Live: Blazing start for Bulldogs against Bombers after Demons stun Suns

If you weren’t sure how the game was going in this quarter, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has come down from the box and is walking fairly purposefully to the bench.

The Bulldogs haven’t kicked a goal since midway through the second term.

That was a chance for the Bombers!

Peter Wright had a set shot 40m out but he pushed it out to the left.

We are deep in time on, and the lead is back to 34 points.

Not sure what Tim English’s status is – the ruckman is still off the ground.

Now Arty Jones has come off and gone down the rooms, holding his hamstring.

Marcus Bontempelli is signalling teammates to let him get back on, and English is standing near him on the sideline, so he may well be coming back.

The umpires are always right – except when the ARC or someone else proves their not.

The Bombers thought they had the ball out of defence there, but Archie Roberts was pinged for a push in the back.

Brad Scott looks astonished in the coach’s box, but the umpires are correct.

Roberts shoved Lachie McNeil between the numbers.

However the Bulldogs are just a bit off, and McNeil misses the kick.

Peter Wright has just kicked a goal for Essendon to bring the margin back to 33 points, but the big issue for the Bulldogs is Tim English, who has gone off and down to the rooms after a collision at a ruck contest.

It looked like he may have copped a knee to the inside of his knee or leg. But whatever it is, the Bulldogs will not want to be without their star ruckman.

Where are we?

The Bombers have four inside 50s for the third term so far, and they’ve kicked three goals.

The latest is another major from Tom Edwards.

The lead is 35 points, early in the third quarter.

Ok, well I didn’t see this coming!

Whatever Brad Scott said at half-time has brought a response.

The Bombers have scored two goals in the opening 90 seconds — first former school teacher Tom Edwards and then Jade gresham.

The margin is still hefty, but it’s back to 42 points.

ABC Sport spoke to Demons skipper Max Gawn in the rooms earlier after Melbourne’s big win over Gold Coast, and he was asked about the great performances of Kysaiah and Latrelle Pickett.

“Late in the game we were trying to shut the game down, and the two Picketts said ‘screw that, we’re just going to keep playing footy!”, Gawn said.

“It’s kind of exciting to watch, but if they turn it over we were cooked!”.

I think if you ask Demons fans after that game today, they are increasingly excited about the speed and skill of both Picketts as this season gathers pace.

• Marcus Bontempelli (WB) 22

• Archie Roberts (ESS) 17

• Joel Freijah (WB) 16

• Connor Budarick (WB) 14

• Oskar Baker (WB) 14

• Ryley Sanders (WB) 13

The scary thing about Marcus Bontempelli is that he spent close to 10 minutes off the ground in the second term and he still has 22 disposals to half-time — plus four clearances and five inside 50s.

• Inside 50s: 30-15 Bulldogs

• Clearances: 20-9 Bulldogs

• Centre clearances: 8-3 Bulldogs

• Contested Possessions: 63-47 Bulldogs

• Uncontested Possessions: 148-110 Bulldogs

• Marks inside 50: 8-3 Bulldogs

The siren goes, and the positive for the Bombers is they have slowed the scoring in the last 10 minutes or so.

But that is a fairly low bar, given how the Bulldogs were scoring almost at will for the first quarter and a half.

The Bulldogs have shown precisely why they are the last unbeaten side in the AFL, and unless a miracle happens, they are going to be top of the ladder after tonight.

Their range of attacking assets is just too much so far for the Bombers – just look at Arty Jones, who is playing his first game of the season and has three goals and a great mark to half-time.

Where does this go from here? Who knows. But it’s a big task for the Bombers.

Arty Jones is having an absolute blinder for the Bulldogs.

His side’s ball movement is electric at the moment, whenever he gets the ball a score seems likely.

His drilled kick found Sam Darcy in the right forward pocket, but the big man couldn’t finish.

The lead is 54 points as the half ticks down.

As if to show the difference between the sides, the Bulldogs take advantage of a 50m penalty, and Arty Jones ends up with it and kicks his third.

We’re into time on in the second quarter, and the lead is already out to 52 points.

The Bombers have tried to stall the Bulldogs’ momentum by playing a bit of tempo footy.

It wasn’t very exciting, but they chained together a series of possessions going back and around their defensive half.

But then they went forward and Archer Day-Wicks marked in the pocket.

His kick missed, but that was more like what the Bombers were looking for. 

The Bulldogs have missed another chance there with Naughton hitting the post.

But the bottom line here is we are not even a quarter and a half into the game, and the Bulldogs already have 25 inside 50s to 11.

Bontempelli is on record-breaking pace. He already has 21 disposals, four clearances, five inside 50s and a goal. #NotBadWork

That wasn’t a particularly egregious hold, but Aaron Naughton earned a free for a hold as the Bombers defence are desperate to stop the flood of scoring.

Naughton kicked from 50, and it flew true.

That’s eight goals so far to one for the Bombers.

The Bulldogs are starting the second term the way they finished the first, racking up possessions and putting the Bombers under huge pressure.

Marcus Bontempelli and Tim English are raffling the ball – Bontempelli is up to 17 disposals at last count.

They went forward and Sam Darcy earned a free for a chop of the arm. But his kick from reasonably close range hit the post.

The siren sounds, and it must come as a relief for the Bombers, who have been hit hard in that first quarter.

The Bulldogs have been winning across the ground, and at times seemed able to score almost at will.

It was seven goals to one, and it could have been more.

The Bombers have shown moments where they closed the Bulldogs down and brought some pressure, but as soon as the ball gets out – which it is on a regular basis – they are just left chasing.

Marcus Bontempelli has 12 touches and a goal in that term. It’s not exactly a newsflash that if the Bombers can’t find a way of slowing or stopping those numbers, it’s going to be a LONG night.

And it’s another!

The Bulldogs are flooding forward again, and the ball goes long to the hotspot for Arty Jones to leap and take a clean grab.

He converts the set shot, and the Bulldogs have seven for the quarter.