After a blistering first half the Western Bulldogs who fell 63-points short of Hawthorn in front of 35,320 at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
The Dogs came out firing, taking a two point lead into the main break, but a seven-goal blitz from the Hawks in the third term left the Dogs goalless to set up the 19.8 (122) to 9.5 (59) win.
The Bulldogs now sit 5-10 and will face Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The numbers
An electric first half from Jason Johannisen, provided enormous drive off half-back for the Dogs. He had 25 possessions to the main break but his influence was curbed after half time - he finished with 32 touches. Lachie Hunter (26), Toby McLean (24) and Brad Lynch (23) also battled hard.
Mitch Wallis led his side with three goals, while Lachie Hunter kicked two goals. Josh Schache, Billy Gowers, Shane Biggs and Caleb Daniel also contributed to the scoreboard.
What they said
“They upped the ante and we just couldn't go with them. We pulled all sorts of levers trying to arrest the momentum and get some kind of control, but unfortunately I think they surprised us with their intensity and put us on the back foot,” Senior Coach, Luke Beveridge.
“The first half we really played our brand of footy. We pressured their ball users and we used the ball really well. We were attacking. It’s just disappointing we couldn’t sustain it for the rest of the game. The second half they lifted and we just couldn’t respond. It’s something we can learn from and try to improve for next week,” Jason Johannisen.
VFL + VFLW
In the VFL, Footscray ended a four-game winning streak with a 43-point loss to the Box Hill Hawks.
The Scray led by 14-points at quarter time but failed to hit the scoreboard in the second term. The Hawks took a nine point lead into the main break before running away with the 13.18 (96) to 8.5 (53) win.
The Western Bulldogs’ VFLW side continued their winning run, securing their fourth consecutive victory with a win over Melbourne Uni on Sunday.
The 21-point win puts the Dogs in 7th position on the VFLW ladder with a 4-4 record.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will face Melbourne in a twilight game at the MCG on Saturday.
In the VFL, Footscray will travel to Casey Fields to take on the Casey Demons while in the VFLW the Western Bulldogs will play Essendon on Sunday at Henry Turner Reserve.
