Given the Eagles' key-defensive issues, they could ill-afford to lose Mitch Brown. With former captain Darren Glass now retired, reigning best and fairest Eric Mackenzie already sidelined with a season-ending knee injury and Will Schofield on the comeback trail after an ankle problem, much responsibility rested with Brown. But midway through the first quarter he seemed to sustain another serious injury to his left knee, which he first damaged in 2008. It meant inexperienced defender McGovern was the Eagles' only true key backman, but they adjusted by sending Elliot Yeo back and moving skipper Shannon Hurn onto big Jack Redpath. McGovern also seemed to have an issue when he went to the bench just before half-time, but he just had an ankle re-taped.

 

If an Eagle was going to kick five goals by the early stages of the last quarter you'd reckon it would have to be either of the club’s superstar sharpshooters, Josh Kennedy or Mark LeCras. But opportunist Jamie Cripps proved the surprise packet. The 22-year-old former Saint, fresh from a breakout 2014 when he contributed a personal-best 27 goals, appears set to have even greater output this year. When he slotted his fifth – without a miss – he'd managed two more majors than Kennedy and LeCras combined.

 

If you needed any further evidence of what Jake Stringer is and – more to the point – what he could become, we received a subtle reminder. In the second quarter, the 20-year-old had to wait for a pass to arrive near the boundary and was cannoned into by big-bodied Shannon Hurn, who most expected to smash the ball over the boundary. But Stringer simply flexed him off and marked easily. The bull-at-a-gate Bulldog sent his set shot out on the full – a surprise after slotting two earlier goals. Stringer finished with three majors and could have kicked a bag but missed a few shots, including a couple he sent out on the full.

 

Tom Boyd found the going tough in his first game for the Dogs – and just his 10th at AFL level overall – after joining the club on a massive contract as part of the trade deal that sent Ryan Griffen to Greater Western Sydney. However, the much-hyped key forward, 19, came to the fore 10 minutes into the last quarter, out-bodying Jeremy McGovern to take a contested mark, before calmly converting his first goal for the club. Boyd's cause was helped by the availability of fellow forward Stewart Crameri, who was one of 34 past and present Essendon players from 2012 found not guilty of taking a banned substance. Crameri was understandably rusty after a less-than-ideal preparation in which he was unable to gain official match practice while serving a provisional suspension.

 

The legend of Robert Murphy continues to grow … Brilliant footballer, lateral thinker, popular newspaper columnist, new captain – and now equal-eighth on the list of games played at the Bulldogs. Murphy racked up his 272nd AFL appearance to equal another Dogs skipper, Arthur Olliver (1935-50). He's now just 11 short of seventh spot, held by teammate Tom Liberatore's father Tony. Murphy was his usual enterprising self against the Eagles, rebounding with bounce and flair and distributing the ball with precision.