There was a hint of spring in the air on the afternoon of August 16, 2015, as fans poured into Marvel Stadium. The winter weather appeared to be turning, with Melbourne’s official thermometer cracking the 17°C mark for the first time in almost a month.

There was a spring in the steps of Bulldogs fans, too. For the first time in five years the Dogs were on track to play finals footy and, if they could get over the top of their Demon opponents at Marvel Stadium that afternoon, a place in the top four (and the double chance that came with it) would be a realistic possibility.

What’s more, the Bulldogs were taking some excellent form into the game, having beaten Collingwood, Essendon and Port Adelaide at their Docklands home over the previous three weeks. In fact, the Dogs had won eight of their last 10 matches.

Some Doggies fans may have harboured a slight nagging doubt, however. Those who had been at the MCG 12 weeks earlier likely remembered their side’s underwhelming performance against Melbourne that afternoon as they slumped to a 39-point loss.

It was the third defeat in a row after the Dogs had given new coach Luke Beveridge a bright start to his career at the Kennel. They had recovered and improved since, but might Melbourne prove to be their ‘bogey’ team? That question would be answered in emphatic style over the next three hours.

In fact, the question was arguably answered within 15 minutes of the opening bounce. The Bulldogs midfielders continually found players in space in their forward 50, and by midway through the first quarter four of those targets – Mitch Wallis, Jarrad Grant, Tory Dixon and Marcus Bontempelli – had converted chances into goals.

The Demons briefly managed to stem the early deluge, but Grant’s second major reopened the floodgates, with Stewart Crameri and Jack Redpath joining the goalkicking party before Grant capped off possibly the best quarter of his AFL career with his third major.

At quarter time the Bulldogs led by 49 points, having kicked eight goals to zero in the opening term.

It was a stunning display, but some seasoned Dogs fans may still have had reservations about the result. They had endured the heartbreak of watching their team surrendering big leads before. In fact, the Dogs had already done so that season, giving up a 55-point buffer to lose by seven to St Kilda in Round 6.

Any such reservations were dispelled almost as soon as play resumed. With Lin Jong taking over goalkicking duties from Grant, the Bulldogs piled on four goals in the opening stages of the second quarter. Jong’s two goals were matched by majors to Jack Macrae and Jake Stringer, and the Bulldogs held a commanding 74-point lead at the eight-minute mark of the second term. The score at that moment was a barely believable Western Bulldogs 12.4.76 Melbourne 0.2.2.

The Dees finally fought back with a brace of goals but the Dogs quickly regained the ascendency, and a second goal each to Bontempelli and Dickson had them walking off the field for the long break with a 73-point lead.

Thoughts of a three-figure winning margin may have punctuated half-time discussions among many Dogs supporters but in a relatively disappointing third term, the hosts failed to register a goal while Melbourne kicked five to reduce the margin to 42 points.

Still a huge lead, but those who had seen the Dogs succumb to the Saints might have been a touch jittery. Long-time Footscray fans had witnessed fade-outs before. However, under Beveridge this side was looking to forge a new brand and the last quarter was a chance to demonstrate it.

The Bulldogs seized that opportunity with gusto. Rather than being deflated by a goalless third quarter, the players were stung intro action and produced a final quarter of football even more devastating than the first had been. Jake Stringer took his turn in the limelight in the final quarter, ‘The Package’ matching Grant’s first-quarter hat-trick.

But the final term was not just Stringer’s, it was party time for the entire team. After Stringer had opened the quarter with his second goal, Redpath, Luke Dahlhaus, Lachie Hunter and Bontempelli added majors of their own. By midway through the last quarter the Dogs had added five goals to none, restoring their half-time lead of 74 points.

A goal at the 18-minute mark gave the Demons their first score of the final term and at that point, with a big win assured, few would have begrudged the Bulldogs spending the last 15 minutes of the game ‘winding down’.

Fans may not have begrudged it, but the players had no thoughts of letting it happen. If anything, they upped the ante and matched the five-goal burst before Melbourne’s goal with another one to close out the match. By game’s end the Bulldogs had produced a modern-era football rarity – a 10-goal quarter.

Had it not been for Melbourne’s solitary final-quarter major, the Dogs would indeed have recorded a rare three-figure win. As it was, the final margin was just short – 98 points – but that would have barely bothered Bulldogs fans. They walked away from Marvel Stadium that evening sensing that under coach Beveridge and captain Bob Murphy, the Western Bulldogs were building something special.

Match Details

Round 20, 2016
Western Bulldogs 24.9.153 d Melbourne 8.7.55

Goals: Stringer 4; Bontempelli, Dicksson, Grant 3; Crameri, Jong, Redpath 2; Shane Biggs, Dahlhaus, Hunter, Macrae, Wallis
Best: Dahlhaus, Wallis, Murphy, Stringer, Boyd, Biggs, Grant, Hunter, Tom Campbell, Bontempelli, Macrae, Easton Wood
Brownlow Medal votes: Luke Dahlhaus 3, Bob Murphy 2, Lachie Hunter 1