Melbourne have stamped their AFL premiership credentials, smashing reigning premiers Western Bulldogs by 57 points in a spiteful Etihad Stadium encounter.
The 17.11 (113) to 8.8 (56) defeat capped a horror afternoon for the Bulldogs, who lost key midfielder Lin Jong to a suspected torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Coach Luke Beveridge confirmed the Bulldogs are fearing the worst for Jong, who crumpled to the ground when his kick was smothered by Nathan Jones early in the first quarter.
"It's disappointing, but like the ones that have gone before him, we just need to help him with his rehab and get him back as big and strong as he has been," Beveridge said.
"We'll have him back hopefully somewhere near the start of next year."
It was a dire loss for the Dogs, who remain stranded in ninth place and struggling to get their season back on track after a terrible fortnight.
The Dees climbed to fifth spot and could hardly have been more impressive, beating the Dogs at their own hard-running, transition offence game and repelling everything thrown at them on the defensive end.
"I thought our pressure throughout the day was outstanding," Demons coach Simon Goodwin said.
"In terms of total team buy-in ... I thought it was our best game from that perspective."
Goodwin confirmed star ruckman Max Gawn will return for Saturday night's crunch clash with West Coast, while Jones (quad) and Jack Watts (hamstring tightness) will be assessed during the week.
Tensions between the two sides were stoked before the game, with Melbourne enforcer Tomas Bugg using social media to taunt Bulldogs speedster Jason Johannisen.
Norm Smith medallist Johannisen had a shocker during their loss to Sydney, courtesy of a hard tag from George Hewett, and Bugg took to Instagram to make it clear he could expect the same treatment on Sunday.
The Dogs made a beeline for Bugg before the opening bounce but it was one of the few shots they fired in an otherwise meek performance.
Beveridge's men were held goalless to quarter-time as the physical Demons racked up tackles and smothers.
The Bulldogs looked to fight back during a fiery, old-school second term, with the umpires kept busy by spotfires across the ground.
But it was Melbourne who came out on top, extending their lead with consecutive goals after Bugg, again the chief provocateur, was laid out by a frustrated Easton Wood.
It was all one-way traffic after halftime, with Watts (three goals), Oscar McDonald (23 disposals, 12 marks) and Christian Salem (23 touches) among the standout performers for the Dees.
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