Melbourne has continued the surge towards its first finals berth in 12 years following a dominant 50-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.
After an even first half, Melbourne blew away the undermanned Bulldogs in a blistering third quarter, in which they piled on eight unanswered goals.
Angus Brayshaw continued his good run of form with 38 disposals, while young gun Clayton Oliver was again excellent with 34 touches and a goal to boot.
With the sour taste of a shock loss at home against St Kilda still in their mouths, a fast start was critical for the Demons on Saturday afternoon.
It was a controversial first minute of play, as a long handball from James Harmes into the Bulldogs' goal gifted Mitch Wallis a deliberate rushed behind free kick, which he duly converted to kick off proceedings.
A classy snap from the boundary by the in-form Jake Melksham would bring the scores back to level at the five-minute mark - the signs clear that both sides were up for the contest early.
Jeff Garlett would gift Melbourne their first lead of the day after getting out the back and converting from close range, but not before Lachie Hunter would again level the scores as the fans were treated to an early goal-fest.
With the game evenly poised towards the end of the first term, the visitors would kick two critical majors to give the underdogs a slight three-point advantage at the first change.
After a mediocre first quarter, a strong response was expected from the Demons as they looked to prove their worth as a finals calibre team.
Jesse Hogan would give them the lead back six minutes into the term, as the game seemed to be swinging in the Demons' favour.
Charlie Spargo and Alex Neal-Bullen would kick their first goals to extend the lead out to 15 points as the capabilities of this talented Dees came to the fore.
With the Bulldogs hanging by a thread, it would take a second goal from former No. 2 draft pick, Josh Schache, to breathe some life back into his side, before a spirited captain's goal by stand-in Jason Johannisen would see the margin cut to just three-points at half-time.
Riding all the momentum from the end of the second, the Bulldogs came out hungry at the start of the third quarter, with some nice build-up play seeing dead-eye Patrick Lipinski put through his first to give the Bulldogs the lead once more.
With the game sitting on a knife's edge, it would be the young Melbourne leaders who stood up and took the game by the scruff off the neck in a scintillating period of football.
Max Gawn would lead from the front, producing a brilliant quarter and dominating the ruck contests to give his midfielders the best opportunity in moving the ball forward.
It was like an endless loop for the Demons for the majority of the second term, as the likes of Oliver, Brayshaw and Jones consistently won it out of the middle and hit up a target inside 50.
There was absolutely nothing the young Dogs could do to stop the Demons' onslaught, as they took the game away from them in a flash, piling on seven goals in the space of 12 minutes to extend the lead beyond five goals.
With the Bulldogs under extreme pressure, Wallis would settle the nerves of his side with a major against the run of play to keep them in touch.
But it would do little to curve the rampaging Demons, as Spargo’s second goal of the afternoon would see the lead sit at a comfortable 30 points at the final change.
With the Bulldogs still within striking distance, it was critical for Melbourne to again stamp their authority over the game and pick up some useful percentage points.
In what was a rather bleak first 15 minutes of the term, it seemed as if both sides had put the cue in the rack as Melbourne’s defence was simply too much for the young Dogs.
Veteran Jordan Lewis would put through his first goal to bring Melbourne’s lead up towards 40 points, before a fourth major to Hogan further increased the margin.
Johanissen was able to hit the scoreboard again as a consolation prize for his team, who looked to take away some pride going into the final minutes.
Yet late goals to Tom McDonald and Christian Petracca would see Melbourne gain that critical percentage boost, with the margin ballooning out to 50 points by the final siren.
As Melbourne press towards their first finals appearance in 12 years, they will face a massive test next week when they battle Geelong on their home turf, who will looking to rebound from a disappointing loss against Adelaide.
The Western Bulldogs on the other hand will hope to quickly move on as they face perhaps the toughest road trip in football, with a trip to Optus Stadium in the attempts of defeating the in-form West Coast.
MELBOURNE 3.4 6.9 14.9 18.11 (119)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.1 6.6 9.9 10.9 (69)
GOALS
Melbourne: Hogan 4, T.McDonald 3, Garlett 2, Neal-Bullen 2, Spargo 2, Hannan, Lewis, Melksham, Oliver, Petracca
Western Bulldogs: Wallis 3, Scache 2, Johannisen 2, Hunter, Lipinski, McLean
BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Brayshaw, Oliver, Hogan, Lewis, T.McDonald
Western Bulldogs: Hunter, Macrae, Wallis, Dunkley, Johannisen
INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil
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