Player Ratings - Round 4

The Western Bulldogs recent dominance over Sydney continued on Thursday, with a strong first half providing the necessary platform to pull away with a 28-point win, squaring the ledger at 2-2, and leaving themselves sitting only just outside the top 8. It was the Bulldogs sixth win in eight matches against the Swans since Luke Beveridge arrived, including our third win at the SCG in our last four appearances.

On the field, there was plenty of variety, with some terrific performances cancelled out with a couple of injuries, but let's take a closer look at who stood out in particular.

3. Mitch Wallis

First time this season where he didn't hit the scoreboard, but still managed to get involved, with 14 disposals and 5 score involvements. Can't be underestimated as to what a fine job he is doing in an unfamiliar role - 6

4. Marcus Bontempelli

The two marks he took while going back with the flight in the second quarter were the highlights in a phenomenal first half. Had his colours lowered slightly after half time, but it was a complete captain's performance, with 19 disposals, seven tackles, seven clearances, and two goals. Unstoppable at times, and likely to feature in the Brownlow votes - 9

Bontempelli - Italian for "excellence". Source: Getty Images

6. Bailey Smith

Bruce McAvaney labelled him the best second-year player in the competition, and it's easy to see why. We've been singing his praises all year and it's nice to see them being echoed. Would like for him to kick it slightly more often (seven kicks from 20 disposals), but another great game - 7

9. Hayden Crozier

Only the third time in his 112-game career that he failed to take a mark, which is unusual given his role in the side, but in a match where territorial dominance seemed to dictate the momentum, Crozier's game-high five inside-50s were on great importance. His job on Nick Blakey was equally critical - 7

11. Jackson Macrae

A team-high 22 disposals, collected and distributed with his usual effectiveness. A great performance given he was heavily tagged. Also turned centre-forward with an important soccer-goal in the last quarter that put the game beyond Sydney - 8

12. Zaine Cordy

Did his job defensively, putting his body on the line to prevent the opposition going forward. Also managed five rebounds from defensive 50, and played a hand in two scores - 6

14. Rhylee West

Showed the typical tenacity that you would expect from a West. Eight of his 13 possessions where contested, which underlines his desire to win the hard ball, and kicked an important goal at the start of the last term. - 6

16. Toby McLean

Not as influential as last week, but still contributed with four tackles and three clearances, and distributed the ball with his usual class. Heard that he has adopted a tagging role in recent weeks; need to take a closer look to see if that's true - 5

17. Josh Bruce

Thought he was better this week, with four score involvements and 1.1 on the scoresheet (although the goal was gifted to him). His miss was disappointing given it was a relatively straightforward opportunity, but he's still a way off what Bulldogs fans had been hoping for - 4

18. Louis Butler

Probably the best debutant the Bulldogs have seen this year. Really worked hard to provide a contest all over the ground and found enough of the ball to have an impact (14 disposals). There's something to work with, here - 6

20. Ed Richards

Used the ball pretty well, but you would like to see him accrue more than 12 disposals in a game, given his class. Has built a sound foundation to start his AFL career, but will be looking to kick-on soon - 5

21. Tom Liberatore

We said it last week as well, but he's just such an important player to the Bulldogs midfield. His numbers don't do justice to his efforts to help his teammates, and the pressure he applies to the opposition. In a constellation of stars, he may just be the most important - 7

22. Sam Lloyd

It was looking like his best game of the year, until he sustained an injury to either his shoulder or collarbone. The exact details are not yet clear, but it's likely to see him sidelined for at least a few weeks - 4

23. Laitham Vandemeer

Seems to pull off one moment of genius every week. This time, it was the ability to floor Dean Rampe in a one-on-one marking contest, before going back and kicking the goal. Hit the post with another effort late-on, and seems to be playing forward a lot despite spending his junior days in defence - 3

27. Patrick Lipinski

Still trying to figure out how or why he was dropped for last week's game. 20 disposals and five score involvements was a nice return, although missed a shot on goal early in the game that you would expect him to convert - 7

31. Bailey Dale

Personally, I'm not the biggest Bailey Dale fan, but was very important last night, particularly in the first half. He provided a strong target, led well, and gave the Swans plenty to think about. Found himself in the umpires book for a late hit in the third quarter, but he shouldn't have much to worry about - 6

33. Aaron Naughton

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the night, and through no fault of his own. Played a hand in each of the Bulldogs three first-quarter goals (including kicking one of his own), and was probably the best player on the ground until he suffered an ankle injury late in the quarter. His marking was looking really good as well; had he played out the match, this score would've very likely been an 8 or 9 - 4

On a night that started with such promise, Aaron Naughton (R) ended it on crutches. Source: Getty Images

34. Bailey Williams

A bit like Ed Richards, Williams has formed a nice base and been producing consistent numbers, but will be looking to elevate to the next level soon. But for the time being, has worked himself into not only a nice groove, but a Best 22 spot as well. Game-high eight defensive-50 rebounds - 7

35. Caleb Daniel

Once again proved himself critically important, regularly getting a hand in to prevent Sydney attacks, and normally hit a target when tasked with the responsibility of going forward himself - 7

39. Jason Johannisen

A relatively middling performance. Didn't do a whole heap wrong, but wasn't a standout, either. Still to find his groove this season - 5

42. Alex Keath

Quiet, but then again, you don't mind it if your full-back goes the game without being heavily involved. For the third week running, the opposition talls struggled to have an impact, which is a credit to Keath. Overall, he's made a big difference since his arrival - 6

44. Tim English

Played to his strengths once again, and when he does that, he becomes a much better player. The ruck-wrestling abilities will (hopefully) come, but in the meantime, his ability to play as a tall midfielder is significant. Against two different ruckmen, he ran them ragged, drifting back and forth to either take intercept marks, kick goals, or win the ball through the midfield. Easily his best game for the club - 9