AFL 2023: West Coast defeats Western Bulldogs in massive upset, upending top eight race

The race for the top eight and the wooden spoon have been tipped upside-down after the Western Bulldogs lost a game no one thought was possible.

Ed Bourke

@edbourke6

5 min read

August 20, 2023 - 8:00PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Jamie Cripps of the Eagles celebrates one of his five goals. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

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Luke Beveridge is adamant he remains the right person to coach the Western Bulldogs after a catastrophic loss to West Coast which leaves his side on the brink of missing the top eight.

The Bulldogs need to win in Geelong for the first time in 20 years to stand a chance of playing finals after their listless seven-point defeat to the bottom-placed Eagles, who Beveridge said “outworked” his team and played with more tenacity despite having far less at stake in the Sunday afternoon clash.

Beveridge said the trip to GMHBA Stadium would be one of the toughest challenges of his coaching career, as he tries to revive a “static” side which appeared steady in fifth spot less than a month ago.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked whether he believed he was still the right man to coach the Bulldogs.

“I mean ultimately, sometimes you need to evolve, and if at the moment we’re in a static area from a performance point of view, we’ll work out why it is.

“But from a leadership perspective, and coaching the team and the club, I’m really comfortable with my tenure.”

Marcus Bontempelli did everything he could to lift the Bulldogs. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Beveridge suggested those who thought the Bulldogs were wasting the strength of their list if they missed finals might not have a “sophisticated enough” understanding of the game.

“Are you looking at our whole list, are you looking at players who have been influential in the past … is your knowledge of the game sophisticated enough to understand that it takes more than a handful (of players)?” he said.

“If the assessment is that there’s more in us than what we’re getting, then that’s an analytical thing that you’re totally entitled to.”

Beveridge insisted the Bulldogs had not taken West Coast lightly, but added they had not received a clear indication of their opponent’s ceiling heading into the clash.

“As a collective, no I don’t think we took West Coast easy, and what they might bring for granted – I just feel like they came with a tenacity that trumped ours at the start of the game, which is the main disappointment at the end of it,” he said.

“In the simple things, the intensity and the levels that you need to establish a foothold in the game, they were just a bit better than us for longer.

“When you play teams who are higher up the ladder you think about their influence and what they’re capable of, but with West Coast today you can’t go there because they haven’t had the most outstanding performances throughout the course of the year, but they obviously found something today and we couldn’t quite match it – that sums it up.”

West Coast players celebrate their third win of the season. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Questioned over his side’s fitness levels, Beveridge blamed a lack of “positional winners” for the final quarter capitulation in which the injury-riddled Eagles ran over the top of the Dogs with five goals after the Bulldogs had worked their way in front during the third term.

Senior midfielder Jack Macrae was tactically subbed out of the game for Lachlan McNeil with just three kicks to his name during the final quarter.

“You’d have to say that we were outworked in different areas, so do I have concerns? You’re always thinking about it, and you’re always concerned for the future to make sure you fortify your opportunity,” Beveridge said.

“If you have anyone who is slightly off, we’re a team that is really affected by that, and that happened today.”

Anthony Scott and the Bulldogs crash to earth. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The Bulldogs failed to muster any energy in a game most took as a given would go their way, slumping to a second consecutive loss as West Coast veteran Jamie Cripps fired his team to a seven-point victory with a stunning three goals and 11 possessions in the final term..

Their listless performance means St Kilda is guaranteed a finals spot, while the Bulldogs will need to beat Geelong and hope Carlton can hold off GWS in the final game of the season to finish in the top eight.

Fox Footy pundit David King said Beveridge would be in “real trouble” due to the nature of the loss.

“I think 90 per cent of the crowd came here today expecting one coach to be sacked on the way out, but might have had the wrong man,” King said on Fox Footy.

“(Luke) Beveridge is in real trouble here, this is a must-win (match) from this situation.”

The win also lifts the Eagles off the bottom of the ladder, with North Melbourne now in line to finish with the wooden spoon – and the No.1 draft pick – with one round remaining.

Elliot Yeo gets around Tim English. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

With Simpson rallying his troops from the bench, the Eagles stormed to a 26-point lead midway through the first term, taking less than 20 minutes to equal their 33-point effort against Fremantle last week.

Driven almost solely by the stoppage work of skipper Marcus Bontempelli, the Bulldogs mounted a brief comeback to take the lead for the first time midway through the third term. But the Dogs coughed up the nine-point advantage they held at the final break as the Eagles played with a spirit many thought them incapable of after the Western Derby demolition.

They won despite heavily influential veteran Elliot Yeo sitting out most of the final quarter with another injury. Oscar Allen was a colossal presence for the Eagles up forward despite carrying a significant elbow injury from last week.

DOGS CAUGHT OUT

The Bulldogs were punished for their lethargic start as the Eagles took only 19 minutes to equal the 33 points they scored in last week’s Western Derby.

Tim Kelly ran riot with 13 disposals for the first quarter, while the Dogs could only manage 20 collectively in the first 10 minutes as the Eagles raced to a 26-point lead midway through the term.

The visitors managed to score eight times from 10 inside-50s as Oscar Allen caused severe headaches for Alex Keath with his leg speed and veterans Jamie Cripps and Jack Darling hit the scoreboard.

The Dogs flicked a switch late in the term but the surprising lack of an immediate response to last week’s loss invited the Eagles to wreak havoc on their season.

Jamie Cripps was huge in the final quarter. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

HANDS-ON SIMMO

Besieged coach Adam Simpson led his side from the bench for the entire contest, spending the game mostly on his feet or crouching beside his players as he conversed with everyone who came from the ground and gave orders from as close to the boundary line as he could get.

Simpson even had a look at Jeremy McGovern’s elbow when the veteran defender came to the bench in discomfort following a first-quarter collision, with his thorough involvement and energy appearing to rub off on his players.

THE HARLEY REID CUP TAKES ANOTHER TWIST

The result lifts the Eagles off the bottom of the ladder, meaning North Melbourne currently lay claims to the No.1 pick and Tongala teen sensation Harley Reid. Reid has been long touted as the best player in this year’s draft class and it would be a massive twist if he landed at Arden St given many had the Eagles the favourites for the wooden spoon. It could mean North Melbourne ends up with picks 1 and 2 if the Kangaroos are granted a top-end compensation pick for free agent Ben McKay, who is widely expected to move at season’s end.