AND THEN there was one.

The Western Bulldogs remain the only undefeated side to start the 2026 season, despite a second-half fightback from Essendon on Sunday evening.

BULLDOGS v BOMBERS Full match coverage and stats

Under the rare open roof of Marvel Stadium, the Bulldogs recorded the 14.15 (99) to 9.11 (65) victory to keep a clean sheet, but the 34-point margin was their narrowest over the Bombers since round seven, 2022.

What was framing as another horror show for Essendon became a more respectable loss thanks to a rallying four goals to zero third quarter, but still ultimately equalled the club’s losing streak record of 17 consecutive matches.

After losing Ed Richards before the opening siren, the casualty list for the Bulldogs grew throughout the game, with ruck Tim English (knee) and forward Arty Jones (hamstring) failing to take part in the last quarter.

It was by no means a perfect opening half from the Bulldogs, despite the 54-point margin to the long break, with misfiring handballs and dropped marks littered throughout the game. But the Bombers simply didn’t punish the errors. Instead, the Dogs were given time to clean up and pile on the scores.

Even in the absence of hard nut Tom Liberatore and breakout star Richards, the Dogs controlled the contest. By half time, they were leading the clearance count 22-9 (ultimately winning the metric by 14), and the contested possessions 62-47.

It was evidence of the gap in the sides’ work rate in a nutshell.

But following the main break, Essendon established a proactive mindset, and the shift was on. Returning forward Tom Edwards kicked one, then two goals which were energy lifters for those in the sash. Jade Gresham got in on the party, as did Peter Wright. All of that, however, was off the back of increased pressure higher up the field.

With a willingness to close down space, and get the small things right, the Bombers protected their backline and generated attack of their own. It was really that simple.

For just the second time this year, the Bombers held their opposition goalless for the term – albeit more a result of the Bulldogs’ conversion, with seven behinds – but it was an injection of energy, nonetheless.

Archie Roberts was impressive for Essendon, finishing with 37 disposals and 708 metres gained, and the mantle of his side’s most consistent player, while Archer May (two goals, four marks) led well at the footy when opportunity presented itself.

Part of Essendon’s second-half surge was becoming accountable to Dogs captain Marcus Bontempelli (35 disposals, seven clearances, one goal). Effectively given free range to roam early in the match, he was held to 13 disposals in the second half not by way of a tag, but rather a systematic awareness of the star.

There were moments where the contest devolved into a comedy of errors, as both teams fumbled the football. More conspiratorial viewers may question the dewy deck given the rare open roof at Marvel Stadium, while others will pinpoint a clear loss of composure from both sides.

The Bombers’ good news story
Safe to say, the year hasn’t started brilliantly for Essendon, but a significant highlight on Sunday evening was the return of key forward Tom Edwards from an ACL injury. Leading up at the footy, Edwards plucked the ball out of the air to go back and kick truly from just outside the arc. Importantly, every one of his teammates got around him, kickstarting not only his return to the top level, but his side’s best footy of the match. Five minutes later, he dobbed another from a similar position, proving that his return to the side is just one positive piece to the puzzle that Brad Scott can rely on as the season goes on.

Blink and you’ll miss it
Following a somewhat sloppy start from both sides, in which the Bulldogs dominated territory but couldn’t quite connect with their stacked forward line, they flicked the switch seven minutes into proceedings and never looked back. In the space of five minutes, the home side piled on the first four goals of the game, exploiting one-on-one matchups, and their superior work rate. It proved to be an ominous sign of the speed with which the Bulldogs could score, and ratcheted up the pressure on Essendon’s defence for the duration.

Arty’s party
In his first game at the top level since a nasty concussion sustained against Brisbane in Opening Round, Arty Jones made his mark on the contest early. First, a stunning long-range goal that sailed over the head of teammate Sam Davidson in the goal square. Then, not two minutes later, Jones rose above a pack in the hotspot and although he was the smallest player in the crush, he pulled down a stunning mark and followed up with a beautiful set shot to record his second major of the quarter.

WESTERN BULLDOGS             7.2    10.7    10.14     14.15 (99)
ESSENDON                              1.3    1.7      5.9        9.11 (65)

GOALS 
Western Bulldogs: Jones 3, Naughton 3, Darcy 3, Bontempelli, Bramble, Williams, Kennedy, Dolan
Essendon: Gresham 3, Edwards 2, May 2, Wright, Caldwell

BEST 
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Lobb, Sanders, Kennedy, Bramble, Naughton
Essendon: Roberts, Prior, Edwards, Durham, May

INJURIES 
Western Bulldogs: English (right knee), Jones (hamstring)
Essendon: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Western Bulldogs: Ed Richards (knee soreness), replaced in selected side by Lachie McNeil
Essendon: Nil

Crowd: 38,786 at Marvel Stadium