SAM DARCY has kicked a career-best seven goals as the Western Bulldogs all but secured a finals berth with a 96-point hammering of North Melbourne. Darcy was under pressure after kicking a wayward 1.5 in the previous round but responded superbly in the 20.
18 (138) to 6.6 (42) victory at Marvel Stadium on Sunday. BULLDOGS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats The 208cm target took advantage of his teammates' midfield dominance and the Kangaroos' undermanned defence, finishing with 7.
1 in a win that tightened the Bulldogs' grip on a top-eight spot. The Dogs (13-9) sit sixth and are guaranteed to play finals if they beat Greater Western Sydney in Ballarat in round 24, but could still qualify regardless of that result. Sam Darcy boots a career-high seven majors in an outstanding performance The Bulldogs and Kangaroos clash in round 23 Jy Simpkin gets serious hang time and sticks a spectacular speccy Ed Richards drills a beauty from 50 to extend his side's huge margin Sam Darcy slots three majors in a row to take him to six goals for the match in an electric display Jamarra Ugle-Hagan shows off his athleticism and nails back-to-back majors Charlie Comben is subbed out of the match with concussion after this aerial contest Jamarra Ugle-Hagan slots it through after Aaron Naughton's terrific contested assist Nick Larkey slams through his first after a quick North Melbourne transition Darcy took nine marks, including four contested, and had 20 disposals on his way to kicking the second biggest bag of goals by any player this season.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (three goals), Aaron Naughton and Cody Weightman (two each) were also among the Bulldogs' six multiple goalkickers. Sam Darcy slots three majors in a row to take him to six goals for the match in an electric display With No.1 ruckman Tim English (ankle) sidelined, versatile tall Rory Lobb was handed the job against All-Australian candidate Tristan Xerri and helped the Bulldogs midfield generate a landslide 69-34 advantage in inside 50s.
Adam Treloar (33 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (29), Joel Freijah (29) and Tom Liberatore (23) had plenty of touches in a dominant midfield unit. North Melbourne managed just three goals after quarter-time in its heaviest defeat of the season and lost Charlie Comben (concussion/leg) and his replacement Miller Bergman (concussion) to injuries. Both were hurt in marking contest collisions.
Charlie Comben is subbed out of the match with concussion after this aerial contest Comben, who missed most of last season after breaking his left leg, was taken to hospital during Sunday's match after injuring the same leg. North Melbourne also had concerns over spearhead Nick Larkey (knee) when it trailed by 10 points at the first break. Larkey was cleared to return but the Bulldogs broke the game open before half-time as Darcy and Ugle-Hagan combined to kick all four goals of the second term.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan shows off his athleticism and nails back-to-back majors The margin ballooned to 41 points by the main break on the back of the Dogs' midfield dominance, which resulted in one-sided counts for inside 50s (35-18) and marks inside 50m (10-4) to that point. The switched-on Bulldogs even led tackles (27-18) despite controlling the bulk of possession. It only grew worse in the second half for the Kangaroos, who coughed up nine consecutive goals through the middle of the match and fell away badly.
Jy Simpkin's huge mark on Tom Liberatore's back was a rare highlight in the dying stages. Jy Simpkin gets serious hang time and sticks a spectacular speccy Kangaroos midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke (30 disposals) never stopped trying and Robert Hansen jnr kicked two goals. It was the Bulldogs' seventh consecutive win over North Melbourne, which completes its season against finals hopeful Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday.
Big Dogs cause chaos The Bulldogs' forwards were given plenty of opportunities, and they made the most of the huge supply. They took 18 marks inside 50 as Darcy (seven goals), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (three) and to a lesser extent Aaron Naughton (two) caused the Roos all sorts of problems. Roos defender's courageous moment Charlie Comben delivered a hugely courageous moment in the opening quarter.
The Roo, who has enjoyed a great season after injuries disrupted the start of his career, flew back with the flight and was involved in a huge collision. It was a big moment, but Comben was substituted due to concussion in a blow for the Roos. WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.
3 9.10 16.15 20.
18 (138) NORTH MELBOURNE 3.4 3.5 4.
5 6.6 (42) GOALS Western Bulldogs: Darcy 7, Ugle-Hagan 3, Weightman 2, Richards 2, Naughton 2, Macrae 2, Williams, Vandermeer North Melbourne: Hansen 2, Xerri, Wardlaw, Scott, Larkey BEST Western Bulldogs: Darcy, Liberatore, Bontempelli, Treloar, Freijah, Richards North Melbourne: Xerri, Davies-Uniacke, Fisher, Simpkin, McKercher INJURIES Western Bulldogs: Nil North Melbourne: Comben (concussion), Bergman (concussion) SUBSTITUTES Western Bulldogs: Jack Macrae (replaced Rhylee West in the third quarter) North Melbourne: Miller Bergman (replaced Charlie Comben in the first quarter) Crowd: 33,182 at Marvel Stadium.
