Footscray has pounced on a spot in the Victorian Football League top four after an eye-catching 49-point victory over Port Melbourne at Adcon Stadium on Saturday.
The Bulldogs seemed to be well off the pace early in the game, trailing five goals to one midway through the second quarter.
From 25 points down, the Bulldogs sparked to life late in the second quarter with consecutive goals from lively small forward Ben Cavarra.
That was part of a run of 10 straight goals for the Bulldogs, who grabbed the lead early in the third quarter.
From the 16-minute mark of the first quarter to the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs out-scored the home side 70-1.
From there, it was a case of how much percentage the Bulldogs could accumulate before the final siren.
Cavarra finished the game with four goals – his best output since being drafted by the Western Bulldogs from Williamstown. He complemented his goal scoring with 17 disposals, four tackles and three marks.
Toby McLean capped a best-on-ground performance with 30 possessions and two goals. He relished the wet conditions and put his hand up for a recall to the Bulldogs’ AFL side.
Josh Wallis, Anthony Scott, Rhylee West and Will Hayes were the other prolific ball winners for the Bulldogs, accumulating 20-plus possessions apiece. Scott kicked two goals and finished with nine tackles.
Liam Nash was the leading tackler on the ground with 16. Jordon Sweet was the dominant big man with 60 hit-outs for the Bulldogs.
Third-placed Footscray will host top-of-the-ladder Richmond in a blockbuster at the Whitten Oval on Saturday from 1pm.
Williamstown, coming off a bye last weekend, will host Frankston at Downer Oval on Saturday at 2pm.
In VFL women’s, Western Bulldogs’ hot start to the season is nothing more than a distant memory.
After winning their opening four games, the Bulldogs have since dropped their past three, including a 25-point loss to Hawthorn at the VU Whitten Oval on Saturday. Bailey Hunt kicked the Bulldogs’ only goal.
The Bulldogs will be keen to halt the slide when they host Richmond back at Barkly Street on Saturday from 4pm.
Williamstown claimed its first win of the camapaign by beating NT Thunder by 11 points at Downer Oval on Saturday.
Rebecca Dardengo was best on ground for Williamstown.
Williamstown faces a tough away test against Southern Saints at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Saturday morning.
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