Western Bulldogs senior coach Nathan Burke says the learning opportunities that come with taking on the competition’s best are priceless for his young side.

The Bulldogs gave their all against the undefeated Dockers on Sunday at VU Whitten Oval – and led early in the final term – before the visitors stormed home as 15-point winners.

Burke said his side would take plenty from the game, despite the result.

“We just had a mindset that we were playing a team that’s top of the ladder, and if we had tried to shut it down and make it a dour game, we weren’t going to learn anything from it,” the Bulldogs’ coach said post-match.

“We did fall away and (Fremantle) did get some goals at the end, but I wouldn’t put that down to our effort – it was more where we put our effort.

“We were in attacking the footy, which sometimes wasn’t the best thing to do because they had players on the outside.

“If you want to call it inexperience you can, but it’s just about where we put our energy in those really vital parts of the game.”

10:18

Burke & Huntington speak post match

Nathan Burke and Isabel Huntington spoke to the media following the Round 6 loss to Fremantle at Whitten Oval

Leader Izzy Huntington said while the no-crowd factor was something new to the group, there was a silver lining to it.

“From a communication standpoint on-field, it was definitely a lot easier because you could hear from line to line, and hear ‘Burkey’ yapping away on the bench,” she said.

“Some (players) really love a big crowd and some manage without it, but I think we held up pretty well.”

Amid the uncertainty around coronavirus and the affect it may have on remainder of the AFLW season, Burke said he hopes his side gets the chance to play again this weekend.

“Our girls took a step forward this week, and we’re looking forward to playing another really good team in North Melbourne next,” he said.

“We can play teams down the bottom that we could beat, but we probably wouldn’t learn anything.

“To take what we learnt today against another very good opponent, in terms of the development of this team – that’s going to be vital.”

The AFLW Bulldogs are set to face the Kangaroos at Arden Street Oval on Saturday, March 21 at 3.10pm.

07:23

AFLW Match Highlights | Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle

The highest aggregate scoring AFLW match of all-time, the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle Dockers went head-to-head at VU Whitten Oval, with the visitors kicking away late to win by 15-points.