It was a Thursday night full of highs and lows. But the bottom line is that the Western Bulldogs have got their second win on the board in season 2020. A 28-point win against the Sydney Swans on their home turf has the Dogs back on level pegging at 2-2.
It's good because the next few weeks will see the Dogs with winnable games. North Melbourne next Saturday night will be a very big contest for both sides, and then with the AFL releasing the fixtures for rounds six and seven the other day, the Bulldogs will play Melbourne, a team that could still literally be anything and Essendon, a team that the Dogs have great history with over the past five years.
Against the Swans, the Bulldogs looked switched on from the get-go. They were chasing and causing the Swans to make numerous turnovers and they looked as if they had the upper hand in the clearances in the early going. It did take them a little bit to get the first goal on the board, but after Bailey Dale kicked the opening goal 10 minutes in, the Bulldogs began to put the pressure on the scoreboard.
Three goals to nothing at quarter time spelt some troubled times for the Sydney Swans, but they didn’t waste much time getting their opening goal on the board in the second term through Tom Papley, but that would be the only goal they would kick for the half. The Bulldogs’ captain Marcus Bontempelli made the second term his own with a couple of amazing marks running back with the flight and kicked a couple of critical goals with Aaron Naughton hurting his ankle late in the first term and not returning.
This game had somewhat of a familiar feeling to the corresponding game last year when the Bulldogs got off to a strong start in the opening half, only to have the Swans whittle away the half-time deficit and threaten to pinch it from the Dogs, on that night, they were ahead in that game by as much as 40 points. On Thursday night, they held a 30-point half-time lead and with Josh Bruce kicking truly in the opening couple of minutes of the third quarter, the Bulldogs held a 36-point advantage and were seemingly on top of everything.
But the Swans started to make a run for the hills. After an opening half full of slow play and numerous errors with the ball in hand, they started playing with a bit more run and dare and were attacking the contest with more fire. Their reward for taking the game on, they started getting repeat inside 50 entries and scoring opportunities. Fortunately for the Dogs, these opportunities were all minor scores, before Papley finally struck true on the fifth attempt.
The Dogs had moments of their own but couldn’t add much else to their score. Bruce had another shot from a much closer angle, but his kick skews terribly to the left. Bontempelli had a kick from 40 metres which failed to make the distance - perhaps the only blemish on his night. To add further stress, Sam Lloyd hurt his shoulder early in the third term and also didn’t return, leaving the Dogs to run with two on the bench for most of the second half, making the difficulty of holding off the Swans all the more tougher.
Of course Sydney were going to stage a fight back at some stage. They might be a team that might have their talent exposed after you get past the highly-rated kids in the side, but they're the Swans - it's in their nature to have a crack.
They kept coming in that final term. The often-used tactic of kicking the footy to Buddy, became kick it to a man at least 20 centimeters shorter in Tom Papley. He was almost involved in every forward 50 entry the Swans had. At times, I felt the Doggies gave him very little respect defensively, but he earned his four goals, he really should’ve had more, given the chances that were presented to him.
The Swans, however never got under 20 points, which is a testament to the Bulldogs and their steely resolve. It’s a win the Dogs needed to have, and I think wins like that where you’re being challenged and have just two on the bench for that second half, I think those kind of wins build confidence for those like Louis Butler, Laitham Vandermeer and Rhylee West - I thought all those three were solid.
Butler looked comfortable on debut, six intercepts from 14 touches on a half-back flank. Vandermeer’s game is building by the week and watching West in contested spaces, I'm seriously pleading to Luke Beveridge to keep him in this team for as long as it takes for Josh Dunkley’s ankle to heal up. that kid is going to be something special in the future.
So I mentioned the Bont before and making that second quarter his, I think his night was almost the perfect captain’s game - tough in congestion, and kicking the important goals in the second half. He finished with 19 disposals, seven clearances, seven tackles and two goals. But I don’t think he could have done it without the work of Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and Tom Liberatore in the middle as well.
Macrae had to work off of George Hewett most of the night. Hewett has got the runs on the board in years gone by as a run-with midfielder, but Macrae was superb under the pressure. Smith should be in conversation as the best kid to come out of that star-studded 2018 AFL Draft. Not only does he bust his backside on the inside ball, but he works hard to run and create and take the game on - I thought he did a very good job of it on Thursday night. Liberatore worked hard, although probably not as impactful as he was last Friday night, he still had some presence in the middle.
The defence was brilliant. Keath did his role well, Zaine Cordy took a few strong intercept grabs and was terrific in his defensive spoiling. Likewise to Hayden Crozier, who continues to remain an unsung hero outside of the four walls of Footscray and Caleb Daniel continued to weave his creative magic off half-back in the way that Caleb Daniel can. Also watching him outbody a much taller Nick Blakey was funny.
Before I discuss the other side of the ledger, One last Bulldog I would love to mention Tim English once again. I thought his work in the ruck contests was okay - certainly didn’t win as many as Callum Sinclair or Sam Naismith, but his work around the ground was certainly better than that pair. He took a number of intercept grabs in defence, he was a very serviceable player in the middle when the clearances were there to be won and he floated up forward late and kicked straight for a change. It's been a great two weeks since for him.
Which segues perfectly into what in the blue hell John Longmire was thinking playing all three of Naismith, Sinclair and Hayden McLean? Naismith is a pretty good ruckman for mine - good strength, decent ruck craft and is able to work and get his hands on the footy. Sinclair is a good depth option and McLean is a tall that has promise. Thursday night showed that there was no room for all three, as the Dogs showed throughout the night, they could not run with the Dogs’ style of play.
I have a lot of sympathy, love and respect for Josh Kennedy. It wouldn’t have been easy for him to head out and play tonight, having lost his grandfather - the Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend - John Kennedy Snr earlier in the day, but he went out and he did it anyway. In what was his 250th game, he was one of Sydney’s better players on the night - 19 disposals, eight tackles and a goal - It wasn't his best game, but it was what you expect out of Kennedy - tough and uncompromising.
Luke Parker was another that you knew that he’ll go out and give you a strong game, 25 disposals, nine of those clearances, it was a typical Luke Parker game. Coming up against Sydney, you know exactly what you’re going to get out of both these gentlemen. They’re tough and elite contested ball winners. I also liked what I saw from Callum Mills in the middle after half-time. He ran with Bontempelli and somewhat quelled his influence, whilst winning some footy himself.
Tom Papley’s four goals were enormous in trying to get the Swans back into the game. Jake Lloyd running and creating drive out of half back was a big tick for them as well. James Rowbottom tried his heart out - didn’t get as much of the footy as last week, but still laid seven tackles and put in another solid effort, and I liked seeing Justin McInerney try and take the game on throughout the night.
I don’t think I could say much else positively about the Swans, Isaac Heeney was down on form, Will Hayward was tried at half-back which is puzzling to me, Harry Cunningham didn’t do much at all, Nick Blakey and Lewis Taylor were nowhere to be found and before Bailey Dale allegedly slugged him one in the third term and got himself in the book (Looked like not much in it), I was convinced Robbie Fox was some sort of mythical creature.
Ah well, that’s the Bulldogs game sorted and out of the way nice and early. Enjoy the win and the weekend Bulldogs fans! Maybe the season is not lost on us after all, whether they put the asterisk next to it or not.
Western Bulldogs 3.2 6.3 7.4 10.7.67 Sydney 0.1 1.3 2.8 5.9.39
Goals
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 2, Dale, Naughton, Lloyd, Vandermeer, Bruce, West, Macrae, English Sydney: Papley 4, Kennedy
Alex Docherty’s Best
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, English, Smith, Macrae, Daniel, Crozier,
Liberatore Sydney: Papley, Parker, Kennedy, Lloyd, Rowbottom, Mills