1. The Bulldogs midfield bats deep, that’s a well-known fact, but even by their standards they were exemplary. Marcus Bontempelli is among the most influential players in the league and capped off his game with a dagger through the heart of the Eagles when he kicked a sensational goal around his body in the last term. In concert with Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and Lachie Hunter, they denied the hosts possession of the football.
2. The dominance of the Bulldogs was clearly demonstrated through the contested possession numbers which saw them have an advantage of 30 – 151 to 121. The Eagles had pegged that number back to be almost square going into the last quarter, but the Bulldogs found another gear. They denied the Eagles access to the ball, were exceptionally clean with their hands and were both dominant inside and outside of stoppages.
3. Struggling to win their share of the ball was reflected in the inside 50 count, the Eagles forwards being starved of opportunities. The Bulldogs led the inside 50 entries 60 to 38 and considering those numbers the Eagles defence did well to hold up for as long as they did. So often the Eagles pumped the ball out of defence to the middle of the ground only to see it sling-shot back into the defensive zone.
4. When the Eagles made something of a surge during the second and third quarters, key forwards Josh Kennedy and Oscar Allen – who also shared ruck responsibilities with Nic Naitanui – looked dangerous. Kennedy took four marks inside 50 in his 250th game for the club while Allen also pulled down a couple. When Allen kicked two goals within a five minute period in the third term there was a pulse, but that flicker of hope was extinguished in the final term.
5. Ruckman Nic Naitanui has continued an outstanding season, back up from his Club Champion and all-Australian performance of last year. Ultimately it wasn’t enough but 16 of his 20 possessions were contested, he won 11 ground balls and had 39 hit outs. He also gained 296 metres through his possessions.
