1. Sons of the West-ern Australia
Sunday night was worth celebrating, for more reasons than one.
For starters, the Bulldogs held off a determined and injury-ravaged Fremantle side, while consolidating second spot on the ladder – sitting just one game behind ladder-leading Melbourne.
It was also the Bulldogs’ inaugural triumph at Optus Stadium, after four prior attempts – two against Fremantle and two against West Coast.
And to top it all off, it was the Dogs’ first win in Perth since the 2016 Elimination Final, and their first win over the Dockers at home since Round 1, 2009.
Putting the ‘West’ in Western Bulldogs – not bad at all.
2. Next level Libba
Some may be surprised to learn that at the 22-minute mark of the third term, just three points separated the two sides.
Enter: Tom Liberatore.
After being tagged out of the game in the first, the tough on-baller slowly worked his way back in throughout the second.
But it wasn’t until the third term – when his team needed him most – that he exploded.
From the boundary line, he slotted his first goal to give the Dogs some breathing room, before going bang with a right foot snap just two minutes later.
The clearance king also added another six clearances to his season tally, breaking the 100 mark for the season so far.
3. Bomb-tempelli
Marcus Bontempelli, take a bow.
To kick a long bomb on the run from outside 50m is something.
But to do it again in the same game, in nearly the exact same fashion, is something else.
The captain finished the day with 27 disposals, 12 score involvements, seven clearances and 595 metres gained in a dominant display.
Remarkably, Bontempelli is the only player this season to have recorded 25+ disposals, 2+ goals and 500+ metres gained on five separate occasions.
He is also one of only four players in the competition (the other three are key forwards) to have kicked four or more goals from outside 50 in 2021.
