The Western Bulldogs have banked a dramatic two-point victory over Port Adelaide to climb into the AFL’s prime eight.

The Canines’ Harvey Gallagher scored the go-ahead behind with solely 24 seconds left in a tense 10.14 (74) to 10.12 (72) triumph at Adelaide Oval.

The Bulldogs (5 wins, 4 losses) claimed eighth spot forward of weekend video games, whereas Port stays thirteenth with three wins and 6 defeats.

The Bulldogs had been fantastically served by on-ballers Ryley Sanders (31 disposals), skipper Marcus Bontempelli (30, one aim, 10 tackles) and Ed Richards (27 touches, one aim).

Canines attackers Aaron Naughton, Rhylee West and Will Lewis booted two objectives every.

Port’s performing captain Zak Butters — in opposition to the membership thought-about the frontrunner for his signature ought to he go away the Energy at season-end — was sometimes prolific with 30 possessions.

Energy spearhead Mitch Georgiades kicked 4.4, whereas halfback Kane Farrell (27 touches) and winger Jase Burgoyne (21) had been busy.

The Bulldogs started brightly, scoring the preliminary three objectives to race to a 20-0 benefit because the Energy misplaced influential defender Miles Bergman to a toe damage.

Area umpire Daniel Johanson was additionally a casualty, felled by contact from Bulldog Ed Richards within the second minute and brought off the bottom.

The Energy’s Georgiades booted two objectives, each from technical holding free kicks in opposition to Buku Khamis, as the house aspect crept inside seven factors.

The Canines elevated their result in 13 factors, 6.2 to 4.1, at quarter-time by way of a late Naughton aim.

Port’s Ewan Mackinlay diminished the deficit with an attention-grabbing main early within the second stanza, and when younger teammate Jack Whitlock transformed a 45m shot from a good angle, the Energy had been solely 5 factors down.

The Bulldogs steadied with two strikes from Will Lewis to carry a useful 18-point buffer at halftime, 9.5 to six.5, when the guests led the inside-50 depend 31-18 and Port’s Bergman, after making an attempt to return to motion, was dominated out on the break.

The Energy once more made inroads within the third quarter, with Georgiades slotting his third aim and Logan Evans sinking a 55m bomb to cut back the margin to 6 factors.

However after Evans’s long-range launch within the eleventh minute, each golf equipment could not rating one other aim — the Canines recorded only one behind for the time period and led by 5 factors at three quarter time, 9.6 to eight.7.

The guests gained respiration area six minutes into the ultimate time period when West bumped into an open aim for a 13-point break.

Georgiades responded along with his fourth aim about 10 minutes later and teammate Corey Durdin threaded a set shot to depart the hosts one level in arrears with two minutes and 34 seconds remaining.

The Energy drew stage with a rushed behind 30 seconds later, however the Canines pressed ahead within the dying levels, with Gallagher’s checkside behind placing them in entrance, earlier than Lewis scored one other behind after the siren.

AAP