The Western Bulldogs have delivered a statement 47-point win over Geelong at GMHBA Stadium to snap the Cats' three-game winning streak and continue their charge towards the AFL top eight.
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A week after toppling Carlton, Luke Beveridge's charges handled the wet conditions best, leading from start to finish to claim a 13.17 (95) to 7.6 (48) win in front of 27,967 fans.
"We all look at the contest and who you're playing week to week, you guys and girls (in the media) do, in regards to ladder position," Beveridge said.
"If there's some promise in us, then you frank it by winning some of these games against teams that have gained notoriety up to this point.
"The Cats have had some momentum, the makeup of their team has probably evolved a little bit. It's always tough to win down the highway here.
"I said before the game that, other than the Port Adelaide game, we've been pretty consistent.
"...Next week's another challenge. But there's no doubt that some of the lads who haven't necessarily won their positions emphatically over the journey are gaining some confidence that they can against some of the best."
Adam Treloar (31 disposals, three goals) and Ed Richards (28 disposals, two goals) were superb as the Bulldogs smacked Geelong around the contest.
Reborn defender Rory Lobb kept Jeremy Cameron to one goal and six touches and racked up 21 disposals, 14 intercept possessions and nine marks himself in a hard-working Bulldogs defence.
"He was just quite magnificent," Beveridge said of the "dominant" Lobb, noting he and Buku Khamis had proved "impenetrable" in defence.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan kicked four goals, with Aaron Naughton adding two on his return.
Geelong gun Tom Stewart (25 disposals) was typically hard while Max Holmes (23 touches) also fought through the match.
The Bulldogs are ninth, two points outside the finals places, while Geelong sit fourth, and could slip lower by round's end, after their third defeat at GMHBA Stadium this season.
Geelong swung two late changes, withdrawing Shannon Neale and Tom Atkins (hamstring) for Ted Clohesy (substitute) and Brandan Parfitt.
Geelong were goalless at quarter-time, with the Dogs holding a 13-point lead.
The Cats fought back into the game but the Bulldogs still led by 19 at the main break, then 17 at three-quarter time.
Naughton marked and goaled from the top of the square early in the fourth, before an Ugle-Hagan long bomb - one of three final-quarter goals - sealed the deal.
"We had a really bad night, and that was pretty clear from early in the game, and the opposition were good," Cats coach Chris Scott said.
"... It's symptomatic of what we're seeing across the season a bit. If you're off, you can lose to anyone and if the opposition are really good, you're going to find yourself under pressure.
"I thought it was an uncharacteristic performance. So if that happens regularly, you just become a bad team. I don't think that's us at the moment."
Scott was confident Atkins would just miss one week, while Geelong are likely to recall Tanner Bruhn after he returned from injury successfully via the VFL.
The Bulldogs next face Sydney at the SCG on Sunday while Geelong travel to Hobart to play North Melbourne on Saturday.
Australian Associated Press
