THE Western Bulldogs maintained their unbeaten start to the season, a win by 30 points over Essendon last night giving the team that few fancied at the start of the year a fourth-straight victory.

The Dogs did it with a degree of comfort in the end, but they were shaken out of their skins as Essendon kicked seven goals to three in the third term to convert a 17-point half-time deficit to a 10-point lead.

Briefly, it seemed the final term would go the same way, but Kyle Reimers put a running shot just wide and then Adam McPhee was denied a running mark as the ball sprung free of his grasp as he hit the ground. That was about it, as Essendon added only one more behind for the quarter while the relieved Bulldogs scored six goals and as many behinds.

Will Minson was an unlikely hero for the winners in the final term, kicking two goals and dominating the ruck contests when the match was still in the balance. He also won a couple of critical ground balls.

It was a match in which both teams sought to cover deficiencies. Without key forwards Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas, Essendon sought goals from unlikely sources. In the end, the Bombers were forced increasingly to push ruckmen Jason Laycock and David Hille forward and centre half-back Patrick Ryder into the ruck.

The Bulldogs are used to covering for a lack of tall forwards, but they missed the grunt of Scott West around the packs. Essendon won a lot more of the contested ball through the middle of the game and it was not until the final term that the Bulldog midfield started to fire consistently. It was enough, and not too late, to guarantee a win.

Earlier, Essendon set itself up with a chance at victory with a magnificent third quarter. So much did the Dons dominate that they had 12 scoring shots to five for the term.

Dustin Fletcher, Mark McVeigh and Brent Stanton had run themselves into the ground for three quarters and still had to do it all over again in the last. McVeigh had kicked two goals in the third term.

The Bulldogs were being beaten for the contested ball around the packs, but still looked dangerous when they won the clearances. Minson's tap to Adam Cooney whose handball set Ryan Griffen up for their 13th goal was a prime example. But having looked so good for most of the first half, the Bulldogs were suddenly under immense pressure to maintain their undefeated run.

The Bulldogs led by 17 points at half-time, after a second quarter lasting 35 minutes on the clock. It was a more comfortable buffer than had appeared likely when the Dons closed to within five points mid-way through the quarter.

Barely had Alwyn Davey put his arms down from acclaiming the goal that brought Essendon within a kick than Ben Hudson won a tap at ruck contest, Cooney snaffled it. His handball back over the pack set Brad Johnson running and he slipped the ball inside to Jason Akermanis and the Dogs were back out to an 11-point margin.

Four of the Dogs five goals to quarter-time came through some sort of Essendon error or turnover — sometimes both. Least culpable was Jay Nash, though he should have done better than the tackle Mitch Hahn too easily sidestepped for the Doggies' first.

Stanton kicked out of defence to Daniel Cross whose handball set Griffen up for the Bulldogs' second, Adam Ramanauskas kicked to Hille's bootlaces as the Dons coughed up the ball in the lead-up to a Johnson goal and, finally, Mal Michael chipped the ball 20 metres from the back-pocket to Scott Welsh for another.

Essendon had one late change, Tayte Pears coming in for his first game in place of Angus Monfries.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.4 10.6 13.8 19.14 (128)
ESSENDON 1.2 7.7 14.12 14.14 (98)
GOALS Western Bulldogs: Welsh 3, Giansiracusa 2, Griffen 2, Akermanis 2, Minson 2, Harbrow 2, Murphy, Johnson, Hahn, Eagleton, Cooney, Lake. Essendon: Stanton 3, McVeigh 2, Hille 2, Davey 2, Winderlich, Lovett, Laycock, Reimers, Lovett-Murray.
BEST: Western Bulldogs: Cooney, Akermanis, Cross, Minson, Boyd, Hargrave. Essendon: Fletcher, Stanton, McVeigh, Hille, Reimers, Lovett.
INJURIES Essendon: Lonergan, McVeigh (hamstrings). Monfries (food poisoning) replaced in selected side by Pears.
UMPIRES Stevic, McLaren, Head.
CROWD 47,641 at Telstra Dome.

THE UPSHOT
ESSENDON'S electrifying brand of football will continue to excite supporters, but the challenge ahead will be maintaining its run for four quarters.

TALKING POINT
NO LLOYD, no Lucas and the Bombers produce nine individual goal-scorers to lead at the last break and threaten to cause a major boilover.

HOT AND COLD
STARVED of opportunity in attack, Bulldogs tall Will Minson found his touch in the ruck and finished with two goals.