A weekend that threatened enough tales of the unexpected to flatter Roald Dahl very nearly reached a fittingly startling conclusion on Sunday night, when the Western Bulldogs' up-and-comers gave Essendon's surge up the ladder a shake. But for another Jake Carlisle blinder, the natural order would have been upended.

Two teams at different points on the developmental graph but assuredly both on the rise produced a terrific contest that revisited the storyline of their previous outings from go to whoa. Inside four minutes, Carlisle had marked and goaled at one end, and the Bulldogs had landed the counter-punch of youth as Jack Macrae found Marcus Bontempelli to level things.

And so it went on for four absorbing quarters, Carlisle dragging down another 12 marks and doubling his personal best on the scoreboard with eight goals in a second best afield performance in a row. The Dogs - who led by 21 points in the shadows of three-quarter time - met this virtual one-man army with a mighty challenge of multi-faceted and mightily impressive youth.

A twilight crowd of almost 35,000 loved every thrust and parry, and was holding its collective breath as Jason Winderlich floated in for the winner for the Bombers with two minutes to play. Even then, his path was cleared by Carlisle holding Jordan Roughead at bay at the top of the goalsquare; Carlisle stamped himself as the man who made things happen to the very end.

Of the Bulldogs' first five goalscorers only Luke Dahlhaus is old enough to have a legal drink in America, and it is sobering to ponder that not so long ago the 21-year-old was a lonely beacon of youthful hope in red, white and blue. He will not mind sharing the future spotlight with Bontempelli, Macrae, Nathan Hrovat and Jake Stringer, whose five goals was also a personal high.

When Matthew Boyd was gifted a goal on the run by a rusty Michael Hibberd, he both struck a blow for the old brigade and gave the Dogs the lead. Another Carlisle screamer wasn't enough to wrest it back for the Bombers as Stringer got his second and Jack Redpath, a 23-year-old Kyneton carpenter, received from Dahlhaus and continued to build a strong case to keep Liam Jones out of the side.

Dyson Heppell had shaken off Mitch Wallis early to the tune of eight first-quarter disposals and five clearances, but managed a solitary second-term touch. Brent Stanton and Brendon Goddard went to the long break with just six possessions each.

This represented potential second-half upside, as surely such class would rise again, but it was the Dogs again through Stringer's third - bursting through two tackles on the 50-metre arc, then getting on the end of a slick handball chain - who struck either side of Carlisle's fifth to stretch the lead beyond two goals.

When Stewart Crameri capped an end-to-end surge launched by Bob Murphy's bold intervention deep in defence, the Bulldogs led by a game-high 20 points midway through the third. Dustin Fletcher joined Carlisle up forward, a rarely seen cry for help, but even his deft hands to Stanton amounted to nothing as the running Don's dirty night continued with a scoreless shank.

It was left to Carlisle, again, floating in from the side for an eighth mark that extended his personal best to six goals. But Jackson Merrett and Stanton missed shots they should have nailed in time-on, leaving the difference at the last change 13 points and the margin of momentum somewhat greater.

Will Minson palmed beautifully to Stringer to start the last with a bang, and of course the red and black riposte came from the beanpole in No.22 as Carlisle presented once more and kicked his seventh.

Where early in the game Carlisle's only deficiency had been a lack of belief that saw him pass off when he should have backed his huge talent, now he was a man in the zone. Finally, less imposing teammates followed his lead as Paul Chapman and sub Cory Dell'Olio hit the target, but these were literally small deeds when set alongside Carlisle's feat in giving the Bombers back the lead, reaching over Roughead and Morris to pluck a stunning 11th grab.

Even then, wilting under an assault of four consecutive goals that seemed to restore the proper order of things, the young among the Bulldogs came again as Bontempelli's vice-like hands at the top of the goalsquare took the game into time-on for the last time without a breath separating the combatants.

Heppell finished strongly as Wallis limped to the line, Chapman won influential possessions, and Winderlich backed himself to get from half-back to a matchwinning position. But it was Carlisle who was everywhere.