The Dogs showed enormous heart, but the Cats made the most of their height and experience, outclassing the visitors to win by 25 points at Simonds Stadium.
Jake Stringer and Luke Dahlhaus returned from injury, but Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae could not see out the match.
Which was not to say that this was not a game worth watching.
If you were to take a friend to their first AFL match, you would be hoping it would look something like this one.
- Larissa Nicholson
Herald Sun
The Bulldogs’ wretched run with injuries continued with Jack Macrae (hamstring) injured in the last quarter, while Liberatore spent the second half on the bench in a moonboot with crutches by his side.
In better news for the Bulldogs, Tom Boyd put in his best performance of the year with three goals playing as ruck-forward.
The Bulldogs pulled the first surprise of the night with Joel Hamling starting forward and it paid dividends as the dour defender’s kick — in unfamiliar territory — to Tory Dickson’s advantage set up the first goal of the match.
- Gilbert Gardiner
AFL Media
Not only did Tom Boyd kick two goals to keep the Bulldogs in touch, but he fought hard in the ruck, presented inside 50 and joined the dogfight.
Boyd was by no means best on the ground but he asserted his presence on the game early and his impact only dimmed when Geelong's numbers began to overwhelm his team.
He kicked his third goal late in the game finishing with 18 touches, nine contested possessions and half a dozen hit-outs.
