ST KILDA'S season has gone from bad to worse, serving up its worst performance of 2026, kicking just one point with 46 seconds left on the clock to remain anchored on the bottom of the ladder.

It was a day of negative football, starkly juxtaposing the trend of the AFLW this year, as the Western Bulldogs' inaccurate showing in attack marginally lightening the blow, finishing with a 3.13 (31) to 0.1 (1) scoreline at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

BULLDOGS v SAINTS Full match coverage and stats

The conditions made things tough, bitingly cold and sideways rain sweeping through, but not bad enough to justify St Kilda's impotence. The Bulldogs adapted to the slippery deck, willing to engage one percenters, kick the ball off the deck and gain ground at all costs.

Isabelle Pritchard (35 disposals, six clearances) was outstanding through the middle once again, as was Alice Edmonds (19 disposals, 29 hitouts) through the ruck, while a permanent role in the midfield suited former defender Cleo Buttifant, who kicked her second career goal to open proceedings.

Meanwhile the Saints struggled to win any sense of control.

They were unable to make anything of the momentum gathered in a more encouraging performance last week, too often handing the ball back to the Dogs under pressure, which they then turned into attack. The contested possession count was telling, with the Bulldogs winning the count 128-84 despite wet conditions which called for a willingness to get busy in the contest.

It was by virtue of the Bulldogs' elite pressure and territory game, unsurprisingly led by Elaine Grigg (seven tackles) and Edmonds (six). But it did take some time for them to kick into gear and start getting busy on the scoreboard. An inaccurate first term was somewhat rectified in the second, but they will certainly have rued their missed opportunities.

Play was trapped on the Bulldogs' forward flank for the duration of the third quarter, as the Dogs trapped St Kilda tight up on the boundary, but couldn't generate productive shots on goal themselves.

Jesse Tawhaio-Wardlaw came up into the ruck to try and get involved in the play, and Charlotte Baskaran worked off the half back line to try and generate some rebound.

When in doubt, soccer it
In treacherous conditions, the Dogs were trying to balance their want to go fast, with a slippery footy. Breaking through St Kilda's forward press, the home side got players out on the fast break, and instead of trying to gather the footy to send it forward, they adapted beautifully to the conditions, soccering it along the ground to continue to gain ground. Emma McDonald set it up into the goalsquare beautifully, like the perfect soccer cross, and Ryle Wilcox dramatically got on the end of it to snag her side's third of the afternoon.

Destruct-o Grigg
As Elaine Grigg is wont to do, she brought absolute pressure in the front half to maintain territory for the Bulldogs, and it was Alana Gee who felt the brunt of Grigg's full body attack. Late in the first term, with the ball bobbling around deep in the Dogs' forward pocket, Gee was working toward a gather off the deck. Enter: Grigg. From a distance, and at speed, the Dog rocketed into Gee's side to lay the tackle. The Saints' midfielder emerged a little worse for wear, grabbing at her right shoulder and forced from the ground.

Up next
The Bulldogs will open Pride Round with their now-annual pride match against Essendon at Mission Whitten Oval on Friday evening, and the Saints will return home to face Collingwood at RSEA Park on Saturday afternoon.

WESTERN BULLDOGS       1.5    3.9    3.11   3.13 (31)
ST KILDA                           0.0    0.0    0.0    0.1 (1)

GOALS 
Western Bulldogs: Buttifant, Hartwig, Wilcox
St Kilda: Nil

BEST 
Western Bulldogs: Pritchard, Edmonds, Wilcox, Grigg, Cann
St Kilda: Watson, Louvel-Finn, Smith

INJURIES 
Western Bulldogs: Nil
St Kilda: Gee (right shoulder), Forbes (right knee)

Crowd: 1602 at Mars Stadium