Western Bulldogs VFLW coach Rhys Cahir says he is hoping his side can replicate Sunday’s Preliminary Final dominance when they meet North Melbourne in the Grand Final.
The Bulldogs had to do it the long way – defeated by Williamstown in the Qualifying Final, before knocking off reigning premier Port Melbourne in the Semi Final.
And just yesterday, the Dogs enjoyed redemption over Williamstown – their first win over the Seagulls in six outings – to secure a spot in the big dance.
“We’re pretty excited – yesterday was obviously a great win by the group, and probably showed that we’re more than capable of playing our best footy against the best sides,” Cahir told media on Monday morning.
“We took a lot of confidence coming out of yesterday - (Williamstown) had been one of the better sides all year, so we knew we had to stick to the task all day, but we had a plan to play our best footy as well as take away theirs.
“We couldn’t have executed that any better if we tried.
“If we can replicate that (on Sunday), I’ll be more than happy. While Grand Finals are a different story, we’ll be aiming to do that again.”
The Bulldogs had just claimed the wooden spoon following a winless 2022 campaign when Cahir took over at the helm.
This improved to three wins last year – including five losses decided by under a goal – to finish 13th out of 14 teams, and this year, a Grand Final berth.
“When you look at it like that, it was a tough year (in 2022) finishing bottom of the ladder,” Cahir said.
“What we achieved last year was great, and we were very close a few times, but we kept building on that foundation.
“It’s really a credit to the girls – they’re the ones that have taken what we’re trying to coach and implement on board.
“They’re all pushing themselves to hopefully get to that highest level too, and the standards have been brilliant. It’s pretty pleasing to see that we’ve come so far.”
The Bulldogs will confirm any changes to their team on Friday afternoon, with the Grand Final scheduled for 12.10pm on Sunday at ETU Stadium.
Entry is free, and will be broadcast live on Channel 7 for those who can’t make it.
