The battling Western Bulldogs kicked six unanswered goals in the final term to score a comfortable 13.16 (94) to 9.12 (66) win over the SUNS in Cairns on Saturday.
Dual Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett was ruled out for the rest of the season this week after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction with his side clutching onto eighth spot.
The 14th-placed Bulldogs were keen to make the most of it, Jack Macrae proving a big factor in the last term with two goals.
For three quarters it had been an arm-wrestle, heavy on spite and light on structure with the Gold Coast's Zac Smith and the Bulldogs' Lachie Hunter taken off for repairs on busted noses.
But the see-sawing scoreline swung in the Bulldogs' favour in a home match they had to sell to Cairns in a bid to boost the club's bottom line.
Macrae, Lachie Hunter, Jack Stringer, Nathan Hrovat, Luke Dahlhaus, Jason Johannisen, Tom Liberatore, Stewart Crameri, Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Redpath all booted goals as the Dogs got the upper hand.
The Bulldogs had threatened to blow the game wide open in the first quarter, slamming home three majors in four minutes after the wasteful SUNS missed three golden opportunities on goal.
The SUNS needed something to stop the rot and they found it in Jaeger O'Meara (two goals, 22 disposals) in the shadows of half-time with the 20-year-old loading up from 50m out and kicking a goal.
Charlie Dixon slotted another major for the SUNS to open the second quarter, but for the next 20 minutes the two teams traded behinds before finally Tom Lynch (two goals, 16 disposals) broke the goal drought.
His superb individual effort closed the gap to just five points.
The tense battle continued in the third term before the Dogs eased to victory with the match in the balance.
Jack Macrae starred with 43 disposals and two goals. It follows coach Brendan McCartney’s criticism of him after last week’s loss to the Cats.
The loss sees the SUNS’ percentage take a big hit and in danger of dropping out of the eight for the first time since round four.
An Essendon win against Collingwood on Sunday will see the Bombers jump the SUNS into eighth spot.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.1 5.5 7.12 13.16 (94)
GOLD COAST 2.3 6.6 7.10 9.12 (66)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Hunter 2, Stringer 2, Macrae 2, Hrovat, Bontempelli, Johannisen, Redpath, Dahlhaus, Liberatore, Crameri
Gold Coast: Dixon 3, O'Meara 2, Lynch 2, Bennell, Martin
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Macrae, Hrovat, Dahlhaus, Johannisen, Hunter, Minson, Boyd
Gold Coast: O'Meara, Prestia, Stanley, Kolodjashnij, Lynch
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Ryan Griffen (ill) replaced in the selected side by Jason Johannisen,
Gold Coast: Kade Kolodjashnij (hamstring)
SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Sam Darley replaced by Mitch Honeychurch in the third quarter
Gold Coast: Kade Kolodjashnij replaced by Matt Shaw in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Fisher, Burgess, Findlay
Official crowd: 9,746 at Cazaly's Stadium, Cairns
