Toby McLean has made a statement after being dropped from the senior side last week as the Footscray Bulldogs handled Richmond in Saturday’s VFL contest.
The Bulldogs got on top of the Tigers by 35 points after booting the opening goal and never relinquishing the lead.
FULL TIME | Dogs Win 👏👏👏
— Footscray Bulldogs (@FootscrayVFL) April 8, 2023
We're on the board for 2023, defeating Richmond by 35 points!
🐯 6. 8. 44
🐶 12. 7. 79
Disposals: McLean 45, Sullivan 29, Rantall 20, Garner 19
Goals: Goater 3, Sullivan 2, Garner 2, Darcy 2, West, Poulter, Khamis pic.twitter.com/9QgXhM43io
A fast start saw Footscray stretch the margin out to 31 points by the end of the first term, leaving Richmond in the dust as the Tigers managed one major.
This dominance continued through the second quarter as the Bulldogs stretched the lead to 40-points, making most of some unexpectedly dry conditions to play some stellar surging football.
However, once the third term came around, the rain arrived with it, shutting down Footscray’s ball movement as they didn’t take to the slippery conditions.
The Tigers made use of the wet weather to claw themselves out of the hole, yet the Bulldogs’ early dominance proved to be too potent, as Footscray was able to hold on to secure a 35-point victory.
While multiple Dogs found themselves with plenty of the footy, it was clearly the Toby McLean show as he put together a monster stat line of 45 disposals and 19 clearances, pencilling himself back in for selection next week.
McLean wasn’t the only Dog to give Luke Beveridge something to think about, with young gun Sam Darcy pairing two goals with 17 disposals.
For the Tigers, 22 touches from Jack Ross and a solid performance in the ruck from Ben Miller proved to be the sole bright spots on a touch day.
Robbie Tarrant also made an appearance for Richmond, playing solely in the opening term as he builds up to his return to senior footy, having played a half game for the VFL side last week.
Any players that see themselves moved up to the senior squad on the back of this game must prepare for an interstate trip, with all 18 clubs heading to Adelaide for Gather Round.