THE WESTERN Bulldogs have had a night out, belting Essendon by 93 points at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

The win puts the Bulldogs back in the top eight as they take another step forward in their race to make finals after winning 22.11 (143) to 7.8 (50) in front of a crowd of 29,367.

The Dogs were ruthless against the injury-ravaged Bombers, who have now lost eight games in a row, with captain Marcus Bontempelli leading the way, finishing the night with 35 disposals and two goals.

Bontempelli's performance topped off a big week for the Dogs skipper, who signed a new four-year contract and was named the second greatest Bulldog of all time in the club's centenary celebrations.

Normally the Bulldogs' opponents can quell the influence of one of their key forwards, but they both got off the chain with Aaron Naughton kicking a career-high seven goals, while Sam Darcy booted six of his own.

The Bombers had moments, although few and far between and in the first half they came through key forward and mid-season draftee Liam McMahon, who kicked their only two goals up until half-time.

McMahon was one of three Bombers from the Mid-Season Rookie Draft who took to the field, with fellow draftees Lachlan Blakiston and Oskar Smartt getting opportunities as a result of the Bombers' extensive injury list, which now is up to 15 players.

Blakiston was given a huge learning curve, spending most of the night on Darcy, while Smartt started as the sub but was brought into the game in the second term when injury-prone defender Jordan Ridley was subbed out with hamstring tightness.

The Bulldogs started strongly, kicking five unanswered goals, with Naughton kicking two within the first three minutes. Naughton was joined by big dogs Bontempelli, Darcy and Ed Richards who all added to their side's tally.

McMahon eventually broke the run when the second-gamer put through the Bombers' first 20 minutes into the term, before slotting his second right on the quarter-time siren, giving Dons fans something to cheer about.

Essendon's defence improved in the second term, limiting the Dogs to just four goals, but while it slowed the Dogs' scoring, it couldn't apply any scoreboard pressure of its own, and the Dogs went into the main break with an eight-goal lead.

There were concerns in the third quarter when Tom Liberatore went down into the rooms with a foot injury, but the gun midfielder returned later in the quarter to the relief of Bulldogs fans. It seemed that Liberatore's foot had been stood on in a contest and the vice-captain was subbed out tactically later in the game.

Rhylee West started to have an influence on the game, kicking two goals in the third quarter, whilst Darcy and Naughton continued to add to their tallies.

Young Bombers Nate Caddy and Isaac Kako showed Bombers fans a glimpse into the future when they both hit the scoreboard, but the Bulldogs extended their lead to 79 points at the three-quarter time break.

Peter Wright, who had been threatening all night, finally hit the scoreboard in the final term, kicking two in a row, along with a major to Archie Perkins, making it the highest-scoring term for Bombers.

But the Bulldogs kept their foot on the pedal, adding a further five goals, extending their lead to more than 15 goals at the final siren.

ESSENDON                           2.2      2.5       4.6        7.8 (50)  
WESTERN BULLDOGS          6.5     10.5     17.7     22.11 (143)  

GOALS
Essendon: Wright 2, McMahon 2, Perkins, Kako, Caddy
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 7, Darcy 6, West 3, Richards 2, Bontempelli 2, Sanders, Poulter

BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Durham, Shiel, Redman, Roberts
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Naughton, Darcy, Liberatore, Williams

INJURIES
Essendon: Ridley (hamstring tightness)
Western Bulldogs: Nil 

SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Oskar Smartt (replaced Jordan Ridley in the second quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Laitham Vandermeer (replaced Tom Liberatore in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 29,367 at Marvel Stadium