Western Bulldogs’ flag defence cops a blow after heavy loss to GWS Giants

LAST year’s flag was a fairytale, but the Western Bulldogs are going to need a miracle if they are to repeat the feat after they were blown away by the Giants.

Lachie Whitfield celebrates a goal as Jake Stringer as his head down. Picture: AAP

LAST year’s flag was a fairytale, but to repeat the feat this season the Western Bulldogs are going to need a miracle.

Coach Luke Beveridge sensed the urgency as he left the coaches box for the bench in the third term after Toby Greene’s stray boot to Luke Dahlhaus’s face threatened to blow the roof off Etihad Stadium.

The incident left Greater Western Sydney forward Greene on report and Dahlhaus with a bloodied mouth.

LUKE BEVERIDGE: DOGS MADE TO PAY FOR ERRORS

But Beveridge has headaches of his own after the 48-point hiding, and they start in defence.

It’s important that veteran stopper Dale Morris returns from a broken wrist against Port Adelaide on Saturday, and plays the following week against Hawthorn.

The Dogs fielded a dramatically different and much younger backline to the one which won four games in September to pinch last year’s flag.

Luke Dahlhaus is crunched by Zac Williams in a tackle. Picture: Michael Klein

Dahlhaus is collected in the face by Toby Greene’s boot. Picture: Channel 7

Defence was the cornerstone of their success — the tackling pressure and selfless attitude.

But Joel Hamling left, Marcus Adams is done for the year and last night there was no Easton Wood or Jason Johannisen. And the Giants took full advantage.

The back end is far more vulnerable this year. At three-quarter time the Giants had kicked 13 goals from 28 entries inside 50m. That’s an alarming success rate.

The Giants scored in surges. Stephen Coniglio is as important in the middle as anyone, Lachie Whitfield and Josh Kelly are purring and Jon Patton took the game by the throat, snagging three early goals to set the tone.

That’s when Beveridge started gnawing on his fingernails.

Patton, like a colossus, proved too strong for Zaine Cordy and Lewis Young.

Patton booted four goals for the Giants, Picture: Michael Klein

Fremantle recruit Matt de Boer adds grit to the midfield and the Giants deserve to be ranked with Adelaide as premiership favourites.

The Dogs, to be fair, had their chances to kick ahead in the second term when Beveridge’s men had 22 inside 50s to the Giants’ four. It was an 30-minute annihilation out of the middle but the Dogs failed to capitalise, kicking 3.6 to three goals.

Not only did Jake Stringer miss a couple of sitters, potentially putting his spot in the side in jeopardy again, the few times the Giants travelled forward they made it count on the scoreboard.

One was a piece of Stephen Coniglio magic when he intercepted a Young handball and rubbed salt into the defender’s wounds by kicking truly.

Toby Greene is wrapped up in a tackle by Zaine Cordy and Shane Biggs. Picture: Michael Klein

The young pup’s night got a lot worse when he coughed up back-to-back goals with stray kicks which landed in the laps of opponents. And Kelly doesn’t miss when he is running inside 50m.

Greene, who has become perhaps the biggest villain in footy, then took a hanger on Young’s back as the Giants surged to a 38-point lead at three-quarter time.

Dogs’ forward Jack Redpath will be scrutinised by the match review panel following his open-hand shove to the throat of Phil Davis and teammate Matthew Suckling cleaned up Kelly in a clumsy marking contest in the third quarter.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.1 6.7 6.12 7.15 (57)

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 4.5 7.5 13.8 16.9 (105)

GOALS

Bulldogs: Dickson 2, Dahlhaus, Redpath, Dale, Murphy, Cloke

Giants: Patton 4, De Boer 2, Kelly 2, Greene 2, Whitfield 2, Coniglio, Ward, Hopper, Lobb

BEST

Bulldogs: Bontempelli, McLean, Hunter, Suckling

Giants: Coniglio, Shiel, Williams, Kelly, Patton, Whitfield

INJURIES

Bulldogs: Luke Dahlhaus (face)

Giants: Zac Williams (cut above eye)

Reports: Toby Greene (rough conduct)

Official crowd: 30,672 at Etihad Stadium