But none were better than Bob Murphy's brilliant banana kick goal, from right on the boundary, early in the third quarter.
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"It was all instinct," Murphy admitted to AFL.com.au amid the hubbub in the Bulldogs' rooms after the long-awaited victory.
"The only thought I had was to kick the ball as hard as I possibly could.
"I went for the banana kick as hard as I could and, to be honest, I was a little bit embarrassed it went through. It had no right to go through.
"What's the line? It was more arse than class!"
Murphy attempted to cap off his day in spectacular fashion when he tried another banana kick from near the boundary during the final quarter, but the shot narrowly missed the target.
"That was probably where my skill-level is at – a truer reflection, you might say," Murphy chuckled.
With Matthew Boyd sidelined by a calf strain, Murphy captained the Dogs against the Lions, and he was certainly a proud man by the end of the match.
"It was great to be given the honour," he said.
"I'm a Bulldog person, will be forever, and to be able to say you've led out the boys for a win is great."
As for whether anyone at the club expected such a dominant performance against the NAB Cup winners, Murphy said: "We're a pretty optimistic bunch, footballers and footy clubs in general, so you go into every game thinking you can win.
"The margin, I just had a look at it then and I don't think many people would have tipped that, including ourselves.
"But it still felt like a really tough day. Guys were going down with cramp left, right and centre."
Murphy kicked two goals and set up numerous others while weaving his magic across half-forward.
His usual position on the half-back line was filled by 29-year-old debutant Brett Goodes, who showed poise and skill that was reminiscent of Murphy at his best.
"He's a great player," Murphy said of Goodes.
"It sort of amazes you that it takes this long for him to get into the big league, because he's got all the attributes of a quality half-back."
Murphy was also delighted with the performance of veteran defender Dale Morris, who successfully negotiated his first AFL appearance since breaking his leg late in the 2011 season.
"You won't hear a bad word in our footy club about Dale Morris, and what a great story it is," Murphy said.
"To come back the way he has, after a horrific injury, he's put an enormous amount of work in.
"To see him play today, it just looked like he hadn't missed a beat, so it was an incredible effort."
