AFL Round 15 - Kidzmania

Western Bulldogs v Richmond
Sunday 22 June | 3:20pm AEST
Marvel Stadium, Docklands • Wurundjeri
Broadcast: Channel 7, Kayo/Foxtel

7AFL Kids Call: If you aren't able to make it, tune into 7plus to enjoy the Channel 7 'Kids Call' to hear from our very own Cody Weightman. Details for the special broadcast can be found here. 

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LAST MEETING

Round 9, 2024
Richmond 6.6 (42) def. by Western Bulldogs 19.19 (133)

The Western Bulldogs delivered a commanding performance, dominating from the opening bounce to secure a 91-point victory over Richmond at the MCG. They held the Tigers goalless in the first quarter and maintained control throughout, posting what was their highest score of the season to that stage. 

Captain Marcus Bontempelli led by example with 32 disposals, two goals and 10 clearances, while Adam Treloar was outstanding with 41 disposals and a goal. Aaron Naughton, Sam Darcy and James Harmes each kicked four goals, capitalising on the Bulldogs’ dominance inside 50. Ed Richards (34 disposals) and Bailey Dale (30 disposals) also shone. 

THE LINE-UP

WHO TO WATCH

After a standout performance in Round 14 against the Saints - racking up 17 disposals, 14 kicks and three marks - Rory Lobb will make history this Sunday as he becomes just the fifth player to notch up 50 games for three different AFL clubs. 

Having previously donned the guernsey for both the Giants and Fremantle, Lobb joined the Bulldogs in 2023 and has since become a key figure in the red, white and blue. Fresh off a contract extension, the versatile defender continues to build an impressive 2025 campaign, averaging 13 disposals, five spoils and two intercept marks this year. 

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

• Martin Pegan, afl.com.au

Western Bulldogs (7-6) burst back into form with a second thumping win over St Kilda that also made it four victories by at least 70 points against all-comers this season. The Dogs have shown that they are as damaging as any side in the competition when they are running hot and will be licking their lips at the idea of another percentage-boosting win against the gritty but inconsistent Tigers. 

Richmond (3-10) was showing all the hallmarks of an up-and-down young side as it bounced between tight tussles and being outclassed in matches before heading into a bye. But the Tigers have already proven that they can hit the ground full of running with a round one win earlier this year and with an increasingly new-look side have even shaken off their Docklands curse on their last visit to the venue. 

The Dogs have recorded a 79-point win over the Tigers in Sunday's Kidzmania clash.

It was a masterclass from the Dogs' biggest names with Bontempelli, English, Darcy and Lobb all starring in the emphatic victory. 

Marcus Bontempelli was an unstoppable force from the midfield, while Sam Darcy was an immovable object up forward.

When they combined, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Bontempelli finished with 36 disposals and three goals to go with seven clearances, four goal assists, 11 inside-50s and 12 score involvements.

Darcy was just as good, kicking five goals from 19 disposals and eight marks.

The bulk of their brunt work was completed in the second quarter, and was the catalyst behind an unanswered seven-goal run that helped blow the margin beyond Richmond's reach and lay the foundations for a comfortable second half.

But, it wasn't just the Bont and Sam show. Bailey Williams (25 disposals, 15 marks) and Bailey Dale (23 disposals, seven marks) were prolific across half-back, while first-year winger Sam Davidson (27 disposals, one goal) enjoyed perhaps the most impressive performance of his young career to date.

The only downsides came when the Bulldogs lost youngster Ryley Sanders before the match to illness, then Adam Treloar midway through the contest to a calf injury. Never fear, though, for Beveridge's side is one of few to have the midfield depth to cover two important absentees.

Instead, Ed Richards (27 disposals, one goal), Tom Liberatore (26 disposals, five marks) and Matt Kennedy (25 disposals, seven tackles) steered the ship alongside Bontempelli in another scary reminder of how much talent the Dogs have to play with.

A young Richmond battled throughout a difficult second half. Veteran forward Tom Lynch added two goals in the third term, before Richmond chipped in with five more in a fighting final quarter performance that kept the end margin from exploding even further that it had once threatened to.

By that stage, though, the four points had long been heading back to the Whitten Oval.

Solid as a rock for Lobb
Having struggled for form as a forward-ruck midway through last season, Rory Lobb was out of the Western Bulldogs' best team and seemingly on the hunt for a fourth side. However, now reinvented as a key defender, it's hard to see coach Luke Beveridge's backline without the big man there. Lobb was playing his 50th game in Bulldogs colours on Sunday and deserves an enormous amount of credit for the way in which he's revitalised his career in a new position. At Marvel Stadium, the 207cm giant once again showed his worth as an intercept option across half back. He finished with 21 disposals, 13 marks and nine intercepts and was particularly pivotal in helping keep Richmond goalless throughout an important second term.

Match summary: 

WESTERN BULLDOGS     3.3    10.6    15.7     21.9 (135)
RICHMOND    1.3     1.4     3.8     8.8 (56)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Darcy 5, Bontempelli 3, McNeil 2, West 2, English 2, Hynes 2, Richards, Khamis, Bramble, Davidson, Naughton
Richmond: Lynch 3, McIntosh, Ross, Campbell, Green, Hopper

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Darcy, Liberatore, Richards, Kennedy, Williams, Lobb
Richmond: Vlastuin, Taranto, Lynch, Campbell, Hopper

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Treloar (calf)
Richmond: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Buku Khamis (replaced Treloar in the second quarter)
Richmond: Jasper Alger (replaced Sonsie in the third quarter)

LATE CHANGES
Western Bulldogs: Sanders (illness) replaced by Harmes
Richmond: Nil

Crowd: 38,280 at Marvel Stadium