1. English Lesson

Tim English is a young ruckman learning his craft in the AFL spotlight.
It’s easy to forget he’s still only 22 years old.
But after just 36 AFL games, he seems to have the ability to do things that other big men could only dream of on the footy field.
The Bulldogs have won three of their past four, and English has reigned supreme in those wins. He was head and shoulders above – in a few senses – on Friday night.
With 22 disposals, six clearances, four contested marks and a goal, English took another huge stride forward to be best on ground against Essendon.

2. You’re a wizard, Cody 

How about that for a first kick in footy?
Not bad. Not bad at all.
The debutant produced some wizardry with a 40-metre banana from the boundary, to probably become the new clubhouse leader in the first-kick, first-goal club on account of the degree of difficulty.
But back to that wizardry angle… how about this photo of Cody as a kid?

Just a little bit of Harry Potter about that look?
We’ll forgive the supporting Collingwood part. He’s red, white and blue now.

3. Contest response

After being beaten around the ball by Carlton last week – particularly early – the Bulldogs needed to respond against the Bombers.
And they did.
The Bulldogs’ midfield talent was on full display on Friday night, turning a -17 contested ball differential against the Blues into a +35 count against the Bombers.
They also won the clearances, 30 to 23.
English (six) led the way, with skipper Marcus Bontempelli (five), Tom Liberatore (five), Jack Macrae (four) and Bailey Smith (four) getting the job done in the engine room.