Lions defeat Bulldogs in tough Gabba thriller

Ed Jackson | July 18, 2025

Brisbane have held firm to claim a fourth straight AFL win, defeating the Western Bulldogs 12.14 (86) to 12.4 (76) in a tough tussle at the Gabba.

The 10-point win – after holding off a late Bulldogs’ surge as Will Ashcroft kicked a goal on the siren – enhances Brisbane’s prospects of a top four finish and allows them to celebrate the occasion of midfielder Hugh McCluggage’s 200th AFL match in style.

Defeat for the Bulldogs leaves them in a precarious position in the race for the finals, having now lost eight of the nine matches they’ve played against teams above them on the ladder.

Rhylee West kicked a game-high four goals for the Bulldogs while for the Lions Will Ashcroft had three majors and his brother Levi was one of three Lions, along with Kai Lohmann and Jarrod Berry, to kick two goals each. 

Aaron Naughton had two for the visitors.

Lions midfielder Josh Dunkley was in top form against his former club, laying 14 tackles and recording 28 disposals while Bailey Dale’s 33 touches were the most for the Bulldogs.

With the Gabba surface slick after a storm whipped over the stadium before the match started, neither team could be separated in the first quarter.

The biggest talking point of the term was Lions veteran Dayne Zorko coming to the sideline after his left foot was stomped on. The 36-year-old returned shortly afterwards after getting the sore foot strapped as the hosts held a narrow one-point lead at the first break.

Cam Rayner began the second term in damaging fashion, laying on an eye-catching tackle before snapping a goal to extend the hosts’ lead before Lohmann and Will Ashcroft pushed that margin past two goals for the first time in the match.

The home fans were left incensed when a Levi Ashcroft goal was ruled out for a throw in the build-up before Riley Garcia was the beneficiary of a free kick in the Bulldogs’ favour to get the margin back into single digits.

But Will Ashcroft’s second after a smart tap by Charlie Cameron ensured the Lions were up by 13 at the main break.

Midway through the third term the Lions had hit a game-high 22 point lead when Logan Morris converted but West’s third of the match shortly afterward kept the Dogs in the hunt.

Brisbane notched 24 inside 50s for the quarter to the Bulldogs’ eight but both teams kicked three goals to keep the contest in the balance heading into the final term.

The Dogs threatened a boilover with three late goals to get within four points but the Lions held firm with Will Ashcroft’s third major right on the siren sealing the win. 

“It’s not the first time it’s happened to us this year,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said about the tight finish, referring to defeats to Adelaide and GWS.

“Those two teams were good enough to get over the line. Fortunately, tonight that wasn’t the case.”

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge couldn’t fault his team’s never-say-die attitude but admitted the Lions were worthy winners in the end.

“It’s a game that we need to be better at a few things that we weren’t,” Beveridge said. “We didn’t do so well last week in the pressure game and the tackling side of things and I thought we did that better than we did last week, but they just had too many opportunities.”