The Western Bulldogs have hearkened back to their premiership form of 2016, following an inspirational 21-point victory over Essendon at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Dogs were all over the Bombers early in the piece, and appeared a completely different side opposed to their first two games the season.
Lachie Hunter led the midfield charge with 35 touches and a goal, while Marcus Bontempelli and Toby McLean were dangerous in the forward half of the ground, finishing with three and two goals respectively.
The Bulldogs' speedy ball movement and dare, reminiscent of their premiership year, appeared to catch Essendon by surprise as they flailed under the newfound Bulldog pressure.
A scrubby kick out of defence from Brendon Goddard fell right into the lap of the lively Toby McLean, who kicked the first of the day.
Only moments later, an identical scrappy kick-out, this time through Conor McKenna, was similarly cut off by McLean, but fortunately for the Dons, only a minor score resulted.
Essendon's patchy defensive work and panicked kicks to break free of the Bulldogs' press continued to plague them, with the Bulldogs seizing upon their haphazardness.
But although presented with chances to torture Essendon through their mistakes, the Bulldogs, despite their pressure-laden quarter and effective defensive rebounding, could only rue their missed opportunities in front of goal.
Dominating the inside 50 count 17-8, the Dogs only put together an inaccurate 3.9; the fruits of their labour not reflecting on the scoreboard, allowing the Bombers to sit a mere seven points behind at quarter-time.
Set on putting their opposition away early, Bontempelli booted the first of the second term with an impressive one-handed mark.
Mitch Wallis followed up with another major in his first game for the season, extending the Bulldogs lead even further
The Bulldogs' speed and ability to find space - spearheaded by the speedy Jason Johanissen (16 disposals) - proved to be detrimental to the Bombers, who although noted for their speed, were unable to keep up with their opposition.
A stunning rundown tackle from Tory Dickson on the dashing McKenna was indicative of the Dogs' rejuvenation, which was noticeably absent in their clashes against the Giants and Eagles.
Dominating the uncontested possessions count, the Bulldogs kicked their third goal from three inside 50 entries midway through the term via Bontempelli, with Billy Gowers soon following up after Dickson's tackle.
But the Bombers refused to bow out of the contest, with Cale Hooker breaking the Dogs' goal-streak before James Stewart and Devon Smith added majors of their own in the final minutes to reduce the gap to just 10 points.
Had it not been for a late Josh Dunkley goal, the Bombers would have been in with more than a sniff, but instead say an uncomfortable 16 points behind at the major change.
Bontempelli attempted to kick-start the Dogs early in the third, with a miracle dribble kick along the boundary just scraping the goal post.
The Bulldogs continued to bombard their opposition through their unrelenting pressure, with the Bombers having extreme difficulty in progressing the ball past the halfway point in the first half of the term.
Luke Dahlhaus ( 31 disposals), Hunter (35 dispoals) and Jack Macrae (30 disposals) ran rampant in the midfield, preventing any chance of Essendon from gaining an advanatage.
Another Dunkley major and a snap on the boundary from Bontempelli pushed the Dogs to a game-high 32 point lead, with the Bombers looking to their big forwards to bring the margin back.
After a quiet week against Fremantle last week, Daniher was involved in Essendon's next three scoring shots, scoring two of his own to bring his side back within 20 points at three-quarter time.
The Dogs well aware of the Bombers' tendency for final quarter comebacks, looked to close out the game early, courtesy of majors to Bailey Williams and Bailey Dale.
But the ex-Dog in Jake Stringer - close to one-eyed following an accidental poke in the contest - snapped a classy goal to initiate the late Essendon fightback.
Goals to Josh Green and Stewart made it three in a row for the Dons, as the Bulldogs began to fear
With an opportunity to cut the margin back to just 10 points, Daniher looked to be the hero with a huge mark in the goal square.
But in what can only be described as a brain fade, Daniher handballed the footy off to Green in heavy traffic, letting the Dogs off the hook well and truly nullifying their own chance for a late steal as McLean immediately replied with major.
Following the costly Bomber blunder, the red, white and blue were finally able to rejoice in their maiden win of the season by 21 points.
The Western Bulldogs will face another challenge when they host Sydney next Saturday afternoon, while Essendon will similarly be set a monumental task when they play off against the red-hot Port Adelaide.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.9 7.10 11.16 14.20 (104)
ESSENDON 3.2 6.6 9.7 12.11 (83)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 3, McLean 2, Dunkley 2, Dale 2, Gowers, Johannisen, Wallis, Williams
Essendon: Daniher 2, Green 2, Stewart 2, Merrett, Smith, Parish, Hooker, Stringer, McDonald-Tipungwuti
BEST:
Western Bulldogs: Hunter, Bontempelli, Dahlhaus, McLean, Macrae, Daniel
Essendon: Zaharakis, Hurley. Heppell, Goddard, Daniher, Green, Stewart
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Essendon: Stringer (eye poke)
TALKING POINTS
1. WHERE HAS THIS FORM BEEN FROM THE DOGS?
After two heavy defeats in the opening two rounds for the season, the Dogs responded fiercely against the Bombers, eventually putting them away to notch up their first win for the season.
Despite being a side to fear after their premiership victory, the Bulldogs declined and were unable to capture the spirit of their premiership year.
With Luke Dahlhaus, Toby McLean and Jack Macrae driving the midfield, Jason Johannisen finding his mojo running out of defence and Marcus Bontempelli playing predominantly up forward, the Dogs for the first time in a long time looked dangerous.
We all can't help but wonder where this spirit has been for the past year.
It's now not a questions of if they can be a formidable force - it's a question of when.
2. DANIHER'S COSTLY HANDBALL
With five minutes left on the clock, the Bombers were only 16 points behind; a characteristic come-from-behind victory most certainly on the cards.
Bulldog hearts sunk when Joe Danhier clunked a spectacular contested mark 15m out in the goal square, with an opportunity to reduce the margin to a mere 10points.
But an attempted sly handball off to Josh Green proved to be costly, with the small forward unable to control the ball which was quickly rushed over the line by the Bulldogs' defence.
In a quick and seamless transition out of defence, Toby McLean scored the sealer, all but wiping out the Bombers' hopes of stealing the win from under the Dogs' noses.
While the blame can easily be pinned on Daniher, don't forget about Green, who never should have been calling for the ball in the first place.
Brain fade.
3. CONOR McKENNA BIT OFF MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW
With speed on his side, the zippy Conor McKenna burst free from defence in an attempt to will his side back into the game, thinking no one could possibly track him down.
Enter Tory Dickson.
With a huge lunge, Dickson brought down McKenna mid-bounce, winning the free kick for his team which ultimately eventuated in a Bulldog goal.
McKenna may have bit off more than he could chew in trying to outrun the speedy Dog, but the Irishman may be in hot water after being accused of biting Dickson in a resultant fracas.
Let's hope this isn't the case.
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