Player Ratings - Round 11

The Western Bulldogs relinquished top spot on the AFL ladder, falling to Melbourne by 28 points in a top-of-the-table clash that took place in front of an empty Marvel Stadium.

The Bulldogs never got their best game going, with several players having off nights in what was one of the Bulldogs biggest home-and-away games in their history.

4. Marcus Bontempelli

Worked really hard to get something going for the Bulldogs, but it just wouldn’t happen for him. 30 disposals, eight tackles and five clearances makes for a great night, but his effort didn’t eventuate into anything for the team – 8

6. Bailey Smith

A bit like many Bulldogs who played on Friday night – enough of the ball, but not enough of an output with it. 27 disposals was the second-most he’s managed this season, but just didn’t influence the game like you would expect him to, especially with those kind of numbers – 6

7. Lachie Hunter

Assisted two goals from his 27 disposals and went at 88% efficiency. It’s the sort of performance that we’ve come to expect from Hunter, so it wasn’t his fault – 8

9. Hayden Crozier

Was part of a defence that was under siege for large parts of the game, but held his own overall, finishing with 26 disposals, nine marks, and a team-high 10 intercept possessions – 8

11. Jackson Macrae

Did plenty of good things, but it’s another case of not being as damaging as he been in previous fixtures. His 36 disposals resulted in just five scores, but he worked hard in the contest as well with six clearances and nine tackles – 9

The end product may not have been there this week, but with 36 possessions, no one could fault Jackson Macrae's efforts. Source: AFL.com.au

12. Zaine Cordy

It’s easy to single him out as the whipping boy, but there wasn’t much to point the finger at him for, unlike the defeat to Richmond earlier this year. The two key forwards in McDonald and Weideman combined for five goals from six marks inside-50, but Weideman in particular was unsighted for vast portions of the match. Cordy, meanwhile finished with eight one-percenters and six spoils, which is a pretty solid showing – 7

15. Taylor Duryea

Didn’t have a major impact on the game, despite there not being a big drop off in his numbers. As we’ve always said, his role is to act as a calming influence on the defence and to help keep them organised, and although he’s not entirely to blame for the lack of cohesion in the back half, he wasn’t able to do perform a role he has carried out to a high standard throughout the year – 5

17. Josh Bruce

A few commentators were critical of his performance and for his inability to impact aerial contests; personally, I believe that the primary role of a key forward is to kick goals, and if you can walk away from any game with a 3.1 return, that’s a win as far as I’m concerned. However, it’s worth noting that that total score came from his only four possessions for the match – 7

18. Louis Butler

Subbed into the game in the first quarter in his first match for over 12 months. Deserved the call-up off the back of some good VFL form, but had no impact with his 10 disposals. It was a large step back from the encouraging signs he showed last year. The good news is that he is part of the 27-man squad that flew to Sydney, so he may yet be given another chance – 2

19. Cody Weightman

Kicked the Bulldogs first goal with a sharp piece of small-forward craft, but that was his only goal for the night. Was an errant snap away from producing another Goal of the Year contender, but largely drifted out of the match for large periods. The effort was definitely there though, with an equal-second 26 pressure acts for the side, so no questions over his place in the team – 5

21. Tom Liberatore

It’s actually quite amazing that it’s taken this long for an opposition side to look at targeting Liberatore. The way his influence was nullified meant that it became a real struggle for the Bulldogs to make the most of their midfield strength, and went a long way to helping Melbourne win the match. Protecting Libba is something that the Bulldogs will have to learn if they are to maintain their charge towards the Premiership. 16 disposals and four clearances – 5

27. Patrick Lipinski

It was a fairly consistent four-quarter showing, even if he did have some moments that he would like back. The most notable one was dropping an uncontested mark in the second term that allowed Melbourne to walk into goal, but he was ok, aside from that moment. 23 disposals, four tackles and four clearances are encouraging numbers – 7

30. Lachlan McNeil

Was really quiet, unfortunately. One tackle and 10 pressure acts are numbers that are well down on his usual output, and it’s the defensive side of his game that gets him a gig in this Bulldogs setup. There are some names to come back into the lineup, and it will be interesting to see if he survives – 2

31. Bailey Dale

30 disposals and 10 marks sounds like a great performance on paper, but it wasn’t the dominant showing across half-back that we’ve come to expect from Dale this year. Included in those 30 disposals were six turnovers and four clangers, which means a third of his disposals gifted the ball back to the opposition, and there were several other instances of kicks simply missing the target. Not his best game – 5

33. Aaron Naughton

Relinquished his status of being the only player to kick multiple goals in every game this season, although had a great chance of retaining it in the third quarter, when a regulation shot for goal was missed. Continued to fly at everything that came his way and worked hard at ground level; he took eight marks with three of them being contested, and finished with 1.1 from 14 disposals – 7

34. Bailey Williams

Like Dale, Williams too struggled to hit targets, although it was less noticeable with Williams because he had far less of the ball, only managing to find the target with 12 of his 18 possessions. He also failed to lay a tackle throughout the entire match and gained just 196 metres – not great numbers for a back-flanker – 4

35. Caleb Daniel

Another back-flanker that regularly made mistakes with the ball, regardless of what sort of pressure was set upon him at the time, with six turnovers and five clangers coming off of his normally assured boot alone. Did make up for things with an important goal that kept the Dogs in things just before halftime, but this was not his best game – 6

37. Roarke Smith

Had a nightmare moment in the back-pocket late in the game, but the result was already decided by then. Played with his usual brace and selfless attitude, courageously going back with the flight on numerous occasions, finished with a team-high second intercepts with six, and managed 20 disposals for only the second time in his career. Probably wasn’t among the best, but didn’t disgrace himself – 7

Roarke Smith has provided Bulldogs fans with an expectation on what he will bring to the table, and continues to bring it week-in, week-out. Source: Getty Images

38. Riley Garcia

Subbed out in the opening quarter after suffering from concussion, which is such a shame given how hard he’s had to work to get to this stage. Only managed the two possessions in the brief time he was out there, but deserves praise for the attack on the ball that he showed early. Not part of the 27-man squad that flew to Sydney, but due to concussion protocols would’ve missed this week’s match anyway – 2

39. Jason Johannisen

Marks for effort, absolutely. He chased and pursued no less than what he did against St Kilda. This time, however, the rewards were not there for him to see reflected on the stats sheet, finishing with just the eight disposals and no score. He can take pride in the fact that he was the only Bulldog who didn’t turn the footy over all night, but there wasn’t much for Johannisen to celebrate. If we split his score into two sections – effort and output – he gets full marks for effort, but nothing for output – 5

41. Jordon Sweet

That attempt to bend over and pick up the footy screams of a rookie ruckman who has been burnt out having to carry the load all on his own for the past month. He fought hard and didn’t lose any fans with his endeavour, but the reality is that we had a ruckman in his sixth-game expected to go toe-to-to with one of the best in the game in Max Gawn; it is hardly a surprise that the battle turned out to be as one-sided as it did. Only won the 17 hitouts, but having five of them hit to advantage is a pretty solid percentage – 4

42. Alex Keath

We mentioned that the key forwards for Melbourne didn’t absolutely dominate, but Keath wasn’t able to have the impact that he has had in recent weeks for us. Just the one intercept mark all game, five spoils, five one-percenters and just 48m gained from eight disposals. You might not think that metres gained is a big deal for a full-back, but given that there’s really one supposed to be one way a full-back can move the ball, you have to wonder where those eight disposals were going? - 4

44. Tim English

You can see why Bulldogs supporters have been clamouring for the return of this guy over the past month, because he’s stepped in and instantly made a difference. Kicked 2.0 and took a team-high four intercept marks, showing how important he has become at both ends of the ground. It took him longer than most had hoped to return the senior side, but there was no easing into the contest for him. He stepped in and looked ready right from the off - 8