THE WESTERN Bulldogs have won a thrilling shootout against Adelaide at Etihad Stadium, holding on in a desperate finish to win by 15 points on Saturday night. 

After falling 24 points behind in the final quarter, Adelaide mounted a brave last-ditch bid to steal the game but was denied, with the Bulldogs winning 18.15 (123) to 17.6 (108).

The final minutes were frantic, with Adelaide trailing by just three points with less than two minutes to play when Crows forward Josh Jenkins kicked his eighth goal.

But young star Marcus Bontempelli stepped up to seal the win, marking on the lead and kicking the match-winning goal from 50m before Bailey Dale added a cherry on top after the siren.

Five talking points: Western Bulldogs v Adelaide

In a return to their early season form, the Bulldogs kicked their highest score of the season to give the biggest indication yet they can overcome their injuries and match it with the best. 

"I'm ecstatic. It was a brilliant win by our lads," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"It was high pressure … we just had a level of calmness and a level of composure when they were really coming at us. It's an outstanding win and a big night for our side."

A shootout should have suited the high-scoring Crows, but the Bulldogs were on a mission to thrill and played brave, high-tempo football, taking the game on at every chance.

Led by the composed Bomtempelli (30 possessions and two goals), their midfield won the clearance battle 41-24 and gave them a massive inside 50 advantage of 68-37.

Tom Liberatore (25 and nine clearances) and Mitch Wallis (26 and seven) were keys to the midfield dominance, which was underlined by a 23-8 advantage in the centre square. 

In attack star forward Jake Stringer played an entertaining and important cameo to kick four goals, overcoming a severely corked left calf.  

Slick with the ball, the Bulldogs were also hard as nails in defence, with veteran Dale Morris locking down dangerous small forward Eddie Betts and keeping the hero from last year's elimination final goalless.

Jenkins played a lone role forward at times for Adelaide, with Tom Lynch chipping in with three goals and Charlie Cameron (two goals) stepping up in the dying moments to keep his team in the contest.

There was a moment of controversy late in the game when midfielder Rory Sloane marked a pass from Betts in front of goal that was deemed not to have travelled 15m. 

Adding fuel to the fire was a free kick count of 20-5 in the Bulldogs' favour at three-quarter time, and 28-11 for the match.

Crows coach Don Pyke said his team lost because of a lack of supply from his midfielders, who were beaten 15-4 in centre clearances in the second half.  

"They're a proud group and I'm pretty sure they're looking at those numbers now and saying it's not reflective of the effort they want and the performance they want," Pyke said.

"So we expect they'll be reviewing it, talking about it, and coming with a bit of grit come Friday night.

"I'm not looking at it as a pattern, it's more of an event. They just didn't have a good night." 

The Bulldogs rediscovered the fast, flawless, corridor football they started the season with and added a little more unselfishness for good measure.

After having "a few moments he'd want back" against North Melbourne in round six, Stringer had made some obvious adjustments to his game for the better.

The brilliance and trademark power was still there and on show when he evaded two tacklers to snap a goal in the first quarter, but he was also handballing to players in better positions every chance he got. 

GAMEBREAKER: Stringer silences his critics

One of the highlights of the game came late in the first quarter when Stringer won a contest in the pocket and then slapped the ball out of mid-air and into the goalsquare where Caleb Daniel was waiting to soccer the ball through.

The foundation for the Bulldogs was still defence, however, giving their opponents no room to move and making sure they panicked as soon as they got the ball.

They built a 35-point lead early in the second quarter, but that was reeled in by the Crows on the back of Jenkins in a match that did justice to the thrilling elimination final played between the teams nearly eight months. 

MEDICAL ROOM
Western Bulldogs
Jake Stringer could face a battle to be fit to face Melbourne next Sunday after copping a nasty cork to his left quad. It was immediately strapped by trainers and he spent the next 10 minutes running along the boundary before returning to the field, and was on an exercise bike all of half-time keeping it warm. The Bulldogs suffered no other injuries.  

Adelaide
Key midfielder Rory Sloane appeared to suffer a left ankle injury and was treated by trainers in the first quarter. Pyke denied he had any injury issue, however. Captain Taylor Walker was also hampered after landing awkwardly on his left knee in a marking contest and limping from the ground. He played on after a quick check-up from trainers.    

NEXT UP
The Crows host Geelong next Friday night in the blockbuster return of Patrick Dangerfield to Adelaide Oval, giving both teams a six-day turnaround. The Bulldogs face Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.  

WESTERN BULLDOGS   6.3   9.7   14.11   18.15 (123)
ADELAIDE                     2.3   6.5   12.5     17.6 (108)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Stringer 4, Dickson 3, Redpath 3, Daniel 2, Dale 2, Bontempelli 2, Liberatore, Wallis
Adelaide: Jenkins 8, Lynch 3, Cameron 2, Jacobs, Atkins, Sloane, Walker 

BEST 
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Liberatore, Stringer, Dahlhaus, Wallis, Morris, Wood
Adelaide: Jenkins, Crouch, Henderson, Lynch, Smith 

INJURIES 
Western Bulldogs: Stringer (corked quad)
Adelaide: Walker (knee) 

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Donlon, Bannister, Pannell

Official crowd: 26,984 at Etihad Stadium