Round 2 saw the dogs heading to the’G for the first time since the 54 grand final, or thereabouts, to take on another round 1 victor, Richmond.

Without wanting to get too excited about the Dogs prospects after an impressive round one win, I somehow got so wound up that by the time 9pm Friday rolled around there was no way that this game was waiting for the morning, I was watching this game TONIGHT! Just 3 short hours later it was nearly game time, I fired up the live stream and adorned myself in my Bulldogs beanie, scarf and polo, not unlike my 10 year old self would have done.

Richmond came out pretty fast, and Dusty was on fire, but the Dogs slowly got on top and kicked the first goal. Pretty soon, a sense of ‘oh my god, they actually can play this well two weeks in a row’ came over me.

Tom Boyd hit some contests and showed his willingness to do the team things we need him to do. Dahlhaus and Honeychurch played with great intensity, and down back Talia and Roughead did there jobs while captain Bob Murphy controlled the show.

While the Bulldogs were never headed, it certainly was not a comfortable win, I didn’t fully relax until there was 3 minutes left on the clock. But there was the unmistakable confidence of a young team that knows they can take anything thrown at them, and keep on moving forward. Multiple times throughout the match, Richmond threatened, but the Bulldogs held tight. I haven’t gotten this feeling from the dogs in some time.

Tory Dickson kicked crucially goals to steady the ship, which is something we’ll want the J-String to start doing pretty soon. I love the kid & really don’t want him to have the ‘Y’ word linked to him so early in his career, but he needs to start kicking set shots.

Bontempelli starred once again, and I have a feeling I’m going to say this every week – opposition clubs will have to put a lot more work into stopping him if they want to win. Having said that, Mitch Wallis played one of his best games for the club & is relishing the extra workload without Libba round. These two together with Macrae make an even more exciting trio than any other midfield I can remember for the dogs. Huge test in round 3, bring on the Hawks!

Round 2 votes:
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3. Murphy
2. Bontempelli
1. Dickson

Special mention: Mitch Honeychurch – easily his best game at AFL level, pressured hard, chased well and found targets.