Treloar’s Dogs upstage Collingwood in AFL

Adam Treloar was unceremoniously jeered by Collingwood fans but exacted some sweet revenge on the club that dumped him as the Western Bulldogs opened their AFL season with a 16-point win at the MCG.

The star midfielder had 18 disposals, five clearances and a cool hand in the Dogs’ hot start on Friday night, helping his new side snap a four-game losing streak against the Magpies.

Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae were outstanding as the Bulldogs registered a 10.9 (69) to 7.11 (53) triumph in front of 46,051 fans.

Darcy Moore was a rock in a Collingwood backline that tried to limit the damage from a deluge of Bulldogs forward entries.

Adam Treloar of the Bulldogs celebrates. Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But the weight of numbers was too great as the Dogs’ strong midfield generated a 61-41 advantage in inside-50s.

Smith, Macrae and Lachie Hunter racked up more than 100 disposals between them, with Smith kicking two goals.

Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy had tormented the Bulldogs in recent seasons but had his influence around the ground blunted by new ruck pairing Stefan Martin and Tim English.

Martin, recruited from Brisbane to assist emerging star English, did plenty of the grunt work in the ruck.

“The boys shifted in and out of their duties with a really selfless approach to it and really controlled the game, especially through that midfield, and Stefan was huge for us in the end,” Dogs coach Luke Beveridge said.

“The most pleasing thing was the defensive aspect … we only let them inside 50 41 times and kept them to seven goals.”

Josh Dunkley of the Bulldogs is tackled by Jamie Elliott of the Magpies. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Collingwood forced out Treloar during last November’s trade period and the emotional midfielder publicly addressed the saga again during the build-up to his first outing with the Bulldogs, ensuring a keen focus on the round-one grudge match.

Treloar started on a wing and copped boos from the Magpie Army in the opening minutes but showed composure with his first touch to set up a goal for Aaron Naughton.

The Dogs had three unanswered goals in the first six minutes and dominated both possession and territory from the outset.

Both sides kicked goals from controversial 50m penalties during the second term and the Dogs created a scoreboard buffer by three-quarter time.

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Late in the final term, long after the early jeers, Treloar was applauded by both sets of fans.

“Adam would absolutely just be relieved,” Beveridge said.

“I don’t think any player in maybe the history of the game has ever had so much publicity with a move from one club to the other, so you can imagine the emotional rollercoaster that he’s been on.”

Jamie Elliott and Brody Mihocek kicked two goals each for Collingwood, whose coach Nathan Buckley conceded were “smacked” around the contest.

“The guts of it was in and around the ball they were cleaner and harder,” Buckley said.