THE WESTERN Bulldogs have snapped a four-game losing streak with a convincing 30-point victory over Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
The 14.16 (100) to 10.10 (70) win was the Bulldogs' fourth of the year and will relieve some of the pressure on under-fire coach Rodney Eade.
However, the blowtorch is now certain to be turned even more fiercely on Eade's Crows counterpart Neil Craig.
The Crows' loss, made worse because they'd jumped to a 22-point quarter-time lead, was Adelaide's fifth in succession and 11th straight in Victoria.
The Crows haven't won in Victoria since beating Carlton in round 22, 2009.
Eade's team built its comeback around a dominant performance in close during the second quarter.
The Bulldogs won the second term clearances 14-2 and contested possessions 40-25, turning the slow start into an 11-point three quarter-time lead as they booted eight of 11 goals kicked in the second and third quarters.
The home side then piled on the first four goals of the final term to the delight of their success-starved fans.
Influential players
The Bulldogs' engine room of Ryan Griffen (27 possessions, seven clearances, two goals), Matthew Boyd (22 possessions, eight clearances), Callan Ward (29 possessions, four clearances) and Daniel Cross (25 possessions, three clearances) was the difference in the match, convincingly outpointing its opposing midfield.
Popular veteran Robert Murphy was outstanding in his 200th match, gathering 26 disposals across half-back and sneaking forward to kick a spectacular left-foot snap goal in the first quarter.
In-form Daniel Giansiracusa was the game's best forward, comfortably taking the points over direct opponent Graham Johncock en route to seven marks and four goals.
The 29-year-old has now kicked 14 goals in his past four matches and leads the club's goal-kicking with 22 for the season.
For Adelaide, big forward Kurt Tippett threatened to grab hold of the game early, booting 2.2 in the first half and out-marking opponent Tom Williams on several occasions.
His influence was stifled in the second half as the Bulldogs' midfield pressure saw his forward supply dry up.
Tippett finished with three goals, kicking the final goal of the match late in the last quarter after the Bulldogs had piled on seven consecutive goals from midway through the third quarter.
Scott Thompson (29 possessions) fought hard all night for the losing team, as did Ricky Henderson and Brad Symes (both 28 possessions).
What it means
With just three wins from 12 matches, Adelaide's finals hopes are now all but gone.
Craig remains "excited" by the talent in his young group, but warned in his post-match press conference that there may be some "scary times" ahead for Crows fans before the climb back up the ladder begins.
The outlook is suddenly much more positive for the Bulldogs, who sit four points outside the top eight with matches against fellow lower-half teams Gold Coast, Melbourne and North Melbourne in the next month.
Adam Cooney managed 11 possessions in a little under half a game after coming on as the sub, and could provide a huge lift if he can successfully manage his knee injury for the rest of the season.
Should Barry Hall and Brian Lake find some form and fitness, Eade's men might yet see some September action.
Toyota AFL Dream Team highlight
Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa (105 points), Shaun Higgins (105), Griffen (104) and Murphy (103) all cracked the century.
Adelaide: Thompson, his team's only consistent Dream Team star this season, racked up 116 points to be the game's leading scorer, with Henderson (114 points) and Symes (113) also reaching triple figures.
Next four
Western Bulldogs: A chance to build some momentum over the next month, with a trip to the Gold Coast to be followed by matches against Melbourne, Carlton and North Melbourne all on their home deck at Etihad Stadium.
Adelaide: Footy's toughest assignment, Geelong at Skilled Stadium, awaits next week, while home clashes with Sydney and Essendon come either side of a round 16 bye.
What the coaches said
Rodney Eade (Western Bulldogs)
"Confidence has been chipped away at but I think, exponentially, it will be more than a win. I think it will add a lot and it will get the confidence to grow a bit, and if you can jag another one, you get a bit a momentum and more belief."
Neil Craig (Adelaide)
"It's an inexperienced team that I think is showing some really good signs. It's a new challenge for our football club. It's a different group of players to what we've had in my time here. It's an exciting challenge to build this team, but it'll be scary for our supporters for a period of time."
Quarter by quarter
First quarter
Adelaide dominated the opening 10 minutes of the term. The Crows kicked the first three goals of the match through Bernie Vince, Shaun McKernan and Matthew Wright before the Bulldogs could find their range. It was Ryan Griffen who scored the first goal for the Dogs when he jumped onto a loose ball, and just a couple of minutes later a beautiful left foot snap from 200-gamer Robert Murphy had the Dogs back in the contest. But the Crows regrouped, and a threatening Kurt Tippett kicked two goals. Late in the term, Rory Sloane’s goal gave Adelaide a deserving 22-point lead at the first break.
Second quarter
The Bulldogs did most of the attacking for the quarter. They dominated the stoppages, and it was the likes of Griffen and Murphy, as well as Callan Ward, who started to impose themselves. Murphy set Daniel Giansirancusa up for the first goal of the term. Chris Knights, almost subbed out of the game after suffering blurred vision and ailing with a migraine, came back and kicked a goal for the Crows to settle and establish a 15-point break. Just before half time, Ed Barlow kicked a goal from the goalsquare after a terrific smother to cut Adelaide's lead back to two points at half-time.
Third quarter
The Bulldogs grabbed the lead for the first time in the match just two minutes in when Nathan Djerrkura set up Giansiracusa for the opening goal of the term. The lead only lasted a couple of minutes before Adelaide regained control. Goals came through Andy Otten (after a 50-metre penalty) and Chris Schmidt to give the Crows an eight-point lead. Murphy and Griffen again lifted the Bulldogs' work rate and started to control the flow of the game. Giansiracusa kicked his fourth, and then Sherman won the lead back for the Dogs with consecutive goals. The Bulldogs led by nine points at the final break.
Fourth quarter
Will Minson gave the Bulldogs the perfect start the final quarter when he kicked the opening goal courtesy of a free kick for being held in a ruck duel. After both teams squandered opportunities, the impasse was broken by Griffen. The midfielder launched a superb kick across his body to find Easton Wood in space. Wood kicked his only goal for the night and gave the Dogs a 22-point lead. When Dahlhaus kicked the first goal of his career at the 21-minute mark, the lead was 28 points and the Dogs had kicked six consecutive goals to seal their fourth win of the season.
Western Bulldogs 2.4 6.9 10.12 14.16 (100)
Adelaide 6.2 7.5 9.7 10.10 (70)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa 4, Sherman 3, Griffen 2, Murphy, Barlow, Minson, Wood, Dahlhaus
Adelaide: Tippett 3, Vince, McKernan, Wright, Sloane, Knights, Otten, Schmidt
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Murphy, Ward, Boyd, Giansiracusa, Dahlhaus
Adelaide: S.Thompson, Henderson, Symes, Rutten
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Adelaide: Knights (migraine), Jaensch (ribs), Sloane (left thigh)
SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Nathan Djerrkura replaced by Adam Cooney in the third quarter.
Adelaide: Chris Knights (migraine) replaced by Chris Schmidt at half time.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Findlay, Mollison
Official crowd: 19,363 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
