulldogs a week after last year's Grand Final as a free agent. On Sunday, he faced off against his former teammates for the first time. His first touch was met with boos from the Hawthorn faithful, as he went on to have an eight disposal opening term at 100 per cent efficiency. The boos continued from the brown and gold army but they soon fell quiet as Suckling continued to fire. A brilliant third-term snap when the game was in the balance, gave his new team a five-point lead, although it was the Hawks who had the last laugh.
5. Deliberate or not?
The new interpretations for deliberate out of bounds seemed to cause some confusion on Sunday. A couple of decisions went against the Bulldogs, the worst coming in the second term when Suckling was pinged in the Dogs' back pocket. The ex-Hawk had seemingly no control over the ball, and appeared to even trip over the boundary line but the umpire believed it to be deliberate, confusing players and footy fans alike. The resulting free kick handed Norm Smith medalist Cyril Rioli a shot at goal and he didn't miss.
