It was a final five minutes full of should haves and could haves, with the Western Bulldogs narrowly going down to Melbourne by eight points in the first of two women’s exhibition matches.

However Bulldogs women’s coach Craig Starcevich praised his team for their commitment and effort.

“We probably left ourselves a bit too much to do in the last quarter but I’m really proud of the girls and the way they fought it out.

“We had a set shot at goal and someone else on the run coming through but couldn’t quite hit the scoreboard.”

The Bulldogs had their chance to go four points up late in the game with plenty of possession in the final term but Melbourne were able steady the ship with a late match-winner.

However the positive signs were there for the Bulldogs, with defensive work a standout on the day.

“Our tackling pressure and defensive pressure kept us in the game all day and right at the end there offensively, we just couldn’t quite get it done.

“Melbourne had a lot more shots at goal but probably as a result of our pressure they didn’t score as many goals as they would have liked.”

The Bulldogs will host the second and final exhibition match on Sunday 16 August at Etihad Stadium and Starcevich says the experience gained gives his side confidence leading into the return match.

“We get another chance in a couple of months.

“We’ll have a look at the game and see who played well and if we need to make any changes we will but I can’t fault the courage of our girls today, it was really good.”