Western Bulldogs hold on for a heroic victory over Sydney
On a night they wore Thor-inspired jumpers, we saw the Western Bulldogs as we remembered them in 2016 as they held on for a heroic victory after a stunning Sydney fightback.
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It was like Luke Beveridge had found the time capsule over summer.
The Western Bulldogs coach may have dug up the 2016 blueprint because his side has gone back to the future in spectacular style against Sydney to open its season.
This was the Dogs as we remember them before all the talk of premiership hangovers, discontent and internal rumblings.
The outnumbering at the contest, the relentless swarm around the ball, the quick hands, the surging, the long kicks inside 50m, taking the territory and then the manic forward press to keep it in there.
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But while the Bulldogs were running riot, they were also running themselves ragged.
Confused? Join the club. The Dogs led Sydney by 40 points eight minutes into the third quarter and then completely stopped.
Sydney kicked seven of eight goals across the third and fourth quarters and were on such a charge, appeared destined to pull off an incredible comeback.
Lance Franklin had a shot with six minutes left to level the scores but after being called to play on his kick hit the post.
The Dogs just needed a goal and they got two of them against the run of play to Marcus Bontempelli and Sam Lloyd to secure the win.
On a night they wore Thor-inspired jumpers and Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, was looking on, it was a heroic victory.
GOING BACK TO GO FORWARD
Beveridge predicted Aaron Naughton would be a “significantly influential player” in attack this season and the second-year teenager didn’t let his coach down.
He’s going to be a special player, this kid. He launches at the ball, has a clean pair of hands, an easy kicking action and he caused the Swans defence all sorts of problems.
He had five marks inside 50m by the halfway mark of the third quarter and he finished with 15 touches, three contested marks and three goals as one of the best players on the ground.
A side crying out for a key forward may have found one — the defender they took with pick 9 in the 2017 draft.
LACKLUSTRE LANCE
Looked underdone, didn’t he?
Might be the obvious statement to make of a man — regardless of how brilliant — walking into Round 1 on the back of groin surgery, a limited pre-season and next to no match practice.
Buddy played deep, barely left the forward 50 and was on and off the bench more often than we’re used to seeing.
Seven touches and 1.2. He hit the post with a shot to tie the scores with six minutes left.
Won’t be this poor again this year.
A BIG NIGHT FOR FOOTY ROYALTY
The last time Nick Blakey ran through an AFL banner he was in the arms of dad John as a two-year-old.
Nick Blakey last night ran out as a 19-year-old debutant with John watching from the coaches box as a Swans assistant.
The Swans Academy graduate was composed when his moments came, none more so than when he goaled on the run in the third term and ran into the arms of Franklin.
The Liberatore name, meanwhile, is synonymous with the Bulldogs and Tony’s son Tom shone in his first game since Round 1 last year.
In a superb AFL return from a second knee reconstruction, he brought some swagger back to the Dogs.
HIGH HEENEY
Isaac Heeney won the 2018 Mark of the Year and he took a minute into the new season to put an early claim in for the 2019 gong.
Heeney’s blond locks went skyward 20m out from goal at the Coventry End of Marvel Stadium.
Where last year he used then-Melbourne forward Jesse Hogan as a stepladder, this time Heeney stood on Bailey Williams’ head to mark a quick kick forward from Josh Kennedy.
Heeney then kicked the goal — Sydney’s only major in a woeful first half.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.5 6.8 9.14 11.16 (82)
SYDNEY 1.2 1.5 5.6 9.11 (65)
GOALS
Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Gowers 2, Lloyd 2, Richards, Duryea, Schache, Bontempelli
Swans: Reid 2, Heeney 2, Blakey, Hayward, Mills, Papley, Franklin
BEST
Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Naughton, Macrae, Wallis, Liberatore, Hunter, Daniel, Lloyd
Swans: Lloyd, Sinclair, Aliir, Cunningham, Kennedy
INJURIES
Bulldogs: Suckling (right ankle)
Swans: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ryan, O’Gorman, Brown
Official crowd: 32,303 at Marvel Stadium
Originally published as Western Bulldogs hold on for a heroic victory over Sydney
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