CODY WEIGHTMAN FIRES:

The small forward is a remarkably reliable goalkicker in a role that can be a graveyard at times, having kicked at least one goal in 51 of his 61 matches. When he catches fire as he did in the first quarter of this must-win game for the Bulldogs he can only be described as irrepressible.

He kicked the first two goals within the first five minutes with a snap and a set shot after taking a contender for mark of the round.

He then bounced around to have five at half-time.

By then the Bulldogs had opened up a match winning lead (kicking their highest first quarter score at Mars Stadium and against the Suns, and any debates about selection or whether Aaron Naughton should be playing forward seemed less relevant for the time being.

Weightman finished with six goals, as he did last year in round 14 against the Kangaroos (when he also kicked five goals in two quarters of football).

LIBERATORE LEADS:

Emerging Suns’ midfielders Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson posed a serious threat to the Bulldogs, so they attracted the highest quality attention from the first bounce with Tom Liberatore taking on Rowell at the stoppages while Adam Treloar and Marcus Bontempelli dominated the clearances.

It took time for Rowell and Anderson to recover from ‘Libba’s’ onslaught as the Bulldogs opened up a 41-point deficit at the first break.

This Suns’ group didn’t give up though and kept coming with Liberatore needing to lift his troops again with an inspiring 10 minutes in the third quarter that led to a four goal burst (including one from Liberatore) that pushed the lead out to 46 points.

He was instrumental in driving the victory against a Suns’ team still looking for the right preparation to win away from home.

Jed Walter looked exciting on debut but their midfield were beaten when it mattered giving their key forwards little chance to have an impact.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED?:

The questions about the Bulldogs won’t go after just one performance but the response to their disappointing round one performance was encouraging.

Luke Beveridge held his nerve, giving Jackson Macrae another week in the VFL - where he gathered 47 touches - and Naughton up forward, elevating Caleb Daniel and Sam Darcy. Buku Khamis, Liam Jones and Ed Richards (before he was concussed) were excellent in defence after losing Nick Coffield to a shoulder injury in the first 10 minutes, while Weightman fed off the talls inside the forward 50.

They moved the ball off half back without the turnovers (except for a brief patch in the middle of the game) that ruined them in round one.

The Richards incident will be examined after Suns midfielder David Swallow copped him high when both were contesting the bouncing ball, but it appeared on first sight that veteran Sun had no option but to contest the ball.

Richards walked out to join his Bulldogs teammates and looks comfortable out there which is a good sign for him.