The Western Bulldogs have backed up their first-up win against the two-time reigning premiers with another impressive performance, this time a 81-point thumping of Greater Western Sydney at Marvel Stadium.
Marcus Bontempelli conducted his Dogs with aplomb, leading the way to the 21.8 (134) to 7.11 (53) result that firmly cements them as one of the teams to beat in 2026.
Bontempelli's spread from contest, delivery forward, and then attacking power himself made him the Dogs' north star on what was a very good day for the club. The captain finished with 33 disposals, six clearances, and three goals in a display that surely caught the umpires attention come Brownlow vote submission.
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01:45
Oskar Baker | "Feels like a bigger milestone"
Oskar Baker reflects on the 81-point victory over GWS, his 50th AFL game.
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03:06
AFL R1 | Naughton's special six shines bright
Aaron Naughton had a day out against the Giants booting six goals and taking 11 marks in dominant performance
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08:02
AFL R1 | Match Highlights
The Bulldogs and Giants clash in round one of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season
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00:59
AFL R1 | Four players crunched in heavy collision
A sickening clash leaves several players floored and bloodied during the third term
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00:56
AFL R1 | 'This is ridiculous': Darcy defies logic with crazy-good pass
Sam Darcy launches a stunning kick to Aaron Naughton, who then delivers a perfectly weighted footy for a red-hot Marcus Bontempelli
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00:37
AFL R1 | 'The AstroNaught got up there': Dog lifts off at Marvel
Aaron Naughton takes a wonderful flying mark to set up his skipper as the Bulldogs kick away
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00:41
AFL R1 | 'Something in the way he moves': Bontempelli magic
Marcus Bontempelli spirals a sky-high effort through the big sticks with ease in a super start for the Bulldogs
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00:29
AFL R1 | Greene's brain fade puts Darc on the board
Toby Greene bizarrely blocks Sam Darcy's path in the ruck contest and gifts the dangerous Bulldog an early major
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05:03
150 Games | Ed Richards Highlights
Look back at some of the best moments from Ed Richards' career to date, as he prepares for his 150th AFL game against the Giants at Marvel Stadium.
AFL
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Bontempelli's heroics were just one part of the headache for the Giants, as Matthew Kennedy's grunt work bore 27 disposals and eight clearances, and Tom Liberatore (29 disposals, six clearances) proved to be as tough as ever.
Forward stoppages were particularly potent, as the Giants were often drawn into the contest, while the Dogs maintained diligent layers to have a reliable release option close to goal.
The ruck battle further compounded the Bulldogs' stoppage dominance. Tim English's deft tap-work gave his teammates first use as he athletically outworked the more physical style of Kieren Briggs and was simply too crafty for back-up option Jake Riccardi.
There was a sense of desperation about the Bulldogs' defence, forcing poor decision making and execution from the Giants, while effortlessly restructuring to rebuff the next attack. Buku Khamis' star continues to rise, with his capacity to read the play and make smart decisions resulting in nine marks and five intercepts for the game, as he and Rory Lobb (12 disposals, seven marks) worked beautifully in tandem.
They made life hard for the powerful Giants attack, limiting opportunities for the likes of Jesse Hogan, Jake Stringer and Max Gruzewski.
The Bulldogs' discipline to maintain length repeatedly caught the Giants out, both on turnover and from kick in. With a layered attacking structure and the deft field kicks of talls Darcy (16 disposals, four goals) and Naughton (15 disposals, six goals), the home side was able to link up neatly down the field with little disruption from the trailing Giants.
Given the quality of supply coming into the Dogs' forward line, there was little the Giants' key defenders could do as they competed one-on-one with Darcy and Naughton.
The hard-fought win over Brisbane at the Gabba last week and this thumping victory on Saturday sees the Bulldogs take top spot on the ladder, at least for now.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.1 11.1 16.6 21.8 (134)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.3 4.5 6.8 7.11 (53)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 6, Darcy 4, Bontempelli 3, Baker 2, Davidson 2, Hynes, Liberatore, Kennedy, Bramble
Greater Western Sydney: Callaghan 2, Greene, Rowston, Riccardi, O'Halloran, Coniglio
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Khamis, Naughton, English, Kennedy, Jaques
Greater Western Sydney: Greene, Fonti, Ash, Himmelberg
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Lewis (head)
Greater Western Sydney: Himmelberg (chin)
Crowd: 28,318 at Marvel Stadium
