Poor disposal saw the ball constantly turned over inside their attacking 50, allowing Esperance to rebound and adding pressure on the Blues’ forwards.

With eight goals against Esperance last time the two sides met, Scott Docherty was unable to get into play with the Bulldogs constantly tagging the enigmatic forward while Nigel Johnston was continually being dragged up the oval in a quest to pick up possessions.

It was the complete opposite for Esperance with all their big names, Neill, Trevor Anderson, Tristan McKenzie and Roger Parsons firing up to present the team with options when pressing forward.

The second half threatened to be a one act affair as the Bulldogs quickly picked up where they left off in the first half, but the Blues started to dig deep and started seeing more of the ball.

Johnston started to lift in the forward line while youngster Isaac Puna also started to gain more possessions and the Blues finally started to play some serious football.

Although Esperance was able to add another four goals to their already imposing tally it was the Blues who owned the term with seven straight kicks getting the side back to into the game and trailing by just 15 points at the final change.

With the stage set for a thriller in the final quarter Ports continued to fight hard in a match which developed into a physical battle for the gall at ground level, both teams tackling hard, and the margin was reduced to just seven points.

To their credit Esperance rallied yet again and aided by some free kicks inside their attacking 50 the Bulldogs regained composure and kicked clear to record their sixth win of the season,

The day was marked by some strong efforts through their forward lines as Neill and Anderson both ended the day with four goals. McKenzie and Parsons each recorded three goals while Damien Wood capped off another strong effort around the ground.

While Wood would have topped the Bulldogs’ best players there was a strong effort from Shane Kirkup and ruckman Santana Wyatt. James Gray and Luke Lowden were others to make their presence felt for Esperance.

For the Blues, Aubrey Jacobs did some good things, presenting himself well and taking some great marks under pressure. Cory Bennier also played another strong game, along with Brian Sylva and Steve Baker while James Oldfield also stood out.

Final score: Esperance 17.11 (113) d Ports 13.7 (85).

It was far better news for the Blues in their reserves clash against Esperance, Ports cruising home by 52 points to claim back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

After defeating Newtown-Condingup last week the Blues had a point to prove following a shock loss to Esperance at their last meeting.

Esperance had just the one win and were looking to make it two straight over Ports, but this was not to be with the home side coming out and taking control of the game right from the first bounce.

Ports’ numbers were boosted by several younger players mixed with three league players which gave the side plenty of speed and strong hands in the marking duels and this was reflected on the scoreboard.

Steve Capelli (four goals) enjoyed the game giving the Blues a strong focal point in their forward lines while Cameron Somerville (two goals) relished the opportunity of getting out of rucking duties.

Edward Wildberger made his debut for the Blues and in a momentous change veteran fullback Ramon Garcia found himself moved to midfield duties where he celebrated the day kicking a goal.

Better players for the Blues included Garcia, Somerville and Jonathan Mason while Capelli and coach Wes Green also rated highly in a real team performance.

For Esperance, Ben Sullivan did well in their forward lines, Martin Sullivan also did well along side of Ian Abdullah and Mick Solly, Kurt Griffiths also rated highly but tended to get fired up under pressure.

Final score: Ports 11.14 (80) d Esperance 4.4 (28).