Bulldogs defender Taylor Duryea says slipping to Gold Coast in Darwin was a missed opportunity to register another hard-fought win.
The Dogs came from 22 points down to a single point late in the last quarter, before conceding a goal in the dying minutes to eventually go down by seven points in the Top End.
“It’s probably the one that got away really,” Duryea told Channel 7’s Abbey Holmes post-game.
“We gave ourselves a chance at the end to potentially come away with the win, but we probably didn’t make the most of our chances tonight - not just shots on goal but also our connection in the front half.
“They’re a really good side on counter-offense – they’ve got a really good work-rate when their forwards get out. They’ve put good sides to the test this year, and have had some wins against good sides as well.
“It’s not a shock result to not win – but we thought we could’ve come away with the four points for sure.”
Duryea said the Bulldogs’ final-quarter surge was not a result of any directives, but more an understanding it was now or never.
“You just have to at that point - you have to really just give yourself every chance by taking it on a little bit and being bold with the ball,” he explained.
“I thought we did that and gave ourselves some chances, but really, we probably couldn’t allow them to kick any goals and they managed to get one which was the difference.
“(Bevo) didn’t say anything too different to what he usually would – but we’ve got maturity in our group and feel like we’re building in that area, so it would’ve been good just to get it done.”
The trip marked the Bulldogs’ return to the Top End in just under a decade, which proved a special experience for the entire playing group in Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
“You just feed off the energy her - everyone just loves their footy and appreciates the fact that we’re up doing something that we love,” Duryea said.
“I think (the community here) loves it more than us. It’s pretty special.
“It felt like we had almost a home game with the amount of Dogs fans here. We had people coming from everywhere - it’s really special.”
The Bulldogs will look to reset when they host the reigning premiers, Geelong, on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium.
