Player Ratings - Round 9

The Western Bulldogs made a statement in their quest for a third flag, travelling to Adelaide Oval and defeating fellow Premiership contenders Port Adelaide by 19 points on Saturday night.

A see-sawing affair, the Bulldogs went into half-time with a one-point lead, and despite a late charge from the Power, held their nerve to come away with a crucial win that proves that they are the real deal in Season 2021.

1. Adam Treloar

Was electric in the first term with nine disposals, but was barely sighted in the second when the Power were on top. His output balanced itself out in the second half as he finished with 26 disposals, but had some forgettable moments as well, including the nutmeg that resulted in Robbie Gray's last-quarter goal - 7

4. Marcus Bontempelli

Was excellent once again. Kicked a brilliant goal in the opening term, and kicked an important goal to stem Port Adelaide's momentum in the second term. They were the highlights of a 26 disposals outing, where he will once again be in the mix for the Brownlow votes - 9

6. Bailey Smith

Playing his 50th game for the club, and rose to the occasion with his best performance since Round 1. Was a constant presence throughout the evening, but made his biggest mark in the third term as the Bulldogs made their move. Finished the game with 25 disposals and eight clearances. - 9

Bailey Smith rose to the occasion in his 50th game to play an important role in the Bulldogs' victory. Source: Getty Images

9. Hayden Crozier

Initially "managed" out of the side, started as the Medical Sub before being introduced into the match late in the first term. Had a pretty good game overall, finishing with 18 disposals, six marks and eight intercepts - 7

10. Easton Wood

The player who made way for Crozier. Had just one disposals until he misjudged an attempted spoil and injured his hamstring late in the first term. It's his second hamstring injury this season alone, and the latest in a career riddled with them. He'll be a major loss over at least the next few weeks - 1

11. Jackson Macrae

Made history by becoming the first player in league history to record 30+ disposals in each of the first nine rounds of a V/AFL season, racking up another 32 disposals. Also did the hard work on the inside, with six tackles and six clearances - 8

12. Zaine Cordy

I have been critical of him in recent times, but I'm always willing to offer credit where credit's due. Defensively, he was excellent, racking up a three intercept marks, three contested marks, nine spoils, nine one-percenters (all team-highs) and seven intercepts. His starting position in marking contests was questionable at times, but was able to compensate for it - 8

15. Taylor Duryea

Was also very good from a defensive point of view, with three intercept marks and 10 intercepts - both team-highs. Finished the game with 20 disposals as well, at a 90% efficiency rate - 8

17. Josh Bruce

Looked like he was going to have his hands full with Aliir Aliir for most of the night, but responded in a really encouraging fashion. Aliir did take a game-high four intercept marks, while Bruce took just two marks inside-50, but they both resulted in goals. A good return - 7

19. Cody Weightman

He was drafted in to the club to fill a need, and brought something that the Bulldogs haven't seen in their forward line this season. Played with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, and looked like making something happen every time he got near the ball. Started the game with a pair of instictive markss and goals, and sealed the match with a miraculous kick over his head with just minutes left. Will keep his place in the side - 8

21. Tom Liberatore

Ask any Bulldogs fan who watched the side closely, and they'll tell you that this is the guy that they can least afford to lose. Added another 27 disposals and a staggering 12 clearances to his tally for the season. If he can maintain this form until the end of the season, All-Australian selection is guaranteed - 9

27. Patrick Lipinski

Went at 100% efficiency with his 11 disposals, but the problem was he only had the 11 disposals. Zero contested possessions, two tackles an two score involvements equals a fairly quiet night - 4

28. Anthony Scott

Quiet on the stats front, but his game was highlighted by several instances of needing to be brave in the marking contests, and never once shirked his responsibility when it was his turn to go. Seems to have really gelled nicely with this group - 7

29. Mitch Hannan

Was heading face first into another stinker, but got a slice of good fortune and made the most of it by kicking his first goal for the club. He was virtually a no-show prior to that, but it seemed to spark things into gear for him a touch, as he was a bit more involved afterwards. Still finding his feet in the lineup- 4

30. Lachlan McNeil

Showed good composure to kick his goal; it looked simple, but he could very easily have been caught in two minds as he weighed up his options. 14 disposals was a career-high - 6

31. Bailey Dale

Was the chief playmaker in the opening term, leading all-comers with 12 disposals at the first break. Managed just 11 over the next three quarters as his influence on the game diminished - 7

33. Aaron Naughton

The dominant big man on the ground. When he gets going, the Bulldogs are a particularly difficult team to stop. Put forward his entry for Mark of the Year with a soaring effort in the third term - one of three contested marks - and made the most of his chances to boot a season-high 4.0 - 9

Aaron Naughton was the best of the tall timber, finishing with a match-winning 4.0 haul. Source: Getty Images

34. Bailey Williams

A timely return, especially now with Easton Wood set to face a spell on the sidelines. Wasn't overly busy, but made good decisions whenever he had ball in hand, and wasn't beaten too often. A positive, 18-disposals performance to build on - 7

35. Caleb Daniel

Definitely starting to work into his groove now after a sluggish start to the season. Hit pinpoint targets on a regular basis, and set up plenty of Bulldogs attacks. Just the 13 kicks from his 26 disposals, but a good return - 8

37. Roarke Smith

Rocking a new haircut, he impressed early with his pressure, laying five tackles in the first quarter alone, and applied a brilliant smother to prevent a goal-bound effort from Robbie Gray. Faded out of the game after quarter time, but showed enough to justify his spot - 6

39. Jason Johannisen

The two goals were clutch and came at key times, but his performance was more than that. He only finished with the 12 disposals, but everything he did had a positive impact on proceedings; it was the equivalent impact to him winning 25 disposals off the half back flank. It's taken some time to adjust to the new role, but this should be the blueprint for him going fowrard - 8

41. Jordon Sweet

Has come a long, long way since he was first drafted to the club, to the point where he has transitioned seamlessly into the senior team. Started out a "hitouts-or-bust"-type ruckman, but has worked hard to become the "tall midfielder"-type ruckman that coach Luke Beveridged craves, and some of the numbers showed that on Saturday, with three tackles and four clearances. Should be rewarded for his efforts this week in the form of some backup - 7

42. Alex Keath

Tasked with the responsibility of taking on Charlie Dixon, a man that has so often kicked bags of goals against the Bulldogs. Dixon threatened with two goals in a five-minute patch in the last term, but was largely subdued otherwise, with Keath claiming yet another big scalp this season. Didn't record major stats, but he didn't need to - 8