THE WESTERN Bulldogs are through to a preliminary final against St Kilda after recording a thrilling five-point win over the Sydney Swans at the MCG on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs trailed by five goals midway through the second quarter before hitting the front in the third term and holding on to win 11.11 (77) to 10.12 (72).
The match boiled down to a nail-biting final term after scores were level at the final change.
And with the match potentially captain Brad Johnson’s last in the AFL, Rodney Eade’s men lifted to kick 3.2 to 2.3 to stave off a straight-sets exit from the finals.
Two of those goals came through Daniel Giansiracusa and the other through Robert Murphy, whose move from defence to attack late in the second term when his side trailed badly proved a masterstroke.
The Swans fell 13 points behind at one stage in the final term, but in what turned out to be coach Paul Roos’ last in charge of the club and Brett Kirk’s final game, they kept fighting.
Lewis Jetta booted a goal at the 21st minute mark to narrow the margin to seven points, and two rushed behinds in the final frantic minutes further cut the deficit.
However the Bulldogs were able to control the footy in the final minute of play, and win their way through to a preliminary final against St Kilda - sparking jubilant scenes among red, white and blue fans at the final siren.
“I think tonight we showed a lot of spirit and courage. It shows really what the group’s about and the club’s about,” Eade said after the win.
“To be five [goals] down against a side that’s been in good form and nearly at full strength, to be able to get back and have the belief even though our confidence has been down a bit over the past few weeks.
“To be able to get up from there showed a lot of resilience and a lot of courage.”
Daniel Cross was arguably the best of the Bulldogs. The midfielder shut down Ryan O’Keefe while himself collecting 22 possessions. Barry Hall kept his side in it early and finished with four goals, while Murphy had 20 touches and 10 marks in a polished display.
For the Swans, Josh Kennedy was outstanding in the middle as he bustled his way to 32 possessions, 15 of them contested, while Tadhg Kennelly (28) and Adam Goodes (25) were also prolific.
A deciding final term had seemed an unlikely early as the Swans jumped out to a five-goal lead mid-way through the second term.
But two quick goals just before half time restored Bulldog hopes.
After the main break, the Bulldogs booted a goal inside a minute and would add the only other two for the third term to hit the front.
At the other end, the Swans had their chances but wasted them. Daniel Bradshaw, who booted 3.4 in a lively display after a long lay-off with injury, was the worst offender.
“I think they had six scoring shots [in the quarter] and we had five and we kicked 0.5 and they kicked 3.3,” Roos said after the match.
“We just didn’t capitalise on our scoring chances. That’s obviously a huge difference in the game when you go down by five points.”
Scores were tied at 8.9 apiece heading into the final term, and Roos believed an extra day’s rest may have proved pivotal for the Dogs as they finished the stronger.
Next Saturday the Bulldogs will face the well-rested Saints for a place in the grand final.
Western Bulldogs 3.4 5.6 8.9 11.11 (77)
Sydney Swans 3.4 8.4 8.9 10.12 (72)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Hall 4, Giansiracusa 3, Addison, Hooper, Grant, Murphy
Sydney Swans: Bradshaw 3, Shaw 2, Goodes 2, J. Bolton, McGlynn, Jetta
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Hall, Harbrow, Griffen, Boyd, Murphy, Picken, Giansiracusa
Sydney Swans: Goodes, Kennelly, Kennedy, McVeigh, Jack, Malceski, Mattner, Kirk
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Sydney Swans: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Ryan
Official crowd: 39,596 at the MCG
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The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
