Player Ratings - Round 8

The Western Bulldogs returned to winning ways at the weekend, producing an impressive come-from-behind win to defeat Carlton by 16 points at Marvel Stadium.

Despite trailing by as much as 27 points late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs rallied late to pile one eight consecutive goals to consolidate second place on the ladder.

1. Adam Treloar

Was good. Not at the levels that he has produced in recent weeks, but he was still good - it's hard to complain too much over 23 disposals and a goal, especially one that was converted from the boundary line when the game was getting away from the Bulldogs. Only gained 315 metres, but showed a willingness to work with nine tackles - 7

4. Marcus Bontempelli

Was one of the few Bulldogs in the first half that was able to hold his own, but it was in the last term where he really stood up. He had eight disposals in the last term to finish with 32 for the match, kicked a goal to bring the Bulldogs within a kick, and set up another one. Yet again proved to be the difference when his team needed it - 9

6. Bailey Smith

Felt a lot more involved than the 16 disposals suggested, but was well down in most departments, with just one clearance and zero tackles. Not his best day - 4

7. Lachie Hunter

Just the five disposals to half time, although to his credit, he fought out the match with a broken hand. What's more, he lifted with nine-second half disposals, and the first goal in the last term to help maintain the comeback. Has already had surgery on his hand, but we'll know more about his potential absence over the coming days - 7

9. Hayden Crozier

His day included 18 disposals and three intercept marks. He may well still be finding his rhythm after an injury-interrupted start to the season - 7

10. Easton Wood Didn't heavily involve himself with the stats, finishing with just nine disposals for the game, but did the job defensively, finishing with seven one-percenters and six spoils. It feels as if Wood is being forced to restrain his attacking tendencies to allow his fellow back flankers to venture forward instead - 7

11. Jackson Macrae

Became just the second player in league history to record 30+ disposals in each of the opening eight rounds of the season, finished with 32 disposals and 11 inside-50s. Aside from that, he managed just two tackles and four clearances, so it wasn't his most complete performance of the season, despite winning plenty of the ball - 7

12. Zaine Cordy

Had his moments - both good and bad - but it was a big improvement from last week. Made some questionable decisions by foot when on the ball, but also had a major win in the second term when he won a free-kick for holding the ball after trapping Eddie Betts in a situation where a Betts goal is normally inevitable - 6

15. Taylor Duryea

Spent the last half looking for the ball, and won 14 disposals to half time. Spent the second half on the dangerous Betts, and kept him to just one goal after the dangerous forward kicked four in the first half. It was a move that was key to securing the victory - 8

17. Josh Bruce

Kept the Bulldogs in the game for most of the match, often chipping in with a timely goal just to keep the Bulldogs in touch, and it proved pivotal, as the Bulldogs were close enough to make it count once the game was played on their terms. Loomed as a major threat in the air all day, and was rewarded with a return of 5.2, and now sitting in third place in the Coleman Medal - 9

It was a debut to remember for Buku Khamis (C), while Josh Bruce (L) led the way with five goals. Source: Getty Images

21. Tom Liberatore

Enormous again, this time winning 27 disposals and finishing the match with a game-high 13 clearances. With Dunkley's absence, he becomes an integral part of the Bulldogs midfield brigade. Currently ranked No.1 in the competition for centre clearances with 38 - 11 clear of Essendon's Darcy Parish in second spot - 9

24. Buku Khamis

Showed plenty of energy and endeavour, particularly early in the game. Played with extreme confidence to the point where he almost gave away possession in disastrous positions but managed to get away unscathed. The key area that he has struggled with is his ability to run out games, so it was unsurprising that his impact on proceedings diminished as the game wore on, but the pieces of a great player are there. 11 disposals, five one-percenters, four spoils and four intercepts gets him a tick in Game No.1 - 6

27. Patrick Lipinski

One who has found himself right on the fringes of the Best 22, and his performance at the weekend consolidated that standing, with just 12 disposals and a late goal. He did distribute the ball with a 91% efficiency rate, and also laid five tackles, which is a big plus given that it has long been a weakness in his game - 5

28. Anthony Scott

According to the AFL Player Ratings, this was Scott's best game of his young career and was ranked as the seventh-best player on the ground. Managed just the 12 disposals, but contributed with two timely goals, and brought his usual pressure and endeavour. Virtually unheard of prior to being added to the senior list, but it's looking like another player you can add to the list of successful VFL graduates - 7

29. Mitch Hannan

Another fairly quiet outing, with just seven disposals and 0.1. I get that the Bulldogs were desperate to bring him across from Melbourne, but after an injury-interrupted start to the season, I wonder if he's been integrated into the senior side a little too early - 3

30. Lachlan McNeil

Like Scott, McNeil also had a career-best game according to the AFL Player Ratings. Given that they both started their AFL careers at the same time, I have a tendency to compare the two, but McNeil is a full six years younger than Scott, and as a result, is a long way behind him in terms of development, so comparing the two is probably a bit unfair. But 11 disposals and five tackles was a solid shift from the youngster and showed his trademark anticipation to set up Scott's second goal - 6

31. Bailey Dale

27 disposals, which included 20 kicks at 77% efficiency and seven score involvements. Has been immense during the absence of several key back flankers, and has completely turned his career around. The Bailey Williams of 2021 - 8

33. Aaron Naughton

Well held for most of the match by Jacob Weitering, but good key forwards can still dictate the game when they're down, and that's what Naughton did. Converted via a terrific pack mark late in the third term, and booted another goal to put the Bulldogs in front in the last term. Remains one of only two players to kick multiple goals in every game this season - 6

35. Caleb Daniel

Spent most of the match making history by playing as the shortest centre-half forward in league history, before being shifted into his customary position across half-back in the last term. Struggled his way to 11 disposals to three-quarter time, but had another 11 in the last quarter alone, and set up the Bulldogs winning surge. Keep him there - 7

39. Jason Johannisen

Just the six disposals and a goal in a fairly forgettable individual display in Game 150, but played an important defensive forward role in restricting Adam Saad's impact - a job that Johannisen excelled at when the pair met in last year's clash against Essendon - 7

He didn't dominate the stats, but in game 150, Jason Johannisen played an important role defensively. Source: Getty Images

41. Jordon Sweet

A big ask to carry the ruck duties all by himself in just his second game. Was probably second-best to Marc Pittonet at the end of the day, but didn't disgrace himself with 17 hitouts. Also recorded 24 pressure acts, which was second on the ground only to Sam Walsh, and also had three tackles and five clearances. But the true highlight was kicking the opening goal of the game, and the first of his career - 7

42. Alex Keath

Tasked with dealing with Harry McKay; a player that has a history of playing particularly well against the Bulldogs. McKay did end up kicking four goals, although three of them came within a 10-minute patch in the third term, and was fairly uninvolved, otherwise. It was a great effort to keep McKay out of the game for as long as he did - 8