Western Bulldogs midfielder Bailey Smith says arresting momentum and sustaining it has been a key focus for the team this season.
The 22-year-old has flourished in his time as an inside midfielder since Adam Treloar’s injury, adding another 37 disposals and seven tackles to his season stats in Saturday’s win over Adelaide.
“I’m just continually trying to take as many of the opportunities I’m given in the middle. It’s just a credit to the way we prepare,” Smith told westernbulldogs.com.au post-match.
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“We knew Adelaide were a great starting side, so we really wanted to start off well and do well out of the blocks.
“Something we’ve been working on the last couple of years is developing that momentum and then sustaining it.
“It’s a good sign of a mature group, but the job’s not finished yet. We’ve got the rest of the season to go.”
Smith also commended the Bulldogs’ faithful for braving the chilly conditions and contributing to another 10,000+ showing – falling just a few hundred short of their official all-time crowd record at Mars Stadium.
“(We’re trying to) develop it as a fortress I guess,” Smith said of the Dogs’ second home.
“We probably haven’t won as much as we would’ve liked here previously, so to make this almost like Geelong’s ground or a formidable deck – (we want) teams to come here and know they’re going to get a fight with the red, white and blue faithful in full force.”
The Bulldogs will next travel to Darwin to meet the Gold Coast Suns at TIO Stadium on Saturday night.
