The Dogs are back and they want everyone to know it.
Coming off a stirring comeback win over the reigning premiers in Opening Round, the Bulldogs made absolutely zero allowances for the Giants in what was a comprehensive, clinical, and sometimes brutal dismantling of a GWS side that had looked capable just a week earlier.
Bontempelli was immense, Naughton was unshakeable, and the forward combination of him and Darcy proved simply too much for a Giants backline that ran out of answers by half-time.
The 81-point margin is GWS’s second-largest loss in this fixture, and the Dogs now sit alone at the top of the ladder having put away last year’s premiers and then the team everyone thought would challenge them, across the first two weeks of 2026.
Last Five Match -ups
Rd 21, 2025: Bulldogs 132 def Giants 44
Rd 7 2025: GWS 81 def by Bulldogs 113
Rd 24 2024: Bulldogs 98 def GWS 61
Rd 10 2024: GWS 43 def by Bulldogs 70
Rd 20 2023: Bulldogs 73 def by GWS 78
Bulldogs have had the wood over the Giants, winning the last four in a row (now five) by an average margin of more than ten goals. If we include today’s match, that five-match average, it’s almost eleven goals. Real ‘bogey side’ stuff.
Ins and Outs
Western Bulldogs
In: Will Lewis, Ryley Sanders
Out: Arthur Jones (concussion), Jordan Croft (injured)
The Dogs welcomed back Sanders from the concussion he copped against the Hawks in the preseason match up, while Will Lewis came in for his AFL debut. Jones is still in concussion protocols for the Harris Andrews knock he took in Opening Round, while Croft joins the injury list.
GWS Giants
In: Nil
Out: Nil
GWS went in unchanged after their Opening Round win over Hawthorn, which said everything about the confidence Adam Kingsley had in the squad. Finn Callaghan, who had missed Thursday’s training with soreness, was cleared to play and lined up against Bontempelli for much of the afternoon. That matchup went well enough for Callaghan when you consider he’s a 22-year-old who isn’t at 100%, asked to shadow a bloke who many consider to be the best midfielder in the competition.
The Start
The game opened with what felt like a genuine statement of intent from both sides. GWS had just beaten Hawthorn in a commanding display, the Dogs had beaten the reigning premiers coming from behind, and there was a real sense this could be the first genuine test of what both teams were made of in 2026. An early impact on the scoreboard was what both teams were after, and even with the dogs well into attack, GWS looked set to make them work hard to find space.
Then Toby Greene had a brain fart.
Fortunately, it was just a boneheaded attempt to shepherd Darcy as he contested the ruck contest, which is pretty silly, but probably not in the top 5 worst Greene impulse moments. In Toby’s defence though, he’s had some brilliant ones too, such as his third quarter dribbler to try and spur his team into action, so, swings and roundabouts.
The gifted opportunity went straight to Darcy, who duly converted, and that sort of set the tone for GWS’s day: their captain giving away a present that his team could not afford; confidence in the dog’s forward line.
Bontempelli was his usual hard-to-handle self, amassing 18 disposals, six inside 50s, and three goals to the main break; he looked like a man playing a slightly different sport from most of those around him. His one-step 45-metre snap for the dog’s second was classic Bont. A bloke that big shouldn’t be able to move that fast, find that much space and kick with that level of coordination, yet he does it a dozen times a week. I don’t care how anyone feels about the dogs as a team, but I think every footy tragic can find some joy in watching Bont do his thing, as long as it’s not against your side.
GWS did their best to stay afloat early with Callaghan kicking two goals to remind people he’s not entirely intimidated by the occasion, and the Giants sat within striking distance at quarter time, trailing by 16 with the Dogs ahead 5.1 to 2.3. But the moment the Bulldogs’ forward press started clicking in the second quarter, the wheels started to wobble. Kennedy and Liberatore were swarming and showed the sort of blue-collar effort that has been a hallmark of this dogs side since Teddy held the cup aloft, and by half-time the Bulldogs led 11.1 (67) to 4.5 (29). A 38-point gap that would have had GWS fans pretty upset.
And then it got worse.
The Second Half
The third quarter was where the Giants fans would have been reaching for the hard liquor.
GWS came out needing a response and instead got absolutely flatlined. The crowd was already a little quiet, but when the dogs piled on the first four of the second half, it wasn’t a matter of was going to win, it was all about how much they were going to win by.
The Bulldogs won the clearance count by a country mile through the middle stanzas, and when you let Naughton and Darcy go one-on-one with a GWS backline that was being asked to do too much, you’re going to have a very bad time.
I’ll admit, Naughton as a player perplexes me. He is a simple sort of forward. He runs into space when it’s open, he jumps and takes the ball outstretched to avoid a spoil, and he knows when to double-back on his leads. He isn’t a spectacular athlete, he doesn’t stand on the shoulders of his opponents, kick goals from 70 metres or burn up the grass with the pace of a midfielder, but he and Darcy have formed a dangerous partnership where defenders are being forced to decide which on to cover as the ball is coming in, and when defenders are protecting territory rather than a player, that’s hard to do, especially when you have Bont, Richards or Kennedy doing the delivery.
Naughton had a day out with six goals and 11 marks, and three assists that could have added to his own personal tally. For a bloke who some in the media expected to play a utility role in defence once Darcy was drafted, he’s managed to make himself part of a very dangerous one-two forward punch in this side.
The Bulldogs’ defence was equally impressive. Buku Khamis racked up nine marks and five intercepts, and showed again why there’s genuine buzz around him in the competition. Rory Lobb did the dirty work in the air with seven marks to go with his twelve disposals, and the combination of the two made GWS’s forward entries feel like trying to fight someone in a dream — you’re landing punches but they just aren’t having any effect.
The Giants’ only genuine bright spot in attack came when Stephen Coniglio conjured one of those cheeky baulking efforts that reminded everyone he’s still very much capable of something from nothing. It’s unfortunate that much of the orange army had been making their way to the car park at that point.
The big physical moment of the game came late in the third term. Debutant Will Lewis was trying to contest a Dogs forward entry when he was crunched between Himmelberg and Laverde, with Naughton also in the collision. By the time the carnage was untangled, there were bodies strewn around the Marvel Stadium turf and a reasonable amount of claret on display. Himmelberg bled from the chin, Lewis from the head, and Laverde collected a heavy knock to the back. All three eventually passed their concussion tests and returned to the field, which was the best news of the afternoon.
The Finish
By three-quarter time, the Bulldogs led 16.6 (102) to 6.8 (44), and the final quarter was essentially an opportunity for Beveridge to do some light load management. The Dogs kicked five more for the term as GWS added just one goal, and the final margin of 81 was every bit as comprehensive as the scoreline suggested.
For GWS, there was at least the small satisfaction of not being completely humiliated in the last quarter. They matched the Dogs efforts and managed to win some contested ball, but ultimately still lost the quarter. It looked more like players playing for their spot than trying to seriously bring the margin down.
Controversial Moment
Two moments, two GWS contributors, and both worth a mention.
The first was Greene’s brain fade in the opening term, where he was inexplicably shepherding Darcy’s running path as he approached the ruck contest, basically handing the Bulldogs a goal on a silver platter. The commentators called it ‘dopey,’ which is probably a lot more polite than what was being said in the members’ section.
The second came late in the first term, when GWS forward-turned-winger Harvey Thomas swung an arm at Matthew Kennedy, catching him in the upper chest. Kennedy was rightly given the free kick. Thomas may well be having a conversation with the MRO this week, given the League’s stated keenness to stamp out this kind of contact. It didn’t look malicious, but since when has that stopped the review panel from citing it? Could be nothing, could be weeks. Spin the wheel and see where it lands.
Midfield Matchup
This was the key battleground and the key result. The Bulldogs won the clearance count 45-26, but it felt like that margin flattered GWS. Watching the game, it just felt like the dogs were much cleaner with the ball as they broke away from the contest.
Bontempelli was the class act: 33 disposals, three goals, six clearances, 665 metres gained. His direct opponent was often Finn Callaghan, who to his genuine credit kicked two goals himself and competed hard. But Bont is operating at a level where tagging him simply redistributes the problem rather than removing it. If you focus on him, and then Kennedy or Richards or Liberatore quietly make the game a lot worse for you.
Ed Richards was electric again with 30 disposals, seven clearances, 16 score involvements, two goals. There’s serious talk building about Richards being a superstar player in the competition if he keeps this form up. After two weeks, it is genuinely hard to argue.
By now, everyone has noticed Ed Richards, and I don’t mean just because he’s the ranga-est ranga who ever grabbed a footy.
The preseason chat around Richards was already loud before a ball was bounced. His 2025 season was the kind that earned a Best and Fairest at a club where Bontempelli plays.
His stat lines are comparable to elite players such as Gary Ablett Jr., Patrick Dangerfield and Dustin Martin, which is a sentence that would have sounded deranged three years ago.
In Opening Round against Brisbane, Richards racked up 30 disposals, seven clearances, 16 score involvements and two goals in a come-from-behind win over the reigning premiers. This week against GWS? Thirty disposals, seven clearances, 16 score involvements and two goals. Different opponent, different venue, same bloke turning up at the same level.
Liberatore (29 disposals, six clearances) continues to be exactly what you need in a midfield. He’s the player who does the stuff that doesn’t always appear in the highlights package but consistently shows up in the win column. He’s the kind of player that opposition coaches circle in the prep session and then watch helplessly as he ignores the memo.
For GWS, Toby Greene (26 disposals, six clearances) was the best of them, doing his level best to keep the ship from sinking. Clayton Oliver (26 disposals, four clearances) had a quieter day than his stunning debut, which was somewhat expected. The whole team was under water, and it’s harder to look brilliant when you’re treading to stay afloat. I’m an Olivar fan, but his link-up handball was something that’s set him apart for so long, and was absent here. Usually, he can track every player in his vicinity and find them with a handball out of congestion, but he struggled to get it to a target in this one.
Lachie Ash (31 disposals, 704 metres gained) was moved into the midfield late as GWS desperately searched for a circuit breaker, but by then the game had been decided for some time.
Ruck Battle
By now, we’ve seen a bit of the new ruck rules. I don’t mind some aspects where the nomination is no longer needed, and players are encouraged to jump, but not crossing the line before engaging the other ruck and continuing with the ban on putting feet up is kind of turning it into a basketball-style contest.
If I was in charge, I’d let the big men fly. Sure, the more nimble rucks may not enjoy it, but they’re playing as mobile, tall midfielders anyway. I’d rather see guys like Briggs and Xerri being big lads doing big lad stuff. If that means TDK ends up on the bench like a broken umbrella awaiting a bit of araldite, well, there’s always another spot for a bloke who moves as well as he does.
Today though, the contest between Tim English on one side and Kieren Briggs and Jake Riccardi on the other was a neat study in contrasting styles.
Briggs was a big, physical presence, combative, looking to establish body contact at the ball-up.
I like the lad.
Riccardi was more the roaming second ruck, attending contests around the ground and contributing a genuine goal threat with his long boot. Riccardi did convert one from play, which at least kept the scoreboard moving for the men in orange.
English, though, was simply excellent. His tap-work is among the very best in the competition, and that’s a skill that is hard to quantify. Sure, we can point to the quality of his midfield as a reason why his team dominated the stoppage clearances, but when you look at how often a player like Libba was able to run towards the ball up at a pretty quick pace and run straight into a deft tap from Tim, you see the quality he can display, and why the dogs rate him so highly.
He athletically outworked Briggs and was simply too crafty for Riccardi to match in the pure ruck duels. When you combine English’s tap-work with what Bontempelli, Kennedy and Liberatore do at ground level from the clearance, the stoppage equation becomes deeply lopsided, and the 45-26 clearance count is your proof.
Don’t get me wrong, Briggs battled all day, and English had to earn every touch, but he was simply undeniable in this one. Tim takes the win.
The Stats That Sting
- Clearances 45-26 to the Bulldogs. GWS won the midfield against Hawthorn last week and looked capable. Against this Dogs midfield, they looked like they were unsure about their structure around the stoppage, even occasionally running into each other.
- Bulldogs had 19 marks inside 50 to GWS’ 9. Part of that was the quick movement, such as the Bont goal that went from half back to Darcy on the wing to Naughton to the Bont within about six seconds. Hard to rush back when it’s moving that fast.
- Naughton and Darcy combined for 10 goals, same as they did in the round 21 encounter last year. At some point, GWS need to find an answer for this combination, or the five-game losing streak is just going to keep extending.
- Bontempelli: 33 disposals, 3 goals, 6 clearances, 665 metres gained. Sublime.
- Ed Richards: 30 disposals, 7 clearances, 16 score involvements. On both sides of centre, up and down the ground. He is making a compelling Brownlow case whether he intends to or not.
- Buku Khamis: 9 marks, 5 intercepts. Him and Lobb as a defensive combination are becoming a serious point of difference for this team. The Giants tried a number of approaches and none of them worked.
- GWS’s best statistical performer for the whole day was Lachie Ash with 31 disposals and 704 metres gained. A great result for a defender who was drafted into the midfield as an emergency measure. Kingsley should put a frame around that stat and hang it somewhere prominent in the pre-season training room.
Debutant Watch
Will Lewis (Western Bulldogs)
Lewis had the kind of debut no young player asks for: he was absolutely cleaned up in a sickening multi-player collision late in the third term that also involved Himmelberg, Laverde and Naughton. By the time the carnage was sorted, he was bleeding from the head. He passed the concussion test and came back on, which is what you want to see (especially now that the decision is being made by an independent doctor).
His statistics were modest, with just six touches and a mark, but he showed the willingness to compete that you want from a young player on debut. The fact he won a couple of hit-outs against Briggs when English was having a breather tells me he’s not afraid of the bigger AFL bodies. He’ll be better for the run.
Final Thoughts
In nine of their last ten meetings, the Bulldogs have beaten GWS. The last two have been by a combined 169 points. The clubs have been trying to turn this match-up into a rivalry, but unless GWS can find a way to stop the midfield-forward link-up play of the dogs, it’s a one-sided affair.
The Bulldogs are the real deal. They have the midfield (Bont, Richards, Libba, Kennedy), the forward line (Naughton, Darcy), the backline (Khamis, Lobb), and the ruck (English) to make any team take notice. They’ve now accounted for the reigning premiers in Opening Round and demolished a quality GWS side in Round 1. Dogs fans should seriously consider upgrading their membership to include finals options.
For GWS, some perspective helps. They are a better team than this. The midfield issues were disappointing and unexpected. Oliver wasn’t able to impact the game like he can, but it can take time to create the sort of consistent synergy that he had in Melbourne. A fresh Callaghan should be a genuine force as the year goes on.
The questions about GWS’s midfield when they face genuine opposition need answers sooner rather than later.
Next Up
The Western Bulldogs head to Adelaide Oval next week to take on the Adelaide Crows in what shapes as a proper test. The Crows came into this season as minor premiers and are still smarting from a straight-sets finals exit last year. They’ll have a chip on their shoulder and an Adelaide Oval crowd behind them. The Dogs will have earned some confidence from these opening two weeks, but can they keep the form going away from home? On current evidence, hard to see why not. Dogs by 8.
GWS head home to ENGIE Stadium to face St Kilda in Round 2, and there’s a subplot here with the trade period drama surrounding Giants defender Leek Aleer and the Saints’ interest in him swirling in the background. The Giants will want to use home ground advantage and a fired-up crowd to bounce back hard. St Kilda fell narrowly to Collingwood in Opening Round and will be up for this one. I’ll take GWS to respond at home. They’re better than today showed. GWS by 4.
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