Bulldogs stay alive in AFL finals race after pulsating win over Demons
After fellow finals aspirants Fremantle completed their latest comeback against Port Adelaide on Saturday night, Luke Beveridge's Bulldogs did the same to claim a six-point victory and keep alive their September hopes.
Only Adelaide and Geelong boast a superior percentage to the Dogs, but they will likely need to win their last two matches, against West Coast then the Dockers, and rely on one of their rivals above them slipping in the next fortnight.
They have some of their biggest stars to thank for this escape act in a thrilling contest.
Ed Richards kicked two brilliant goals early in the fourth quarter to snatch back the lead both times for the Bulldogs and elevate his best-on-ground performance, but the Demons edged back in front with back-to-back goals to Harvey Langford and substitute Blake Howes.
The Bulldogs' season was on the line at that stage – almost 20 minutes into the term – but Sam Darcy delivered a magnificent pass to fellow father-son draftee Rhylee West, whose checkside finish gave them the lead for good.
But it was not the end of the drama.
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Aaron Naughton's quick thinking to keep a Marcus Bontempelli shot in play that was going to be a behind led to him snapping his fifth goal and extending their buffer to 10 points, which grew to 12 points with consecutive behinds.
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News.com.au
31 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Christian Petracca slammed as damning act exposed during loss to Western Bulldogs
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Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
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The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
Marcus in the middle: Saint's future uncertain as negotiations drag on
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Essendon free agent Sam Draper is weighing up offers from the Lions and Adelaide, while Hawthorn's Ned Reeves has attracted interested. Another ruckman who is out of contract and playing well in the WAFL is Fremantle's Liam Reidy, who has found it tough to break into the Dockers' line-up with Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy, two of the best big men in the competition. Melksham ponders call Melbourne forward Jake Melksham, to turn 34 this month, is poised to make the call on whether he extends his 246-game career into next season. Melksham's two goals in the Demons' narrow loss to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday increased his season tally to 31, just one off his personal best from his second year at Melbourne in 2018. He has a close relationship with Simon Goodwin, who parted ways with the Demons at the start of last week, from their shared time at Essendon. 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There are club recruiters who rate Derksen the best key-position player in the VFL, where he averaged 20 disposals and four intercept marks across 13 matches this year, while also swinging forward occasionally. He underwent season-ending toe surgery last month. It was as a forward at Peel that Derksen emerged on the AFL radar, including kicking four goals against West Coast's reserves. But he spent most of his time in defence for GWS, who are yet to table an offer to him. Melbourne remain interested in Derksen, whose options will increase if he ends up being a delisted free agent. The 24-year-old has family in Victoria and Western Australia, where his older brother Zack is enjoying a strong WAFL season as a forward for Perth. The rebuilding Eagles are among a number of other AFL clubs, in addition to the Demons, monitoring Derksen's situation. Interested clubs are most excited about his marking potential in attack. 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