Rory Lobb had the primary and final laughs because the Western Bulldogs posted a crushing 49-point AFL win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium.
Lobb was enemy No.1 on Friday evening, with the previous Dockers ahead booed by the vast majority of the 47,503 crowd each time he touched the ball.
The 30-year-old was bodily focused even earlier than the primary bounce, however he kicked an essential aim late within the second time period and proved to be an everyday distraction for Dockers gamers to assist lead the Bulldogs to the 17.16 (118) to 10.9 (69) victory.
The outcome left the Dockers nursing a 2-4 report forward of a tricky five-game stretch that can see them play Brisbane, Hawthorn, Sydney, Geelong and Melbourne.
Fremantle additionally revealed throughout Friday’s match that ahead Matt Taberner had undergone microdiscectomy surgical procedure to repair a again harm, ruling him out for an undetermined interval.
The Bulldogs improved their report to 3-3 forward of subsequent week’s conflict with Hawthorn.
Bulldogs midfielder Marcus Bontempelli (31 possessions, eight clearances, two targets), Jack Macrae (29 disposals, 14 clearances), Tom Liberatore (25 possessions, seven clearances, one aim) and Adam Treloar (35 disposals, two targets) starred by the midfield.
Bailey Williams and Aaron Naughton booted three targets apiece.
Lobb completed with 1.3 and 6 marks from 12 disposals in an up-and-down show.
“It is all part of it,” a relieved Lobb instructed Channel 7 after the match, referring to the boos.
“They probably got me with a couple of set shots there. I put a bit of pressure on myself to kick them.
“It’s probably the most nerves I’ve had in a game for a while, other than a final.
“I just wanted to play well. I let myself down, but we got the win in the end.”
Dockers massive man Sean Darcy was a dominant determine early and he completed with 5 contested marks, 53 hitouts and a aim in an intriguing ruck battle with Tim English (20 possessions, 34 hitouts, one aim).
Caleb Serong (35 disposals, 10 clearances) continued his scorching type.
Lobb was laughing as he braced for a before-the-bounce scuffle with Alex Pearce.
The Dockers captain twice roughly bumped Lobb to spark a mini melee, with Jordan Clark pulling the Bulldogs ahead to the bottom within the fracas.
The Bulldogs had six behinds to their identify earlier than Bontempelli lastly bought their first aim of the match on the 18-minute mark.
Fremantle have been fortunate to solely path by six factors on the first break.
It marked the tenth straight match during which the Dockers trailed at quarter time.
The deficit blew out to 25 factors within the second time period earlier than a Lachie Schultz aim on the run and two fast majors to Sam Sturt bought the Dockers again into the competition.
Enter Lobb.
The maligned ahead took a mark and blocked out the vitriol from the gang to kick a vital settler for the Bulldogs shortly earlier than halftime, serving to the guests enter the lengthy break with a 19-point edge.
Lobb missed a straightforward set shot within the third quarter, with the Dockers going coast to coast straight after in a transfer that resulted in Michael Frederick snapping actually.
But minutes later, with various Fremantle gamers struggling with Lobb, Treloar made the many of the distraction by pouncing on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s shanked set shot to snap a vital aim.
That main gave the Bulldogs a 23-point lead on the remaining change, and the guests banished the ghosts from final 12 months’s elimination remaining capitulation by sealing victory with a dominant end to the match.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
