Sam Darcy, Aaron Naughton dominate in Bulldogs’ 88-point win over hapless Giants

GWS coach Adam Kingsley admits he's at a loss to explain his side's 88-point thrashing by the Bulldogs, their worst defeat under his leadership.

Ronny Lerner and Liam Healy

5 min read

August 1, 2025 - 8:53AM

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GWS coach Adam Kingsley has described his team’s thumping 88-point loss to the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night as their worst performance of his three-year reign at the club.

From the first bounce, the Giants never looked like threatening the Dogs who coasted to their biggest ever win over the expansion club and kept their finals hopes alive in the process.

Kingsley was at a loss as to why his side performed so poorly with their spot in the top eight still not confirmed.

“We were just off tonight. I don’t know why,” Kingsley said.

“The Bulldogs (were) clearly playing for their season and it just felt like we weren’t and so that’s disappointing from our perspective.

“We got belted in the contest, plain and simple. I think maybe minus 51 in the end. Wow. You can’t really compete when you’re getting belted like that.

The Giants’ defence copped a belting on Thursday night. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“The problem is there’s never one thing that’s the issue why you’re losing contest. It’s usually a handful, if not more.”

The Giants’ backline was also smashed, but Kingsley insisted he wasn’t concerned with their performance. The Bulldogs more than tripled them for marks inside 50 (20-6) and key forward duo Aaron Naughton and Sam Darcy combined for 10 goals.

“I think it was just one of those nights where they (Bulldogs) kicked it in and they were feeling really good about themselves,” Kingsley said.

“The way that we were able to turn up a contest and win that ball was the most concerning thing. Our backs will be fine.”

In fact, Kingsley, overall, wasn’t too perturbed by the horrific performance from his side who had won their six previous games to storm into top-four contention.

“I don’t think that’s us, and it hasn’t been us for a long period of time,” Kingsley said.

“We’ve been up for a long period of time now ... we’ve had a big block of games, played some pretty good opposition and done quite well against them. I think it happens. We don’t want it to happen and certainly not the way that it did happen tonight, but it does.”

The Bulldogs have now won nine of their last 10 matches against GWS to emphatically stamp their authority on what was once viewed as a fierce rivalry.

“They were really strong and they’ve been like that against us in the past for a number of times that we’ve played them so they’re a bit of a hump that we haven’t been able to get over in the last couple of years,” Kingsley said.

Meanwhile, the GWS coach said star forward Jesse Hogan (foot) would be in doubt for next round’s match against North Melbourne, while Toby McMullin (syndesmosis) could be facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines.

Dominant Darcy, Naughton inspire Dogs’ statement win over GWS

The key forward double team of Aaron Naughton and Sam Darcy has once again inspired the Western Bulldogs to a thumping victory on Thursday night, this time to the tune of 88 points against top-four aspirants GWS at Marvel Stadium.

Fresh from combining for 13 goals against the hapless Bombers last week, Naughton and Darcy piled another 10 on the shell-shocked Giants. More importantly, they helped the Dogs keep their finals hopes alive in sensational style.

It was all the Dogs on Thursday night. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

A loss would’ve almost certainly sealed the Bulldogs’ fate considering it probably would’ve put them two games outside the top eight by the end of this weekend with only three games to go, and Gold Coast also having a match in hand.

But Luke Beveridge’s men rose to the challenge magnificently to stay alive with just their second win against a top-eight side from 10 attempts (both of which have been against GWS).

Beveridge couldn’t hide his elation at the performance post-game.

“You couldn’t be more grateful for the way the players went about it,” Beveridge told Fox Footy.

“Each week, we know there’s a bit at stake.

“We’re always on edge against anyone but particularly the Giants because we know what they’re capable of, so it’s a really satisfying win.”

Crucially, the Dogs boosted their percentage again from 132.6 to 137.3.

The 19.18 (132) to 6.8 (44) result was both the Dogs’ biggest ever win over the Giants and GWS coach Adam Kinglsey’s heaviest defeat. It also snapped the Giants’ six-game winning streak and served as a blow to their top-four ambitions. With the Suns still to come in their run home, they’ll be made to earn a double chance.

“We got belted in the contest, plain and simple… can’t really compete when you’re getting belted like that,” Kinglsey said.

Jesse Hogan and the Giants had a dirty night. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Concerningly for GWS, It’s hard to remember many sides winning the premiership after producing such an alarmingly uncompetitive performance this late into the season.

The hosts ran rampant and ended the contest in the first half with 11 of the first 12 goals, including eight in a row. They did as they pleased, and were allowed to move it from defence to attack far too easily by the stagnant Giants.

GWS managed to stem the bleeding in the third term, but the Bulldogs kicked the last five goals to blow out the margin.

GIANTS FAIL TO FIRE

The Dogs spread from the contest much better as well while GWS meekly succumbed to their ferocious pressure. So dominant were the Dogs that at one stage they registered 31 consecutive disposals in the second quarter.

The Dogs killed GWS on the inside, finishing with a whopping 52 more contested possessions (138-86), but they also dominated the outside and had a huge buffer for uncontested touches (109-82) in the decisive first half. Only three GWS players were in double-digits for disposals at the major break, compared to the Bulldogs’ 10.

TALL DOGS RUN RIOT

The Bulldogs tall timber up forward, especially Naughton, Darcy and Tim English, made a mess of the GWS backline that badly missed the injured Jack Buckley.

The Dogs already reached the AFL average for marks inside 50 in an entire game (12) before half-time and ended up winning the stat convincingly 20-6. Ten of their first 14 goals came from marks.

Star GWS backman Sam Taylor is ranked No.1 in the league for intercept marks and intercept possessions, yet late in the third quarter he was still yet to record one of either stat.

Aaron Naughton continued his hot form. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

NAUGHTON PURPLE PATCH CONTINUES

Naughton’s five majors came from 20 touches (14 contested) and eight marks (four) and he is now just one shy of a career-best 51 majors. English was also superb in the ruck with 20 disposals, 11 grabs, 22 hitouts and two goals and Caleb Poulter was an unlikely firestarter up forward, accruing 12 possessions, four marks and a major in the first half to play an instrumental role in the result, before being subbed out in the final quarter.

Tom Liberatore also starred with 26 touches (12) and eight clearances, while nullifying in-form Giant Finn Callaghan.

MCNEIL CAPS OFF GOOD WORK

Perhaps the best example of the uncompromising nature of the Bulldogs’ first half came early in the second quarter when Naughton smothered Taylor’s kick on the wing. Ed Richards then combined with Joel Freijah to get the ball to Lachie McNeil who earned a free kick for being taken too high by Leek Aleer in the marking contest. McNeil slotted the set shot, finishing off Naughton’s good work.