Player Ratings - Round 12

The Western Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak with a percentage-boosting 57-point win over the Adelaide Crows on Sunday.

With the end of the season swiftly sneaking up on us - there are just five more games to go until the finals - the Bulldogs got themselves level on points with the top 8 in a much-needed performance that saw them extend their lead at every change.

3. Mitch Wallis

Would be disappointed with the 0.3 display in front of goal, especially given what an accurate kick he has been all season, although you would rather him have his off day on an occasion such as this, rather than on a day where the margin is a bit closer. It's only the accuracy that prevented a higher score, given he was well involved throughout the match - 6

4. Marcus Bontempelli

As much as I want to give out 10s to several players this week, I can't truly justify it. However, when you have 33 disposals at 81%, 12 clearances, 11 score involvements, nine tackles, six marks, and kick 2.0, I'm afraid that I have to concede. Unplayable at times - 10

5. Josh Dunkley

It was good to see Tim English providing some much-needed backup for the main ruckman in Dunkley. Jokes aside, he attended 30 ruck contests out of the 75 that took place for the afternoon (English attended 39). Against a better opposition ruck/midfield combination, such a structure isn't sustainable, and the Dogs have to look at integrating a genuine secondary ruck option. As for Dunkley, he gained just three metres from his 17 possessions, but after a lengthy layoff, he's still building his way back up at this stage - 7

6. Bailey Smith

Slow-ish in the opening term, but flicked the switch after quarter time, amasssing 12, eight, and 11 disposals respectively in the last three quarters to finish with a career-high of 37 for the match. Of those 37 disposals, 26 were kicks, and he also gathered 12 score involvements, 10 inside-50s, and six clearances. In stark contrast to Dunkley, he managed a whopping 813 metres gained, which are staggering figures for a midfielder; had we been playing 20-minute quarters, he could well have broken the 1km barrier. Just writing this paragraph has convinced me to upgrade his score by one mark - 10

7. Lachie Hunter

I've previously been of the opinion that Hunter is slightly overrated as a footballer, but his importance has been pretty clear to us during his absence, and he rubber-stamped his return on the weekend with arguably the hardest-working performance of the match. The 29 disposals was fantastic, but it was the willingness to run through the midfield and regularly provide that extra option that benefited us most of all, and his running goal in the third quarter was probably the most popular goal kicked for the day - 9

Would someone be so kind as to send this screenshot to Caroline Wilson? Thanks. Source: Getty Images

10. Easton Wood

A number of people were fairly critical of my judgement of Wood last week, but he responded in kind of the weekend, looking far more confident with the ball in hand, not rushing into those errant mistakes as he made more frequently last week, and his aerial presence was key given the absence of Zaine Cordy and Hayden Crozier. A great return to form was capped off with the Bulldogs Mark of the Year so far - 8

11. Jackson Macrae

Truly was the quiet accumulator this week, going well under the radar given the exploits of several of his compatriots. Just another 27 disposals and just another typical Jack Macrae performance - 8

14. Rhylee West

He should eventually grow into a midfield role, but for now, he's handy as a small pressure forward. He didn't hit the scoreboard this week, but was usually lurking around the contest when the ball was in the forward line, and gave the Adelaide defenders some headaches on more than one occasion - 5

16. Toby McLean

A good player to have in the side, because he normally contributes positively, and he did so again today. Not one of this 13 disposals missed the target, but he also kicked a clever goal in the last quarter. Also worth noting that his tackling technique is second to none - 7

20. Ed Richards

With no Jason Johannisen or Laitham Vandermeer in the side, Richards' run was going to be put to the test. But he put in a really impressive shift, especially given the struggles he's had of late. Kicked the ball much better this week, and looked comfortable in a more familiar role across half-back, despite only managing 10 disposals - 7

21. Tom Liberatore

Another 15 contested possessions out of 25 for the match was a great return for Liberatore. Also managed just six clearances and four tackles to boot. Given coach Luke Beveridge feared that Liberatore may never play again a few months ago, this has been a supreme season from him - 8

22. Sam Lloyd

Helped himself to an easy goal late in the first half, but was otherwise well held by Adelaide youngster Andrew McPherson until half time. Even when McPherson was sidelined for the second half due to injury, Lloyd still wasn't able to break free from the chain, with just 10 disposals and no further score - 5

25. Ben Cavarra

We pleaded for this guy to be given a chance during the week, and he didn't let us down when given that opportunity, kicking 2.2 and looking comfortable at AFL level. The inclusion of actual forwards such as Cavarra as opposed to makeshift forwards adds a bit more structure in an area that we have struggled a lot in this year, and should be afforded the opportunity to cement his place in the side for the remainder of the year - 7

27. Patrick Lipinski

Still in this rut of his, but looks like he's really trying to break through it. He only managed the 16 disposals, but covered the joint-most ground (13.7km) of all Bulldogs players, so the positive is that the effort remains despite things not quite falling his way at the moment - 6

31. Bailey Dale

Not as dominant as his last outing against the Crows, but did kick an early goal, and still looms as a handy option up forward. Interestingly, he didn't take a mark, although was unlucky not to be paid one in the third term that would've put him within scoring range - 5

33. Aaron Naughton

It seems that the law of the Bulldogs key forwards this year is that you either kick one goal, or six - middle ground is a concept that just doesn't exist at the moment. But Naughton was superb. He tallied 6.1 and six marks (three contested), and his eight disposals for the game resulted in a combined score of 7.1 for the Bulldogs. He also benefitted greatly from the midfielders kicking it into positions for him to run and jump, rather than be forced to wrestle with an opponent. It feels harsh to not give him a 10, because as impressive as the six goals were, he struggled to get involved in the game beyond that; performances such as the ones he had against Richmond and Geelong last year are more deserving examples of a 10. Besides, I can't justify handing out three of them in one game - 9

Aaron Naughton (C) kicked a career-best six goals, while Ben Cavarra (L) also had an impact. Source: Getty Images

34. Bailey Williams

Brilliant again. 20 disposals (17 kicks), six rebounds from defensive 50, and 617 metres gained is pretty much what he's brought to the table all year, and maintains his standing as one of the most well-rounded defenders in the competition according to the AFL Player Ratings - 9

35. Caleb Daniel

It was brought to our attention yesterday that there is a social media page dedicated to every kick Caleb Daniel has. We'll put our hand up and admit that it wasn't our idea, but we wish it was. Also had 17 kicks in amongst his 25 disposals, and hit a target with 22 of them - 8

37. Roarke Smith

His inclusion was a surprise, but he was ok. Never seems to do anything wrong when he gets the ball, but it's getting the ball that's normally the problem for him. His 12 disposals resulted in just three kicks, but he did manage a team-high five intercepts - 5

42. Alex Keath

Adelaide managed just 32 inside 50s for the match, so Keath wasn't required too many times throughout the afternoon, but didn't do anything wrong when the ball came anywhere near him. Adelaide's two key forwards in Walker and Himmelberg combined for just one goal each, and both were virtually unsighted after quarter time - 8

43. Ryan Gardner

Had some moments that caused the heart to skip a beat or two (normally if he was trying to either kick short or switch the play), but nothing disastrous happened under his watch, which would be a relief to no one more than Gardner himself after last week. Appeared relatively assured and looked to have things under control in a solid outing - 7

44. Tim English

The 1.4 is a bit misguided, given one of those points was a quick snap from distance, and another one was "touched", but the two set shot misses were of great concern, given that they weren't even close to the target. Worked well around the ground, but was probably beaten by Reilly O'Brien overall, and suffered an ankle injury late in the match that puts him in doubt for the clash against Melbourne this week - 7

LEADERBOARD:

1. Jackson Macrae - 95 votes

=2. Caleb Daniel - 85 votes

=2. Alex Keath - 85 votes

4. Bailey Williams - 84 votes

5. Marcus Bontempelli - 82 votes