The Western Bulldogs have survived a huge scare against Brisbane to celebrate Bob Murphy’s 300th AFL game with a hard-fought 32-point win in Melbourne.

The wasteful Dogs trailed by 38 points late in Saturday’s second quarter, before setting up the 17.20 (122) to 14.6 (90) win with a four-goals-to-nil third term.

The final margin wasn’t an accurate reflection of Brisbane’s brave performance.

The Lions still led by five points at three-quarter time but Luke Dahlhaus converted a set shot to give his side the lead for good with just over nine minutes left after Daniel Rich gave away a 50m penalty.

A bizarre incident proved costly for the visitors.

Man-of-the-moment Murphy kicked a goal from point-blank range in the pivotal third quarter after a Brisbane trainer incurred a 50m penalty when he ran through the mark.

The Dogs’ skipper finished with 20 touches and was chaired from the ground to the wild applause of the 31,822-strong crowd at Etihad Stadium.

Luke Beveridge’s inaccurate side dominated inside 50s by 17-6 in the first quarter but only managed a return of 3.7 with two shots out of bounds on the full.

Eric Hipwood kicked three first-quarter goals as the Lions booted five straight to lead by five points at the first break.

The Dogs continued to kick poorly in the second quarter, while the Lions bagged nine goals straight before blotting their copybook with a rushed behind.

Chris Fagan’s side led by 32 points at halftime but the lightning-fast transition, which allowed them to get behind the Dogs’ defence and score some easy goals, deserted them.

The Lions scored just two behinds in the third term but they fought on bravely early in the last before the Bulldogs rattled home with the final seven goals.

Jack Macrae and Jason Johannisen were outstanding for the Dogs with 29 and 28 possessions respectively, while Jake Stringer and Josh Dunkley kicked three goals apiece.

Dayne Beams led the way for the Lions with 36 touches and Stefan Martin had 18 disposals and 49 hitouts.