Western Bulldogs

2022 - 8 - 21

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Age"

Bulldogs down the Hawks then face nervous wait (The Age)

The Western Bulldogs overcame a second-quarter deficit to down Hawthorn on Sunday and then faced a nervous couple of hours to find out whether their ...

On the very next play, Hawks ruckman Max Lynch secured the centre hit-out and clearance and the ball found its way down the other end. The son of Bulldogs legend Luke Darcy slotted his first after snaring a powerful mark among a pack of five players. Retiring Hawthorn captain Ben McEvoy, playing his 252nd and last AFL match, got his team off the mark after the Bulldogs registered the opening two majors. The highly respected 33-year-old, who spent more than three months on the sidelines after suffering a broken neck in a horror training accident this year, goaled on the back of a neat handball from debutant Jack Saunders. Jaeger O’Meara’s handball out the back landed in the lap of debutant Jack Saunders, who charged in to his maiden AFL goal to put Hawthorn back in front. In the third term, the Dogs won the clearances 11-3 and inside-50s 19-4 but a 1.8 return in front of the sticks kept the Hawks in the hunt.

Dogs hold their nerve against Hawks to keep finals dream alive (AFL)

The Bulldogs move into eighth spot after holding off Hawthorn in Launceston and will now hope Carlton lose to Collingwood at the MCG.

The solid first game today of Jack Saunders, their eighth debutant of the year, is another reason for Hawthorn fans to take some hope into 2023. Out of contract and having already been linked to a trade in the off-season, Gunston's four-goal effort on Sunday were a great reminder of his undoubted class. He's only three games into his career, but this son of a gun has the goods. Eight wins for the season represents a solid return for a club in transition, but that doesn't tell the full story of their year. Hawthorn's rebuild means it's unlikely Gunston will win another flag at the Hawks, but he could be the cherry on top of a list primed for a September tilt. At the end of Sam Mitchell's first year as senior coach, Hawthorn's rebuild appears to be on course.

AFL: Western Bulldogs beat Hawthorn round 23 UTAS Stadium (Tasmania Examiner)

As they arrived in Launceston, the Western Bulldogs needed three things: a win, a percentage-boost and a Carlton defeat to secure a finals chance.

Previously from Adelaide with a stint in Byron Bay. Lachie Hunter gave them hope with a converted set-shot before Smith added his third in similar fashion with 23 minutes gone to ensure a winning end for the Dogs. Eventually, their clinical play found Dylan Moore as the Hawks had their fifth in a row and the Dogs had plenty of questions to answer. The Bulldogs had the weight of possession but the Hawks' defensive unit - led by James Sicily (33 disposals) - held firm until Roarke Smith threaded one through from a tight angle to restore a double-digit buffer for the Dogs. One of those questions was answered when Naughton made Morrison's errant kick pay with a curling snap deep in the pocket before Adam Treloar (25 disposals) followed it by parting the midfield masses and scoring from long-range. The Hawks - with their familiar chipping style - seemed to find pressure at every turn until first-gamer Jack Saunders and retiring captain Ben McEvoy put them on the board.

Bulldogs keep hopes alive - K rock Football (krock football)

THE Western Bulldogs have kept themselves in the AFL finals picture, jumping into the top eight with a tense 23-point victory over Hawthorn in Launceston.

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Bulldogs beat Hawks, sneak into AFL finals (The Canberra Times)

The Western Bulldogs have sneaked into the AFL finals by the slimmest of margins after the jigsaw puzzle...

Once you get to a final series, things open up again." "Sometimes it all seems lost but we've hung in there and here we are. In a pulsating second quarter, Darcy got his side back in front with back-to-back goals in the space of a few minutes. But the Bulldogs got better with each term, holding the Hawks to just 1.2 in the final quarter in the 12.15 (87) to 10.4 (64) victory. "We haven't been a team that has been anywhere near the top of the ladder," he said. The Magpies surged home at the MCG to win by one point, ensuring the Bulldogs finished eighth by 0.6 of a percentage point.

Bulldogs beat Hawks, sneak into AFL finals (Goulburn Post)

The Western Bulldogs have snuck into the AFL finals by the slimmest of margins after the jigsaw puzzle...

Hawks bid farewell to AFL veteran McEvoy (PerthNow)

Hawthorn's dual premiership winner and skipper Ben McEvoy has finished his AFL career with a 23-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in Launceston.

"We've seen the emergence of an enormous amount of young talent. There's another part of me that makes it feel like 12 years," he said. No doubt that will be shown in the highlight tapes," coach Sam Mitchell said.

Bulldogs beat Hawks, sneak into AFL finals (Newcastle Herald)

The Western Bulldogs have snuck into the AFL finals by the slimmest of margins after the jigsaw puzzle...

Bulldogs beat Hawks, sneak into AFL finals (Cessnock Advertiser)

The Western Bulldogs have snuck into the AFL finals by the slimmest of margins after the jigsaw puzzle...

Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn - The Doc's Autopsy - The Mongrel Punt (The Mongrel Punt)

The Hawks made the Dogs sweat, but in the end the boys from the West did enough to earn their place in the 2022 AFL Finals. Over to The Doc.

Special shoutout to Roarke Smith, who’s copped a lot of criticism around the Bulldogs’ forums and social media accounts; but he stood up in a big way in this game. As I write this, (of course I stopped and watched the other game!) the Blues have gone down by a point, which means the Dogs are in the finals! We’ll see in a fortnight’s time whether the Dogs can make a fist of things, of if they’re an also-ran destined for a first-week exit. He reads the play so well that you’d find not many Dogs supporters complaining if he stays down back, but the idea of Naughton, Darcy and Ugle-Hagan all running around in the forward 50 is a proposition that will give opposition fans headaches for years to come. Didn’t like the game of Tom Mitchell in terms of winning possession and impact per possession, but effort is something I will never question. Four goals from Jack Gunston in this one – he’s a very clever forward who just knows how to start offensively running when the Hawks get the ball and creates great space by getting on his bike early. Luke Beveridge has done my head in over the last five years with various coaching moves and decisions at selection (Like McComb over Rhylee West for example); however, this was one of the good ones. Too often this year have clubs been able to waltz out of the defensive half through a short kick game and have a Dogs’ player trail behind by a considerable amount of metres. Naughton splitting packs with his run and jump at the ball, Jamarra presenting leads and double leads and marking the ball in space. It was blustery conditions in Tassie this week (as it is most of the time) which meant that classical foot skills were going to be tested all throughout the day. But with Ben McEvoy playing the last game of his AFL career in this one, the young Hawks were looking to send their captain off into the sunset with a boilover win. It should’ve resulted in a 40-plus point triumph and even then, that’s probably generous to say the least.

Western Bulldogs

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