THE Western Bulldogs have opened their NAB Cup account with a victory, after holding off the fast-finishing Kangaroos to win by 11 points in sticky conditions at TIO Stadium in Darwin on Friday night.
The Bulldogs ground out the win 1.6.9 (54) to 1.4.10 (43), in oppressive humidity brought on by the Top End's continuing wet season before a crowd of 8256 Territorians.
The tropical monsoon that was forecast stayed away and conditions stayed dry, although the thick, balmy air saw the players spend all three breaks encased in coolrooms.
The match as a whole was low-scoring and typically untidy for an opening hit-out, with the Bulldogs crippled by poor kicking and a plague of points and the Kangaroos suffering from a lack of midfield drive.
In a particularly scrappy third term, the Dogs piled on five behinds while one set shot sailed out on the full. The Kangaroos were not much better, and managed only two points.
However, what the match lacked in skill was made up in passion. Spot fires broke out across the field, with the normally cool captain Brad Johnson and Jason Akermanis involved in separate fracas in the second and third terms.
Akermanis was lucky to remain on the field after receiving a heavy knock from Leigh Harding, while Johnson carried on despite a boot clipping his head. Players were not afraid to put their bodies on the line, and the result was a bruising encounter that thrilled the crowd.
Coach Rodney Eade experimented with his new forward structure early on by starting Cameron Wight and Jarrod Harbrow deep, with Johnson and Scott Welsh further up the ground.
They also threw former Crow Ben Hudson into the centre for the opening bounce, with the big man lining up on Kangaroo David Hale. Hudson ended with 14 hit-outs, to the Kangaroos' combined total of 19.
Robert Murphy found himself with a familiar opponent early on, with former teammate Sam Power running against him across half-forward. The pair stayed close throughout the match, with Murphy ending with 13 possessions and Power seven
Daniel Cross showed what another exemplarily pre-season can yield with 22 classy possessions, Brian Lake blanketed Nathan Thompson in the Kangaroo's first game back from a knee reconstruction while Adam Cooney was in fine touch with 26 disposals.
The Bulldogs opted to rest young gun Shaun Higgins, who pulled up with a tight back on Friday, while the Roos opted to hold off on debuting Robbie Tarrant.
It was a slow start by both sides, with the first score of the match coming around the eight-minute mark of the opening term when Matthew Boyd goaled after a free kick.
The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 10 points when Akermanis found the big sticks following a smooth pass from Harbrow, but the Roos hit back with Leigh Adams converting a free shortly before the first change.
The difference as the players made off to the coolrooms for their first extended break was five points in favour of the Bulldogs, and with goals traded four times in the second, the margin shifted only slightly to four points at half time.
Having topped inside 50m 21-15 in the first half, the Bulldogs came out intent on capitalising on the attacking entries they were getting to their new-look forward structure.
But, while the side received plenty of forward thrust, the players simply could not make an indent on the margin. The Dogs consequently took a 13-point lead – the biggest difference of the night – into the ice box for the final time, despite still outweighing the Roos in inside 50m.
A supergoal to Kangaroo Drew Petrie and a six-pointer to Territorian Matt Campbell drew the "visitors" within five points in the last, but Lindsay Gilbee quickly responded with a booming nine-point kick to put the result beyond doubt.
The Bulldogs now progress to round two and will meet the winner of Saturday night's Brisbane Lions/Essendon clash next Friday night at Telstra Dome, while the Roos will play the loser in a NAB Challenge match at MC Labour Park on the same day.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 0.2.0, 0.4.1, 0.5.6, 1.6.9 (54)
KANGAROOS: 0.1.1, 0.3.3, 0.3.5, 1.4.10 (43)
Supergoals:
Western Bulldogs: Gilbee. Kangaroos: Petrie
Goals:
Western Bulldogs: Boyd, Akermanis, Street, Eagleton, Welsh, Tiller. Kangaroos: Adams 2, Petrie, Campbell
Best:
Western Bulldogs: Cooney, Cross, Lake, Lake, Eagleton, Akermanis, Boyd. Kangaroos: Hansen, Simpson, Petrie, Harris, Firrito
Injuries: Western Bulldogs: Higgins (tight back) replaced in selected side by Stack
Kangaroos: Wells (groin)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Head, Fila
Official crowd: 8256 at TIO Stadium
