It was a quiet Sunday of VFL with just two games played as Footscray's forwards destroyed Sandringham and the UWS Giants edged out Williamstown with the return of a star midfielder.
At Trevor Barker Oval, it was the Bulldogs that burst away after the dew subsided to win 42-96 and keep in touch with the top-eight.
Despite producing one of the misses of the year, Toby McLean continues to press for a return to the senior side for the first time since Round 16, 2021 with one goal to go with his 25 disposals.
Josh Bruce would be front of mind for selection after a dominant four-goal-17-disposal game which was supported well by No. 2 draft pick Sam Darcy (one goal, 16 disposals) to stretch the Zebras' undersized defence.
The loss came with a few shining lights for Sandy, with Leo Connolly (29 disposals, 10 marks), Tom Campbell (one goal, 24 disposals, 32 hit outs), Ryan Byrnes (one goal, 25 disposals) and Ben Paton (24 disposals) providing some resistance to the fierce second-half Dogs.
Saturday night’s medical-sub Ben Long, however, had a day to forget with just 12 touches, one tackle and failing to hit the scoreboard.
At Downer Oval, the UWS Giants secured a gutsy 64-82 win to solidify their spot in the eight.
Jake Riccardi (three goals, 17 disposals, 10 marks), Zac Sproule (three goals, 16 disposals) and Xavier O’Halloran (two goals, 19 disposals) were impressive in keeping the Seagulls at bay.
While the return of injured star Jacob Hopper (32 disposals, six inside 50s) was a sight for sore eyes for Giants fans and his prominent performance could see him straight back into the senior side.
The finals race continues to heat up with six rounds remaining in the VFL season.