WESTERN Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson was everything you'd expect after the Bulldogs 29-point preliminary final loss to Geelong on Friday night – disappointed, proud, devastated, smiling.

The paradox of the ever-smiling Johnson mirrors that of the Dogs' season – terrific, poor, taking it right up to Geelong, not quite good enough.

The frustration for the Dogs will be that Geelong wasn't vastly superior; it is that the Cats took their chances while the Doggies wasted theirs.

"That's the way footy is these days – you take control at different parts, and you've got to make the most of opportunity when you do take control," Johnson said after the game.

"We certainly came out hard in that last quarter as well, and we just missed a couple of opportunities, but we knew that if we kept attacking it that might turn it for us.

"It only takes one, and all of a sudden you're away, but we just couldn't manage that one – that's the way the game went.

Johnson said the effort gave him great hope for the future.

"I'm encouraged because we're a young group, and as I said, we've got a lot of development left in every player at this club, from the youngest guy right through.

"Because the guys work extremely hard, that'll come."

Johnson said the side knew what it had to do, but found it hard to execute cleanly under the enormous pressure that Geelong can bring.

"Obviously we started well, but they got on top in the second quarter. We spoke at half time and knew that if we got back to within probably one or two at three-quarter time, then obviously the pressure builds and anything can happen from that point.

"It ended up being three, and then it was just a tussle in that last quarter.

"Obviously everyone's very disappointed, but on the other side, but obviously proud of the way we went about it tonight."