news, latest-news, Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Western Bulldogs v Brisbane Lions match in Ballarat. Here, we will be bringing you all the action from the big day at Mars Stadium. Whether it is the colour in the crowd, the scores of the game or maybe that extra bit of inside information, this is where you'll find it. From 1pm onwards, follow our live blog at the bottom of the screen. The match starts at 1.45pm. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/34dXacDR8RguBkyLHxYXLhN/c7fa51bf-339e-4a01-be04-a7035eac246f.jpg/r8_167_3764_2289_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg<doc-sep>THE WESTERN Bulldogs are back in the finals race again, squaring their season at 4-4 after a scrappy 16-point win against Brisbane at Mars Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Lions looked in complete control of the game early. However, the Dogs hung in, aided by missed shots from their counterparts, before gaining ascendancy in the second half on their way to a 13.14 (92) to 11.10 (76) victory. DOGS TOO GOOD Full match coverage and stats Brisbane spearhead Eric Hipwood was the worst culprit, booting 0.5 in the first half before bagging a couple of second-half goals. The Dogs had their own troubles in the forward line as well. Prodigiously talented tall Aaron Naughton didn't touch it in the first term as he struggled to follow up his epic performance against Richmond last week. However, his goal to end the first half after the siren somehow gave the Dogs the lead, despite Brisbane having dominated much of the contest to that point. That proved to be a turning point for Naughton, coming to the fore in the third term and giving his side a real target, on his way to kicking three goals. Josh Dunkley fought hard in the clinches all day, finishing with 36 disposals and 24 contested possessions, while his goal to end the third term gave his side a 21-point lead. Alongside him, Jack Macrae starred and Lachie Hunter won plenty of the football, combining for 60 disposals. A brilliant early banana from Ed Richards would ordinarily have been goal of the day. However, in-form Lion Mitch Robinson probably pipped him in the third term, running back courageously to mark with his arms outstretched and then running on and slotting an outstanding goal from 55m. Having gone to school in Ballarat, Brisbane young gun Hugh McCluggage was sublime. He racked up 14 disposals in the opening term and had a couple of clean one-handed pick-ups on the run to underline his class in cold conditions. His second-quarter goal epitomised how he thrived where others struggled. However, he slowed down from there and ended with 26 disposals and 14 contested possessions. MEDICAL ROOM Western Bulldogs: In his 50th career game, and just 13th since helping the Dogs win the 2016 premiership, key defender Fletcher Roberts had his left shoulder assessed late in the second term after going hard in an aerial contest but returned to the field. Brisbane: Backman Zac Bailey hobbled off midway through the opening term after reaching for his left hamstring and despite testing it out, soon had the muscle iced. It had been his first game since the Lions' round three win over Port Adelaide, when he suffered a hamstring injury. Tough onballer Jarrod Berry was helped off early in the last quarter after hurting his right eye while laying a tackle on Zaine Cordy and didn't come back. NEXT UP Brisbane is back home next Saturday afternoon to take on Adelaide while the Dogs face the unenviable task of trying to beat Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on the same day. WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.1 7.4 11.12 13.14 (92) BRISBANE 4.4 6.8 8.9 11.10 (76) GOALS Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Richards 2, Lloyd 2, Hayes, Wallis, Bontempelli, Macrae, Suckling, Dunkley Brisbane: Robinson 3, Hipwood 2, Zorko 2, Neale, Berry, McCluggage, McStay BEST Western Bulldogs: Dunkley, Macrae, Hunter, Naughton, Lloyd, Liberatore Brisbane: McCluggage, Neale, Lyons, Robinson, Rich, Zorko INJURIES Western Bulldogs: English (soreness) replaced by Roberts Brisbane: Bailey (left hamstring), Berry (right eye) Reports: Nil Umpires: Hosking, Findlay, Dore Official crowd: 9,039 at Mars Stadium<doc-sep>In the modern game, it’s rare the old-school factor of conditions play a crucial role in the outcome of a match. It makes the Bulldogs’ annual trip to Mars Stadium in Ballarat somewhat of an anomaly. When you play in Ballarat, you can bank on it being cold, windy and uncompromising. Stream Western Bulldogs v Brisbane Lions on KAYO SPORTS. Live & anytime in HD. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly > It’s a pure footy experience, where clean hands, tough tackling and doing the little things will bear fruit – and if you get too fancy, you do so at your own peril. You either play to the conditions – or you fall apart. And early on, young Bulldog Aaron Naughton – much-vaunted after a matchwinning show against the Tigers a week earlier – was feeling the full force of the Ballarat chill. Lions key back Harris Andrews kept the young Dog kickless in the opening term, scoring the early points in a match-up Johnson had predicted could be “one for the ages.” Andrews’ bodywork, combined with the tougher conditions of Ballarat compared to Marvel Stadium, saw Naughton struggle to make an impact in the first half. Meanwhile, one player was handling the conditions better than anyone else. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Hugh McCluggage was right in the thick of things in Ballarat – after all, he may reside in sunny Brisbane now, but his clean hands and poise were forged on that very oval in Victoria’s goldfields region. In the opening quarter of his return to Ballarat, the third pick in the 2016 AFL draft went about reclaiming that patch of turf as his own. McCluggage’s cleanliness in slippery conditions, burst of speed and intelligent ball use stood out, That included one effort where he ran back with the flight to spoil Sam Lloyd, then followed up his own work with a forward burst to create an inside 50. “That’s All-Australian efforts there from McCluggage,” Bulldogs great Brad Johnson said. “That type of play, if he continues that throughout the year – I know there’s a long way left to go in the season but that’s the type of stuff that the elite players do.” Indeed, McCluggage looked set to take the game by the scruff of the neck, with the 21-year-old racking up 14 disposals and gaining 271 metres in the first stanza alone. Hugh McCluggage dominated early (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images “He needs to be stopped right now … he may well be putting together a season that’s going to see his first All-Australian jumper if he continues this,” Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy said on Fox Footy. “His first seven games have been superb and right now he’s nearly best on ground if not best on ground.” But despite their early dominance, the Lions were unable to make it count on the scoreboard, with the Dogs, and Naughton, starting to work their way back into the match. These Bulldogs won a premiership off the back of scrapping away to win – and from late in the second term, they simply looked more desperate. Josh Dunkley racked up the footy at will, Marcus Bontempelli provided a much-need touch of class and toughness around the ground and Ed Richards provided a spark at crucial moments. “We just went back to basics and won the footy at the source, the mids really stood up,” Dunkley told Fox Footy post-match. With six minutes left in the second term, Mitch Wallis cleverly tapped the ball out of congestion into the path of Jack Macrae, who snapped truly to get his side back into it. And when the Lions blew some opportunities, Luke Beveridge’s side were ready to pounce. Josh Dunkley dominated. (AAP Image/Julian Smith) Source: AAP On the stroke of half-time, Naughton marked the ball and kicked truly – making his mark on the game and handing his side the lead. Then, he made the second half his own. The young tall started to mark the ball at will as he worked his way up the ground in the third term, racking up nine touches and a goal in that quarter alone. “Aaron went naught to 100 in a quarter,” former Hawthorn forward Ben Dixon said on Fox Footy. “Nine touches, got himself right back into this game.” All of a sudden, the conditions weren’t a factor. “I knew the attention was gonna come and Harris Andrews did a good job in that first half,” Naughton told Fox Footy post-match. “But I think we had to keep fighting through, keep trying to launch at the footy and my workrate to get up the ground and beat them back just got me in the game in the second half.” From midway through the third term, the Dogs rarely looked troubled – outworking their opponents around the ground and showing discipline at the contest. Meanwhile, Naughton – despite some wayward kicking – looked a genuine focal point up forward. “He’s an interesting character, for a long, long time the Western Bulldogs have been looking for someone to become the player that Aaron Naughton is potentially able to do,” Healy said. “There’s a couple like (Tom) Boyd and (Josh) Schache in the seconds at the present time but this boy has come from nowhere.” Aaron Naughton worked his way back into the game (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images Then, as the minutes wound down, Naughton rose from nowhere – much like he did all night against the Tigers – to pluck a high mark, coolly converting to ice the game. From a non-existent first quarter, the young gun had turned his game around to deliver a 16-disposal, seven-mark and three-goal performance. In the process, he’d played his role to secure the Dogs their second consecutive gritty win. “He’s done well hasn’t he – recruited as probably a key back and if the other two boys (Boyd and Schache) were playing super football, that’s probably where he would be playing for the Western Bulldogs,” Johnson said. “But what he’s been able to do to transform himself into a competitive forward, a high-marking forward and look, the smalls would be loving this as well, his competiveness. “And his game, he takes a lot from this today because … he was down and out, he wasn’t having an impact whatsoever. To fight through that and kick 3.2 … and take some big marks and seal victory for the Dogs, was a fantastic game for him.” Get the ultimate AFL experience on your phone with the new FOX FOOTY App. Download it NOW for FREE on iOS and Android! Follow Round 8 of the 2019 AFL season in our live blog below. IF YOU CAN’T SEE IT, TAP HERE!<doc-sep>
May 11th, 2019 May 11th, 2019 The Western Bulldogs' upswing in AFL form has continued with a comeback 16-point win over Brisbane at a cold and wet Mars Stadium in Ballarat, and it was revealed that coach Luke Beveridge's pep-talk to his team at every turn helped inspire the hard-fought victory. Aaron Naughton didn't reach the heights of his stunning breakout performance against Richmond, but the exciting youngster overcame a quiet first half on Saturday afternoon to boot three goals, with his last major sealing a 13.14 (92) to 11.10 (76) win. "I knew the attention was going to come and they did a good job in the first half," Naughton told Fox Footy after the win. "We're starting to play some good footy together [in the forwards]. The more games we play together the better we're going to be." Josh Dunkley of the Bulldogs reacts after kicking a goal (AAP) Josh Dunkley starred for the Bulldogs with an equal career-high 36 possessions, as Beveridge's men levelled their season ledger at four wins and four losses. Dunkley said after the game that Beveridge was in their ear after every quarter to remind them to keep fighting. "It means a lot [beating a top-four side]. Bevo mentioned it to us all game at every break, how much it means to us," Dunkley said. "To turn it around the way we have, the four losses that we had in a row, we knew we weren't far off, but to get the wins the last couple of weeks has been great and we're looking forward to the rest of the year. "We've been unlucky in the past not to get some wins here but it's good to get one today . "We went back to basics, we've got to win the footy at the source. I thought our mids really stood up." Lachie Neale led the way again with 30 disposals for Brisbane, who slipped to a 5-3 record. The Lions finished two players down after Zac Bailey injured a hamstring in the first quarter and Jarrod Berry suffered a knock to the head in the final term. The Bulldogs suffered a blow before the game when sore lead ruckman Tim English was withdrawn, replaced by defender Fletcher Roberts. Jackson Trengove was switched into the ruck and he was one of his side's better performers, ending with 22 touches and 27 hit-outs. Richards gets the Dogs running Dogs forward Ed Richards booted two goals in the opening term, but the Lions led by nine points at the first break after Mitch Robinson added two of his own. Hugh McCluggage, who played his junior footy in the area, stretched the margin to 16 points with a nice snapped goal, but the Lions failed to make the most of their chances when they had the momentum. Eric Hipwood was the villain with his five first-half behinds leaving the door ajar for the Dogs to slam home the last three goals of the second quarter to lead by two points at halftime. Robertson's top grab and goal Hipwood finally managed to get his radar working to boot the first major of the second half, but the Bulldogs had their tails up and raced to a 21-point lead at three-quarter time after kicking six of seven goals scored either side of halftime. Dayne Zorko bagged two goals in the last quarter as the margin came back to 16 points but the Dogs steadied when Naughton marked strongly and kicked his side's last goal. The Bulldogs will take on Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round nine, with the Lions to host Adelaide at the Gabba. ©AAP2019