Western Bulldogs players and coaches get into the superhero spirit with Thor’s ‘Mjolnir’

The influence of Thor extended further than the field for the Western Bulldogs in their upset win over Sydney, with the powerful god’s hammer - known as Mjolnir – making its AFL debut.

Tom Liberatore and Josh Schache celebrate a Western Bulldogs goal against Sydney. Picture: AAP Images

The influence of Thor extended further than the field for the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.

While the Dogs notched a win in the hero-inspired guernsey at Marvel Stadium, it was the powerful god’s hammer - known as Mjolnir - that helped inspire the team.

Star midfielder Marcus Bontempelli revealed that the weapon was used in the rooms as “a bit of a talking stick” by coach Luke Beveridge.

“He brought it as a prop to stir us up a little bit pre-game, and obviously we were in the Thor jumper going into the game,” Bontempelli said.

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“It was nice for us to have a win in it, because some of the feedback we got wasn’t all kind.

“That’s a great result for the club and for the kids out there who love the Marvel movies and the superheroes.”

Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor in the 2011 blockbuster, attended the game alongside Hollywood superstar Matt Damon, who was spotted learning the intricacies of Australian Rules from league boss Gillon McLachlan.

“It would have been nice to have seen (Hemsworth), but by the looks of it, he had a pretty good time,” Bontempelli said on Channel 9.

They brought the Thor hammer into the rooms. 😂#AFLDogsSwans pic.twitter.com/xunrYHcncD

— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 23, 2019

“He had Matt Damon with him, too, so we might be able to claim him as a Bulldogs supporter. We’ve done well with those two, there.”

Beveridge brought two Thor “Mjolnir” into his post-match press conference, the smaller of which he said held plenty of sentimental value.

“My younger brother made that for me when I was a young fella, so I was a bit jealous of the boys wearing the Thor jumper,” he said.

“I know there’s been a lot of talk about it. The strength and power in the Mjolnir … we were after a bit of that tonight and it went OK beating a good side in the Swans.

“We’re pretty happy. I wanted to get Chris (Hemsworth) to sign that for my younger brother, but he’s taken off, unfortunately, so we’ll have to track him down.

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Tom Liberatore says he “couldn’t ask for anything more” after a glittering comeback from a second knee reconstruction in the Western Bulldogs’ 17-point win over Sydney.

Liberatore was a revelation in the Dogs’ engine room. He finished with 28 possessions — 13 contested — eight clearances and eight inside 50s.

But he also brought a level of swagger back to the Dogs. As Lachie Hunter said in the rooms afterwards: “He’s the spirit of the side, in many ways.”

Playing his first AFL game since Round 1 last year, Liberatore admitted he was anxious.

“I was nervous. You’re always nervous when you’ve got time to think and you’ve got downtime and you’re not training and not playing,” Liberatore said.

“Coming off the first (knee reconstruction) certainly helps and getting through the two JLT games unscathed.

“It was pretty special to put a performance on like that in Round 1.”

Tom Liberatore lays a big tackle against Sydney. Picture: Michael Klein

The Bulldogs wound back the clock in a win underpinned by a surge mentality and a relentless pressure not seen since 2016 and while they ran out of juice, there’s a platform to build from.

“It’s been a bit of a shaky start (in the JLT series) and a few people were doubting us, so it was nice to stick it to a pretty tough side like Sydney,” Liberatore said.

“You could sense the energy. We were on the move, we were physical, we got the ball going forward and we showed composure … it came together well and we kept our cool at the end.

“They’re a good side and were always going to come, but we had our chances too. We kicked 11.16.”

Hunter said the way the Bulldogs played was cause for optimism.

“It’s been a while since it felt like that,” he said.

“It didn’t feel like they had time with the ball, especially early.”