The playing mentor, who dislocated his shoulder, was one of two casualties for the Dogs' midfield alongside Tom Fitzgerald (concussion) in the 13.21 (99) to 6.6 (42) defeat.

Thornton turned to Matt Dwyer and Tom Noonan to play roles in the midfield in place of himself and Fitzgerald.

"Those two blokes haven't played midfield and they stood up and helped us out. If they didn't stand up the game would have got away from us earlier," he said.

Thornton, who will get his shoulder assessed during the week, also praised defender Zeb McKenna and Ethan Dowd.

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly podcast The Main Break:

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

The duo were named in the best players alongside Noonan with McKenna adjudged best on ground for the Dogs.

Thornton said McKenna flies under the radar and does everything right to help the team defend and rebound.

He said Dowd responded well to a chat they had during the week and adjusted his game based on the advice he received from his coach.

The Dogs play Timboon Demons next week.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.