THE WESTERN Bulldogs have celebrated captain Marcus Bontempelli's milestone match in style after holding off Sydney for a nine-point triumph in a rollercoaster clash at the SCG.

The Bulldogs had been left searching for a big scalp after steamrolling sides sitting in the bottom half of the ladder, and while the Swans might not be the team that they were last year the pulsating contest was one befitting a pair of genuine finals contenders.

SWANS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats

As the lead changed hands 10 times before the last change it was the Bulldogs' rapidly emerging midfielder Joel Freijah as much as their skipper who led the visitors to a 16.9 (105) to 14.12 (96) victory on Friday night.

The Swans had their chances as gun midfielder Isaac Heeney sparked a second-half revival with an equal career-high five goals, but they paid the price for wasting too many set shots.

Hayden McLean summed up the Swans' efforts when marking 30m from goal in the final minute of the game with his side trailing by fewer than two goals before slamming the ball into the post. 

The Swans finished with 4.10 from set shots and a couple that failed to score to leave their finals hopes hanging by a thread. 

Bontempelli was at his bustling best in game No.250 as he gathered 18 disposals and booted a critical goal just as the Swans were threatening to pull away in the third term. 

But the Bulldogs captain was outshone by his sidekick Freijah as the 19-year-old then booted a pair of long bombs and finished with 23 touches as well as a career-high four majors. 

With Swans tagger James Jordon locking down on the Dogs' electrifying Ed Richards, mature-age recruits Matt Kennedy (15 disposals, two goals) and Lachie Bramble (28, one) lifted in the midfield as the visitors tried to hang on. 

The Dogs' twin towers Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton looked set to blow the game wide open as they booted three goals each in the first half against the Swans' undermanned defence. 

But with Tom McCartin a late withdrawal before the first bounce and Dane Rampe subbed out in the third term, the Swans backline was led by Lewis Melican and Aaron Francis.

Heeney overcame an unusually quiet start where his only disposal of the opening term came on the cusp of the first break to spark the Swans in the forward half. 

The gun midfielder snapped a classy goal from deep in the forward pocket just after Swans teammates had missed a pair of simple set shots, then tore the game open in the second half. 

Heeney continued to start at most centre bounces then looked to drift forward as he booted four majors in the third term.

Tom Papley (two goals) was the firestarter as the Swans trailed by as much as 28 points in the second term, Errol Gulden (30 disposals) showed signs of returning to his best and Brodie Grundy won the ruck battle but last year's runner-up is running out of time to chase down the finals hopefuls.

The Bont upstaged by his protégé in milestone match
Marcus Bontempelli's 250th match soon became a subplot with the Dogs searching for a big scalp to prove their top-four credentials and the Swans showing signs of returning to form in a shootout at the SCG. As Isaac Heeney was turning the game at the other end, the Bulldogs' skipper took matters into his own hands with a classy snap off his left boot to drag his side back into the contest in the third term. Bontempelli was almost outdone by emerging teammate Joel Freijah who booted the next two majors of the game as the Dogs reclaimed the lead. Bontempelli was at his imposing best back at the coalface as he finished with 18 disposals while his protégé gathered 23 of his own as well as four majors to show the Dogs have more than just a one-two punch closer to goal.

Set shot woes return to haunt the Swans
Sydney was able to hold Port Adelaide at arm's length despite a horror show in front of goal but paid the price for giving a similar leash to the Western Bulldogs this week. The Swans were just hanging on in the first half as the Dogs' tall forwards Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton threatened to blow them away and Jack Buller, Tom Papley, Hayden McLean shot themselves in the foot when misfiring from set shots. It took a superb snap from Isaac Heeney and an even better curving goal from a similar spot by Ed Richards' minder James Jordon to drag the Swans back into the game, but they again failed to take their chances late in the game as the Dogs held on in the final term.

Dogs deal Swans a tall order after late change
The towering Sam Darcy has staked a claim to be the most ominous forward opponent in the game after only 36 matches but the Sydney defence's tall order to contain the 21-year-old was made all the greater by the late withdrawal of Tom McCartin. The Swans' worst fears were quickly realised as the 208cm forward led 194cm Lewis Melican to the ball to take an uncontested mark and then slot the set shot within the opening minute of the match. Darcy soon found space to kick truly on the run just a couple of minutes later but the best was still to come. He swooped on a bouncing ball and elected to go with a drop punt to thread the needle from an ever-tightening angle for his third major in another mouth-watering display.

SYDNEY                         3.5    6.8    12.9    14.12 (96)
WESTERN BULLDOGS    4.2    8.5    14.6    16.9 (105)

GOALS
Sydney: Heeney 5, Papley 2, Buller, Grundy, Jordon, Lloyd, McInerney, Rowbottom, Warner
Western Bulldogs: Freijah 4, Darcy 3, Naughton 3, Kennedy 2, Bontempelli, Bramble, Harmes, West

BEST 
Sydney: Heeney, Gulden, Grundy, Blakey, Papley, Warner
Western Bulldogs: Freijah, Bramble, Kennedy, Dale, Naughton, Bontempelli, Harmes

LATE CHANGES
Sydney: Tom McCartin (illness), replaced by Jack Buller
Western Bulldogs: Nil

INJURIES
Sydney: Papley (calf tightness)
Western Bulldogs: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Ollie Florent (replaced Tom Papley in the third quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Buku Khamis (replaced Lachie McNeil in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 29,246 at the SCG