A MAMMOTH night from captain Marcus Bontempelli has helped the Western Bulldogs crack the top eight for the first time this season in a 13.8 (86) to 10.11 (71) win against GWS.

In driving rain at Manuka Oval, the Giants again failed to roll over but couldn’t snap their eight-game losing run in the capital, with skipper Toby Greene withdrawn from the side late with an ankle injury.

GIANTS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats

Career-high numbers in contested possessions (25) and clearances (14) saw Bontempelli show the dynamism that makes him arguably the game’s best player, putting the team on his shoulders to carry them to an important win.

But he traded blows with emerging GWS bull Tom Green, who posted his own career highs with 38 touches and three goals back on his home Canberra turf.

Four straight goals to start the second half saw the Dogs burn their opponents off, although the Giants returned the favour in the final term’s first 11 minutes to keep themselves in the fight just 10 points down.

It set up a grandstand finish, but back-to-back majors from Bulldogs key forward Aaron Naughton iced the game.

Much was made of GWS coach Adam Kingsley’s potential inclination to send a hard tag to Bontempelli but he had free rein early and helped himself to 15 contested possessions, 10 clearances, six inside 50s and a goal in a monstrous first half. 

The Bulldogs shared the load up forward with nine individual goalkickers and their power trio of Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Rory Lobb found six between them despite the wet conditions, while a young excitement machine led the way early.

Sixth-gamer Arthur Jones kicked two goals in a lively cameo, his high-energy play inside 50 helping them pinch a 10-point quarter-time break.

Greene’s absence clearly hurt the Giants and they lacked efficiency inside 50, veteran Callan Ward stepping up to kick two goals before Green hit the scoreboard late to give his side a lifeline.

Midfield supremos Lachie Whitfield and Josh Kelly racked up 65 disposals between them, while running defenders Lachie Ash (28 touches) and Connor Idun (28) were particularly damaging.

In eight games under Kingsley, the Giants haven't sustained a final margin of more than 21 points, but still have a 3-5 record.

A potential hamstring injury for midfielder Adam Treloar that saw him immediately subbed out of the game was the only major negative for the Bulldogs.

Hard-luck Dog can't take a trick
After a couple of injury-riddled seasons it looked like Adam Treloar's luck had changed when he played in 22 of the Western Bulldogs' 23 games last year, but the luckless midfielder suffered an all-too-familiar scenario on Saturday night. Midway through the third quarter, Treloar had the ball and was running through the centre square when he tried to find an extra yard to avoid a tackle, but it was too much for his hamstring and he fell to the ground clutching his leg. He got to his feet quickly but turned and walked straight to the bench. The club immediately tweeted that Treloar was suffering "tightness" and we can only hope that's true, but history would suggest otherwise.

Giants suffer the rub of the Greene
If there was one player the Giants couldn't afford to lose before the game it was Toby Greene, so when the fiery superstar withdrew before the match due to an ankle injury, seemingly any chance of Orange glory turned to beige. Greene has been the crucial cog in all three of GWS' wins this season with big final terms that turned three-quarter time deficits against Adelaide, Hawthorn and Sydney into victories. Near-namesake Tom Green did his best to fill the void, kicking two last-quarter goals that put a stunning comeback victory in sight, but it wasn't enough. The football world has always recognised Toby's talent, but his talismanic influence is as great as his deeds.

Is the top Dog heading for Best in Show?
Talk of 'Bontempelli's Brownlow' started before the first bounce of round one when Luke Beveridge said the Bulldogs "feel like we cost him one" in 2021, but the skipper hasn't let the pressure of expectation get to him and he was the Dogs' best again on Saturday night. Bontempelli hasn't got the possession numbers of other medal fancies Clayton Oliver and Nick Daicos, but when his side needs a lift it's 'The Bont' who puts his head down and does the hard stuff, as shown by his status as the third-highest tackler in the League at the moment. There's some stiff competition and a long way to go, but if the Brownlow finished around Bontempelli's neck there wouldn't be a soul in football that thought justice wasn't done.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY    2.3   5.4     5.9     10.11 (71)
WESTERN BULLDOGS                4.1   7.4    11.6     13.8 (86)

GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Green 3, Hogan 2, Ward 2, O'Halloran, Lloyd, Himmelberg
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Lobb 2, Jones 2, Weightman, Ugle-Hagan, Scott, Liberatore, Johannisen, Bontempelli

BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Green, Haynes, Kelly, Whitfield, Hogan
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, English, Liberatore, Naughton, Smith, Macrae

INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: TBC
Western Bulldogs: Treloar (hamstring)

LATE CHANGES
GWS: Daniel Lloyd (replaced Toby Greene in the selected side)

SUBSTITUTES
GWS Giants: James Peatling (replaced Aaron Cadman in the third quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Lachlan McNeil (replaced Adam Treloar in the third quarter)

 Crowd: 10,039 at Manuka Oval