The Western Bulldogs are the AFLW champions for 2018 after an inspiring grand final performance against the Brisbane Lions at Ikon Park.
With a number of stars sitting on the sidelines, including captain Katie Brennan, the Dogs recovered from a slow start to swarm the Lions in the second half.
In the end the Dogs held on to win by just six points, capping off a truly incredible season for the red, white and blue.
It completed a remarkable transformation for the team, which finished with just two wins in the inaugural AFLW season.
The women’s football showpiece didn’t disappoint as a spectacle, with the game in the balance until the last play of the game when Naomi Ferres took a diving mark in defence as the siren sounded.
The win came from a lift in intensity after half time, with a three-goal burst in the aptly named premiership quarter proving the difference.
In that term, goals from Deanna Berry, Kirsten McLeod and Monique Conti flipped the contest on its head after the Dogs went goalless in the first half.
Conti was instrumental in the win, with her ability to break from congestion and deliver by foot earning her the player of the match medal.
She was supported superbly by the Bulldogs’ engine room, with stand-in skipper Ellie Blackburn (17 disposals), Emma Kearney (15) and Kirsty Lamb all dominant.
Key defender Lauren Spark was as brilliant as she has been all season, keeping the dangerous Sabrina Fredrick-Traub goalless.
Persistent rain fell in the hours leading into the game, making for a hard-fought, physical battle.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.1 0.1 3.2 4.3 (27)
BRISBANE LIONS 1.1 1.1 1.1 3.3 (21)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Berry, McLeod, Conti, Kearney
Brisbane Lions: Wuetschner 2, Conway
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Conti, Blackburn, Kearney, Birch, Spark, Bruton
Brisbane Lions: Lutkins, Stanton, Wuetschner, Zielke, Ashmore
