Western Bulldogs head coach Nathan Burke doesn’t want his side to dismiss their 2022 AFLW campaign.

Despite going down to reigning premiers Brisbane by 32 points on Sunday afternoon, and ultimately falling short of a finals berth, Burke said the resilience his players showed this year was incredible.

“I was thinking back to three years ago we just cut the season short, and that was the end of it,” Burke told media post-match.

“Last year was tough because we had groups of 10 training and weren’t allowed to be in the same room together – all those logistical things and week-to-week sort of fixtures.

“But (both of those seasons) we had healthy players. This year, the difference was the ill health of the players.

“That was the biggest thing and most important thing we had to deal with.

“I want them to think about how they navigated through that, and when you think about it we’re probably very unlikely to have that scenario again, touch wood.

“No matter what, we played three games in eight days, twice. We played six games in 24 days, and we played seven games in 30 days –through illness and everything, whatever they throw at us, we can handle it.

“The tougher the season got, the better we got. I don’t want them to dismiss this year – I want them to remember this year and use it as belief for next year.”

The Bulldogs were gallant in defeat at Mars Stadium, with Burke putting the result down to a significant difference in experience levels.

“We tried to match Brisbane’s pressure but sort of succumbed, and couldn’t quite match the pace,” he said.

“We’ll build on that, and we’ll build a team who can actually play good football. We’re going to add an extra element onto that (next year).

“I think the girls have seen (what we need to do) in patches – they know what that looks like now, so now it’s about the hard work and bringing that to life.”