Western Bulldogs smash St Kilda in dominant Round 6 display

The Western Bulldogs produced a dominant Easter Sunday performance, dismantling St Kilda by 71 points at Marvel Stadium in Round 6 of the 2025 AFL season. However, the emphatic 18.19 (127) to 8.8 (56) win was marred by a suspected ACL injury to emerging star forward Sam Darcy.

Darcy landed awkwardly late in the first quarter in a marking contest, appearing to hyperextend his left knee. The 21-year-old, who leads the Bulldogs’ goalkicking for 2025, was substituted out and later confirmed to have likely ruptured his ACL pending scans.

Despite the devastating blow, the Bulldogs rallied, kicking seven unanswered goals in a second-quarter blitz that flipped the game on its head.

Marcus Bontempelli, making his return from a long-term calf injury, was instrumental in the Dogs’ surge, finishing with 30 disposals, eight clearances, and two goals.

Aaron Naughton (three goals, seven marks) stepped up in Darcy’s absence, while Rhylee West also booted three goals. Matt Kennedy and Joel Freijah chipped in with two each as the Dogs spread the scoring load.

Saints started strongly with four of the first five goals and led at quarter time, but they were held goalless in the second term and didn’t find the big sticks again until the third quarter.

Mitch Owens (three goals) and Jack Higgins (three) were the Saints’ main contributors, while Jack Sinclair provided a spark early but faded as the Dogs took control.

The Bulldogs dominated centre clearances and contested ball, breaking the game open through the midfield and piling on scoreboard pressure with precision kicking and high forward efficiency.

Veteran Jason Johannisen and Tom Liberatore added fourth-quarter highlights with a long-range running goal and a brilliant chase-down effort, respectively.

The win lifts the Bulldogs to 3-3 on the season, while the Saints’ fadeouts continue to be a concern for Ross Lyon’s side, now sitting outside the top eight.

Bulldogs v St Kilda final score

Western Bulldogs 18.19 (127) def. St Kilda 8.8 (56)

Goals:
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, West 3, Bontempelli 2, Freijah 2, Kennedy 2, Sanders, Johannisen, Richards, Liberatore, McNeil, Williams
St Kilda: Owens 3, Higgins 3, Sinclair, Wilson

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