SOMETIMES, in a sport that long ago crept outside its loose winter boundaries to become a year-round obsession, we feel compelled to search too hard for an explanation as to why A beat B. Sometimes, a bit of old-fashioned shorthand tells the tale best.

The Western Bulldogs won their 11th match of the season last night because they managed to hit the targets in the second half that they had missed so haphazardly in the first.

And because Collingwood, 23 points in front when Anthony Rocca found Cameron Wood in the middle of the third quarter, was from that moment two men short as Rocca hobbled off to join the already hobbled Ben Reid on the sidelines. That the Magpies were within a kick when Dane Swan stripped Brian Lake of the ball and goaled on the run 20 minutes into the last quarter was remarkable, given their grave personnel shortage, and the limited contributions from Dale Thomas, Paul Medhurst and Alan Didak, kept largely in check by Dylan Addison, Ryan Hargrave and the unflappable Dale Morris.

Collingwood was brave and spirited and game, and all those adjectives that are used when you don't quite win. It will be no consolation, either, that in Heath Shaw it had they standout player on the ground, whether in towelling up Brad Johnson or organising his team from defence in such a thorough manner that he might have been playing-coach.

Football at the Dome provides many examples of why the ground announcer should have his microphone dumped in the docks, but the description of Ben Johnson winning the Bob Rose-Charlie Sutton Medal "for best player on the ground" was a gobful too far.

The medal isn't for best on ground (rather the player that most displays the spirit of Rose and Sutton), Johnson wasn't best on ground, and footy would be more fun if the announcer left the ground.

The Bulldogs fell a point shy of maintaining their streak of 100 points per game in 2008, yet were flattered by a scoreboard return of 15.9, which disguised a waywardness around the ground in the first half that amounted to a kicking efficiency of just 53 % to the long break.

When they are on, the Dogs' movement of the ball has a divinity about it that makes you believe the blinkered boasts that our game is the greatest on earth.

When the radar is as jumbled as in yesterday's early skirmishes, you'd have more luck selling ice to eskimos.

Johnson and Andrejs Everitt both picked out Nathan Brown 20 metres in the clear at centre half-forward, which would have been a good result five years ago when there was a Nathan Brown wearing red, white and blue, but yesterday looked plain wasteful.

Brian Lake ran away from a Rocca 50-metre penalty, and still kicked it straight to Harry O'Brien. And even Jason Akermanis, who had spilt a lace-out Adam Cooney pass inside two minutes, sent his only kick of the first quarter wide of the post from inside 10 metres.

They were helped by Collingwood's own kicking gremlins, Rhyce Shaw undoing his surging work by missing three times in the first half, Tarkyn Lockyer likewise.

The latter became so gun shy within range that he gave it off at every chance, yet still gave Lindsay Gilbee a pasting that forced the Bulldog forward, where his creativity returned as if by magic.

Something other-wordly happened to his team, too, as it piled on eight of the nine goals, scored through the latter half of the third quarter and first slab of the last.

The Pies had their chances, a feat in itself as the toll taken by playing two men down was more apparent as each minute of the last term ticked by.

Perhaps none were more galling than Thomas, who could have run in a straight line and goaled but attempted to skip inside Matthew Boyd instead.

Boyd nailed him, let him know it, won a 50-metre penalty, and within seconds Robert Murphy's third set the Bulldogs on a path to safety.

W BULLDOGS 2.2 5.4 12.5 15.9 (99)
COLLINGWOOD 1.3 6.8 11.9 13.11 (89)

GOALS Western Bulldogs: Hahn 3, Murphy 3, Welsh 2, Johnson 2, Griffen, Eagleton, Akermanis, Gilbee, Minson. Collingwood: Burns 2, Medhurst 2, Wood 2, Swan 2, R Shaw, Bryan, Rocca, Pendlebury, Lockyer.

BEST Western Bulldogs: Morris, Cross, Cooney, Giansiracusa, Gilbee, Boyd.Collingwood: H Shaw, R Shaw, Pendlebury, Johnson, Bryan, Burns.

INJURIES Western Bulldogs: Williams (shoulder). Collingwood: Wakelin (virus) replaced in the selected side by Rocca. Reid (broken foot). Rocca (ankle).

REPORTS Nil.

UMPIRES M Stevic, M Vozzo, S Wenn.

CROWD 44,885 at Telstra Dome.

TALKING POINT Collingwood lost this game in the first half when it missed six easy shots at goal (three to Tarkyn Lockyer, three to Rhyce Shaw), which proved the difference. The Pies slid from top-four calculations and, importantly for the season ahead, lost Anthony Rocca and Ben Reid through the game to injury. They were already without ruckman Josh Fraser, full-back Prestigiacomo, forwards Leon Davis and Sean Rusling, all injured, and Travis Cloke, suspended. Attrition could be telling on the Pies.

THE UPSHOT The Dogs have firmed into second place while Collingwood slipped into danger territory at the bottom half of the eight.

This was the first time this season the Bulldogs, the league's most attacking side, had not kicked 100 points in a game.

HOT AND COLD Heath Shaw had one touch to half-ime (and barely many more to full-time) last week against Carlton and was warned by coach Malthouse he would receive no favours in escaping a hard tag. This week he was put on Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson with the knowledge that, unlike the tags put on him, Johnson would at least go to the ball. The result: Shaw was formidable and Johnson had a shocker.