Bontempelli leads by example as Bulldogs maul Dockers

Marcus Bontempelli overcame illness to inspire the Western Bulldogs to victory over Fremantle. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

Marcus Bontempelli has shrugged off illness and produced another masterful display to lead the Western Bulldogs to a 67-point hammering of Fremantle.

In doubt to play during the build-up, Bontempelli assumed his regular role in the Bulldogs' engine room and starred in the 23.11 (149) to 12.10 (82) victory at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

The inspirational skipper finished with 30 disposals, seven clearances, three goal assists and three majors of his own as the Dogs claimed a top-eight scalp to square their ledger at 7-7 in pursuit of a finals berth.

Fellow on-ballers Tom Liberatore (28 disposals, nine clearances), Adam Treloar (27, five) and Ed Richards (21 touches, one goal) were also strong contributors in a dominant midfield unit.

Bontempelli's second goal was one of the best of the season, when he beat experienced Dockers backs Alex Pearce and Luke Ryan in a contest and snapped truly to bring Dogs fans in the 21,796-strong crowd to their feet.

Marcus Bontempelli beat Alex Pearce (left) and Luke Ryan.
Marcus Bontempelli beat Alex Pearce (left) and Luke Ryan to kick a goal-of-the-year contender.

"He did some really special things, Marcus," Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

"The goal that he kicked just before halftime ... we talk about the little things in footy, but there's no replacement for brilliance and team-lifting stuff.

"We had a lot of of inspiring examples throughout the course of the game, but that's one thing that epitomises what he does and the strength in his game.

"It was an influential game from him after he was pretty crook. Like the rest of that midfield brigade, he set a really strong example."

Cody Weightman (three goals) and Richards shone on return from injuries, and Rhylee West celebrated his 50-game milestone with a career-best four goals.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (three), Rory Lobb (three) Harvey Gallagher (two) and Tim English (two) also kicked multiple goals as the Bulldogs posted their highest score of the season.

Rhylee West (centre).
Rhylee West (centre) kicked a career-best four goals in his 50th game for the Western Bulldogs.

Fremantle had boasted the competition's tightest defence, but coughed up the biggest tally of Justin Longmuir's five years as coach in their heaviest defeat of the season.

A dirty day will likely get worse when the full extent of Michael Walters' right hamstring injury becomes known, after the veteran forward limped off during the second term.

Hayden Young (26 disposals, six clearances) and Caleb Serong (28, nine) fought hard against the tide, while Bailey Banfield and Sam Sturt kicked three goals each.

Fremantle kicked four consecutive goals in a 10-minute patch during the first quarter, showcasing their speed in transition, but they were comprehensively outclassed.

The Bulldogs kicked 12 of the next 13 goals to blow the game wide open, surging 58 points clear during the third term when Lobb snapped truly against one of his former clubs.

Fremantle veteran Michael Walters (centre).
Fremantle veteran Michael Walters (centre) limped off during the second term.

The Dogs' midfield ran the show through that period, ripping control away from their opponents.

It got ugly late in the match as the home side went into party mode.

The Bulldogs won the tackle count 62-49 and got far more bang for their buck around the contest, leaving Longmuir at a loss to explain his players' lack of fight.

"We just got dominated from go to whoa really," he said.

"We kicked four in a row in the first quarter and the scoreboard would've looked OK, but we were doing it from our back half.

"We never really got the game played on our terms and we got beaten in all aspects that we wanted to compete in."

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store