A Dale force
One of three established Bulldogs who have felt the fire of selection has been All-Australian Bailey Dale. His kicking had been off, so the coach gave him a freshen up by starting him as the sub against Essendon and the yield came this week. He won the ball and sent it back to put the Bulldogs in a scoring position. Dale kicked a goal in the second quarter but he was the architect in a first half that saw the Bulldogs kick 8.3 (51) from 28 of the 29 kicks they put inside 50, only turning over one kick. He finished with a career-best 40 touches. By contrast the Saints could not make a kick inside 50, with their goals coming from Bulldog mistakes. Dale forms a solid rebounding duo with Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen. Jack Macrae has also been feeling the heat, but his effort was outstanding, a tackle in the third quarter summing up his game as he kicked a goal and helped the Bulldogs to their highest tackle count for the season.
Naughton sizzles and soars
Aaron Naughton looked sharp from the start of playing, getting his hands on the ball and flying for marks. He finished with an equal career best six goals, but he looked extremely dangerous from the moment the ball went forward. He benefited from another explosive start from Cody Weightman who sparked the Bulldogs with three first quarter goals against the Saints, replicating his match winning effort against Gold Coast in round two when he slammed on four first quarter goals. With Jamarra Ugle-Hagan missing for personal reasons responsibility also fell on Rory Lobb to provide a contest and he did that very well, occupying Zaine Cordy and Callum Wilkie and attacking the ball in the air like it was his last chance.
Thumping for the ages
The 60-point margin was not just an ordinary thumping. It was the second-biggest defeat Ross Lyon has suffered in his 151 games as St Kilda coach, lucky to not set a new record that had stood since round 7, 2010 when Cooper Sharman kicked a goal after the siren. Lyon said pre-game that he was frustrated rather than disappointed at the team losing three of their first five games by fewer than 10 points but he would have been extremely disappointed at their performance at Marvel Stadium. Once again they were slow to start, having conceded 15.6 (96) to 2.7 (19) in the past three games. They did not put pressure on the Bulldogs and were dominated out of the centre clearance. They played like a tired team after three games in 11 days and their senior players were disappointing with Jack Steele, Rowan Marshall, Seb Ross and Callum Wilkie well beaten. Tim Membrey kicked three goals in the last quarter when the game was done. The team has young talent and have been consistent up until this round, so they will regroup but at 2-4 with Port Adelaide in round seven the season is slipping away.