Sydney’s experience shines as youthful Western Bulldogs shoot themselves in the foot
AGE has never mattered to Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge but against a hardened Sydney outfit it was difficult not to focus on the kid factor after a heartbreaking seven-point defeat.
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WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has long rendered birth certificates irrelevant.
The premiership coach’s teenage faith has been refreshing with the Bulldogs fielding the youngest line-up in the AFL across the first month of 2018.
But against a hardened Sydney outfit it was difficult not to focus on the kid factor after a heartbreaking seven-point defeat.
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The Bulldogs were in control and leading by 22 points early in the second quarter at Etihad Stadium.
After recapturing their bark against Essendon the early rampage was more beauty than brutal. Inspired by Jack Macrae, they controlled the footy on the outside and peeled off some blistering attacking chains.
Then, early in the third quarter, age began to show in one defining blast.
Fourth-gamer Aaron Naughton turned the ball over and the footy quickly came back over his head and to Lance Franklin.
Buddy goaled. Moments later, fourth-gamer Billy Gowers turned the ball over with an inboard kick on the wing. Buddy goaled.
Moments later, third-gamer Ed Richards should’ve taken the ball over the boundary in defence. Richards didn’t, Isaac Heeney tackled him and goaled from the ensuing free kick.
Suddenly, the Swans had booted six goals on the hop to lead by 14 points.
Beveridge had seen enough. He threw Jack Redpath behind the ball to stem the bleeding and Redpath did just that.
An arm-wrestle broke out and Mitch Wallis ended a 39-minute goal drought for the Bulldogs with a set-shot from the pocket.
Frustratingly for the Dogs, Sydney’s rush of goals followed a flurry of missed chances by the home team.
Josh Dunkley and Matthew Suckling combined for 0.3 in a matter of minutes and then Luke Dahlhaus’s 30m set-shot sprayed out on the full straight after half-time.
Dunkley and Suckling finished the match with 0.7 while Dahlhaus didn’t score from two set-shots.
Last week against the Bombers the Dogs’ wastefulness didn’t matter. Saturday it stung.
But the most costly missed chance won’t show on the scoreboard.
Deep in the final quarter, Dunkley charged into an open goal and was spotted with a quality kick by Marcus Bontempelli.
But Dunkley dropped the chest mark and the Swans cleared.
Then, trailing by a point in the final minute, Caleb Daniel’s final entry landed short.
A behind would’ve tied the game and instead young Swan Ollie Florent iced the game after charging clear of ruckman Tim English.
This was a brilliant encounter. And the youthful errors committed by the baby Bulldogs were heavily outweighed by the potential.
It was creative Caleb in the final quarter, until that last disposal.
It was courageous Naughton for the fourth week in a row as he picked off Swans entries with intercept marks. And it was energetic Gowers for big bursts.
Saturday was billed as Buddy versus the baby, but Naughton was spared one of football’s toughest tasks.
Instead, minding Franklin was solely handled by Easton Wood – and the captain delivered.
Everywhere Bud went, Wood went and Franklin’s frustration was evident early as they tangled on the ground.
By the second quarter, Buddy was angry, cursing expletives off the ball. Then, he became sore after copping a stinger as he charged at Bailey Williams.
Then, he became a force. Franklin finished with 3.4, although Wood finished with the points courtesy of some one-on-one wins.
Swans coach John Longmire raised the lopsided free kick count in the Grand Final with the AFL.
There would’ve been few complaints in the first half.
Luke Parker received two iffy gifts in front of goal while Dahlhaus went unrewarded for a tackle on Heath Grundy at full-forward in a first-quarter howler.
That’s the Swans’ 13th win from their past 14 games at Etihad Stadium. Longmire won’t mind the four more trips scheduled in 2018.
SYDNEY 4.0 6.3 10.4 13.8 (86)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.3 7.7 9.10 11.13 (79)
BEST
SYDNEY: L.Parker, D.Rampe, J.Lloyd, I.Heeney, J.McVeigh, C.Mills
WESTERN BULLDOGS: J.Macrae, M.Suckling, M.Bontempelli, E.Wood, B.Williams, T.McLean
VOTES
3. Luke Parker
2. Jack Macrae
1. Dane Rampe
REPORTS
Nil
INJURIES
Nil
UMPIRES
Stevic, Deboy, Gavine
CROWD
32,870 at Etihad Stadium
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Originally published as Sydney’s experience shines as youthful Western Bulldogs shoot themselves in the foot