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West Coast maul Dogs, Fyfe in Brownlow strife

West Coast are within striking distance of the minor premiership after crushing the Western Bulldogs by 77 points in Sunday’s AFL showdown at Domain Stadium.

Forward Josh Kennedy booted seven goals and Nic Naitanui starred in the ruck to help West Coast secure the 25.12 (162) to 13.7 (85) victory.

The result lifted the Eagles six points clear of the third-placed Hawks, all but guaranteeing West Coast a top-two berth.

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And they are now just two points adrift of ladder leaders Fremantle after their cross-town rivals slumped to an 11-point loss to North Melbourne earlier in the day.

The Bulldogs displayed plenty of fight early, with their forwards particularly damaging as they closed to within 17 points late in the third quarter.

Jake Stringer kicked five goals and Stewart Crameri chipped in with three as the game threatened to turn into a good old fashioned shootout.

Nat Fyfe copped some attention after cleaning up Jacobs. Photo: Getty

Nat Fyfe copped some attention after cleaning up Jacobs. Photo: Getty

But as much as the Bulldogs tried, they couldn’t find nearly enough weapons to overcome the dominance of Naitanui in the ruck and Kennedy up forward.

Naitanui, playing his first game since the death of his mum a fortnight ago, tallied 14 disposals, 48 hit-outs, six clearances, and a goal in a powerful effort.

The 25-year-old paid tribute to his mum by pointing to the heavens after kicking a goal in the second quarter.

Kennedy pulled in a series of monster marks in attack, while Josh Hill followed up last week’s Ross Glendinning medal with an important four-goal haul.

The loss proved costly for the Bulldogs, who dropped to sixth after their percentage took a sizeable hit.

North Melbourne took a significant step towards locking up a finals berth with their upset win over ladder leaders Fremantle at Etihad Stadium.

Earlier, Brownlow Medal favourite Nat Fyfe was reported and North Melbourne cemented their grip on a finals berth in a dramatic 11-point win over Fremantle at Etihad Stadium.

Fyfe went into the umpire’s book after he made high, front-on contact with Ben Jacobs in the third-quarter of the Kangaroos’ 14.10 (94) to 12.11 (83) win.

Todd Goldstein battled Aaron Sandilands all afternoon in a fascinating ruck duel but bobbed up with two crucial goals – including the last major of the game – in the last quarter.

In a blow to his Brownlow Medal hopes, Fyfe was reported after he clattered into Jacobs as both players went for a loose ball in the third quarter.

With skipper and leading goal kicker Matthew Pavlich out with an Achilles injury, Fremantle kicked seven goals in the opening term but struggled to find reliable avenues to goal from then on.

North were without suspended onballer Jack Ziebell but it was their midfield brigade that worked them back into the contest after a slow start and provided their irresistible momentum in the last quarter when the Roos kicked five goals to two to seal a stunning win.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Patrick Cripps made another convincing case for the Rising Star award, starring in Carlton’s 23-point win over Melbourne.

Cripps had 26 possessions and kicked a crucial goal in the last quarter as the Blues held off Melbourne’s second-half rally, winning 12.6 (78) to 7.13 (55).

It means Carlton handed last place on the ladder to Brisbane with two games left.

The main point of interest in this match between 14th and last on the ladder was a direct Rising Star comparison between Cripps and Melbourne key forward Jesse Hogan.

Cripps or Hogan should win the award early next month.

As Cripps dominated again through the midfield, Hogan was unable to hold onto his marks when the game was up for grabs early in the last quarter.

Hogan finished with five marks and kicked two behinds.

Cripps featured in the highlight of the match, tearing through the midfield in the second term and dishing off to Matthew Kreuzer, who kicked a booming goal on the run.

– with AAP

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