PORT ADELAIDE has suffered several concerning injuries during its 38-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Star midfielder Hamish Hartlett suffered a torn right hamstring, which meant the visitors were one short on the bench for most of the second half after Jacob Surjan had earlier been subbed off with concussion.

Paul Stewart also hurt a left hamstring, while Jackson Trengove battled a dislocated finger.

The Match Review Panel is also likely to scrutinise a late bump by Port's Matt Thomas on Tom Liberatore, who was dazed and helped from the field, but returned soon after.

The Bulldogs invoked the spirit of late club legend Charlie Sutton to post the 13.17 (95) to 8.9 (56) victory in a knock-'em-down affair.

The Bulldogs, who farewelled their only premiership coach just 48 hours earlier with a memorial service at the same venue, displayed some Sutton-like qualities - namely hardness, selfless teamwork and play-on football - on their way to a comfortable win.

The Dogs rebounded strongly from a pre-bye drubbing from the Swans at the SCG, and the only aspect missing from their game was accuracy, which kept the Power within striking distance for much of the match.

The Dogs dominated inside 50s (59-44) disposals (414-326), uncontested possession (260-192) and marks (122-72).

Skipper Matthew Boyd (34 touches, including 22 in the first half) was typically prolific and had superb midfield support from Mitch Wallis (29) and Daniel Cross (26), while Bob Murphy (32) and Easton Wood (20) were superb springboards from defence.

Brian Lake had 20 kicks and 15 marks in another superb performance.

Young tall forward Ayce Cordy (two goals), who at one point left the field after a head clash with teammate Ryan Griffen, was a strong target in attack, while Tory Dickson (four) was a dangerous opportunist.

Port's best were Brad Ebert (23 touches) and Matthew Broadbent (26).

It was the Dogs' fifth win of the season, taking them a game clear of Port Adelaide with a game in hand.

It was also the Bulldogs' sixth successive win over the Power, which hasn’t beaten them since round 19, 2006.

It was a particularly sweet victory for Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney, who, at the end of 2010, was knocked back for the Port Adelaide coaching job that went to Matthew Primus. Just weeks ago, McCartney said the rejection had made him more determined to become an AFL coach.

McCartney said he was happy with how his players applied themselves, particularly early in the contest.
 
"Two weeks ago, the game got away from really early on us because of how we set up and what happened 20 or 30 metres away from where the ball was. So (we were) much better (in that area) and it set the scene for the day," he said.
 
The Bulldogs started the game full of purpose. It was a goal apiece after six minutes before the Dogs fired the next eight scoring shots. The game could have effectively been over by quarter-time but they managed just 2.6.
 
There was a role reversal in the second term with the Power kicking three of the first four goals, including two to spearhead Jay Schultz, to slash the margin to four points. But they couldn't make further inroads as the Dogs kicked away in the final term.
 
Power coach Matthew Primus said the final margin flattered his team, which he described as "really disappointing".
 
"Full credit to the Bulldogs - they came out and really went hard at the contest and we were really pretty second-rate in that regard," he said.

"All game we were lucky to stay within striking distance because of their inaccuracy, but they certainly gave us a lesson in some hardness at the footy."

The Bulldogs will be hopeful of another victory when they return to Etihad Stadium next Saturday to take on the Brisbane Lions. Meanwhile, the Power will have a bye.

WESTERN BULLDOGS       3.6     5.10   9.16    13.17 (95)
PORT ADELAIDE                 1.0       4.4      7.6       8.9 (57)          
 
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Dickson 4, Cordy 2, Jones, Higgins, Roughead, Cooney, Giansiracusa, Dahlhaus, Griffen
Port Adelaide: Schulz 3, Brett Ebert 2, Moore, Broadbent, Brad Ebert
 
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Robert Murphy, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Giansiracusa, Daniel Cross, Brian Lake, Ryan Griffen, Tory Dickson, Easton Wood
Port Adelaide: Brad Ebert, Matthew Broadbent, Troy Chaplin, John McCarthy, Danyle Pearce
 
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Port Adelaide: Jacob Surjan (concussion), Hamish Hartlett (hamstring), Paul Stewart (corked thigh), Jackson Trengove (dislocated finger)

SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Tom Liberatore replaced in the fourth quarter by Clay Smith
Port Adelaide:  Jacob Surjan replaced by Chad Wingard in the third quarter
 
Reports: Nil
 
Umpires: Nicholls, Findlay, Mollison
 
Official crowd: 16,036 at Etihad Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs