Western Bulldogs senior coach Luke Beveridge says as disappointing as Friday night’s loss to Geelong was, he couldn’t fault his side’s efforts.

The Bulldogs came agonisingly close to snapping an 18-year losing streak at GMHBA Stadium, having not enjoyed success there since 2003. 

And despite holding a one-point advantage in the dying minutes, a Gary Rohan after-the-siren set shot pinched the win for Geelong.

“In the end it was an exercise in risk management with that minute and a half to go on the scoreboard. We turned the ball to the inside of the ground when we needed stoppages, and that’s frustrating,” Beveridge told media post-match.

“I thought the boys were enormous all night, so obviously there’s a lot of emotion in a narrow loss like that after the siren.

“There’s a lot going on behind the scenes at the moment, so for them to turn up and put some of the peripheral things out of their heads and just focus on the challenge of playing the Cats at their home base and to get so close – we’re pretty grateful for what our boys did tonight.”

With the scores deadlocked four times alone in the third before a frantic final term, Beveridge said his group will take plenty of lessons as they look ahead to the second-half of the season.

“To have this experience, to understand that all of these games are generally going to be tight if you’re one of the better (sides), and to learn from the possibilities and grow from them, is the way we’re looking at it,” Beveridge said.

“The optimism is that next time we might get them.

“I think you’re flatter when you get opened up a bit and you’re not at your best – I don’t think either team were at their best tonight, but it’s one of those pretty dour contests on a damp night.

“The fact we didn’t get the win but got some of the victories in other areas, you just keep looking for the positives.”