Blog log from R1 of 2024: Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs

Naughton and Ugle-Hagan with the first two goals for the Bulldogs inside five minutes, then Viney runs from the next bounce and bangs through the opener for Melbourne. (Q1 6:29)
Oliver beats Treloar to a crumb from a stoppage 30m out on the flank but his left-foot snap around the corner wobbles across the face. (Q1 8:11)
Weightman marks 30m out on a slight angle but hooks his set shot left. (Q1 9:43)
Lobb drifts across a big pack 40m out on the flank to clunk a speculator by West from members wing. The Lobster kicks straight. (Q1 10:47)
Billings roves a stoppage 25m out on the flank and tries a left-foot grubber, but it sits up on the line for Khamis to touch through. (Q1 14:12)
Brown is too tall for Richards, he marks 45m out on the flank but hoofs it wide right. (Q1 15:59)
van Rooyen takes a link mark at half forward and goes to the pocket for Pickett, who picks the tricky kick from 25m for his first goal. (Q1 17:56)
Treloar releases Williams to run around outer wing and spot up Weightman 40m out on a slight angle, chipping in front of the lead of Ugle-Hagan. Weightman kicks poorly. (Q1 22:11)
Gawn roves in the back pocket but his laconic-looking handball is straight to English, who feeds Gallagher for his first senior goal from 20m! Oh dear Maxy. (Q1 25:26)
Jones and English smash into each other trying to spoil a long ball to the Demon hotspot, Chandler is Johnny on the spot over the back for the easy crumb and goal. (Q1 29:36)
van Rooyen roves English’s weak ruck tap from a throw in to the hotspot and gives Melbourne the lead in the last minute before QT. (Q1 32:42)
Fritsch takes a speccy on the back of Jones 55m out on the flank, QT siren goes so he has to load up for bear…. torpedo attempt wobbles OOTF going for extra distance. (Q1 34:57)
Oliver handballs from a pack at half forward to the pocket where Neal-Bullen is on his own and has a moment to pick the right option… goes himself and grubs it from 25m! (Q2 2:06)
Chandler roves a Brown contest and snaps across his body off the left for his second goal, classic pocket play. (Q2 3:16)
Richards was caught on the wrong side of the contest on that play, crumb to the front suited the forward. (Q2 3:51)
Petracca sharks a slow handball by McNeil on members wing, he goes long to grass for Brown to gather, get around an arm tackle by Khamis and goal from 20m. (Q2 6:31)
Bontempelli lopes onto the crumb from a McNeil contest at the hotspot and snaps across the body off the left, put your glasses down, goal to the Scray. (Q2 9:06)
Gawn kicks very high from a stoppage on the HFF, two Dogs in the square to spoil Brown but the ump sees a hold from behind by Richards, charity goal to the Demons. (Q2 12:51)
Ugle-Hagan marks in front of May 50m out on a slight angle and hooks the set shot right. (Q2 16:51)
Sanders and Richards spoil each other going for a ground ball at half back, Dees whip around outer wing ending with a mark by Viney 45m out on the flank, who misses. (Q2 19:06)
McDonald’s dump kick off balance from the back pocket is straight to Sanders 40m out on the flank. Sanders hangs the kick wide and short for no direct score. (Q2 23:04)
English scrubs a high inside 50 kick after a stoppage to 40m on a slight angle where Lever is pinged for a push in the back of Weightman, who slots the red time goal. (Q2 28:54)
English drops a mark 45m out in front on his knees, he butters up and feeds Treloar zipping past who misses with Viney on his ginger from 40m. (Q3 0:37)
Petracca passes to Neal-Bullen who keeps his feet after marking as Bontempelli loses his, he plays on to checkside the goal from 20m in the pocket. (Q3 1:52)
English misses a snap on the lope from the pocket 25m out. (Q3 5:07)
Two frees against Bontempelli in two minutes, Billings passes to the boundary 30m out for Petracca to mark. Trac has the face covered in zinc cream, he misses this one. (Q3 7:40)
Hore is pinged for an arm over the shoulder on Ugle-Hagan 25m out on a slight angle, all over him like a cheap… suit. Marra converts with no dramas. (Q3 9:37)
West passes to Vandermeer 30m out near the boundary, who kicks across the face and OOTF. (Q3 13:24)
Bramble intercepts May’s rebound kick on the HFF and feeds Gallagher but Windsor mows him down to prevent a shot from 30m. (Q3 13:53)
Jones sets himself under the fall of a high Langdon kick 35m out on a slight angle but Fritsch bodies him out of it with legal bustling, he marks and misses. (Q3 16:28)
Pickett intercepts Sanders in front of Dale on outer wing and starts a quick counter, Billings passes inside 50 to Chandler 40m out on the flank who fades the kick left to right and in. (Q3 18:38)
Harmes drops Fritsch rather softly after snapping from 45m on the flank, ump pays the free and Fritsch misses as he did on the original play. (Q3 23:24)
Gawn tugs a set shot from 20m in front way left, disappointingly. (Q4 3:21)
Ugle-Hagan marks a Bontempelli pass 40m out on the flank after a quick rebound from that Gawn point, he also misses to the left. (Q4 4:20)
Jones spoils Brown on the HFF but Fritsch delivers a lovely inside handball to Petracca motoring down the flank, Trac purrs to 40m and slots a big goal! (Q4 7:29)
Khamis spoils a rebound kick in the centre, Dogs go by hand to the HFF for Bramble who baulks clear of Billings and shoots from 40m on the flank… that’s good! (Q4 10:19)
McNeil fumbles a handball on outer wing and the Dees make him pay, Pickett goes to van Rooyen in the pocket 20m out who curls through the official sealer. (Q4 13:59)
Pickett kicks off junk time with a lovely snap from a stoppage 30m out in the pocket. (Q4 17:01)
West roves, swerves to the hotspot and kicks a garbage score, four kicks in it with 6:09 to go and Dogs not really looking like it at this late stage. (Q4 20:41)
Fritsch roves and misses with a high left-foot snap from near the hotspot. (Q4 23:24)
Hore starts a rebound around members wing, Oliver runs over the paint of the HFF and chooses a short pass to van Rooyen 35m out, Roo converts. (Q4 24:50)
Billings adds some junk to make his stat line look even better. (Q4 26:30)
Sparrow feeds Chandler who misses on the turn from 35m. (Q4 29:49)
Salem breaks up the short kick in by Khamis and receives back from Billings for the Joe the Goose special. (Q4 30:18)
Brown misses a set shot from the pocket just before the final siren. (Q4 32:30)