AFL Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide 2021: Dogs crash out of the top-four

Only last week the Western Bulldogs were eyeing off their first ever minor premiership, fast forward and now they are preparing for an elimination final.

Ronny Lerner and Chris Cavanagh

8 min read

August 21, 2021 - 8:58PM

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The Western Bulldogs have completed an unrivalled top-of-the-table choke after crashing out of the top-four on the back of Brisbane’s final-quarter surge against West Coast.

The Lions pinched fourth spot on the ladder in the final 20 seconds of their clash with the Eagles at the Gabba on Saturday to break the hearts of Bulldogs supporters around the country and relegate coach Luke Beveridge’s team to a fifth-place finish this season.

The Lions’ result, which sees them secure a finals double-chance, came after the Bulldogs had failed in their bid to make sure of their spot in the top four on Friday night.

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Bulldogs Marcus Bontempelli and Tim English after the Dogs lost by 2 points aginast the Power. Picture: Michael Klein

A two-point loss to Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium was a third successive loss for the Bulldogs, who had been sitting pretty on top of the ladder after Round 20.

They now become the first team in the game’s history to miss the top four after sitting atop of the ladder with three games to play.

Brisbane had been 0.4 percentage points behind the Bulldogs on the live ladder at three-quarter time in its clash with the Eagles, at which point it held a 17-point advantage.

However, a six-goal-to-three final quarter propelled the Lions’ percentage to 133.3 – eclipsing the Bulldogs’ 132.8 percentage points.

A snapped behind from Brisbane’s Lincoln McCarthy with 20 seconds to go put the Lions ahead on the live ladder for the first time in the final quarter, before a Charlie Cameron goal after the final siren added some icing to the cake.

The result means the Bulldogs will now host an elimination final next weekend at the venue of their choice, which is likely to be in front of a crowd at Adelaide Oval.

The Bulldogs have won three of their past four matches at the venue.

“Spontaneously I’d say Adelaide but if they’re going to make you sit in the cricket nets for a few hours before you play then maybe that’s not the best choice,” Beveridge said when asked about his preferred venue on Friday night.

“So it might just depend what we’re confronted with in the states and what the options are. But if we’re afforded some accommodation and able to be settled, I’d say straight off the bat Adelaide.”

The picture which should worry every Dogs fan

Three years ago, footy legend Kevin Bartlett made the bold prediction that Western Bulldogs young gun Tim English was on track to be the competition’s best big man.

“We’re talking about (Brodie) Grundy and (Nic) Naitanui now,” Bartlett said in 2018.

“This young kid, more than likely, will be the best ruckman in the competition.

“In a couple of years he could be one of the absolute stars.”

Bartlett wasn’t alone in his lofty expectations of English, at a time when the then 20-year-old was producing an eye-catching second season of football.

But as it stands, English is not only not the competition’s best ruckman but is not even the No. 1 man at the Bulldogs.

In a crunch game against Port Adelaide on Friday night with a top-four spot on the line, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge used 193cm midfielder Marcus Bontempelli in the ruck twice as many times as he used the 207cm English.

Bontempelli contested 10 ruck duels for the night to English’s five.

Inexperienced key defender Lewis Young was left to shoulder the ruck duties for almost the entire night and was taken to task by Port Adelaide’s Scott Lycett.

Marcus Bontempelli is held out of a ruck contest by Scott Lycett.

Lycett finished with 40 hit-outs including 10 to advantage and recorded four centre clearances — twice as many as any Bulldogs player.

Young battled hard but looked like he was swimming against a tsunami as he logged only 13 hit-outs, including two to advantage.

“The outcome of the ruck battle is standard for us,” Beveridge said in pointed post-match comments.

“We threw Lewy a challenge. I thought he stood up as well as Tim has for most of the year in that role.

Lewis Young did the bulk of the ruck work against Port Adelaide.

“There’s no doubt, you guys know, that we go to the well every week. We don’t have a dominant ruckman.”

English has the talent to be that dominant ruckman for the Bulldogs but lacks the physicality and presence that is required in the role.

The 24-year-old instead started forward against the Power, where he played for almost the entire night and kicked a respectable two goals from limited opportunities.

But even there, a lack of strength in the contest appeared to frustrate Beveridge.

English was targeted by the Bulldogs going inside-50 on eight occasions but took only one mark inside-50 for the night.

“He got his hands on a couple that he probably should have nailed but we didn’t get enough supply and we didn’t give him enough opportunities forward of it,” Beveridge said.

After Josh Bruce’s season-ending ACL injury, the Bulldogs have some issues in attack and have kicked a combined 15 goals in their past two games.

Tim English reels in a mark against the Power.

Their Achilles heel entering September is clearly in the ruck department, though.

The Bulldogs’ game was at its best in the first six rounds this season, where the side went 6-0 with an average winning margin of 45 points.

From Rounds 1-6 the Bulldogs ranked second in the competition for points from clearances and were the No. 1 side for points conceded from clearances.

It is no coincidence that bullocking ruckman Stefan Martin played five of those games.

With Martin having been on the sidelines for much of the season since then with Achilles and groin issues, that stoppage dominance has dried up like the Simpson Desert.

Martin got through a 16 v 16 scratch match with Sydney at Whitten Oval on Saturday unscathed, but will still need to pull up well and have a big week on the track to put his hand up for a finals return next weekend.

From Rounds 18-22 the Bulldogs ranked eighth for points from clearances and 18th for points conceded from clearances.

Against Port Adelaide on Friday night, they managed just 3.0 (18) from stoppages to the Power’s 3.7 (25).

If not for Port Adelaide’s inaccuracy in front of goal, the game could have been over at halftime.

Bontempelli and English walk off after a loss which left the Dogs’ hopes of a double chance in jeopardy.

The most important people at Whitten Oval this week are not Beveridge and Bontempelli.

They are the Bulldogs medical and strength and conditioning teams.

It will be all hands on deck for ‘Operation: Get Stef Martin Finals Fit’.

Martin has not played a game since Round 12 and has only had “one 10 or 11km session in recent times”, which meant it was too big a risk for the Bulldogs to bring him in against Port Adelaide.

“Stef at the moment is not a player we can hang our hat on because he’s just missed too much footy,” Beveridge said.

That needs to change – fast.

Without Martin returning in the ruck, it’s hard to see the Bulldogs doing much damage this September.

DOGS LEAVE TOP-FOUR, FLAG HOPES IN LIMBO

The Western Bulldogs’ top-four hopes are hanging by a thread after Port Adelaide handed them their third loss in a row at Marvel Stadium by two points in a Friday night thriller.

After leading most of the night, and opening up a 22-point advantage when they kicked the first four goals in 10 minutes, the Bulldogs relinquished the lead for the first time with 4:58 remaining in the game when Robbie Gray slotted home a set shot from a tight angle on the boundary.

The Dogs had one last roll of the dice with three seconds remaining when Bailey Smith had a shot from 50m out, but it fell short, Aaron Naughton wasn’t able to mark it in the goalsquare and Todd Marshall rushed it through to ensure a famous win for the Power.

After scoring their first win against a top-four side for the year, Port Adelaide are provisionally on top of the ladder and have guaranteed themselves a top-two spot, which means they will be hosting a qualifying final at Adelaide Oval next week (COVID restrictions permitting).

Marcus Bontempelli looks on shattered after the Bulldogs’ loss. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

But the victory came at a cost for them, with emerging young forward Mitch Georgiades subbed out due to a hamstring injury, putting his finals campaign in limbo.

The Bulldogs are now pinning their hopes on the unlikely scenario of West Coast upsetting the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday evening to secure the double chance.

But if Brisbane beat the Eagles, as they’re expected to do, Luke Beveridge’s team will finish the season in fifth spot on the ladder and miss out on the double chance at the last hurdle after spending the last 20 weeks in the top four, including eight rounds in first position.

The Bulldogs will now likely face Essendon in a sudden-death elimination final, assuming the Lions and Bombers beat West Coast and Collingwood respectively.

The Bulldogs came from seventh on the ladder to win the premiership in 2016.

However, in the four seasons since then only one side – Greater Western Sydney in 2019 – has made the Grand Final from outside the top-four.

Port Adelaide’s win saw it secure a top-two finish and home final and came after the Power had trailed by as much as 15 points during the final quarter at Marvel Stadium.

Port Adelaide kicked nine of the last 15 goals of the match after conceding the first four majors of the match to the Bulldogs.

Robbie Gray put the Power in front late in the final quarter. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

WINES, BOAK STRIKE AGAIN

Port Adelaide’s superstar duo of Travis Boak and Ollie Wines combined again to be the driving force behind the result, combining for 65 disposals, 27 contested possessions, 13 tackles, 11 inside 50s, 12 score involvements, nine clearances and three goals.

Ruckman Scott Lycett also dined out on his undersized opponent Lewis Young to play a pivotal role in the middle of the ground.

Travis Boak and Ollie Wines proved to be unstoppable. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

CLEARANCES A CONCERN FOR DOGS

After losing the clearances against Essendon (47-31) and Hawthorn (35-33) in the previous two weeks, the Bulldogs midfield were comprehensively shaded in that department again on Friday night (34-27), which is a concern for them with finals around the corner.

If it wasn’t for the Power’s wayward goalkicking, the final margin would’ve been a lot greater.

Travis Boak is pure silk ðŸŒŸ#ColesGoals | #AFLDogsPower pic.twitter.com/Al8JIDxrdU
— AFL (@AFL) August 20, 2021

POWER’S GOALKICKING DISPLAY ALMOST COST THEM

Port Adelaide should have at least lead at halftime, but their wastefulness, especially missed set shots from Todd Marshall (twice), Xavier Duursma, Mitch Georgiades and Steven Motlop, conspired against them.

Their second quarter threatened to be particularly costly, as they smashed the Dogs in clearances 12-4, disposals 108-74, contested possessions 33-27 and inside 50s 15-7, yet were outscored by three points.

However, they kept coming and the weight of numbers in the second half overwhelmed the Dogs.

Cody Weightman celebrates a goal. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

PORT OVERCOME DEAD-EYE DOGS

Not even the Bulldogs’ accuracy could save them in the end.

They recorded 14 scores from 40 inside 50s compared to Port Adelaide’s 21 from 51.

Boak (2.3), Karl Amon (0.2) and Todd Marshall (0.2, and one that didn’t score were the biggest culprits for the Power, and would’ve had restless nights if they lost.