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Posted: 2024-08-25 01:51:48

It all comes down to the last day of the AFL home-and-away season for the Bulldogs, Blues and Dockers, who are all in contention for the final two spots in the top eight. 

First up, it is the seventh-placed Bulldogs facing the Giants in Ballarat.

Later, the Blues — in eighth position — take on the Saints at Docklands, before the 10th-placed Dockers clash with the Power in Perth.

Follow the live blog below and tune in to our live radio coverage.

AFL Sunday

Andrew McGarry profile image

HT: Western Bulldogs 7.7 (49) lead GWS Giants 5.2 (32)

Kyle Pollard profile image

I reckon I'll call that half for the Bulldogs, but only just it.

It feels like it's a three to four goal breeze, but the tricky nature of it blowing a little bit across the ground is making conversion harder than it if it was a simple end-to-end situation.

Halfway through that quarter it looked like the Bulldogs might start to run away with it, but back-to-back goals to Tom Green and Jake Kelly steadied the ship.

On the injury front, Laitham Vandermeer is already done for the day with hamstring tightness. Adam Treloar was sore early with a lower leg injury but has returned. Aaron Naughton was limping late in that quarter but looks OK. And Marcus Bontempelli copped a head knock that looks like it has been cleared by the doctors, but looked bad on replay.

Liam Jones may also have some concerns about a dangerous tackle on Aaron Cadman.

There are no injury or suspension concerns for the Giants as far as I can see.

Lachie Whitfield (25), Tom Green (19), and Bailey Dale (17) lead the disposals.

Aaron Naughton kicks his first!

Kyle Pollard profile image

Seconds ago Aaron Naughton was limping heavily, now he takes the mark and kicks the goal!

Again it's a matter of the Bulldogs just reading the footy in the air better.

The ball flies Sam Darcy and Sam Taylor, and just falls into the arms of Naughton, who kicks an important steadier for the Dogs.

Concern for Marcus Bontempelli

Kyle Pollard profile image

The Bulldogs champion is on the bench and getting looked at after a head clash with Tom Green.

It looked bad on replay, but Bontempelli gives the thumbs up from the bench and he is back on the field.

The doctors will surely be looking at it closely.

And Jake Kelly gets another!

Kyle Pollard profile image

Straight out of the centre, straight to a pack, and Kelly roves it perfectly!

He awkwardly throws the pill on the left boot and dribbles it through.

Two big sausage rolls for the Giants!

Tom Green gets a crucial one back

Kyle Pollard profile image

At the end that nobody has been able to kick well at, Green stands up with a beauty from a set shot.

They desperately needed one.

Sam Darcy kicks his second!

Kyle Pollard profile image

This is a clinic at the moment from the Dogs.

Sam Darcy just works Kieren Briggs under it at a throw in, collects the ball, and hooks a perfect girl from the stoppage.

They're out by 22!

Bailey Williams kicks one!

Kyle Pollard profile image

The Dogs are just reading the pill better through the air here.

Ugle-Hagan thumps it into the F50 and and everyone flies except Bailey Williams, who stays down and collects it at the back of the pack from a Sam Taylor fumble.

Easy goal, and the Dogs are playing this wind perfectly.

Ed Richards gets in on the action

Kyle Pollard profile image

And that was set up by the skipper, Marcus Bontempelli.

Tim English gets the tap, and the Bont works his way through traffic to find Richards by hand on the way through the pack.

Richards keeps it low and drills it, and the Dogs have their biggest lead of the game.

Bailey Dale drills it from about 60m!

Kyle Pollard profile image

He's a wonderful kick of the footy and Dale uses the breeze to his advantage perfectly!

He took the intercept mark just outside the 50m arc and he boots a beauty from long distance, working the ball back on the breeze.

The Dogs take the lead!

The Bulldogs make their sub

Kyle Pollard profile image

And it's not Adam Treloar, who is back out there after being looked at in the rooms.

Laitham Vandermeer is out of the game with hamstring tightness, and Arty Jones is into the game.

Sam Darcy gets the first of the second quarter

Kyle Pollard profile image

The son of a gun gets a little nudge in the back from Sam Taylor and the free kick is absolutely there.

Darcy doesn't overkick it, he just uses the breeze to work it back and he nails it!

QT: GWS Giants 3.1 (19) lead Western Bulldogs 1.2 (8)

Kyle Pollard profile image

That final goal from Cadman was a gut punch for the Bulldogs.

The 11-point lead is still a minor victory for the Dogs though, who kicked into the wind that second quarter and had trouble negating it when it came to set shots.

The Giants tall forwards had more opportunities throughout and have looked dangerous, but it will be a different story in the next term.

Top ball winners are Lachie Whitfield (13), Tom Green (10), and Bailey Dale (9).

Aaron Cadman kicks a stunner on the QT siren!

Kyle Pollard profile image

Oh boy that hurts the Bulldogs!

Cadman clunks it in the forward pocket about 35m and is kicking from the wrong side of the boundary for a left footer.

The siren goes, so he has to kick over the man on the mark ... and he nails it! It looks like a standard drop punt to me that just came back in the breeze! A huge goal for the Giants!

Tim English puts it out on the full

Kyle Pollard profile image

The big ruckman takes a nice clunk about 35m out on a slight angle, and while it looks good off the boot, the wind claims it and pushes it out on the full.

Tom Liberatore then has a shot from a similar spot, and while he gets the left to right exactly right, the shot falls short in the wind.

Don't let the low scoreboard fool you, this is some great footy, but the pressure and the wind is causing havoc for both teams.

Jack Buckley cleaned up in huge collision!

Kyle Pollard profile image

GWS defender Jack Buckley copped a small push that sent him flying into a teammate, and he is absolutely hammered in the collision!

His body spins about 180 in the air and he lands heavily.

He's back on his feet and playing, but the doctors will surely take a look at that one.

Adam Treloar is in the rooms and limping

Kyle Pollard profile image

The Bulldogs midfielder is favouring his left leg.

He has the sock off and looks sore, but there's no clear indication on what happened to him.

We'll let you know as soon as we have an update.

Jesse Hogan marks and goals

Kyle Pollard profile image

He's already locked in the Coleman Medal, and now Hogan has his first of the day to give the Giants a five point lead.

It looked like Aaron Cadman has a fair chunk of that mark ... we're seeing that a bit at the moment, players being paid the mark despite other players getting hands on it.

Cody Weightman answers straight back

Kyle Pollard profile image

The small forward draws the high tackle from Lachie Whitfield and gets the free kick.

The goalposts are literally swaying in the breeze, but Weightman accounts for the win perfectly and drills it.

We're tied up.

Giants draw first blood

Kyle Pollard profile image

Aaron Cadman has the first goal for the Giants, and Liam Jones may be in a little trouble for a dangerous tackle.

It looked bad, but Cadman did get up and is staying on the field.

Cadman may face a HIA but we'll have to wait.

The Giants are kicking with the extreme breeze in Ballarat.

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