Blog log from R18 of 2025: Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide

Richards speeds through midfield and passes over two tall Crows to the pocket for Naughton to mark 25m out and curl in the first goal of the day. (Q1 2:34)
Keays picks off Lobb’s rebound kick 45m out on the flank, gets corralled and shoots near side OOTF to the left. (Q1 3:34)
O’Brien and English lumber after a crumb in the pocket, ROB fumbles to Naughton but the checkside off a step from 25m is narrow to the left and OOTF. (Q1 5:34)
Coffield spoils Rankine on the HBF but Rankine dominates the ground ball, baulks past him and centres for Fogarty 40m out in front, the Fog kicks truly. (Q1 6:34)
Taylor sharks a Dolan handball at half forward, Cumming baulks inside and passes across to Curtin 45m out for another nice set shot. (Q1 8:35)
English releases Bontempelli for the next centre clearance, Naughton leads out from the square to mark in front of Keane 20m out for an easy goal. (Q1 10:05)
Naughton beats Butts to mark a Richards pass to the hotspot on a slow play to boot goal number three inside the first 12 minutes! (Q1 12:30)
Keays receives from Cumming and snaps off the left on the turn blind over his shoulder from 25m on the flank…. wobbles across the face to the left. (Q1 13:34)
Keays marks a short Cumming pass from members wing to 45m out, looks like he will go back for the shot then decides to pass on to Fogarty 40m out, the Fog kicks straight again. (Q1 16:04)
Walker marks easily over O’Donnell 35m out on the flank but the Texan decides to play on for a pass which he shanks, scoring opportunity burned. (Q1 21:19)
Rankine runs across half forward after a stoppage, baulks away from Richards with a lovely left-foot step, then passes to Cumming 30m out on the flank who converts. (Q1 22:04)
That was a pretty play from Izak, his early knee knock looks to not be affecting him at all. (Q1 22:16)
Cumming marks again 40m out on the flank but his set shot is across the face on intercepted on the behind line by English for no score. (Q1 26:06)
Freijah hoofs a set shot from 45m on the flank, falls on the goal line to be touched through. (Q1 29:54)
English gets a ruck free at the first bounce of Q2, O’Brien belts back to try to help out his defenders but Naughton beats Worrell to mark at the hotspot for goal number four! (Q2 0:47)
Michalanney intercepts on the HFF and gives behind to Dawson who gets onto his left boot and strokes through a trademark long goal from 55m! (Q2 3:52)
Wonky bounce in the centre is not recalled, Berry kicks long towards Fogarty who draws three Dogs, Thilthorpe roves and goals from 20m in the pocket! (Q2 4:44)
Thilthorpe marks in front of Lobb 45m out in front and thumps through his second goal in a row. (Q2 6:53)
Bontempelli feeds Richards inside from a stoppage in the pocket for a snap off his left that flies very high under the roof… just lands over the line, Keane can’t stop the goal. (Q2 9:12)
Centre clearance Bulldogs, Richards receives from Vandermeer to snap off his left from the pocket 20m out, that’s back-to-back goals for Big Red! (Q2 10:07)
Again it was Naughton who halved that contest and tapped the crumb out to set up that goal, he’s on a tear today. (Q2 10:52)
Worrell receives a rugby pass from Curtin deep in defence, none of the four umpires saw it so the Crows ride their luck to rebound. (Q2 13:24)
Neal-Bullen thieves the footy from Freijah but skids a snap into the post from the top of the square while falling. (Q2 14:11)
Thilthorpe runs back behind Lobb to the top of the square to mark a long Soligo kick on the end of a quick rebound, he boots goal number three for Q2. (Q2 17:54)
Dawson passes to Walker to mark over O’Donnell in the pocket 20m out, who curls in the goal off the left boot. (Q2 19:31)
Fogarty marks a Michalanney pass 45m out on the flank in front of O’Donnell but misses near side right. (Q2 21:38)
Hynes marks a Bontempelli pass 30m out on the flank and converts in rather rushed fashion. (Q2 23:01)
Naughton snaps across the face from ruck in the pocket. (Q2 27:18)
Coffield is late on Dawson and concedes an arm chop free 40m out on the flank, kick is short and wide and is rebounded. (Q2 28:38)
Freijah tries a toepoke from a stoppage deep in attack but the ball rolls across the face for a behind from 15m. (Q2 30:42)
Cook goes long and quick to Thilthorpe to mark next to the left behind post, he curls in the red time goal to extend Adelaide’s lead. (Q2 31:42)
Dawson gets a rather soft contact free on Bramble 15m out on a slight angle and boots his second goal. (Q3 3:46)
Soligo slips over at defensive hotspot and his panicked handball is to Darcy but the snap is to the right from 20m. (Q3 5:59)
Quick repeat inside 50 from the kick in but Naughton also misses from close range. (Q3 6:23)
Fogarty wheels from a link mark on the HFF to hit the fat side where Keays wins a wrestle with Sanders to mark 20m out… but he misses a very gettable set shot. (Q3 7:53)
Darcy takes a pack mark 30m out on a slight angle and steers through the goal. (Q3 9:07)
Dale soccers a crumb away from Fogarty on the HBF but it rolls towards the centre for Taylor to mop up and give back to Fogarty who baulks to the left and goals from 30m. (Q3 11:03)
Davidson marks an errant West snap in the opposite pocket 15m out over Jones, he curls in the goal off his right boot. (Q3 12:18)
The ump sees contact by Keane on Naughton as they wait for a Bontempelli kick inside 50 towards the hotspot, Astronaught steers through his fifth goal! (Q3 14:17)
Bulldogs fans are now baying for blood, big test for the Crows who up to this point had been cruising to a victory based on superior structure. (Q3 15:34)
Michalanney kicks to the square from the HFF, two talls from each side congregate but it’s Thilthorpe who reaches over the top to mark and boot a personal best fifth goal! (Q3 17:49)
It was Darcy who was matched up on Thilthorpe as they were both on ball as second rucks, but the young Dog got ragdolled by the stronger man in that contest. (Q3 18:39)
Bontempelli is stripped in a tackle at half back, Dawson gets up after contesting to rove and tumble a punt narrow to the right from 50m on a slight angle off his left. (Q3 23:19)
Dolan tries a rolling snap from the pocket 30m out, no one in the square but the ball bounces up tantalisingly… then through, but a quick review shows it nicked the post, point. (Q3 24:34)
Keays roves and shoots in one motion from 40m on a slight angle off his left, swerves and drops on the line for Lobb to touch through, confirmed on another quick review. (Q3 27:03)
Long ball to the hotspot clears the pack for Adelaide, ump sees a jumper tug by Coffield on Rankine, they always pay those if they see them. Izak converts. (Q3 32:49)
The Bulldogs strung a couple of goals together earlier in Q3 but the Crows have fought back and are well deserving of a lead of four goals. Still time for Bevo to pull this out! (Q3 33:05)
Liberatore marks in the centre runs to half forward and shoots way wide off the left… Sanders marks next to the behind post and curls in the goal! (Q4 1:40)
Bontempelli sets up Darcy for a snap from half forward but it’s touched off the boot and goes wide right anyway. (Q4 3:40)
Thilthorpe marks a touch pass from the HFF off the left by Dawson on the lead at the hotspot in front of Lobb and boots his sixth goal. (Q4 7:38)
Walker roves and curls in the sealing goal for the Crows from 20m in the pocket, a comprehensive victory away to a good team. (Q4 11:18)
Sanders snaps near side right from the pocket 30m out. (Q4 16:38)
West snaps a garbage time goal from the pocket after being well beaten all day by Michalanney, who had gone to the contest. (Q4 17:05)
Neal-Bullen swivels out of a tackle at half forward and passes short to Rankine 35m out on a slight angle, who hits the left post. (Q4 18:23)
Neal-Bullen forces a turnover to set up Rankine to lope towards the pocket, look inside then go himself from 25m… across the face. (Q4 19:30)
Bramble delivers a nice running goal from 45m on a slight angle, engineered by Freijah and Bontempelli from a stoppage on members wing. (Q4 21:18)
Darcy rams through a typically high quality snap from 45m on the flank after contesting against two, tapping to himself, roving and breaking a Worrell tackle. (Q4 25:14)
4:21 to go and still not technically over, amazingly. (Q4 25:14)
Fogarty passes to Walker on outer wing then runs to receive for a running snap from 40m on the flank… across the face, disappointingly. (Q4 26:56)
Bontempelli sets up O’Donnell with an outside handball to snap off a step from 45m on the flank for a junk time special. (Q4 31:14)
West gets a chance off the left from the hotspot with ten seconds left but snaps to the right and OOTF. (Q4 32:17)