Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says “there’s no excuses” for how his team performed in Thursday night’s upset loss to North Melbourne.

The Kangaroos led for the entire clash at Marvel Stadium, withstanding several Bulldogs blitzes to win by 23 points.

Beveridge dismissed the notion that the Bulldogs were “flat” after Ryley Sanders pointed to a lack of energy for their sluggish start during a halftime interview on Channel 7.

“It didn’t feel like the group was flat, there’s no doubt early in the game when you think of situations where the pressure was on… we let them out,” Beveridge said.

“It was hard to stop and they scored from those situations, just around the ground in the turnover, turnover game.

“Our young players like ‘Sando’ are learning what it takes to be influential in this competition.

“There can’t be any excuses from the week before because, yeah, it was a Perth game, we came back, six days – but they were five days out from Launceston so cry me a river, there’s no excuses.

“We ran the game out OK, it was just that they were the better team on the night.”

The Bulldogs surrendered crucial match-ups, including the head-to-head battle between big men Tristan Xerri and Tim English.

Xerri gave North Melbourne first use and English’s night worsened late in the match when he hobbled from the wing clutching at his left knee.

Beveridge couldn’t provide an update on English’s knee injury post-game but conceded the Kangaroos’ control through the middle of the ground.

“I can’t give you an update, I don’t know the extent of the injury, what’s happening, we didn’t put him back on obviously,” he said.

“(Xerri) is a very good around the ground stoppage player, I think we were hoping for a bit more from a group at centre bounce – we didn’t get it.

“You have to say, overall, we lowered our colours through that area of the ground from the collective point of view.

“I said last week there was a stalemate between us and Fremantle but I’d say North Melbourne got the points tonight through that area.”

ROOS STUN DOGS TO KEEP SEASON ALIVE, SHAKE UP WILDCARD RACE

It was a performance equal in captivation and composure.

North Melbourne resisted several surges from Western Bulldogs to clinch a rewarding win in front of a parochial crowd at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.

The Kangaroos had previously been thrashed by the Bulldogs, losing their past nine meetings by an average margin of 53 points.

But this was the example Alastair Clarkson can point to at season’s end as evidence of growth, fittingly taking North Melbourne to its best year since 2019.

The Kangaroos jumped out of the blocks, punishing the Dogs with six straight goals from their first 12 entries inside 50.

North Melbourne got out to a 28-point lead early in the third quarter before Western Bulldogs’ leaders rose to the occasion.

Ed Richards, Aaron Naughton and Tom Liberatore all hit the scoreboard consecutively.

Liberatore, in particular, influenced the third quarter from the unfamiliar territory of the wing.

The Kangaroos’ efficiency was a key factor until the midway point of the third term, leading the Bulldogs by 20 points from the same number of scoring shots.

A shift in ball movement by the Bulldogs exposed the Kangaroos’ defence and threatened to rip another victory from their grasp.

But North Melbourne refused to bow in the final quarter and went back up by two goals through Luke Davies-Uniacke resting forward.

The Kangaroos of recent years may have accepted a brave loss, but they now have evidence of what persistence and execution can achieve.

They kept taking the game on and were rewarded with a tremendous victory.

Davies-Uniacke was brilliant, as were Tristan Xerri, Paul Curtis and Cam Zurhaar.

For the Bulldogs, it’s an on brand defeat that forces them to play right until the home and away finish line.

Adding salt to the Bulldogs’ wound, Tim English hobbled from the field late with a sore knee.

RED-TIME ROOS

It took the Kangaroos just five minutes to undo the Bulldogs’ first push.

Western Bulldogs erased North Melbourne’s first-quarter lead, having an opportunity to get within a kick halfway through the second quarter.

But a five-minute period of dominance, particularly at stoppage, nullified the Bulldogs’ comeback and instead increased the Roos’ overall lead.

A rare panic handball from Marcus Bontempelli led to the first goal before Paul Curtis and Luke Davies-Uniacke kicked a pair of mesmerising stoppage goals.

The fast finish left the Bulldogs trailing by 26 points at the main break after a 21-point deficit at quarter time.

Paul Curtis’ hangar against the Dogs

Curtis kicked three in the first half

CLINICAL CURTIS

Paul Curtis could have been excused for gazing towards the big screen.

North Melbourne’s livewire was a walking highlight reel in a brilliant first quarter against Western Bulldogs.

Curtis – marked by Bulldogs lockdown defender Michael Sellwood – kicked the first two majors of the match including a clever soccer goal.

But his impact on the ground was overshadowed by a mark of the year contender on centre wing.

Curtis timed his run and leap perfectly to launch onto the shoulders of Sellwood.

“Perfect hanger. That’s the old school yard, (with the) year 7s out the front of the pack,” West Coast Eagles premiership coach Adam Simpson told SEN.

SCOREBOARD

WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.3 5.6 10.9 11.11 (77)

NORTH MELBOURNE 6.0 10.2 12.7 15.10 (100)

GOALS

Bulldogs: Naughton 2, Kennedy 2, Hynes, Bontempelli, Freijah, Khamis, Richards, Liberatore, Davidson

Kangaroos: Curtis 4, Davies-Uniacke 2, Darling 2, Banch 2, Simpkin, Wardlaw, Spargo, Xerri, Parker

BEST

Bulldogs: Richards, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Khamis

Kangaroos: Curtis, Davies-Uniacke, Xerri, Zurhaar, Parker

INJURIES

Bulldogs: English (knee)

Kangaroos: Corr (back)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTES

3 Paul Curtis (North Melbourne)

2 Luke Davies-Uniacke (North Melbourne)

1 Tristan Xerri (North Melbourne)