ESSENDON won't be watching a replay any time soon, but the Bombers did enough to defeat the Western Bulldogs by 23 points and remain well and truly in the finals race.

With both teams coming to the end of their condensed period of football, exhaustion was evident, and the game devolved into a kick-to-kick slog, finishing with a 3.8 (26) to 0.3 (3) scoreline.

BULLDOGS v BOMBERS Full match details and stats

It's the third time in eight matches the rebuilding Dogs have gone goalless this season.

The first quarter was a dog fight, with intensity high from both sides.

The Bulldogs' pressure rattled Essendon, who was winning more of the footy but unable to take marks inside 50, let alone convert on the scoreboard.

The Dogs were poor heading inside 50, unable to capitalise on their good pressure around the field, while Essendon's defenders feasted on the mis-directed kicks.

It took a 50m penalty – coming from an off-the-ball tussle in the goal-square – for the first goal of the game to be kicked, Steph Wales capping off her strong first half with a major.

The Bombers controlled the footy in the first half, with in-form duo Georgia Nanscawen and Maddy Prespakis finding plenty of the ball through the middle, while given how much time the ball was spending in Essendon's half, it was unsurprising Dogs defender Elisabeth Georgostathis was sitting up high in the disposal tally.

The game was remarkably still in the balance at three-quarter time, with the margin at 10 points, although it was hard to see where the Dogs were going to get their goals from to overhaul the Bombers.

Essendon quickly put paid to any ideas of a surprise comeback with two goals in the final term.

Dogs skipper De Berry left the field in the final minutes of the game, favouring one leg, with coach Tam Hyett confirming post-match the skipper was suffering from cramp.

Fatigue v tactics
It's safe to say few – if any – will be watching the tapes of this game back, given the relative lacklustre performance from both teams. The Bombers were playing their fourth game in 15 days, the Dogs their third in the same period. Both teams were more than happy to throw extra numbers behind the ball, but it becomes a chicken-or-the-egg question – did exhaustion dictate tactics, or did the choice of tactics come first?

Keaney's class shines above
In an error-riddled game, it took until the final quarter for a clear highlight to emerge. Experienced winger Bess Keaney took a strong mark back with the flight, and pinned up against the boundary, opted for a drop punt kick, a rarity from that position in the era of the snap. She caressed the kick through perfectly, giving the Bombers a 21-point lead and the four points in the bag. 

Up next
The Dogs have a decent chance to record their third win, up against Carlton at Ikon Park on Thursday night. Essendon has a much sterner task, hosting North Melbourne at Windy Hill on Sunday.

WESTERN BULLDOGS     0.0     0.2     0.2     0.3     (3)
ESSENDON                    0.3     1.4     1.6     3.8     (26)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Essendon: Wales, Walker, Keaney

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Berry, Pritchard, Georgostathis
Essendon: Nanscawen, Prespakis, Keaney, Clarke

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Berry (cramp)
Essendon: Nil

Crowd: 4,011 at Mission Whitten Oval