THE WESTERN Bulldogs have pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a remarkable 21-point victory over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Thursday night.

The reigning premiers were staring down the barrel of a third straight pre-season loss, trailing by 49 points late in the second term, before a 70-point turnaround got them home.

The tide turned dramatically after half-time as the Bulldogs stormed to a 4.13.12 (126) to 0.16.9 (105) win.

Full match coverage and stats 

They kicked nine goals to two in a final-quarter avalanche. 

One positive for Gold Coast was Gary Ablett's successful return following shoulder surgery, but it was washed away with a tidal wave of Bulldogs midfield dominance.

Ablett kicked the game's first goal and finished with 22 disposals and two goals in his first game since last July. 

Following losses to Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions, the Bulldogs again looked lacklustre during the first half before flicking a switch at the main break.

"We needed to fix a few things up and our players made some great adjustments," coach Luke Beveridge said.

"We're pretty happy with that in the end, pretty proud of the way they fought back and came over the top. 

"To see the way the early part of the game unfolded, it couldn't have been any worse really.

"We recalibrated, we checked ourselves, we stayed positive obviously and to have that difference in the scoreline after quarter-time was really significant."

Matt Suckling kicked four goals, including three supergoals, while Jake Stringer kicked three of his four goals in a brilliant final term. 

The swarming midfield won the contest though, winning the disposals (436-384) and contested possessions (150-123). 

Tom Liberatore (28 disposals), Luke Dahlhaus (27) and Marcus Bontempelli (25), playing his first game of the pre-season, led the way. 

What finished as a bit of a horror show for the Suns shouldn't take away from their first three quarters. 

They kicked eight successive goals that spanned the first and second terms with a good mix of free-flowing and even tempo football.  

"I thought the positives were that far ahead of the negatives," Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade said.

"There was a lot to like. I'm really pleased.

"The last quarter was disappointing, we seemed to run out of legs a bit, but when you can do that to the best team in the competition, there's a lot to like."

Co-captain Tom Lynch was a colossus, kicking five first-half goals and adding a sixth to put his team momentarily back in front during the final quarter.

Aaron Hall had 36 disposals, while Michael Barlow (29) was also prolific.

To sour the night for the Suns, Steven May could come under scrutiny from the Match Review Panel for his high hit on Dog Tom Boyd, although the Gold Coast co-captain appeared to try and pull out of the bump.

WHAT WE LEARNED
Gold Coast: The Suns are going to scare a few sides this season. It's easy to focus on the final 15-minute fade-out – and it should concern the Suns – but their best stuff was very, very good. The midfield was slick with their hands and had their more highly fancied opponents reeling for much of the night. If David Swallow and Gary Ablett can stay on the field and Pearce Hanley, Touk Miller, Jarryd Lyons, Michael Barlow and Aaron Hall add the support that's expected, Gold Coast should give superstar forward Tom Lynch plenty of chances close to goal. 

Western Bulldogs: The premiers are going to be tough to beat again in 2017. They looked a bit off the pace in the first two quarters, but once the midfield got going and started pressuring, the tide turned. Like every flag winner, the Dogs had a late start to their pre-season and have looked a bit rusty through the JLT Community Series, but with the midfielders all getting big minutes and big numbers, appear to be timing their run perfectly for round one. 

NEW FACES
Gold Coast: Again the Suns' new midfield brigade shone against their star-studded opponents. Michael Barlow continued his great pre-season with 29 disposals, while Pearce Hanley added 23. Jarryd Lyons was a fraction off the pace in his first game after overcoming an Achilles problem, but did some nice things in his 17 touches, including a great squared pass for a Touk Miller goal. Jarrod Witts towered in the ruck, finishing with 31 hit-outs and 14 disposals, including a great tap to Ablett that led directly to a first-quarter goal. All are round one locks. Draftees Jack Bowes (11 disposals) and Ben Ainsworth (one goal) were quiet but have had excellent pre-seasons. 

Western Bulldogs: The Bulldogs had a majority of their premiership players on display, but Collingwood recruit Travis Cloke earned his spot and had his moments. Cloke worked hard for most of the night and although his 13 disposals and five marks doesn't look great on paper, he often provided a good link from the midfield to the forward 50. 

NEXT UP
With the pre-season now behind both clubs, they can turn to round one in a fortnight's time. The Bulldogs will start their flag defence by taking on Collingwood on Friday, March 24 at the MCG. The Suns start their season against QClash rivals the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium the following night.

GOLD COAST                                0.6.0    0.11.2     0.14.6     0.16.9      (105)
WESTERN BULLDOGS                 0.1.3     1.3.6       2.6.9     4.13.12     (126) 

SUPERGOALS
Gold Coast: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Suckling 3, Stringer

GOALS
Gold Coast: Lynch 6, Wright 2, Ablett 2, Ainsworth, Martin, Sexton, Miller, Swallow, Barlow
Western Bulldogs: Stringer 3, Picken 2, Hunter, Suckling, Crameri, Macrae, Dahlhaus, Liberatore, Jong, Bontempelli 

BEST 
Gold Coast: Sexton, Lynch, Barlow, Hall, Witts, Ablett
Western Bulldogs: Stringer, Dahlhaus, Jong, Wood, Liberatore, Biggs 

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
Western Bulldogs: M.Boyd (ear)  

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Nicholls, Mollison, Hay

Official crowd: 3007 at Metricon Stadium