Backs against the wall

The Bulldogs were faced with one of the toughest tasks in football on Saturday night – meeting Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

Known for its hostility, the Power have done a mighty job at making Adelaide Oval a fortress in recent years.

But it was the Dogs who silenced the home crowd early, slotting five of the first six goals in the opening term to set themselves up with a 25-point lead at quarter-time.

Despite Port clawing their way back to make it a one-point game at the main break, the Bulldogs kicked away in the third, before withstanding a late charge to register their eighth win of the season, and third win against a current top-eight team.

Impressive.

Libba, Libba, Libba

Tom Liberatore is in some form.

The 29-year-old currently leads the league for clearances with 84, after registering another 12 on Saturday night against Port, and has been crucial to the Bulldogs’ on-ball brigade and their midfield dominance this season.

While captain Marcus Bontempelli, ball-magnet Jack Macrae and classy off-season addition Adam Treloar draw most of the praise in the middle – and deservedly so – Liberatore’s efforts have been second to none.

After finishing third in the Charles Sutton Medal count last year, he’s looking on track for another top-three finish at seasons end if he can continue this hot start.

Cody’s confidence

In his first AFL game of the year and just fourth in his career, Cody Weightman was recalled against Port after an impressive month in the VFL.

Despite the Bulldogs opting to go for a trio of talls up forward in recent weeks, Weightman slotted in almost seamlessly alongside Aaron Naughton (four goals) and Josh Bruce (two goals).

Two opening-quarter goals and a miraculous over-the-shoulder snap late to ultimately seal the win, there’s not much more the 20-year-old could have done in his role as a small-forward.

You’d expect him to take a lot of confidence out of this one.