TonyK
CibbuanoDogs hold off North
April 5th 2009 07:53
THE Western Bulldogs have ended their four-year hoodoo against North Melbourne with a hard-fought 15-point win in wet conditions at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
The Dogs’ 11. 14 (80) to 9.11 (65) victory ends a five-match losing streak against the Kangaroos.
It is also the first time that the Dogs have defeated the Roos at the MCG since 1999.
Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson set the win up with three goals while Josh Hill also chimed in with three valuable majors.
Brian Lake was superb in defence with 25 disposals and 18 marks. Ryan Griffen and Daniel Cross were influential with 28 possessions apiece while Liam Picken kept North Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey quiet.
For the Kangaroos, former skipper Adam Simpson led from the front with a team-high 27 possessions while Leigh Harding (22 disposals) tried hard all day.
Johnson booted two majors in the opening term as the Bulldogs booted the first three goals of the match to set up a handy 13-point lead at quarter-time.
Goals were hard to come by in the second term with just three majors kicked for the quarter as the Dogs took a 10-point advantage into the main break.
The Bulldogs threatened to run away with the contest in the second half, slamming on four of the first five goals of the third term to skip out to a 28-point lead.
But the Kangaroos hit back through David Hale, Matt Campbell and Lindsay Thomas to trail by just 11 points heading into the final change.
Hill kicked the first goal of the final term before the Kangaroos punished the Dogs for some sloppy play with a Dylan Addison brain fade and a turnover from Lindsay Gilbee resulting in goals to Ed Lower and Hamish McIntosh.
Addison refused to rush a behind for fear of being penalised under the new deliberate rushed behind rule and instead stood back and watched a loose ball hopefully roll over the goal line.
But as he stood watching Lower kicked the ball off the ground and when McIntosh kicked truly after Gilbee turned the ball over in the middle of the ground the Kangaroos were within a kick for the first time in the match with just over eight minutes left on the clock.
North threw everything at the Dogs in the dying stages before Hill came to the fore and kicked his third and then set up Gilbee who kicked the sealer.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 3.6, 4.10, 8.13, 11.14 (80)
NORTH MELBOURNE: 1.5, 3.6, 7.8, 9.11 (65)
GOALS: Bulldogs: Johnson 3, Hill 3, Giansiracusa, Griffin, Addison, Minson, Gilbee
North: Campbell 2, Simpson, Wells, Swallow, Thomas, Hale, Lower, McIntosh
BEST: Bulldogs: Griffen, Lake, Boyd, Johnson, Akermanis, Hill, Cross
North: Simpson, Harding, McIntosh, Pratt, Rawlings, Swallow
INJURIES: Bulldogs: Nil
North: Nil
UMPIRES: Grun, Meredith, McInerney
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Bulldogs: Callan (concussion) replaced in selected side by Harbrow
CROWD: 34,466 at MCG
The Dogs’ 11. 14 (80) to 9.11 (65) victory ends a five-match losing streak against the Kangaroos.
It is also the first time that the Dogs have defeated the Roos at the MCG since 1999.
Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson set the win up with three goals while Josh Hill also chimed in with three valuable majors.
Brian Lake was superb in defence with 25 disposals and 18 marks. Ryan Griffen and Daniel Cross were influential with 28 possessions apiece while Liam Picken kept North Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey quiet.
For the Kangaroos, former skipper Adam Simpson led from the front with a team-high 27 possessions while Leigh Harding (22 disposals) tried hard all day.
Johnson booted two majors in the opening term as the Bulldogs booted the first three goals of the match to set up a handy 13-point lead at quarter-time.
Goals were hard to come by in the second term with just three majors kicked for the quarter as the Dogs took a 10-point advantage into the main break.
The Bulldogs threatened to run away with the contest in the second half, slamming on four of the first five goals of the third term to skip out to a 28-point lead.
But the Kangaroos hit back through David Hale, Matt Campbell and Lindsay Thomas to trail by just 11 points heading into the final change.
Hill kicked the first goal of the final term before the Kangaroos punished the Dogs for some sloppy play with a Dylan Addison brain fade and a turnover from Lindsay Gilbee resulting in goals to Ed Lower and Hamish McIntosh.
Addison refused to rush a behind for fear of being penalised under the new deliberate rushed behind rule and instead stood back and watched a loose ball hopefully roll over the goal line.
But as he stood watching Lower kicked the ball off the ground and when McIntosh kicked truly after Gilbee turned the ball over in the middle of the ground the Kangaroos were within a kick for the first time in the match with just over eight minutes left on the clock.
North threw everything at the Dogs in the dying stages before Hill came to the fore and kicked his third and then set up Gilbee who kicked the sealer.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 3.6, 4.10, 8.13, 11.14 (80)
NORTH MELBOURNE: 1.5, 3.6, 7.8, 9.11 (65)
GOALS: Bulldogs: Johnson 3, Hill 3, Giansiracusa, Griffin, Addison, Minson, Gilbee
North: Campbell 2, Simpson, Wells, Swallow, Thomas, Hale, Lower, McIntosh
BEST: Bulldogs: Griffen, Lake, Boyd, Johnson, Akermanis, Hill, Cross
North: Simpson, Harding, McIntosh, Pratt, Rawlings, Swallow
INJURIES: Bulldogs: Nil
North: Nil
UMPIRES: Grun, Meredith, McInerney
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Bulldogs: Callan (concussion) replaced in selected side by Harbrow
CROWD: 34,466 at MCG
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