AFL round 24 Western Bulldogs vs. GWS: Bulldogs book finals berth with 98-61 win over GWS
The wind was blowing on Sunday afternoon in Ballarat, and the Western Bulldogs hoisted sail to chart a course to finals football after adapting to the conditions better than the injured Giants.
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The winds of change once threatened to take hold of the Western Bulldogs this season.
But Luke Beveridge rode with the breeze – and against it – into September and these Dogs might only be picking up speed.
After losing to Hawthorn in round 8 the Dogs were 3-5 and the dial under Beveridge’s seat was turned to a scalding heat matching jam inside a hot doughnut.
But these Dogs are as good a chance as any to win it all this year after pushing past GWS on Sunday.
The only glaring reason the Dogs can’t win it all is the fact they will have to win four finals in a row – but that is something Beveridge has done before.
It will start with a home elimination final against the Hawks.
It is not outlandish to think the premiership winner could come from that MCG clash.
Beveridge has his team humming.
Marcus Bontempelli may run a close second to Patrick Cripps in the Brownlow Medal and he will also be neck-and-neck with the Blues star to be named the All-Australian captain on Thursday.
Geelong great Steve Johnson declared on Sunday morning that those two would duke it out for the captaincy arm band later that day and Bontempelli held up his end of the bargain.
The ‘Bont’ delivered in tight and in the open on Sunday, cutting through a Finn Callaghan tag.
The Dogs champ is so perfect he even got smashed in the face by the back of Tom Green’s head in the second term, wandered to the bench without a scar and gave the crowd the thumbs up.
Beveridge’s move of throwing Ed Richards into the middle was one of many masterstrokes this season and his flashing pair of goals were important against the Giants.
It wasn’t a day for forwards given the conditions but the Dogs forward line is going as well as any heading into the all-important month and the defence is settled.
He may not make the All-Australian side but Bailey Dale has had a brilliant season – after he was strangely named the sub in round 5 – and was rebounding quicker than Novak Djokovic from the baseline against the Giants.
All anyone could talk about in Ballarat on Sunday was the weather but the Dogs played it perfectly.
At one point a trademark Tom Liberatore chip shot at goal flirted with the goal line before being blown backwards to fall 5m short.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, always iffy shooting for goal in the best of conditions, thought he was on the right track at the same end in the third term when he started a shot left of the goals.
It almost blew out of bounds to the right.
As unpredictable as things were, the Dogs clearly read the Ballarat breeze the best.
Where the Giants gobbled up uncontested marks, the Dogs didn’t waste time chipping the ball around and played direct and in the contest.
Led by Bontempelli and Liberatore – who combined for 34 contested possessions – they beat up on an undermanned and under siege GWS.
The Bulldogs ended the day with 10 less marks and 11 more contested possessions.
They were tougher and smarter.
The Bulldogs kicked six goals with the breeze in the second term alone and GWS managed six goals total across both of its quarters going to the scoring end.
Against the wind, the Dogs managed enough scoring and territory to hold ground.
The Giants were forced into three late changes before Sunday’s game with important pair Toby Bedford (calf) and Brent Daniels (back), plus Conor Stone (illness), left on the bench.
Adam Kingsley will need the zip of Bedford and Daniels back and they will also have to avoid carrying unfit players.
Stephen Coniglio has been battling a sore shoulder for weeks and refused to lay a tackle in the second term, instead opting to bump.
He did not have a tackle all day and ended the afternoon with 19 disposals.
Hulking ruck Kieren Briggs battled on manfully but was also clearly feeling for his shoulder at times.
Those two need the bye week to get right and a fully fit Giants side is as capable as any this September.
At the end of their loss on Sunday, the Giants were in position to face Sydney in a qualifying final and those in orange would surely love that match up.
And the Dogs sit comfortably in that same category of contenders.
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