A four-goal third quarter from Marcus Bontempelli has led the Western Bulldogs to a comfortable 35-point win over St Kilda on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium.
The Bulldogs were goalless in the opening term but piled on 14 goals in the following two quarters to record a 15.13 (103) to 9.14 (68) win.
While neither side will feature in September, it was a well-earned win for Bulldog supporters who have endured a tough season, singing their song for just the second time in the past 11 matches.
Bontempelli, splitting his time between the centre square and the forward line, was one of the Bulldogs' best after half-time, finishing with 21 disposals and the four goals.
Others to star were the tireless Jack Macrae (36 disposals ) and Josh Dunkley (34), while Jason Johannisen's run-and-carry off halfback was extremely influential in the third term, amassing 42 touches and five inside-50s.
For the Saints, Seb Ross was dominant in the first half, floating across the ground at will, with 21 disposals to half-time. He finished with 40, including nine marks.
Jake Carlisle was an immovable object across halfback early, with 12 disposals and seven marks in the first term alone.
The game wasn't without its injury concerns, with both teams losing a player to
St Kilda ruckman Tom Hickey spent time off the ground with a leg
It was a tough match to debut for St Kilda midfielder Nathan Freeman, who had finally overcome years of hamstring injuries to play his first game, 1718 days after being drafted in 2013.
Freeman, playing predominately on the wing, had a respectable 19 touches.
After the Bulldogs burst to a 45-point lead at three-quarter time, the game meandered to a close, with skill errors and missed shots on goal from both sides marring what had been an entertaining, if see-sawing, contest.
MEDICAL ROOM
St Kilda: Josh Battle was ruled out with
Western Bulldogs: Roarke Smith made a welcome return after being involved in a car crash last week, only to suffer
NEXT UP
A quirk of the fixture means next Friday night will be the first time St Kilda will meet an Essendon desperate to keep its faint finals hopes alive at Etihad Stadium. The Bulldogs will be keen to salvage some pride against North Melbourne in the early game on Sunday afternoon at Etihad, having lost by just two points last time the two sides met.
ST KILDA 4.2 7.4 7.9 9.14 (68)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.5 6.6 14.12 15.13 (103)
GOALS
St Kilda: Ross 3, Lonie 2, Newnes 2, Membrey, Geary
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 4, Schache 3, Greene, Jong, Macrae, Hunter, Dickson, Lipinski, Wallis, Crozier
BEST
St Kilda: Ross, Gresham, Webster, Lonie, Billings
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Johannisen, Dunkley, Hunter, Morris, Daniel
INJURIES
St Kilda: Battle (concussion), Hickey (hamstring)
Western Bulldogs: Smith (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Umpires:
Official crowd: 20,748 at Etihad Stadium