Round 20 (Cultural Heritage Match)

Western Bulldogs v Richmond
Saturday 25 July | 7:40pm AEST
Marvel Stadium, Docklands • Wurundjeri
Broadcast: Kayo/Fox Footy (check your local broadcast guide)

LAST TIME WE MET

Round 15, 2025
Western Bulldogs 21.9 (135) def. Richmond 8.8 (56)

It was a masterclass from the Dogs' biggest names with in the emphatic 79-point victory over the Tigers at Marvel Stadium.

Marcus Bontempelli starred with 36 disposals and three goals to go with seven clearances, four goal assists, 11 inside-50s and 12 score involvements. Sam Darcy was unstoppable up forward, kicking five goals from 19 disposals and eight marks.

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 LINE-UP

WHAT IT MEANS

by Martin Pagan/AFL.com.au 

The Western Bulldogs (11-7) keep getting the job done as they have added a pair of victories over West Coast and now Gold Coast to six wins by a goal or less earlier in the season. The Dogs might not be the most convincing of the top-six contenders but they can all but book a finals spot with a win over the Tigers especially with the Kangaroos and Blues still to come.

GAME SHAPER

Bailey Williams has made the most of his versatility across more than a decade with the Bulldogs but showed all of his value when playing more permanently in the back half against the Suns. The 28-year-old stepped up in the absence of Bailey Dale to add drive out of defence as he gathered 29 disposals and an equal career-high 11 rebounds in a role he remains well-suited to for the run home. 

THE WESTERN Bulldogs brushed a late resurgence from Richmond aside to run out 57-point victors on Saturday evening under the Marvel Stadium roof.

The 15.15 (105) to 7.6 (48) result was ultimately an important, percentage-boosting win for the Bulldogs heading into the final month of the home and away season. 

It wasn't pretty, but the Dogs did what they needed to do.  

Ed Richards (32 disposals, two goals, six clearances) was a standout for the Bulldogs, strong through the middle and then sliding forward to hit the scoreboard, and Joel Freijah's return to form couldn't have come at a better time, finishing with 23 disposals and five clearances for the evening. 

Richmond captain Toby Nankervis (17 disposals, 34 hitouts) was focused on bringing the physicality to his clash with Tim English (13, 27, one goal). The latter has been struggling for form and fitness in recent weeks, while the former has spent the bulk of this year on the sidelines unable to help his team, so they were keen to get the upper hand in the matchup. 

Unfortunately for Nankervis, not even his best efforts could help his midfielders match it with the Bulldogs. By half-time they were losing the clearance count 11-21, but ultimately finished just two to the negative. Notably, centre stoppage was where the Tigers were especially vulnerable, as that metric landed at 10-15 by the final siren. 

The Bulldogs torched the Tigers on turnover and with so much space in the front half, and speed in the legs of players like Arty Jones, Sam Davidson, and Cody Weightman meant they were able to get dangerous goal side. 

But it wasn't just goals for speedsters out the back, Aaron Naughton (one goal, five marks) led up at the ball carrier beautifully all night, giving opponent Kye Annand nightmares. 

Richmond came out for the final term full of vigour but it just wasn't enough to run down the early good work of the Bulldogs.  

Lachie Bramble's neat work off half back was impressive, resulting in 27 disposals and eight intercepts for the night, notwithstanding being on the receiving end of a heavy Mykelti Lefau tackle, and Marcus Bontempelli (29 disposals, two goals, 556 metres gained) kept doing his thing. 

Unselfish Naughton 
Aaron Naughton has often been a whipping boy of the Bulldogs' forward line, with the key target expected to kick big goal tallies each week, but what he does so importantly for his side is create cohesion in the forward line. Rarely is Naughton caught crowding a teammate's space in the line, and often is a sacrificial foil for someone else to earn the spoils. His performance on Saturday evening, was the example of exactly that unselfish team play. 

GOALS   
Western Bulldogs: West 2, Weightman 2, Richards 2, Bontempelli 2, Naughton, Davidson, Croft, Dolan, Jones, Hynes, English 
Richmond: Lynch 2, Lefau 2, Lalor, Mansell, Taranto 

BEST   
Western Bulldogs: Richards, Bramble, Naughton, Sanders, Bontempelli 
Richmond: Prestia, Taranto, Short, Nankervis, Lefau 

INJURIES   
Western Bulldogs: Nil 
Richmond: Nil 

Crowd: 25,154 at Marvel Stadium