The Western Bulldogs have had a big Friday night out, belting Essendon by 93 points at Marvel Stadium.

The win puts the Bulldogs back in the top eight as they take another step forward in their race to make finals, winning 22.11 (143) to 7.8 (50) in front of a crowd of 29,367.

The Dogs were ruthless against the injury-ravaged Bombers, with captain Marcus Bontempelli leading the way, finishing the night with 35 disposals and two goals.

Bontempelli's performance topped off a big week for the Dogs skipper, who signed a new four-year contract and was named the second greatest Bulldog of all time in the club's centenary celebrations.

Normally the Bulldogs' opponents can quell the influence of one of their key forwards, but they both got off the chain with Aaron Naughton kicking a career-high seven goals, while Sam Darcy booted six of his own.

The Bulldogs started strongly, kicking five unanswered goals, with Naughton kicking two within the first three minutes. Naughton was joined by big dogs Bontempelli, Darcy and Ed Richards who all added to their side's tally.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS

  • 04:06
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    Bevo's Brief | Round 20

    Luke Beveridge recaps the recent win over Essendon and looks ahead to Round 21.

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  • 09:33

    Luke Beveridge | Post Match (R20)

    Bevo speaks to the media following the victory over Essendon at Marvel Stadium.

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  • 05:51
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    Coaches' Brief | Round 20

    Matt Egan reflects on the 93-point victory over Essendon.

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  • 02:27

    Jason Johannisen | "We took a step in the right direction"

    Jason Johannisen discusses the 93-point win over Essendon.

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  • 02:26

    AFL R20 | Naughton bags career-high seven

    Aaron Naughton launches into seventh heaven with a career-best haul to continue his outstanding form.

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  • 08:12

    AFL R20 | Match Highlights

    The Bombers and Bulldogs clash in round 20 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.

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  • 00:23

    AFL R20 | Team Song

    Watch the Bulldogs celebrate their round 20 win

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  • 00:51

    AFL R20 | Richards never stops running in these two magnificent majors

    Ed Richards starts his work in the middle of the ground before bursting forward to notch two outstanding goals on the night.

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  • 00:34

    AFL R20 | The Bont makes everything look so easy

    Marcus Bontempelli crumbs the pack to perfection and slots his second goal with class.

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  • 00:55

    AFL R20 | Snappy Darcy doing as he pleases

    Sam Darcy keeps the show rolling with a couple of cool finishes in the second term to bring his tally to four before half-time.

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  • 01:00

    AFL R20 | Bont and Darcy pull out one-handed tricks early

    Marcus Bontempelli and Sam Darcy both reel in eye-catching marks and hit the scoreboard in the first term as the Bulldogs run riot.

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  • 14:16

    Luke Beveridge | "No one could anticipate the influence he'd have"

    Luke Beveridge speaks to the media ahead of our Round 20 game against Essendon.

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  • 01:21

    Throwback | Cody kicks four in Elimination Final

    Watch Flea kick four against Essendon in the 2021 Elimination Final.

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  • 00:56

    Deep Heat Medical Room | Round 20

    Thanks to Deep Heat, Chris Bell gives an update on O'Donnell, Harmes and Arty Jones.

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Essendon's defence improved in the second term, limiting the Dogs to just four goals, but while it slowed the Dogs' scoring, it couldn't apply any scoreboard pressure of its own, and the Dogs went into the main break with an eight-goal lead.

There were concerns in the third quarter when Tom Liberatore went down into the rooms with a foot injury, but the gun midfielder returned later in the quarter to the relief of Bulldogs fans. It seemed that Liberatore's foot had been stood on in a contest and the vice-captain was subbed out tactically later in the game.

Rhylee West started to have an influence on the game, kicking two goals in the third quarter, whilst Darcy and Naughton continued to add to their tallies.

After leading by 79 points at the three-quarter time break, the Bulldogs kept their foot on the pedal, adding a further five goals and extending their lead to more than 15 goals at the final siren.

Big Dogs deliver

The Dogs' two tall targets were unstoppable, with Naughton snagging seven and Darcy six. It was their accuracy in front of goal that made their efforts even more exceptional. Naughton kicked 7.1, while Darcy slotted 6.2. The Bombers didn’t have answers for the pair who also took 14 marks, seven of which were contested. 

ESSENDON                           2.2      2.5       4.6        7.8 (50)  
WESTERN BULLDOGS          6.5     10.5     17.7     22.11 (143)  

GOALS
Essendon: Wright 2, McMahon 2, Perkins, Kako, Caddy
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 7, Darcy 6, West 3, Richards 2, Bontempelli 2, Sanders, Poulter

BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Durham, Shiel, Redman, Roberts
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Naughton, Darcy, Liberatore, Williams

INJURIES
Essendon: Ridley (hamstring tightness)
Western Bulldogs: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Oskar Smartt (replaced Jordan Ridley in the second quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Laitham Vandermeer (replaced Tom Liberatore in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 29,367 at Marvel Stadium