Luke Beveridge says Western Bulldogs didn’t dream it could play as well as it did to beat West Coast

WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has admitted his side’s stunning upset belting of West Coast was the stuff of dreams.

WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has admitted his side’s stunning upset belting of West Coast was the stuff of dreams.

The Dogs came into the elimination final rank outsiders against the rampant Eagles, having not won in Perth since 2010 and struggling for form.

But Beveridge’s men produced two hours of blistering football — highlighted an unanswered seven-goal rampage in the first half — to blast West Coast out of the premiership race with a dominant 47-point triumph.

“We haven’t broken a game open for a long time so it was an outsidanting all-round performance from our 22,” Beveridge said.

“It was a shame we lost ‘Jongy’ (Lin Jong). He was a key contributor to get us moving early, but we didn’t in our wildest dreams think we were going to play that well.”

Luke Dahlhaus and Caleb Daniel were two of the Bulldogs’ best in the win. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

Beveridge said it was a tremendous win against-the-odds that saw the Dogs back to “some of our very best stuff”.

“There’s no doubt that it seemed like it was all before us because of the Thursday game and flying and maybe that record (in Perth) and Fremantle touching us up a couple of weeks ago here,” he said.

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“But the player’s belief remains strong. They were shaken up a bit by what happened two weeks ago ... and maybe that was good for us going into this week.

“One thing that’s important is to get that finals monkey off your back and actually win one. That feels good.”

The Dogs will fly back to Melbourne just before midday on Friday before learning who of Geelong or Hawthorn will meet them in a semi-final.

Lin Jong’s night ended in the second quarter when he was slammed into the ground in a tackle and injured his collarbone.

“They’ve been such great combatants over the years ... we haven’t beaten either this year so whoever it is will be an enormous challenge for us,” Beveridge said.

“This playing group; we’re not sure what they’re capable of. On tonight’s performance we need to replicate a lot of that to be a threat to any of the side’s left, but we might be ready. Time will tell.

Jong, the subject of trade speculation, was reduced to tears on the Dogs bench after a breaking his collarbone in a tackle during the second quarter that’s ended his season.

“I hope it (tears) is about his injury and not because he thinks it’s his last game for the Bulldogs,” Beveridge joked.

“The boys have just given him a bit of a cuddle and he’ll be fine.”

Originally published as Luke Beveridge says Western Bulldogs didn’t dream it could play as well as it did to beat West Coast