AFL Record Premiers – Western Bulldogs 2016

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BULLDOG BELIEF:

Tom Boyd, Marcus Bontempelli and Jordan Roughead embrace after the final siren signalled the end of a 62-year premiership drought.

CONTENTS 6 GRAND FINAL MOMENTS 18 HOW THE DOGS DID IT 30 TACTICS 32 QUARTER BY QUARTER 40 THE COACH LUKE BEVERIDGE 42 THE CAPTAIN EASTON WOOD 44 NORM SMITH MEDALLIST 48 PLAYER PROFILES 75 SEASON IN REVIEW 94 PLAYER LIST 95 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 96 SEASON RESULTS 98 BY THE NUMBERS

Copyright 2016 AFL Media

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title Premiers 2016 / Michael Lovett – editor.

ISBN 9780994322135 (paperback) Subjects: Australian Football League.

Australian football-Competitions.

Australian football players.

Australian football teams.

Dewey Number 796.3360994

Published by AFL Media in October, 2016.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. Inquiries should be made to the publisher.

The AFL logo and competing teams’ logos, emblems are all trademarks of and used under licence from the owner, the Australian Football League, by whom all copyright and other rights of reproduction are reserved.

Australian Football League 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC 3008

Writers Sarah Black, Ashley Browne, Ben Collins, Lee Gaskin, Ben Guthrie, Alex Malcolm, Tim Roman, Peter Ryan, Nathan Schmook, Michael Whiting Sub-Editor Howard Kotton Statistician Cameron Sinclair Lead Designer Gabe Bonnici Designers Craig Poore, Chris Nardo

AFL Record Editor Michael Lovett

Creative Director Andrew Hutchison

Production Editor Gary Hancock

Art Director Sam Russell

Production Manager Troy Davis

Head of Commercial AFL Media Adam Richardson

Production Coordinator Stephen Lording

Distribution & Sales Manager Dean McBeth

Photography Michael Willson, Adam Trafford, Cameron Spencer, Michael Dodge, Darrian Traynor, Robert Cianflone, Ryan Pierse, Justine Walker, Sean Garnsworthy, Greg Ford, Rob Prezioso (03) 9643 1999, aflphotos.com.au

Advertising Sales Coordinator Melanya Ross, (03) 9643 1715

Photo Editing Manager Natalie Boccassini Photo Editor Nick Harding

Printed By PMP Print Address correspondence to: The Editor, AFL Record, Ground Floor, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC 3008 (03) 9643 1999 michael.lovett@afl.com.au

General Manager AFL Media Peter Campbell

Cover Young star Marcus Bontempelli leads the Bulldogs’ celebrations.

Head of Content AFL Media Matthew Pinkney

AFL Media thanks the Western Bulldogs Football Club for its support.

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BOYD STANDS UP TO BE COUNTED ĂƒĂƒ Tom Boyd arrived at Whitten Oval with huge fanfare at the end of 2014 on a lucrative long-term deal and has had more than his share of critics, but his Grand Final performance has gone a long way to answering them, if not silencing them. As most big players do, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft has taken a while to develop, but the former Giant has shown plenty of positive signs in the second half of this season. His stunning displays in the past two finals were crucial to this premiership victory. In the preliminary final against his old club, he stood up in the ruck against the imposing Shane Mumford after teammate Jordan Roughead was forced off with an eye injury. In the Grand Final, Boyd was even better. He was supreme in the air, taking eight marks (six contested) and winning 14 hit-outs. His third goal gave the Dogs an unassailable 15-point advantage 21 minutes into the final quarter. After Dale Morris had chased down Lance Franklin and dispossessed him, Boyd grabbed the loose ball and converted from inside the centre square. While Jason Johannisen was a worthy winner, Boyd can consider himself unlucky not to win the Norm Smith Medal.

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BULLDOG BOYD A BEAUTY ĂƒĂƒ Few players typify the Bulldogs spirit better than Matthew Boyd. The 34-year-old former captain had an outstanding year in defence. Boyd had one of his finest seasons in 2016, earning his third All-Australian honour to go with his three best and fairest awards. He was a model of consistency, averaging 27 disposals. His leadership, smarts and professionalism also came to the fore in the absence of skipper Bob Murphy. Boyd is one of the great Bulldogs success stories, having risen from the rookie list to become an elite player in the competition, a club captain and now a premiership player.

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TORY GLORY JUST NOBLE ÃÃ In 2010, Tory Dickson was a premiership player with Noble Park in the Eastern Football League after kicking 100 goals in a season. Six years later, he is a premiership player with the Western Bulldogs in the AFL after kicking 40 goals for the season, including 10 in the finals series. He has flown under the radar his whole career, from his time at Noble Park to his stints at Frankston and Bendigo in the VFL. He’s kicked 90 goals in the past two seasons for the Bulldogs and has been pivotal to the club’s success this year.

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OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS ÃÃ How sweet it is! Imagine the pure elation of kicking a goal that has sealed your club’s first premiership in 62 years. Of the three majors Liam Picken slotted in the Grand Final, none got the juices flowing more than the one he put through in the last quarter to put the Bulldogs out of reach. Picken’s transformation from hard-nut midfielder to crafty goalsneak has been one of the many revelations of this amazing Bulldogs resurgence. The 86th pick in the 2009 National Draft, the 30-year-old is exactly what this remarkable Bulldogs side is all about.

He was at his brilliant best on the biggest stage, finishing with 25 possessions, five inside 50s and four tackles to go with his three goals. Whenever the Swans appeared to put the pressure on the Bulldogs, Picken bobbed up out of nowhere to hit the scoreboard. His tenacity at the packs was evident among his 10 contested possessions, often winning the ball in the trenches and getting it to his outside men. Picken showed remarkable resilience to play every game this season, and has been a constant part of the side in the past eight years. His marking prowess turned heads during the year, as did his ability to fight for every inch.

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DOGGONE, THEY HAVE DONE IT ÃÃ They’d done it. The Western Bulldogs had won their first flag in 62 years. The final siren went, the pressure valve was released, and the players celebrated accordingly. For three-and-a-half quarters, the Bulldogs had withstood the Sydney Swans’ immense pressure, holding them at bay until Liam Picken kicked his second goal with just seven minutes remaining. It took the margin out from just one point to seven and broke the dam wall. There were goals to Tom Boyd, and another to Picken, and the team that finished in seventh position was the premier. The realisation that they, the Bulldogs of 2016, had broken the longest premiership drought in AFL history slowly sunk in. Injured captain Bob Murphy took to the field, his playing guernsey underneath his tracksuit top. Stand-in captain Easton Wood burst into tears. Caleb Daniel ripped his trusty helmet off, embracing a kneeling Tom Boyd, who was still nearly taller than the diminutive Dog. Tom Liberatore dropped to the ground, overcome with achieving something his father Tony never did. Jack Macrae and Fletcher Roberts ran towards each other, disbelief on their faces.

And Luke Dahlhaus simply looked to the heavens, celebrating with the Sons of the West.

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LEADERS OF THE PACK ÃÃ It’s hard to find anyone who epitomises the Bulldogs’ fighting spirit more than Bob Murphy. The loveable rascal is the heart and soul of the Dogs, having led them through a difficult era. So it was a beautiful moment when Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge selflessly handed his premiership medallion to Murphy in the ultimate show of respect. Beveridge then moved back when the premiership cup was presented to allow Murphy to have one hand on the trophy along with stand-in captain Easton Wood. Murphy has been a constant source of inspiration for the Bulldogs since going down in round three with a season-ending knee injury.

In his absence, Wood has been a wonderful leader for a young and talented group. The 27-year-old was a solid performer with 13 possessions and six marks in helping to nullify the Swans’ potent forward line. Just as important was Wood’s ability to lead from the front and provide an example for his more-inexperienced teammates. Seeing Murphy and Wood embrace in their lap of honour around the MCG would have warmed the hearts of every long-suffering Bulldogs supporter. Murphy didn’t run out on to the ground in the decider, but his fingerprints are all over this drought-breaking flag.

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PARTY OF ALL PARTIES ÃÃ It was like the waters parted for the Bulldogs, a sea of fans staying back at the MCG to greet their heroes. And why not? It has been 62 long, long years since the Bulldogs – then under their Footscray moniker – saluted in the big one. Back then the party was something of a fizzer when Charlie Sutton and his players returned to the Western Oval (no Whitten Oval back then) to celebrate. Someone had forgotten to order the beer and most players went off and did their own thing.

There was no chance of that happening in 2016. This party will last for days, weeks and possibly months – much like Collingwood’s drought-breaker in 1990.

In this photograph you will see people with iPhones taking snaps and selfies; just think in 1954, television had not even come to Australia and social media was writing a letter to someone using a fountain pen.

It is hard to think of a premiership that deserves to be celebrated like this one – consider the Bulldogs had to come from seventh place, play two finals interstate and knock out the three-time defending champion Hawthorn on route to their second flag. Let’s toast a grand team.

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PREMIERS 2016 XXXXXXX

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HOW THE FLAG WAS WON

DOGS’ DAY IN PREMIERSHIP SUN Extraordinary is the only way to describe the Western Bulldogs’ performance after they won their second premiership in a Grand Final for the ages. BEN COLLINS WESTERN BULLDOGS | 19

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O

nce upon a time in Melbourne’s working-class west, there was a football club called Footscray.

The ‘Scray’ dominated the Victorian Football Association (VFA) but became a perpetual battler when elevated to the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1925.

The Bulldogs took 14 seasons to make the finals, 29 to win a final and 30 to win a premiership in 1954.

Another Grand Final appearance followed in 1961, before a long Grand Final drought which ended this year.

The Dogs made the finals just three times in the next 30 seasons; and over the next half-a-century lost seven preliminary finals, some in heartbreaking circumstances.

The club was also in a constant fight for survival, almost going bust on several occasions.

Rebadged as the Western Bulldogs in 1996 to represent the entire western suburbs, they reached another flashpoint in 2014 when their captain walked out and their coach was sacked.

The next year, under a first-time coach, the Bulldogs defied logic to make the finals.

The year after that, 2016, they suffered a crippling injury toll, but excelled to make the eight again.

A premiership, though, was an impossible dream. After all, only one team had won a flag from outside the top four and that was Adelaide, which had come from fifth in 1998.

But the Dogs were seventh – no team had even made a Grand Final from there, let alone won a premiership.

However, they conjured victories in four consecutive finals, each of them as underdogs in cut-throat clashes; and twice triumphed interstate – a first for a Victorian club – to become the most unlikely premiers in history.

They hammered the previous year’s Grand finalists – West Coast and Hawthorn, when the Hawks were aiming for a record-equalling fourth flag in a row – and conquered emerging superpower Greater Western Sydney and a star-studded Sydney.

Finally, it seems the sons of the west will live happily ever after …

The Bulldogs’ mind-warping second flag – which ended what had been the longest active premiership drought of 62 years, and the third-longest in history – had been a fairytale.

In fact, it’s not too dreamy to suggest the youngest spectator at the 2016 AFL Grand Final probably won’t witness a greater football Cinderella story in their lifetime.

And they mightn’t see a better coaching feat than that of the

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extraordinary Luke Beveridge, who in two whirlwind seasons lifted the beleaguered Bulldogs from 14th and despair to premiers, and joined the legendary Charlie Sutton as the club’s only premiership coaches.

The Dogs used an astounding 39 players – equal-second in history among premiership teams, behind only Fitzroy’s effort with 44 players in 1944 during the high turnover period of World War II. Remarkably, that fact only partly explains why this premiership was one of the greatest won.

Little wonder then that, even before the Dogs took on Sydney in the Grand Final, Beveridge’s peers voted him the coach of the year, which he claimed in each of his first two seasons.

Little wonder, too, at the outpouring of emotion from

We have ridden on your wings LUKE BEVERIDGE

FAN FAVOURITE: Luke

Dahlhaus is embraced by excited fans after the Dogs’ momentous victory that realised the prediction on the club’s banner pre-game.

once hard-bitten Dogs fans – ‘Bulldogs through and through’ – the vast majority of whom hadn’t previously seen their club in a Grand Final.

The delirious legion of red, white and blue barrackers cheered, hugged, laughed and cried.

And it wasn’t just Dogs fans who were swept up in this magical mystery tour. They were one of the greatest sentimental favourites in memory, with the Bulldogs bandwagon growing exponentially with each giant-killing win.

After a pulsating 22-point win over the Swans in the Grand Final, Beveridge told the euphoric Bulldog faithful at the MCG: “We know how long you have waited for success ... to you, the fans, our supporters ... you’ve boosted our spirits. We have ridden on your wings.”

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Such a stunning transformation couldn’t have been imagined in October (dubbed “Shocktober”) 2014 when Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen, always a reluctant leader, quit the club and requested a trade to GWS. The next day, amid rumours of further player discontent, coach Brendan McCartney resigned.

It had been a tough gig for McCartney, the former Geelong premiership assistant coach who took over a squad in transition after a Rodney Eade era punctuated by successive preliminary final appearances from 2008-10.

During McCartney’s 2012-14 reign, the rebuilding Dogs slumped to 15th, 15th and 14th, but he had laid a foundation based around contested ball that would help the next coach.

It was also a critical period for stockpiling talent, with list manager Jason McCartney and recruiting chief Simon Dalrymple leading draft drives that netted future premiership heroes Clay Smith (No. 17), Tory Dickson (57) and Fletcher Roberts (Pre-Season Draft) in 2011, Jake Stringer (5), Jack Macrae (6) and Lachie Hunter (49 – father-son pick) in 2012 and, most crucially, Marcus Bontempelli (4) in 2013.

This was in addition to the 2010 batch that included father-son picks Mitch Wallis (22) and Tom Liberatore (41) and rookies Luke Dahlhaus and Jason Johannisen.

A week after the Griffen bombshell, the Dogs orchestrated a colossal trade, sending him and pick No. 6 to the Giants in exchange for first-year key forward Tom Boyd, the previous year’s No. 1 selection.

Controversially, the Bulldogs signed the nine-game 19-year-old on a lucrative seven-year contract. The club desperately needed a marking target and felt Boyd would in time develop into a star.

It was another month before Beveridge was unveiled as coach.

The Bulldogs couldn’t have known it at the time, but they had just secured a messiah.

His appointment was the result of some Sliding Doors moments.

Dogs president Peter Gordon (who helped save the club in his first stint as president in 1989 and replaced stalwart David Smorgon in October 2012) had wanted former club captain Luke Darcy on the coach selection panel and, after some cajoling, Darcy agreed on the proviso the candidates include his old teammate Beveridge.

Beveridge proved difficult to convince, as he had already accepted the job of St Kilda’s director of coaching. But his qualifications were impeccable.

After playing 118 games for Melbourne, Footscray and St Kilda WESTERN BULLDOGS | 21

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from 1989-99, he had coached St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers to an unprecedented three consecutive VAFA premierships in C, B and then A sections from 2006-08; had been Collingwood’s player development manager under Mick Malthouse when the Pies won the 2010 premiership; and was Hawthorn’s defensive coach under Alastair Clarkson when the Hawks triumphed in 2013 and 2014.

He had also been a senior manager for the Australian Tax Office’s intelligence unit, AUSTRAC. He had good people around him at Whitten Oval, including new skipper Robert Murphy, whom Beveridge lauded as “the heartbeat of the club”.

Beveridge had a bumpy start in 2015 when reigning club champion Liberatore suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Dogs’ first NAB Challenge game.

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Murphy revealed during the 2016 finals series: “We get asked about belief a lot and this group has had it for two years – almost as soon as Luke came on board. That’s as much to do with Luke believing in himself.”

Beveridge had also placed a premium on versatility – a key plank to Hawthorn’s success – and removed the shackles. The most stunning examples of this refreshed approach were rejuvenated veterans Liam Picken and Matthew Boyd.

Long-time tagger Picken thrived after being released as a ball-getting midfielder, while former midfielder Boyd was reinvented as a half-back flanker, which added experience down back while allowing the Dogs to develop their young midfield.

As good as the Dogs’ players had been – with All-Australian honours bestowed upon both club champion defender Easton Wood and

56-goal forward Stringer – the major difference had been Beveridge.

What was it that made the coach so special?

In Grand Final week, Hunter said it was “a million-dollar question” and Wood felt it “could be answered a million different ways”.

Wood: “For me, he’s encouraged us to explore our own instincts, and he’s given us a licence to be ourselves, to be all we can be, and to constantly challenge our capabilities.”

Bontempelli: “It’s his personality and the way he interacts with us and goes about forming personal relationships with each individual.

That gives us all the more reason to want to play for him.”

Matthew Boyd: “An important component has been that the players have enjoyed playing his game style.

He mostly sees the strengths and

He mostly sees the strengths and possibilities and not so much the weaknesses MATTHEW BOYD ON LUKE BEVERIDGE

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DESTINY AWAITS:

The Bulldogs link arm in arm as the teams line up before the game for the national anthem.

the possibilities and not so much the weaknesses.”

However, at the end of 2015, the Dogs seemed some way off flag contention when they suffered a seven-point loss to Adelaide in an unusually free-flowing elimination final at the MCG. Their 2016 campaign hit a snag in January when ex-Bomber Stewart Crameri – the Dogs’ 2014 leading goalkicker – received a season-long suspension for his role in Essendon’s controversial supplements program in 2012. It was but one of many hardships the Dogs overcame on their pot-holed road to glory.

Great gains were made in other areas, though. The Dogs secured free agent Matthew Suckling, the lethal left-footer fresh from playing in the previous two premierships at Hawthorn, where he had formed a strong bond with Beveridge.

Liberatore returned strongly from his knee reconstruction and became a virtual recruit.

A major surprise packet was big-marking backman Marcus Adams, a 22-year-old from Perth.

Beveridge dubbed him the ‘The Specimen’ and was so impressed by his early form he said Adams had produced one of the best opening fortnights by a rookie key defender.

Another draftee, teenager Josh Dunkley – the son of ex-Swans defender Andrew Dunkley – also developed at a rapid rate and became increasingly important as the season wore on.

Dunkley had nominated Sydney as his preferred destination under the father-son rule, but the Swans contentiously refused to match the Dogs’ No. 25 bid.

The Bulldogs flew out of the blocks at their Docklands fortress with

big wins over 2015 minor premier Fremantle (by 65 points) and St Kilda (57), before a fateful clash with triple reigning premier Hawthorn changed the complexion of their season.

In an absorbing struggle, the Dogs led by three points with 90 seconds left when disaster struck.

As Hawk James Sicily marked before slotting the winning goal, Murphy suffered a knee injury that ended his season and potentially his career.

Murphy, who turned 34 in June, eventually decided to play on into 2017, but the most pressing issue was: could the Dogs still win the flag without him?

Many felt it was beyond them, such was Murphy’s importance as both a player and a leader.

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WE DID IT: Easton Wood embraces Robert Murphy, the man he replaced as captain after his season ended with a knee injury in round three, and (right) the crowd of almost 100,000 was entertained pre-match

by Sting (top) and The Living End (below).

Bob gave me the best advice ... he said, ‘Just be yourself’ EASTON WOOD ON INJURED SKIPPER ROBERT MURPHY

captains, and three of them had been vastly more-experienced teams than the Dogs.

Vice-captain Easton Wood, 26, was thrust into the role of stand-in captain, just five months after being elevated to the Dogs’ leadership group.

Murphy was a tough act to follow and his close mate Wood felt completely out of his depth.

“Bob gave me the best advice,” Wood reflected. “He said, ‘Just be yourself. It’s enough, it’s always going to be enough, and it’s all you can ever be.’”

Murphy downplayed his off-field role, labelling himself a professional cheerleader and hug-giver, but he continued to have an enormous influence behind the scenes.

Murphy’s mishap started a horrific run of injuries. The Dogs went long stretches without front-line backmen Murphy (who missed 23 games), Adams (15), Johannisen (10), Wood (six) and Suckling (nine – although he played mostly on a wing).

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The Dogs’ premiership hopes seemed to vanish during a shock loss to St Kilda in round 18, when midfielder Mitch Wallis suffered a horrific broken leg and key forward Jack Redpath also tore an ACL. With Wallis screaming in agony in the rooms after the game, many teammates were overcome with emotion.

Post-match, Beveridge lamented it as a “traumatic” night.

“It’s (our) challenge to pick them up and be supreme optimists, and believe that there’s still a bit left in our year and we can still be there at the end and be a challenger,” he said.

During another press conference just days later, Beveridge also became misty-eyed while discussing the injuries.

Wood: “In a bittersweet way, the hardships have contributed to our improvement. They’ve steeled the group to rise to each challenge.”

Bontempelli: “We’ve been conditioned and trained to believe.

We’re a resilient group and we can cope and manage on the run.”

Another crucial factor for the Dogs was controlling their own VFL team – Footscray – since 2014, having previously been aligned with Williamstown and Werribee.

Veteran defender Dale Morris explained that the game style, roles and expectations were the same between seniors and reserves so that “when a soldier goes down, another soldier has been trained up to take their place”.

Several other adversities – a late-night altercation between mates Tom Boyd and Zaine Cordy (which led to club-imposed suspensions); Lin Jong being caught taking a mid-season tour of Collingwood’s facility; and the late-season loss of senior assistant coach Brett Montgomery to explore other opportunities – might have destabilised weaker clubs, but they proved just minor distractions.

It also helped that the precocious Bontempelli (who earned his first All-Australian selection, alongside the evergreen Boyd) elevated himself to superstar status.

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2016 TOYOTA AFL GRAND FINAL IN DETAIL WESTERN BULLDOGS SYDNEY SWANS

2.0 1.2

7.1 7.3

9.7 8.5

13.11 (89) 10.7 (67)

BEST: Western Bulldogs – Johannisen, Picken, T. Boyd, Macrae, M. Boyd, Dahlhaus.

Sydney Swans – Kennedy, Mitchell, Rampe, Heeney, Jones, Hannebery.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – T. Boyd 3, Dickson 3, Picken 3, Cordy, McLean, C. Smith, Stringer. Sydney Swans – Kennedy 3, Mitchell 2, Parker, Smith, Rohan, Franklin, Hewett.

UMPIRES: M. Stevic, S. Meredith, S. Jeffery CROWD: 99,981 at the MCG NORM SMITH MEDAL: Jason Johannisen JOCK McHALE MEDAL: Luke Beveridge

Sons of the West, Red, White and Blue.

We come out snarling Bulldogs through and through.

Bulldogs bite and Bulldogs roar,

We give our very best.

But you can’t beat the boys of the Bulldogs breed, We’re the team of the mighty West

WHAT THEY SANG

WESTERN BULLDOGS’ GRAND FINAL STATISTICS

Beveridge, in a late-season interview on Melbourne radio station SEN, marvelled: “He’s ranked in the top three or four midfielders in the comp – as a 20-year-old that’s quite extreme.”

When Suckling first heard Bontempelli speak in a team meeting, he thought the youngster spoke with insight reminiscent of Hawks veteran Sam Mitchell.

Bontempelli also became the youngest player to captain a winning team, as part of a rotational captaincy arrangement when Wood was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Other revelations included ball-magnet wingman Hunter and helmeted little man Caleb Daniel (runner-up in the NAB AFL Rising Star award).

After a final-round loss to lowly Fremantle at Domain Stadium, the Dogs had to travel back to Perth for an elimination final against a peaking West Coast.

Beveridge later suggested that before the finals, his team was no more than a 10 per cent chance of winning the flag.

However, the Dogs were aided by the new pre-finals bye, which gave enough time for Wood (ankle),

Player Name

K

H

D

M

HO

T

FF

FA

G

B

AF

Shane Biggs Marcus Bontempelli Matthew Boyd Tom Boyd Zaine Cordy Luke Dahlhaus Caleb Daniel Tory Dickson Josh Dunkley Joel Hamling Lachie Hunter Jason Johannisen Tom Liberatore Jack Macrae Toby McLean Dale Morris Liam Picken Fletcher Roberts Jordan Roughead Clay Smith Jake Stringer Easton Wood

12 14 16 10 7 10 11 7 9 5 8 25 8 13 8 2 12 2 8 8 8 7

3 8 11 4 4 13 3 4 6 4 11 8 14 20 10 13 13 3 5 5 4 6

15 22 27 14 11 23 14 11 15 9 19 33 22 33 18 15 25 5 13 13 12 13

4 1 4 8 1 3 3 3 3 4 1 7 2 5 2 3 3 2 5 1 1 7

0 9 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0

3 7 4 0 4 8 5 5 7 1 4 1 8 3 5 4 4 0 4 11 2 2

0 1 2 0 1 3 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 4 2 1 0 0 1 0 1

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

0 0 0 3 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 1 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

66 99 94 96 55 100 69 76 74 40 67 115 90 107 81 56 106 15 82 85 50 60

K Kicks, H Handballs, D Disposals, M Marks, HO Hit-outs, T Tackles, FF Free kicks for, FA Free kicks against, G Goals, B Behinds, AF AFL Fantasy points

TEAMS AS SELECTED WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Johannisen, Hamling, M. Boyd HB: Biggs, Morris, Wood C: Hunter, Bontempelli, Picken HF: Macrae, Cordy, Stringer F: Dickson, T. Boyd, C. Smith R: Roughead, Dahlhaus, Liberatore I/C: McLean, Roberts, Dunkley, Daniel EMG: Suckling, Campbell, Jong

SYDNEY SWANS B: Lloyd, Grundy, Smith HB: Mills, Laidler, Rampe C: K. Jack, Kennedy, McVeigh HF: Mitchell, Franklin, Parker F: Papley, Tippett, McGlynn R: Naismith, Hannebery, Heeney I/C: Jones, Hewett, X. Richards, Rohan EMG: Cunningham, Marsh, Nankervis WESTERN BULLDOGS | 25

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Liberatore (ankle) and Macrae (hamstring) to return and for Tom Boyd (ankle) to be passed fit.

Each played key roles in the weeks that followed.

Enigmatic forward Stringer was also back. Compared to Geelong legend Gary Ablett snr early in the season, Stringer had been banished to the VFL for two games to increase his work rate.

The entire Dogs side reached new intensity levels against the Eagles and they showcased the benefits of their regular ‘Handball Club’ sessions, with their fast hands in confined spaces creating havoc.

After losing their previous four clashes in Perth by an average of 84 points, the Bulldogs astonished the football world with a 47-point victory.

The only downer was a broken collarbone to Jong, who was reduced to tears on the bench as it appeared his season was over.

The Dogs were only getting started, and impartial fans jumped on board ahead of the semi-final clash with Hawthorn at the MCG, when the Dogs became genuine premiership contenders.

After trailing by 23 points in the second term, they broke 43 points clear before coasting home to win by 23 points. It was the first time the Bulldogs had beaten Hawthorn in nine encounters.

The next day, a bullish Beveridge told SEN: “We won’t be satisfied unless we win the whole thing … the time is now.” Bontempelli continued the theme on Channel Seven’s Game Day by revealing the Dogs’ attitude was “why not us?”

Thousands of Dogs fans attended training, and thousands more made the pilgrimage to the Giants’

The western suburbs were pretty much painted red, white and blue JAKE STRINGER

HUNGRY PACK: Jordan

Roughead and Fletcher Roberts (left) fly for a mark while (above) the Bulldogs show their delight when Jason Johannisen is announced as this year’s Norm Smith medallist.

boutique venue at Spotless Stadium for the preliminary final, making it feel like a Bulldogs home game.

Those who travelled in club-organised buses up the Hume Highway were handed a letter of appreciation from Beveridge, along with $10 for a breakfast stop at Wodonga. This was a uniquely thoughtful leader.

The Bulldogs’ banner delivered a none-too-subtle dig at the Giants: “OUR CLUB WAS BORN IN BLOOD AND BOOTS, NOT IN AFL FOCUS GROUPS.” Both teams lost players early – Dogs ruckman Jordan Roughead copped an eye injury after a ball was kicked into his face, while Callan Ward was accidentally KO’d.

Tom Boyd filled the void in the ruck and didn’t allow the hulking Shane Mumford to dominate – an admirable feat given Boyd was battling a shoulder problem that will require a post-season reconstruction.

The Dogs were 14 points down early in the last quarter, but got four of the last five goals to win by six points.

The match-winner from Macrae came after a desperate Picken smother on Griffen followed by a Liberatore pass.

Bulldog emotions overflowed.

Among the many heroes were Tory Dickson and Clay Smith, who starred with four goals each.

Dickson had more reason to pinch himself than most. He had taken a circuitous route to the AFL, having stints at VFL clubs Frankston and Bendigo, along with Noble Park in the Eastern Football League before making his debut with the Dogs at 24 in 2012.

Smith, who had returned from a third knee reconstruction

mid-season, had been devastated by the death of a close mate just days earlier. He delivered a eulogy at the funeral on the Tuesday before the Grand Final.

Hearts also went out to Murphy, who couldn’t contain his tears.

Meanwhile, Bontempelli reminded Dogs fans: “One more!”

Television ratings revealed that, Grand Finals aside, it was the second most-watched AFL game in history.

The next day, the Dogs’ players watched their VFL team win the premiership, with Jong staging a miraculous recovery to be best-afield.

They could do no wrong.

The Dogs had broken the 40,000-member barrier for the first time and Gordon announced they would also achieve club revenue records and declare a healthy profit.

Stringer observed later, “the western suburbs were pretty much painted red, white and blue”, and more than 10,000 fans flocked to the Dogs’ final training session at Whitten Oval.

The next day, the Dogs participated in their first Grand Final Parade (a tradition that started in 1977) attracting possibly a record attendance of about 200,000 fans, prompting Beveridge to say they felt like The Beatles.

There has never been a prouder president than Gordon, who said: “It’s been a history of struggle and the Bulldogs embody struggle, and I think the moral to the story is that if you continue to struggle, if you continue to believe, eventually a week like this will come along.”

The Dogs attracted such deep sentiment that the Grand Final was billed as the Swans versus the rest of Australia.

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PREMIERS 2016 WESTERN BULLDOGS

WESTERN BOUND: Robert

Murphy and Easton Wood raise the cup as coach Luke Beveridge and club great John Schultz stand back and applaud the efforts of the Bulldogs in winning the club’s second premiership.

Dogs fans breathed much easier when Roughead was given the all-clear, but when Suckling became a selection hard-luck story, the Dogs became the first team since 1997 to enter the big one without a player with Grand Final experience.

From 2011-14, the Dogs lost six in a row to Sydney, but under Beveridge they’d triumphed in their next two clashes, both times by four points at the SCG. Given Sydney’s lightning starts in their previous two finals, it was never more critical that the Dogs embody Sutton’s famous saying: “Shop early and avoid the rush.”

In a bruising, fluctuating contest before a crowd of 99,981, the Bulldogs led by eight points at the last change but the gap twice narrowed to just one point before the Dogs came home hard with the last three goals.

There were Bulldogs heroes and great stories everywhere.

Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen had spent his first nine years in South Africa, grew up playing rugby, eventually snuck on to the Dogs’ rookie list and had overcome a long-term hamstring tendon injury. When he accepted the medal, Johannisen exclaimed: “We did it!”

The Tom Boyd and Roughead big-man combination was influential.

Boyd came of age and was worth every cent on the biggest stage, taking a swag of contested marks, competing strongly in the ruck and kicking three goals, including one from outside the arc that put the Dogs 15 points up late in the last quarter.

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Three sons of Dogs – Liberatore, Hunter and Cordy – helped win the flag that had proved elusive to their fathers. Cordy became a premiership key forward despite never playing in attack until round 19.

Another son of a gun, Picken, chimed in with three goals, including two late ones to seal the deal, giving him eight goals in a brilliant finals series. His father Billy had lost four Grand Finals and a drawn another with Collingwood.

Morris, who had missed the 2012 season with a career-threatening broken leg, said the premiership felt like “an out-of-body experience”.

Up on the dais, Beveridge induced more tears by removing his medal from his neck and calling Murphy up to accept it, declaring, “This is yours, mate. You deserve it more than anyone.”

The coach, captain and stand-in captain Wood (who had martialled his team superbly) then had the warmest of embraces before being presented with the premiership cup

by Dogs great John Schultz – who had played in the 1961 Grand Final and had been something of a mentor for the Dogs over the previous two seasons.

Afterwards, an elated Murphy told Channel Seven: “We must be dreaming … We didn’t even allow ourselves daydreams about this. Sons and daughters of the ’Scray, we’re bringing it home. HOOOME!” The Dogs’ banner writer had also astutely predicted that his team would become “BULLGODS”.

And may we say, hallelujah.

There were Bulldogs heroes and great stories everywhere

To purchase photos from this book go to aflphotos.com.au

2/10/2016 12:50 am

LET THE PARTY BEGIN:

(clockwise) Bulldogs vice-president Susan Alberti and former president David Smorgon, gun midfielder Marcus Bontempelli and his teammates can’t hide their emotion after the club’s drought-breaking premiership victory.

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PREMIERS 2016 TACTICS

COOL HEADS PREVAIL FOR A COMMITTED PACK Bulldogs’ cunning plan plays out to perfection, enabling them to get the game back on their terms. PETER RYAN

A

t half-time, Sydney Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy was the Western Bulldogs’ most obvious impediment to victory.

In the second quarter, Kennedy had combined with Tom Mitchell to gain 26 disposals and kick four goals between them.

Kennedy’s half-time disposal tally stood at 22, with nine contested possessions.

He had kicked a crumbing goal and a stoppage goal to worry the Bulldogs, who were losing the clearances 16-20.

Inside the Bulldogs’ rooms with the margin two points in the Swans’ favour, Cats premiership teammates Steven King and Joel Corey – now Bulldogs assistant coaches – devised a cunning plan to curb the Sydney star’s influence.

The inside midfielders responsible for Kennedy, mainly Marcus Bontempelli and Tom Liberatore, needed to put more body on the 188cm champion at stoppages.

If Kennedy was to win the football in tight, his disposal could not be clean because, as coach Luke Beveridge noted post-game, the Swans were getting “too much open ball and very difficult balls to defend”.

It wasn’t a case of tagging Kennedy because the Bulldogs thought they could beat him in open space.

What underpinned the plan was a desire to scrap and compete that the Bulldogs had shown all season.

Liberatore was the right man to get under Kennedy’s skin too, as he can strip a football off an unsuspecting opponent quicker than it takes most of us to push snooze on an alarm clock.

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The Bulldogs had to start winning the ball at the source because their game depended on it.

The Bulldogs like their defenders to take aggressive starting positions so, when they win the ball back, they are in a position to score from turnovers quickly.

Clubs time how long it takes between turnover and forward-50 entries and the Bulldogs are renowned for being lightning on the counter-attack.

In the second quarter, that pace was on display when Isaac Heeney missed a handball on the wing and, in less than 15 seconds, Tory Dickson had snapped a goal.

As Bulldogs defender Joel Hamling – who did an outstanding job on Lance Franklin – says, Beveridge has taught the defenders to “back yourself in with the flight of the ball … and have a go”.

However, with Kennedy and Mitchell winning the ball in tight, and inside 50s virtually even, the high half-backs Jason Johannisen, Shane Biggs and Matthew Boyd were too occupied defending to run creatively off half-back.

The Bulldogs also like to lock the ball in their front half and set up a diamond defence that can cover the opposition’s outlets or dare them to kick before strangling them like a bunch of sheep dogs corralling startled sheep.

So the forwards needed to tighten up, lifting the pressure inside the forward half and limiting the Swans’ switch-kick.

Liam Picken led the charge in that area and when pressure forced the Swans down the line, Tom Boyd stood tall.

Boyd took four contested marks in the third quarter and the ball spent

TURNING THE TIDE: After Swan star Josh Kennedy dominated in the first half, the Bulldogs gained the midfield ascendancy after the main break through the likes of Marcus Bontempelli.

six minutes and nine seconds longer in the Bulldogs’ forward half than it had in the Swans.

All of a sudden, the Bulldogs’ swarm was happening and they were transferring the ball quickly in space once their pressure won it back from the opposition.

Jack Macrae had 11 disposals in the third quarter and was involved in four scores, Bontempelli had six touches, Toby McLean six and the Bulldogs kicked 2.6 (18) for the term.

Most importantly, the Dogs won nine clearances to the Swans’ six, winning five of the first seven clearances of the quarter to win back the ascendancy.

The plan, devised at half-time, had put the game back in the Dogs’ hands.

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1/10/2016 11:24 pm

The dream was becoming real. The swarm and spread prevailed

Kennedy, still as strong and courageous as he had been in the first half, had six touches and kicked his third goal, but the Bulldogs’ plan, with 22 players committed to it, had put the game back on their terms.

With confidence and an eight-point lead, the premiership was there to win and when Jake Stringer did what he was born to do, kicking a stoppage goal 10 minutes into the final quarter, the dream was becoming real.

The swarm and spread prevailed.

The willingness to keep the ball alive at all times had worn the Swans down and Kennedy could not tilt the scales back his team’s way.

There were outside runners everywhere as the crowd found

a voice they had not had for 62 years.

The half-time plan had worked.

It got back to its average time in forward half of seven minutes greater than the opposition.

Kennedy was stopped, finishing the game with a gallant 34 disposals but just one more inside 50 in the second half to finish with six for the game, and the Bulldogs took off.

They had 36 inside 50s to 16 and kicked 6.10 to 3.4 after half-time and Johannisen, Macrae and Picken put the ball inside 50 on 15 occasions between them.

As Beveridge said, the Bulldogs had kept their heads when all about them were losing theirs.

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PREMIERS 2016 QUARTER BY QUARTER

1

ST

CONTESTED FOOTY SETS THE TONE Despite a low-scoring start, both sides attacked the ball with ferocity

WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.0 (12)

SYDNEY SWANS

GOALS: Cordy, Dickson

GOAL: Parker

1.2 (8)

8 MINUTES: Kieren Jack produces a Grand Final moment, taking a courageous contested mark running back with the flight inside 50. It was Jack’s first contested mark inside forward 50 for the season. He misses the set shot for the opening score of the game.

12 MINUTES: Luke Parker kicks the opening goal with a clinical set shot from 40m out directly in front.

The Bulldogs try to rebound from defensive 50, but Jack out-bodies Lachie Hunter in a contest, wins the ball and pinpoints Parker in the corridor.

Parker finishes with aplomb.

14 MINUTES: Lance Franklin plucks a contested mark from behind after out-positioning his opponent.

He misses a relatively straightforward set shot from 15m on an angle. The Swans’ lead is just eight points, despite three scoring shots to none.

20 MINUTES: Zaine Cordy pins Callum Mills in a tackle to win a holding-the-ball decision in the forward pocket. He threads the set shot from a tight angle to put the Bulldogs on the board.

22 MINUTES: The Bulldogs claim the lead for the first time with Tory Dickson’s first. Tom Liberatore kicks riskily into the centre square, Easton Wood forces the ball to ground in a contest, Hunter roves and hits Dickson lace out inside 50 and the sharpshooter doesn’t miss with the 40m set shot.

OFF IN THE BIG ONE: After the coin toss

(won by Easton Wood) the Bulldogs attacked hard as shown by Zaine Cordy’s spoil on Jeremy Laidler. Tory Dickson (right) celebrated the first of his three goals for the day.

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QUARTER BY QUARTER PREMIERS 2016

XXXX XXX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX:

XXXXX XXX XXXX

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PREMIERS 2016 QUARTER BY QUARTER

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QUARTER BY QUARTER PREMIERS 2016

2

ND

BOYD ON FIRE AS BATTLE HEATS UP After goals were hard to come by in the first term, the game opens up.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 7.1 (43)

SYDNEY SWANS

GOALS: T. Boyd 2, McLean, Dickson, Picken

GOALS: Mitchell 2, Kennedy 2, Rohan, Smith

7.3 (45)

3 MINUTES: Tom Boyd curls through another from a tight angle after some magic from Marcus Bontempelli.

The youngster is hemmed on the boundary outside 50, produces a nifty side step, kicks to the pocket and Boyd marks alongside the behind post.

6 MINUTES: Nick Smith kicks his first goal since 2013 to cut the margin back to three points. The defender was on the end of a chain of clean handballs through traffic and calmly finishes on the run from 40m out.

9 MINUTES: Dickson snaps his second. Heath Grundy out-bodied Clay Smith, but the ball jars loose when he hits the ground and Dickson pounces.

11 MINUTES: Liam Picken snaps another goal from a tight angle to get the Bulldogs barking loudly and leading by 16 points. He chases the ball to the pocket, gives a neat one-two with Hunter, who handballs over his shoulder back to Picken and he snaps truly.

12 MINUTES: Tom Mitchell steadies with a huge set shot from 50m out to keep Sydney in touch. He was on the end of some crisp ball movement from the Swans.

16 MINUTES: A quick kick from a stoppage lands in the arms of Gary Rohan 30m out. Everyone assumes it is a mark, but the umpire calls play on. No Bulldogs hear the call until it is too late. Rohan calmly slots the goal.

18 MINUTES: Josh Kennedy puts the Swans in front after drilling it off a step from 45m.

19 MINUTES: Kennedy kicks two in a row. He’s front and square of a marking contest 20m out, gathers the spill and snaps truly in traffic to stamp his authority on the game.

27 MINUTES: Tom Boyd converts his second after another superb delivery from Bontempelli. The Bulldogs held their nerve under pressure to work the ball down the wing to Bontempelli. He finds Boyd all on his own deep inside 50.

28 MINUTES: Another Swans goal from a forward 50 stoppage. Sam Naismith taps to Jack on the burst, he slips but feeds Mitchell and his quick snap finds the mark once more.

32 MINUTES: Toby McLean snaps a goal with 11 seconds left in the half to cut the margin to two points. Jake Stringer fires a dangerous ball to 20m from goal, it bobbles through a few hands, McLean is the cleanest and snaps over his shoulder.

DOGS SURGE: The Bulldogs

found their rhythm early in the quarter with Tom Boyd (left) slotting through a goal and Liam Picken (hugging Lachie Hunter) added another.

Joel Hamling (top) stood tall in defence.

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PREMIERS 2016 QUARTER BY QUARTER

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QUARTER BY QUARTER PREMIERS 2016

3

RD

DOGS CAN’T FIND THE SCOREBOARD It was an inaccurate quarter for the Bulldogs who managed 2.6.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 9.7 (61)

SYDNEY SWANS

GOALS: C. Smith, Dickson

GOAL: Kennedy

8.5 (53)

2 MINUTES: Kurt Tippett plucks a strong grab on the paint of 50m but misses the set shot to the right for the first score of the second half.

4 MINUTES: Dickson snaps his third goal to put the Bulldogs back in front. A smother from Liberatore locks the ball in the forward half, McLean wins a high tackle, Joel Hamling receives and pumps it long and Dickson is front and square again to finish after some sharp hands from Jack Macrae.

7 MINUTES: Jeremy Laidler gives away a 50m penalty after bumping Macrae late following an uncontested mark. Macrae misses the set shot from close range to let the Swans off the hook.

9 MINUTES: Hunter snaps after gathering at a forward 50 stoppage, but it hooks too far for a behind.

14 MINUTES: Franklin miskicks on the run. It nearly runs through for a score, but Tom Papley gets across with an opponent, tries to keep it in but runs over the behind line for a minor score.

16 MINUTES: Franklin delivers a well-placed ball to find Kennedy inside 50 and McLean jumps into him late after the mark to give away a 50m penalty. Kennedy kicks his third from the goalsquare to put the Swans back in front.

19 MINUTES: Clay Smith slips over and runs into Nick Smith and the umpire pays a high contact free kick 30m out on an angle. The Bulldogs small forward kicks a huge goal to reclaim the lead.

21 MINUTES: The Swans rush a behind under enormous pressure deep in defence as the Bulldogs continue to press.

25 MINUTES: Brilliant ball movement from the Bulldogs down the Southern Stand side nearly produces a goal, but Caleb Daniel’s quick snap under pressure misses to the left for another behind.

27 MINUTES: Jason Johannisen cuts through with another dashing run to pinpoint Luke Dahlhaus in the pocket. He squares a kick to Stringer, but the enigmatic forward’s shot from 50m misses to the left.

28 MINUTES: Tom Boyd takes an outstanding mark just outside 50m. He backs himself to make the distance with the set shot. He makes the distance, but misses to the right for the fourth straight behind.

NEVER-SAY-DIE:

The Bulldogs kept their noses in front thanks to Clay Smith (left) who goaled from a free while Jake Stringer (top) and Matthew Boyd (above) worked tirelessly.

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PREMIERS 2016 QUARTER BY QUARTER

4

TH

THE PREMIERSHIP QUARTER

Fast-finishing Bulldogs run all over the Swans to open up the biggest margin of the game.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 13.11 (89)

SYDNEY SWANS

GOALS: Picken 2, Stringer, T. Boyd

GOALS: Franklin, Hewett

10.7 (67)

5 MINUTES: Hunter makes an error by hand in the defensive 50 and Papley pounces on the loose ball, but can’t punish the Bulldogs. He snaps from the boundary, but can’t bend it back far enough.

7 MINUTES: Franklin surges into space inside 50 to get on the end of some great ball movement.

He hammers the goal from 45m on the angle to cut the margin to one point.

10 MINUTES: Picken takes flight, like his father Billy used to do, and hauls down a huge mark on the 50m line. His kick inside 50 results in a stoppage.

11 MINUTES: Stringer snaps a goal in traffic from the stoppage to kick the Bulldogs seven points clear.

12 MINUTES: George Hewett answers immediately for the Swans. He gets a free kick inside forward 50 for an incorrect disposal. He wills through the set shot to bring the margin back to a point again.

17 MINUTES: The Bulldogs keep coming and Picken picks up a loose ball, composes himself and finishes magnificently on the run.

20 MINUTES: A score review gives the Swans life.

Johannisen kicks what looks like a goal on the run from 50m to seemingly put the Bulldogs 13 points clear.

22 MINUTES: Tom Boyd finishes on the run after Dale Morris runs down Franklin from behind to strip the superstar and put a dagger through Swans hearts.

Boyd’s third goal puts the Bulldogs 15 points clear.

23 MINUTES: Franklin gets the next clearance and finds Ben McGlynn inside 50. But McGlynn’s vital set shot is pulled to the left and the margin is 14 points.

25 MINUTES: Tom Boyd nearly kicks a fourth on the run. He has a vacant square and fires from 45m, but it just veers off course late for a behind.

AGONY AND ECSTASY:

Dan Hannebery injures his knee, a blow for the Swans which allows the Bulldogs to power home thanks to Tom Boyd (above) and Liam Picken (right).

26 MINUTES: Picken kicks the sealer and the drought is over. The Bulldogs just will themselves to another loose ball on the outer side. Matthew Boyd to Morris, Dunkley to Daniel, Stringer long to Picken and he kicks the goal from the goal line to send the crowd into raptures.

30 MINUTES: McLean is taken high in the pocket and gets the chance to live out a boyhood dream.

With seconds left he kicks a behind, but it matters not. The sons of the west are the premiers.

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PREMIERS 2016 COACH CAPTAIN

LUKE BEVERIDGE ÃÃ Whatever Luke Beveridge’s recipe for success is, he should think about bottling it. In 10 years of football coaching going back to 2006 (he took a year off in 2011), he has been involved in eight Grand Finals for seven wins. There were three as senior coach of St Bedes/Mentone in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, one as a development coach at Collingwood, two with Hawthorn as defensive coach and now this. It was a recipe the Bulldogs were keen to tap into when they were looking for a new coach at the end of 2014. Football director Chris Grant – a former teammate at the Dogs – suspected all along he was the one, but as he said after the Grand Final, “it was made crystal clear the moment he stepped in the room and began to talk. I knew we would be OK.” Beveridge took a promising young group, prodigiously talented and with just a sprinkling of experience and got them to believe that anything was possible.

There were firm team rules, but also a mantra to play with flair and freedom. His approach is best typified by his instructions to Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen – defend when you have to, then “go like the clappers” after that.

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QUARTER BY QUARTER AFL RECORD

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PREMIERS 2016 CAPTAIN

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QUARTER CAPTAIN

BY QUARTER PREMIERS AFL RECORD 2016

EASTON WOOD ÃÃ Call Easton Wood the reluctant captain. It’s not that he didn’t embrace the opportunity to lead the Western Bulldogs to their place in history. But he understood that Robert Murphy was the spiritual leader of the club and, with a torn ACL, he would be leading the club in 2016 from the sidelines. Step in Wood. The dashing and debonair half-back flanker didn’t lose much of his game as the captain – his intercept marking and defensive leadership remained top-shelf – but he battled his own injury issues and missed eight games with a hamstring complaint.

Come the finals, Wood was near his best again and in the Grand Final he had 13 disposals and took seven marks. He marshalled a backline that lacked for big names – particularly in Murphy’s absence – that eventually brought down the Swans. In a pre-ordained move, he shared the premiership dais with Murphy – with whom he grew close this year – and spoke afterwards of his conflicting emotions.

“He’s very close to me, I just love him,” he said of Murphy. “It breaks my heart that he couldn’t be next to me out there, but to hold (the cup) up with him, I was very pleased.”

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PREMIERS 2016 NORM SMITH MEDALLIST HEAVY MEDALS:

Jason Johannisen shows the spoils of his Grand Final day – a premiership medal and a Norm Smith Medal.

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1/10/2016 11:39 pm

NORM SMITH MEDALLIST PREMIERS 2016

39

JASON JOHANNISEN

OUT OF AFRICA ON TO THE BIG STAGE There were many great stories to come out of this premiership, but Jason Johannisen’s is hard to top after being awarded the Norm Smith Medal.

NATHAN SCHMOOK

T

he Western Bulldogs’ 2016 fairytale stretched all the way to Johannesburg when South African-born defender Jason Johannisen won the Norm Smith Medal.

A dazzling half-back who plays with a flair and freedom encouraged by his coach, Johannisen became the Bulldogs’ first Norm Smith medallist in a Grand Final he turned with his bravery.

The 23-year-old finished with 33 possessions – a team-high – and a game-high nine inside 50s, breaking the match open in the second half with the outside class needed in a brutal game.

Johannisen polled 10 votes to win the prestigious medal from Swan Josh Kennedy (eight), and teammates Tom Boyd (seven) and Liam Picken (five).

“It’s been an amazing ride and I just love being a part of it,” he said when he accepted his medal. “To all the supporters, it’s been a long time coming, we did it!”

Boyd was an enormous contributor with his three goals and six contested marks, with the recruit coming of age on the biggest stage to be awarded the maximum three votes by two judges.

Kennedy was given votes by all five judges after an enormous first half, finishing with a game-high 34 possessions and three goals.

There wasn’t a Norm Smith Medal when the Bulldogs won their first premiership in 1954, making the medallion presented by 1999 winner Shannon Grant even more rare.

The cool Bulldog known as ‘JJ’ went numb when he heard his name read out.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said after the match, still grasping his team’s achievement.

“As a kid you dream of playing in a Grand Final and winning it, and it’s definitely a special moment I’ll look back on.

“I’m speechless really. To see all the other players who have won this award, I’m truly honoured. I just can’t believe it.

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PREMIERS 2016 NORM SMITH MEDALLIST FLYING DOG:

Johannisen takes a strong mark over the top of Swan Dan Hannebery.

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1/10/2016 11:40 pm

NORM SMITH MEDALLIST PREMIERS 2016

It’s all good. I’ve got two medals JASON JOHANNISEN

“The club took a massive gamble on me as a young kid. I’m just thankful for the opportunity this fantastic club has given me and I just try and repay the faith.”

Johannisen’s match will be remembered for the goal that wasn’t – a 50m running effort that could have sealed the win until it was overturned on review, with video showing it was touched by Dane Rampe millimetres before it crossed the line.

While that goal didn’t count, the mindset Johannisen had to leave his backline teammates and push up the ground when he had the chance was crucial to the result.

Having what would have been the enduring goal of the premiership denied did not worry the laidback Bulldog.

“It’s all good, I’ve got two medals now,” he said. “We were keeping it in our forward 50 for the last five minutes pretty well, so I knew we were going to score sooner or later.”

Johannisen mimicked NFL star Odell Beckham jnr with his bleached-top hair in the pre-season and young fans are sure to be asking their hairdressers for the ‘JJ’ after his match-winning performance.

His journey to newfound stardom began as an 11-year-old when he was convinced to join training at his cousin’s junior football club, Willetton, in Perth.

His father Eldrick and mother Sonya had moved to Australia from South Africa and their son was a rugby player until that point.

You can see the fundamentals of that game in the devastating sidestep Johannisen uses in his frequent bursts out of defence.

Eldrick cut a proud figure in the Bulldogs’ rooms post-match, having flown into Melbourne on Thursday with Sonya and their daughter Simone to be at the MCG for their son’s big day.

“He’s just like a normal 23-year-old kid until you put him on the field and he seems to transform into something else,” Eldrick said.

He described his son as a “very laidback person” and said he was never flustered. “I’ve never seen Jason angry, he’s just a very calm person,” he said.

He credited the speedster’s junior coach at Willetton, Murray Glaskin,

for instilling the flexibility in his game that allows him to defend and attack in whatever measure the team needs.

For Beveridge, it is a crucial trait for one of the team’s most important role players.

“He’s given a licence to do certain things, but he’s got to take that and still have an instinctive side that is in balance,” Beveridge said.

“We pride ourselves on team defence and if you’re too adventurous it really hurts us. “‘J’ has found a way to find a balance in his game and be able to defend when he really needs to, but also go like the clappers when it’s his opportunity.

“I think it causes an enormous amount of concern for the opposition with his speed and you have to start thinking, ‘What are we going to do with Johannisen?’”

It’s a question the Bulldogs would have asked themselves earlier this year when their valuable high defender went down with a serious hamstring injury.

It was a setback so severe Johannisen didn’t play for 10 weeks, but he stepped back into the team in a big way, kicking the match-winning goal against the Sydney Swans in round 15.

Towards the end of his stretch on the sidelines, he returned to Perth for a 10-year junior premiership reunion, telling his parents he was confident he would be straight back in the team.

“One week he’s with us and the next week he’s kicking the winning goal,” Eldrick said.

“Now this, it’s unbelievable.

We’re so proud of him.”

NORM SMITH MEDAL VOTES Michael Voss, SEN 1116, Chairman 3 2 1

Jason Johannisen (WB) Liam Picken (WB) Josh Kennedy (Syd)

Wayne Carey, Channel 7 3 2 1

Tom Boyd (WB) Liam Picken (WB) Josh Kennedy (Syd)

Jay Clark, Herald Sun 3 2 1

Josh Kennedy (Syd) Jason Johannisen (WB) Liam Picken (WB)

Brad Johnson, Fox Footy 3 2 1

Jason Johannisen (WB) Josh Kennedy (Syd) Tom Boyd (WB)

Emma Quayle, The Age 3 2 1

Tom Boyd (WB) Jason Johannisen (WB) Josh Kennedy (Syd)

TOTALS 10 8 7 5

Jason Johanissen Josh Kennedy Tom Boyd Liam Picken

STAR OCCASION:

Shannon Grant presents the Norm Smith Medal to Johannisen.

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4

MARCUS BONTEMPELLI ÃÃ What a year for the ‘Bont’ when he announced himself as one of the game’s elite midfielders. In the Grand Final, Bontempelli spent considerable time on star Swan Josh Kennedy, who was brilliant for most of the match, but the young Bulldog gradually worked his way into the contest. Importantly, he made his 22 disposals count, with his precise work by foot a joy to watch. His clearance work, particularly in the second half, was superb and he was effective as third man up at the stoppages, setting up a crucial goal in the last quarter for Jake Stringer. Now that he has a premiership medal to go with his first All-Australian selection, the athletic midfielder is destined for greatness.

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5

MATTHEW BOYD ÃÃ There is life in this old Dog yet.

The veteran was a general across half-back as he recklessly threw his body into contest after contest.

He had a variety of opponents including Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and handled the intense pressure with aplomb, finishing with 27 disposals and seven rebound 50s.

Reinvented as a rebounding half-back under Luke Beveridge, he has carried extra responsibility in the absence of skipper Robert Murphy for most of the season. The premiership was a fitting reward for the veteran who has been through the tough times of three preliminary final defeats.

The three-time All-Australian, 34, has yet to re-sign for 2017, but he will surely go around again given his performances this season.

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6

LUKE DAHLHAUS ÃÃ Wearing the same number as the club’s last premiership captain Charlie Sutton, the busy Dahlhaus did the jumper proud.

He was always at the bottom of packs and typified the indomitable spirit of this group under Luke Beveridge. In a Grand Final, possessions are never won easily and the livewire playmaker thrived in the cauldron.

To underline his blue-collar approach, his 23 disposals were complemented by eight bone-crunching tackles. He formed part of a hard-working Bulldogs midfield that outnumbered and eventually overran the formidable Swans outfit. He returned strongly from a knee injury that sidelined him for a month during the season and played a vital role in all of the Bulldogs’ finals wins. His popularity among the Dogs’ faithful is sure to grow even bigger.

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7

LACHIE HUNTER ÃÃ The Bulldogs midfielder was a little unsettled early, but worked his way into the game and had helped himself to 19 disposals when the final siren sounded.

Hunter, who averaged 28 disposals across the season, was sharp with his hands out of packs and on several occasions freed the congestion with clever dishes to teammates over his head. Hunter, the son of former Bulldog Mark, also had two goal assists to stamp his impact on the match.

As is his game style, Hunter also found space on the wide expanses of the MCG in the second half and his defensive running was integral to the result swinging in his side’s favour.

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9

JAKE STRINGER ÃÃ It was not the spearhead’s day from an individual point of view, but he still influenced the game by taking a crucial opportunity in front of goal late in the contest. It was Jack Macrae who fished the ball out from the bottom of the pack to Stringer, who turned on to his right foot and somehow squeezed the ball through a pair of hands. The goal at the 10-minute mark of the final quarter was match-defining as Stringer put the Bulldogs up by seven points. Similar to his effort in the preliminary final, Stringer also showed great composure to pick out Liam Picken in the goalsquare deep into the last term, with the goal enough to kick-start the Bulldogs’ premiership celebrations.

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11

JACK MACRAE ÃÃ It was a relatively quiet start for the usually prolific ball-winner.

But Macrae got going in the second half as the game opened up and finished the match with 33 disposals – equal with Norm Smith Medal winner Jason Johannisen. The silky midfielder also had four clearances, none more important than the one he won when setting Jake Stringer up for the goal that extended the Bulldogs’ lead to seven points 10 minutes into the final term. Like all the Bulldogs’ midfielders, Macrae was sharp with his hands and was integral as the Dogs ran over the top of the Swans in the final quarter.

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12

ZAINE CORDY ÃÃ Two months ago he wasn’t even in the team and now, after 11 games, Cordy is a premiership player.

The Bulldogs forward came in for round 19 after the season-ending knee injury to Jack Redpath and did not look back. Against the Swans, he was responsible for one of the game’s most crucial moments – the Bulldogs’ first goal. After a nervous opening by many of his teammates, the 19-year-old won a free kick for a strong tackle of Callum Mills. He coolly went back and slotted the difficult set shot from close to the boundary line. He finished with 11 disposals and four tackles.

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14

CLAY SMITH ÃÃ Perhaps the Cinderella story of the Bulldogs’ flag, Smith has overcome three knee reconstructions and the recent death of a close friend to be part of the premiership. After kicking four goals in the preliminary final win over Greater Western Sydney, the 23-year-old used the defensive side of his game to make a huge impact in the Grand Final. Smith finished with a team-high 11 tackles to go with his 13 disposals and one goal. His third-quarter goal was a crucial one, too, winning a free kick 30m out and calmly kicking truly to put the Bulldogs back in front. They were never headed again.

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16

TOBY McLEAN ĂƒĂƒ In a team full of amazing stories, McLean is not at all out of place. Dumped from the under-18s squad at the Dandenong Stingrays in 2012 largely due to a lack of fitness, he made himself known thanks to his high-leaping abilities and footy smarts. He won 18 disposals and four free kicks in the Grand Final and his shrugging technique to force opponents to tackle high was at times instrumental to the Dogs taking home the premiership. At just 20, McLean is among several young pups who could help this side collect multiple flags.

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17

TOM BOYD ÃÃ Like his club, Boyd grew better with every final and, in the biggest one of them all, he delivered a masterpiece performance, one befitting a player who less than three years ago was the most coveted junior in the country.

Alternating between full-forward and the ruck, he took six contested marks and kicked three goals. The last of these delivered the fatal blow to the Swans entering time-on in the final quarter as he pounced on the ball after a brilliant tackle from Dale Morris dispossessed Lance Franklin and slammed it through from outside 50.

Boyd’s huge contract will always be a talking point, but on this day at least, he was worth every cent and more. “He’s going to continue to blossom,” warned coach Luke Beveridge afterwards – a mouth-watering prospect for Dogs fans.

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18

FLETCHER ROBERTS ĂƒĂƒ Arguably the 22nd player picked for the Dogs, it was either he or Matthew Suckling for the final spot in the side and Roberts justified the decision with one of the most effective five-possession games you could wish for in a Grand Final. Playing as the key defender closest to goal, he had either Kurt Tippett or Xavier Richards for company and he beat them both. Tippett had 10 touches and took three marks, but never imposed himself on the game, while Richards had 10 touches and took four marks. The Dogs like to get by with unfashionable, scrappy defenders and Roberts was the poster boy for that doctrine.

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20

JOSH DUNKLEY ÃÃ There was nothing bittersweet about this day for Dunkley, whose father played 211 games for Sydney between 1992 and 2002. The Swans opted not to take him as a father-son pick at last year’s NAB AFL Draft, paving his way to Whitten Oval. And what a debut season, culminating in a premiership win against his old man’s club. Dunkley had 15 touches and seven tackles, mainly playing as a roaming half-forward, with the odd midfield rotation. Like so many of the Bulldogs, he was dared to believe by coach Luke Beveridge and he thrived on the biggest stage of all.

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21

TOM LIBERATORE ÃÃ Just like his father Tony, the tenacious on-baller did what he does best – harassing the opposition into mistakes and applying constant pressure whenever they got near the ball. Liberatore racked up 22 possessions to go with eight important clearances, seven tackles and four inside 50s. Liberatore’s ball use wasn’t always clean at only 41 per cent disposal efficiency, but he continued to fight tooth and nail whenever the ball was up for grabs. He harassed Swans star Luke Parker, kept dangerous defender Dane Rampe honest when he pushed into the forward line and was generally a pest around the ground. A tough clearance early in the game led to a Tom Boyd goal to help with the big man’s confidence.

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23

JORDAN ROUGHEAD ÃÃ Leading into the premiership decider, Roughead was in doubt all week with an eye injury sustained in the second quarter of the preliminary final victory over Greater Western Sydney. But the 25-year-old ruckman delivered in spades for the Bulldogs with a magnificent performance. Roughead was a dominating presence in defence, taking several crucial marks pushing back to deny the Swans’ forwards. His ruck work was also terrific, amassing 17 hit-outs (to go with 14 from Tom Boyd) to break even with the Swans duo of Sam Naismith and Kurt Tippett. Roughead now has a premiership medallion to go with the four won by his cousin, Hawthorn forward Jarryd.

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24

SHANE BIGGS ÃÃ Biggs played just six games in three seasons with the Swans before being traded to the Bulldogs in 2014.

The defender, 25, has gone on to play every game this season and become a key part of the Bulldogs’ revamped backline. Biggs was his usual solid self in the biggest game of his career, finishing with 15 possessions, including nine in the second half. Seven touches were contested, while he also had four one-percenters. It’s certainly a trade in which the Bulldogs were the major winners and Biggs has become a great pick-up for a premiership-winning side.

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29

TORY DICKSON ĂƒĂƒ When the Dogs needed a goal, Dickson delivered each time. His two opportunistic snaps kept the contest close after a long early set shot steadied the nerves. When Dickson drifted down back, he spilt a tricky mark to gift Josh Kennedy a goal in the second quarter.

While a quieter second half was to be expected, he continued to be a target up forward and finished with five score involvements from 11 disposals.

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30

JOEL HAMLING ÃÃ With the most daunting task in footy ahead of him, the unheralded former Cat got the better of Lance Franklin in numerous one-on-one contests, and wore the dangerous Swan like a glove wherever he went.

Kept the superstar forward to a single goal and pressured his kicks at every turn. Just the nine disposals, but his job was to blanket, not create, and he did that superbly. One of the Dogs’ best.

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35

CALEB DANIEL ÃÃ The competition’s smallest player capped a remarkable season by adding a premiership to his resume.

Daniel, who stands just 168cm, was runner-up in the NAB AFL Rising Star award behind Swan Callum Mills and was again influential on the big stage. After being held to just six disposals through the first three quarters, the 20-year-old cut loose when it counted most. Daniel had eight telling touches in the final quarter as the Bulldogs ran away with the premiership, kicking the game’s final three goals.

Like he has in his short 33-game career, Daniel kept his composure and hit his targets while others around him struggled to do so.

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38

DALE MORRIS ÃÃ One of the Grand Final’s feel-good stories, it was revealed post-match that Morris played the entire finals series with a broken back.

“Everyone has their niggles and I’m no different,” he said.

It should come as no surprise the 33-year-old was so nonchalant about something so serious, having overcome a horrific broken leg earlier in his career before finally achieving footy’s ultimate prize. Morris was terrific in defence, marshalling the back six and helping to limit the impact of Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett. His final quarter tackle on Franklin led to the match-sealing Tom Boyd goal.

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42

LIAM PICKEN ÃÃ Picken was one of his side’s best. He hassled and harried the Swans defenders, kicking three goals and finishing with 25 disposals.

There were many highlights, but his most important play came with just seven minutes left. The ball had frantically pin-balled around the Dogs’ forward 50 for close to a minute, until Picken pounced. He found space where there had been none and kicked his second goal to take the margin from just one point to seven. Picken also kicked the sealer in the goalsquare and celebrated accordingly with the ecstatic Bulldogs faithful. He also took a mark reminiscent of his father, former Magpie great Billy Picken.

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PREMIERS 2016 XXXXX XXXXX

LOST DOGS The Bulldogs used 39 players in 2016 but had several suffer season-ending injuries.

ÃEMERGENCY Ã

1 MATTHEW

SUCKLING

2016 GAMES: 17 ÃÃ Ankle and achilles injuries forced him to miss eight games, including the preliminary final. Despite proving his fitness, he was left out of the Grand Final side. A premiership player with Hawthorn in 2014-15, Suckling had a pleasing first season at Whitten Oval, fitting in well across half-back and the wing where his deadly left foot was often an attacking weapon.

ÃEMERGENCY Ã

15 TOM

CAMPBELL

2

ROBERT MURPHY

2016 GAMES: 3

3

MITCH WALLIS

2016 GAMES: 17

ÃÃ The much-loved skipper was in great form again before a season-ending knee injury in the dying minutes of the round three loss to Hawthorn. The Dogs’ spiritual leader has played a major role behind the scenes in this premiership campaign.

ÃÃ A badly broken leg in the round 18 loss against St Kilda sent shockwaves through an already injury-ravaged club and ended the tough midfielder’s season. Before the dreadful setback, Wallis was having another stellar season.

31

32

2016 GAMES: 9 ÃÃ Injuries and indifferent form stymied his attempts to nail down the No. 1 ruck spot. Played nine consecutive games from round five, but Jordan Roughead and Tom Boyd were preferred ahead of him late in the season because of their superior versatility. Campbell has improved his mobility and is a strong contested mark. Re-signed for two more years.

ÃEMERGENCY Ã

46 LIN JONG

BAILEY DALE

2016 GAMES: 4

KIERAN COLLINS

2016 GAMES: 1

2016 GAMES: 16 ÃÃ The fifth-year midfielder was in and out of the team earlier in the season, but played 11 senior games straight before breaking his collarbone in the elimination final win over West Coast. Made an amazing recovery to be best on ground in Footscray’s VFL Grand Final win.

The Dogs must have been sorely tempted to bring him back.

ÃÃ The lightly built wingman could not replicate the form that allowed him to play 10 games in his debut season, but he still looms as a long-term player for the Bulldogs. Uses the ball well and knows how to kick a goal.

ÃÃ The hulking draftee was always going to take time to find his feet at senior level and the club is happy with his progress.

Didn’t look out of place in his round nine debut, and continued his steady development in the VFL. A shoulder injury ended his season prematurely.

72 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

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13

NATHAN HROVAT

2016 GAMES: 4

19

LUKAS WEBB

2016 GAMES: 5

22

MITCH HONEYCHURCH

2016 GAMES: 2

25

KOBY STEVENS

2016 GAMES: 12

27

WILL MINSON

2016 GAMES: 2

ÃÃ Missed 13 games with ankle and shoulder injuries this season, but fought back to play the last four games of the home and away season. Serviceable as a high half-forward, with the midfielder’s ball use and decision-making a standout.

ÃÃ Arrived at the club last season as a running defender with a searing left foot, but was recast as an inside midfielder with promising results.

Spent the first 14 weeks of the season honing his contested ball and clearance skills in the VFL.

ÃÃ The tough-as-teak midfielder was never really in Luke Beveridge’s plans despite the club’s injury woes and his impressive VFL form. Was one of the Dogs’ best in the round 12 win over Port Adelaide, but wasn’t sighted after round 13.

ÃÃ The inside midfielder started the season strongly before an abdominal injury in round six saw him miss seven of next eight weeks. The 25-year-old wasn’t able to recapture that form in the second half of the season and didn’t feature in the finals.

ÃÃ The Bulldog faithful favourite has been largely out of favour over the past two seasons, with Jordan Roughead and Tom Campbell preferred ahead of him. The 31-year-old has given great service for 14 seasons and has been a great mentor for the club’s younger players.

33

34

37

43

44

MARCUS ADAMS

2016 GAMES: 11

ÃÃ The mature-age recruit was a revelation in his first season at Whitten Oval. With the Dogs crying out for a physical key defender, Adams held his own against some of the best forwards in the AFL. Finger and ankle injuries soured an impressive first-year campaign.

BAILEY WILLIAMS

2016 GAMES: 6 ÃÃ After making his debut in round eight against Melbourne, the 18-year-old went on to play another five senior games mainly across half-back. A knee injury halted his progress for a month midway through the season.

ROARKE SMITH

2016 GAMES: 1 ÃÃ Athletic defender who has fought back well from a knee reconstruction after rupturing his ACL in last year’s VFL finals.

The rookie played one home and away game in 2016 in round 22 against Essendon to add to his lone appearance in 2015.

JACK REDPATH

2016 GAMES: 10 ÃÃ The hulking forward didn’t feature at senior level until round seven, but quickly became a key cog in attack by kicking 20 goals in 10 appearances.

The 25-year-old ruptured an ACL in the round 18 loss to St Kilda.

JED ADCOCK

2016 GAMES: 7 ÃÃ The Dogs threw the former Brisbane Lions skipper a lifeline after he was delisted after 206 games for the Queensland club. The 30-year-old came off the rookie list to help with club’s injury crisis earlier in the season.

Has now retired.

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WESTERN BULLDOGS

SEASON REVIEW WESTERN BULLDOGS | 75

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PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

FLYING START 11

ROUND ROUND

v FREMANTLE DOCKERS ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃExciting forward Jake Stringer starred with five goals as the Bulldogs started the season with a 65-point win over Fremantle.

A withering opening burst set up the victory and the Dogs had winners all over the ground.

From the moment Marcus Bontempelli’s opening goal sailed through with barely 20 seconds elapsed until the quarter-time siren sounded with a shell-shocked Fremantle 41 points in arrears, the Dogs were irresistible.

Tom Liberatore had a hand in Bontempelli’s goal, then

was swamped by teammates when he kicked one of his own soon afterwards in his first game since 2014.

Jason Johannisen and Shane Biggs provided rebound with 35 disposals each.

Easton Wood, who took a spectacular intercept mark in the third term, was composed in defence, along with skipper Robert Murphy.

Coach Luke Beveridge lauded his players for their sustained effort as the Bulldogs limited Fremantle to just 5.8 for the match.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 7.1 9.7 10.11 15.13 (103) Fremantle Dockers 0.2 1.5 4.7 5.8 (38) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Johannisen, Biggs, Stringer, Murphy, Macrae, Suckling, Liberatore. Fremantle Dockers – Neale, Dawson, Sheridan, C. Pearce, Mundy.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 5, Bontempelli, Liberatore, McLean, Johannisen, Dunkley, Roughead, Suckling, T. Boyd, Macrae, Daniel. Fremantle Dockers – Walters, Suban, Taberner, Weller, Pavlich.

Brownlow votes: 3 Johannisen (WB), 2 Stringer (WB), 1 Biggs (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 7 Biggs (WB), 7 Stringer (WB), 5 Johannisen (WB), 5 Liberatore (WB), 3 Dahlhaus (WB), 2 Murphy (WB), 1 Macrae (WB).

Umpires: R. O’Gorman, S. Meredith, S. Ryan.

Crowd: 27,832 at Etihad Stadium.

STANDING FIRM:

Shane Biggs was resolute in defence with 35 disposals.

LADDER POS. TEAM

1

ST

PTS

1

WESTERN BULLDOGS

4

2

Sydney Swans

4

3

Gold Coast Suns

4

4

West Coast Eagles

4

5

Geelong Cats

4

6

Port Adelaide

4

7

Richmond

4

8

North Melbourne

4

9

Melbourne

4

10 GWS Giants

0

11

0

Adelaide Crows

12 Carlton

0

13 St Kilda

0

14 Hawthorn

0

15 Brisbane Lions

0

16 Essendon

0

17 Collingwood

0

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

WELCOME BACK:

In his first game since 2014, Tom Liberatore is mobbed by teammates after kicking a goal.

76 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

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To purchase photos from this book go to aflphotos.com.au

1/10/2016 6:06 pm

ROUND ROUND

21

TWO IN A ROW

OFF AND RUNNING:

Jason Johannisen was electrifying in defence.

v ST KILDA ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs easily accounted for St Kilda by 57 points in a scrappy affair.

The Bulldogs were never seriously challenged by the Saints after taking a 17-point lead into quarter-time that should have been greater but for wasteful kicking in front of goal.

Luke Beveridge’s men did not hit the heights of their stunning round one win, but increased their lead at each break to record a convincing victory.

Jason Johannisen (27 possessions, one goal and three

goal assists) was electrifying in the back half, most memorably setting up a Jake Stringer goal late in the second term.

Lachie Hunter (a game-high 35 possessions) and Jack Macrae (30) were prolific through the midfield, while skipper Robert Murphy and Matthew Boyd gave the Dogs plenty of drive off half-back.

Easton Wood, Marcus Adams and Dale Morris teamed well on the Saints’ tall forwards, while spearhead Tom Boyd continued his encouraging development with three goals.

LADDER POS. TEAM

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 3.6 7.6 9.13 13.15 (93) St Kilda 1.1 3.5 4.5 5.6 (36) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Hunter, Johannisen, Murphy, Wallis, Adams, Bontempelli, Liberatore. St Kilda – Dempster, Fisher, Montagna, Newnes, Steven, Armitage.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – T. Boyd 3, Stringer 2, Picken 2, Liberatore, McLean, Johannisen, Wallis, Hunter, Daniel. St Kilda – Riewoldt 2, Newnes, Lonie, Bruce.

Brownlow votes: 3 Johannisen (WB), 2 Hunter (WB), 1 Picken (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 9 Johannisen (WB), 8 Hunter (WB), 4 Adams (WB), 4 Liberatore (WB), 4 Murphy (WB), 1 Picken (WB).

Umpires: B. Hosking, S. Hay, S. McInerney.

Crowd: 37,353 at Etihad Stadium.

MURPHY BLOW 31

ROUND ROUND

v HAWTHORN ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃDisappointment for the Bulldogs as Hawthorn ended their winning run with a thrilling three-point victory.

Rubbing salt into the Dogs’ wounds was the season-ending knee injury to captain Robert Murphy, sustained in the final marking contest of the match won by young Hawks forward James Sicily.

Sicily’s goal, his third for the last quarter, came with a minute left as he slotted a set shot from 50m to seal victory for Hawthorn.

For the Dogs, it was a case of a missed opportunity, but progress was made. They fought back from an early deficit and appeared ready to clinch an important victory when Jake Stringer kicked a goal with less than two minutes left to put them three points ahead.

Caleb Daniel played the best game of his career with 29 disposals and a goal.

Luke Dahlhaus was terrific with 32 touches and two goals, while Toby McLean showed his poise with some classy and clever moments.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Hawthorn 2.4 5.5 7.7 14.9 (93) Western Bulldogs 0.2 4.5 10.8 13.12 (90) BEST: Hawthorn – Birchall, Stratton, Smith, Hartung, Mitchell, Rioli, Burgoyne, Sicily. Western Bulldogs – Daniel, Dahlhaus, Murphy, Adams, M. Boyd.

GOALS: Hawthorn – Rioli 3, Sicily 3, Gunston 2, McEvoy 2, Bruest 2, Schoenmakers, Ceglar. Western Bulldogs – McLean 2, Biggs 2, Dahlhaus 2, Roughead, Bontempelli, Daniel, Suckling, Wallis, T. Boyd, Stringer.

Brownlow votes: 3 Dahlhaus (WB), 2 Adams (WB), 1 Mitchell (Haw).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 Dahlhaus (WB), 8 Stratton (Haw), 7 Adams (WB), 5 Daniel (WB), 2 Mitchell (Haw).

Umpires: C. Donlon, R. Chamberlain, B. Wallace.

Crowd: 46,808 at Etihad Stadium.

1

ST

PTS

1

WESTERN BULLDOGS

8

2

Sydney Swans

8

3

Gold Coast Suns

8

4

North Melbourne

8

5

Adelaide Crows

4

6

Geelong Cats

4

7

Hawthorn

4

8

West Coast Eagles

4

9

GWS Giants

4

10 Richmond

4

11

4

Melbourne

12 Port Adelaide

4

13 Essendon

4

14 Collingwood

4

15 Carlton

0

16 Brisbane Lions

0

17 Fremantle Dockers

0

18 St Kilda

0

SORRY SIGHT:

Skipper Robert Murphy is helped from the ground.

LADDER POS. TEAM

4

TH

PTS

1

Sydney Swans

2

Gold Coast Suns

12

3

North Melbourne

12

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS

8

5

Geelong Cats

8

6

Adelaide Crows

8

7

West Coast Eagles

8

8

Port Adelaide

8

9

Hawthorn

8

10 Melbourne

4

11

4

GWS Giants

12

12 Richmond

4

13 St Kilda

4

14 Collingwood

4

15 Essendon

4

16 Fremantle Dockers

0

17 Carlton

0

18 Brisbane Lions

0

WESTERN BULLDOGS | 77

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1/10/2016 8:06 pm

PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

ROUND ROUND

41

INJURIES SOUR WIN v CARLTON ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs’ triumph over a plucky Carlton came at a cost after a serious hamstring injury to defender Jason Johannisen.

The dashing half-back had to be helped from the field after bombing a 55m goal in the third term. Johannisen (19 disposals) had been among the Bulldogs’ best as they bounced back from the narrow defeat to the Hawks.

The Bulldogs looked hungry to atone and killed the contest by half-time before losing Johannisen, Tom Boyd (shoulder) and Matthew Suckling (ankle) to injuries.

BUSY BULLDOG:

Lachie Hunter was his usual lively self in the midfield with 33 disposals.

The Dogs led by 18 points at the first change and extended the margin to 43 points by the main break.

Shane Biggs (32 disposals) took another step forward and Lachie Hunter (33) starred.

Caleb Daniel (23), Jack Macrae (26) and Matthew Boyd (26) were tireless.

Marcus Bontempelli (three goals) made the Blues pay for turnovers with his lethal left boot and Koby Stevens (two goals, 25 disposals) was dangerous across half-forward.

LADDER POS. TEAM

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 5.1 9.4 12.6 13.7 (85) Carlton 2.1 2.3 5.5 7.7 (49) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Hunter, Biggs, Johannisen, Macrae, Stevens, Bontempelli, Suckling. Carlton – Plowman, Docherty, Simpson, Weitering, Kerridge, Wright.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli 3, Stevens 2, Adcock, Suckling, McLean, Wallis, Liberatore, Johannisen, Jong, Hunter. Carlton – Sumner 2, Buckley, Lamb, Phillips, Gibbs, Cripps.

Brownlow votes: 3 Hunter (WB), 2 Biggs (WB), 1 Stevens (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 Biggs (WB), 7 Hunter (WB), 7 Suckling (WB), 4 Stevens (WB), 2 Morris (WB), 1 Docherty (Carl), 1 Roughead (WB).

Umpires: M. Nicholls, C. Kamolins, B. Ryan Crowd: 27,622 at Etihad Stadium

TOO MUCH CLASS 51

ROUND ROUND

v BRISBANE LIONS ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs’ injury toll continued to mount as they outclassed the Brisbane Lions.

Matthew Suckling tweaked the medial ligament in his reconstructed right knee and reinjured an ankle and did not reappear after half-time.

Early in the match, the Dogs peppered the goals and dominated inside 50s (20-5) in the opening term.

They booted six consecutive behinds before Luke Dahlhaus soccered their first goal from the goalsquare and suddenly the home team came alive.

Jake Stringer and Toby McLean pushed the Dogs ahead by 11 points at the first change.

It was almost all one-way traffic in the second term, with Marcus Bontempelli and Stringer – who knocked over three opponents before snapping a brilliant second goal – thriving on their team’s midfield dominance.

Koby Stevens continued his fine form to finish with 34 possessions, Stringer booted three goals and midfielders Mitch Wallis (33, one goal), Jack Macrae (25), Lachie Hunter (32) and Matthew Boyd (31) were all outstanding.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 3.6 9.8 13.11 17.18 (120) Brisbane Lions 2.1 4.4 7.5 10.7 (67) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Stevens, Wallis, M. Boyd, Dahlhaus, McLean, Hunter, Stringer. Brisbane Lions – Zorko, Rockliff, Robinson, Hanley, Martin, Bastinac.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 3, Bontempelli 2, Dahlhaus 2, McLean 2, Liberatore 2, Dickson 2, Campbell, Jong, Wallis, Roughead. Brisbane Lions – Lester 2, Zorko 2, Rockliff, Hanley, Schache, Rich, Walker, Bewick.

Brownlow votes: 3 Stevens (WB), 2 Wallis (WB), 1 Stringer (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Stevens (WB), 6 M. Boyd (WB), 4 Morris (WB), 4 Wallis (WB), 2 Campbell (WB), 2 Dahlhaus (WB), 2 Hunter (WB), Umpires: L. Fisher, N. Brown, T. Pannell.

Crowd: 25,097 at Etihad Stadium.

78 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

PR16 p75-93 Round by Round_WB.indd 78

2

ND

PTS

1

North Melbourne

2

WESTERN BULLDOGS

16 12

3

Sydney Swans

12

4

Geelong CAts

12

5

Gold Coast Suns

12

6

West Coast Eagles

12

7

Adelaide Crows

12

8

Hawthorn

12

9

GWS Giants

8

10 Melbourne

8

11

8

Port Adelaide

12 St Kilda

4

13 Richmond

4

14 Brisbane Lions

4

15 Collingwood

4

16 Essendon

4

17 Fremantle Dockers

0

18 Carlton

0

BRIGHT START: Koby Stevens continued his good early-season form.

LADDER POS. TEAM

2

ND

PTS

1

North Melbourne

20

2

WESTERN BULLDOGS

16

3

Sydney Swans

16

4

Geelong Cats

16

5

Hawthorn

16

6

GWS Giants

12

7

Gold Coast Suns

12

8

West Coast Eagles

12

9

Adelaide Crows

12

10 Melbourne

12

11

8

Collingwood

12 Port Adelaide

8

13 St Kilda

4

14 Richmond

4

15 Carlton

4

16 Brisbane Lions

4

17 Essendon

4

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

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1/10/2016 6:09 pm

ROUND ROUND

61

PUSHING THE ROOS

YOUNG GUN:

Toby McLean was on target with a brilliant set shot from the boundary.

v NORTH MELBOURNE ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃNorth Melbourne held off a brave Bulldogs outfit to hold on to top spot.

With several of their better ball-users missing, the Bulldogs lacked the finishing class to bridge the narrow gap that existed for most of the night.

From the 10-minute mark of the first quarter, the Dogs went more than 36 minutes without a goal before Toby McLean broke the drought with a brilliant shot from near the boundary.

The only thing keeping the Bulldogs in the game was desperate tackling and a

contested-ball advantage that meant the Kangaroos had to work hard for their 12-point lead at half-time.

Lachie Hunter racked up 24 possessions in the first half and finished with 44, four clearances and six rebound 50s to be the Bulldogs’ best.

Shane Biggs and Luke Dahlhaus were also solid contributors.

The Bulldogs lost no friends with their endeavour, winning the contested possessions (166-151), clearances (44-31) and inside 50s (56-46).

LADDER POS. TEAM

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã North Melbourne 4.1 5.4 8.6 9.7 (61) Western Bulldogs 2.1 3.4 6.6 6.9 (45) BEST: North Melbourne – Waite, Thompson, Wells, Swallow, Cunnington, Petrie. Western Bulldogs – Hunter, Biggs, Dahlhaus, Stevens, M. Boyd.

GOALS: North Melbourne – Waite 4, Higgins, Brown, Ziebell, Thomas, Petrie.

Western Bulldogs – Jong, Bontempelli, McLean, Dickson, Stevens, Dahlhaus.

Brownlow votes: 3 Waite (NM), 2 Hunter (WB), 1 Thompson (NM).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 9 Thompson (NM), 7 Waite (NM), 6 Hunter (WB), 4 Wells (NM), 3 Macrae (WB), 1 Swallow (NM).

Umpires: C. Donlon, J. Bannister, T. Pannell.

Crowd: 47,622 at Etihad Stadium.

CLASSIC SHOOTOUT 71

ROUND ROUND

v ADELAIDE CROWS ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs won a thrilling shootout against the Crows, holding on in a desperate finish.

The final minutes were frantic, with Adelaide trailing by only three points with less than two minutes to play.

But Marcus Bontempelli stepped up to seal the win, marking on the lead and kicking the match-winning goal from 50m before Bailey Dale added another one after the final siren.

The Bulldogs played brave, high-tempo football, taking the game on at every chance.

Led by Bontempelli (30 touches and two goals), their midfield won the clearance battle 41-24, setting up a massive inside-50 advantage of 68-37.

Tom Liberatore (25 and nine clearances) and Mitch Wallis (26 and seven clearances) were also keys to the midfield dominance.

Jake Stringer played an important cameo to kick four goals, overcoming a severely corked left calf.

In defence, Dale Morris locked down dangerous Crow Eddie Betts and kept him goalless.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 6.3 9.7 14.11 18.15 (123) Adelaide Crows 2.3 6.5 12.5 17.6 (108) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Liberatore, Stringer, Dahlhaus, Wallis, Morris, Wood. Adelaide Crows – Jenkins, M. Crouch, Henderson, Lynch, Smith.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 4, Dickson 3, Redpath 3, Daniel 2, Dale 2, Bontempelli 2, Liberatore, Wallis. Adelaide Crows – Jenkins 8, Lynch 3, Cameron 2, Jacobs, Atkins, Sloane, Walker.

Brownlow votes: 3 Jenkins (Adelaide), 2 Bontempelli (WB), 1 Stringer (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Jenkins (Adel), 5 Stringer (WB), 3 Dahlhaus (WB), 3 Liberatore (WB), 1 Wallis (WB).

Umpires: C. Donlon, J. Bannister, T. Pannell.

Crowd: 26,984 at Etihad Stadium.

4

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

24

2

Geelong Cats

20

3

Sydney Swans

20

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS

16

5

GWS Giants

16

6

West Coast Eagles

16

7

Adelaide Crows

16

8

Hawthorn

16

9

Melbourne

12

10 Gold Coast Suns

12

11

12

Port Adelaide

12 St Kilda

8

13 Collingwood

8

14 Carlton

8

15 Richmond

4

16 Brisbane Lions

4

17 Essendon

4

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

DELIGHTED:

Bailey Dale kicked two goals, including one after the siren.

LADDER POS. TEAM

4

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

2

Geelong Cats

28 24

3

Sydney Swans

24

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS

20

5

GWS Giants

20

6

Hawthorn

20

7

West Coast Eagles

16

8

Adelaide Crows

16

9

Melbourne

16

10 Port Adelaide

16

11

12

Gold Coast Suns

12 Carlton

12

13 St Kilda

8

14 Collingwood

8

15 Richmond

4

16 Brisbane Lions

4

17 Essendon

4

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

WESTERN BULLDOGS | 79

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ROUND ROUND

81

TOO STRONG

DOGGED APPROACH:

Tom Liberatore equalled the League’s tackling record with 19.

v MELBOURNE MCG

ÃÃIn their first game away from Etihad Stadium of the season, the Bulldogs had a convincing victory against Melbourne.

Tom Liberatore was dogged in his approach, equalling the AFL/VFL tackles record with 19.

Liberatore also had 25 disposals and seven clearances. But it was the even contribution from his team that would have pleased coach Luke Beveridge most.

Marcus Bontempelli (33 disposals and eight clearances) and Luke Dahlhaus (29 and seven tackles) proved devastating in tight at the

contest. That allowed Lachie Hunter (34 touches) and Jack Macrae (27) to do the damage on the outside.

The Bulldogs kept in-form Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn to just six disposals and two marks as Jordan Roughead and Tom Campbell worked him over.

The defensive partnership of Fletcher Roberts and Dale Morris kept off-target Demon Jesse Hogan on a tight leash.

The Dogs smashed Melbourne in contested possessions (155-126) and found multiple avenues to goal.

LADDER POS. TEAM

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 5.5 8.9 12.10 17.12 (114) Melbourne 2.2 5.5 7.9 12.10 (82) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Liberatore, Hunter, Dahlhaus, M. Boyd, Picken, Stringer. Melbourne – Viney, Tyson, Stretch, Kennedy, T. McDonald.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 5, Redpath 3, Picken 2, Dickson 2, McLean, Liberatore, Wallis, Dale, Hunter. Melbourne – Watts 3, Kennedy 2, Garlett 2, Viney, Petracca, Oliver, T. McDonald, Hogan.

Brownlow votes: 3 Bontempelli (WB), 2 Hunter (WB), 1 Liberatore (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Liberatore (WB), 3 M. Boyd (WB), 3 Picken (WB), 2 Dahlhaus (WB), 2 Hunter (WB), 1 Tyson (Melb), 1 Viney (Melb).

Umpires: J. Schmitt, R. Findlay, B. Wallace.

Crowd: 39,921 at the MCG.

COMING UP SHORT 91

ROUND ROUND

v GWS GIANTS SPOTLESS STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs lost only their third game for the season, being outclassed by the GWS Giants.

The Giants surged in the third quarter to open up a 34-point lead at the final change, with the Bulldogs turning the ball over too often by foot.

Marcus Bontempelli (32 disposals, four tackles), Luke Dahlhaus (28 disposals, five tackles) and Dale Morris tried hard for the visitors but the Bulldogs failed to have any clear winners.

After a fast start by the Giants, the Bulldogs’ midfield

worked hard to get back in the match and booted three of the next four goals to trail by just five points at the first break. However, the Giants then regained the ascendancy.

Jack Macrae was prolific in the midfield, gathering 26 disposals. Liam Picken did not give up trying, finishing with 22 disposals and nine tackles.

Lachie Hunter again made a fine contribution with 24 disposals and a goal and Toby McLean booted two goals.

Lin Jong and Tory Dickson also kicked two apiece.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã GWS Giants 4.3 9.5 13.7 15.8 (98) Western Bulldogs 3.4 6.6 7.9 10.13 (73) BEST: GWS Giants – Ward, Shaw, Coniglio, Scully, Greene, Cameron, Williams.

Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Dahlhaus, Picken, Hunter, Macrae.

GOALS: GWS Giants – Cameron 5, Greene 3, Johnson 2, Coniglio, Shiel, Whitfield, Palmer, Scully. Western Bulldogs – Jong 2, Dickson 2, McLean 2, Wallis, Hunter, Stringer, Campbell.

Brownlow votes: 3 Ward (GWS), 2 Greene (GWS), 1 Shaw (GWS).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 Shaw (GWS), 7 Coniglio (GWS), 6 Ward (GWS), 4 Shiel (GWS), 3 Bontempelli (WB), 1 Cameron (GWS), 1 Morris (WB).

Umpires: M. Stevic, C. Kamolins, S. Meredith.

Crowd: 9612 at Spotless Stadium.

5

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

32

2

Geelong Cats

28

3

GWS Giants

24

4

Sydney Swans

24

5

WESTERN BULLDOGS

24

6

Hawthorn

24

7

West Coast Eagles

20

8

Adelaide Crows

16

9

Melbourne

16

10 Port Adelaide

16

11

Carlton

16

12 Collingwood

12

13 Gold Coast Suns

12

14 St Kilda

8

15 Richmond

8

16 Brisbane Lions

4

17 Essendon

4

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

GALLANT IN DEFEAT:

Dale Morris battled manfully in defence.

LADDER POS. TEAM

5

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

36

2

Geelong Cats

28

3

GWS Giants

28

4

Sydney Swans

28

5

WESTERN BULLDOGS

24

6

West Coast Eagles

24

7

Hawthorn

24

8

Adelaide Crows

20

9

Melbourne

20

10 Port Adelaide

16

11 Collingwood

16

12 Carlton

16

13 St Kilda

12

14 Richmond

12

15 Gold Coast Suns

12

16 Brisbane Lions

4

17 Essendon

4

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

WESTERN BULLDOGS | 81

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PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

FORCED TO SCRAP

ROUND ROUND

101

v COLLINGWOOD MCG

ÃÃThe Bulldogs were forced to scrap and scramble before overcoming an injury-hit Collingwood for their seventh win of the year.

The Magpies led narrowly at every change, but without any rotations for the final 20 minutes grew tired as the Dogs charged home.

Six-and-a-half minutes remained in the last term when Matthew Suckling kicked truly to extend the lead to 14 points.

Luke Dahlhaus was terrific with 37 disposals and Tom Liberatore had six clearances among his 31 touches.

Easton Wood was superb in defence with 21 disposals and 13 marks (three contested) and Suckling returned to the side from injury to show his class with 22 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency.

As proof of the way the Bulldogs had to grind away for their victory, Tory Dickson, Jack Redpath and Josh Dunkley were the leading goalkickers with two each.

Star forward Jake Stringer was kept goalless and Marcus Bontempelli (20 disposals) was well held

by Levi Greenwood.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 3.0 4.2 6.5 11.8 (74) Collingwood 3.1 4.7 6.8 7.11 (53) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Wood, Dahlhaus, Liberatore, Macrae, Hunter, Suckling.

Collingwood – Sidebottom, Reid, Howe, Pendlebury, Greenwood, Treloar.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Dunkley 2, Dickson 2, Redpath 2, Campbell, Dahlhaus, Bontempelli, Wood, Suckling. Collingwood – Moore 2, Fasolo, Pendlebury, Crocker, Blair, Treloar.

Brownlow votes: 3 Dahlhaus (WB), 2 Wood (WB), 1 Pendlebury (Coll).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Wood (WB), 8 Howe (Coll), 5 Dahlhaus (WB), 3 Pendlebury (Coll), 2 Morris (WB), 1 Macrae (WB), 1 Reid (Coll).

Umpires: B. Rosebury, B. Hosking, S. Meredith.

Crowd: 45,078 at the MCG.

TIMELY RETURN:

Matthew Suckling added a touch of class in defence.

LADDER POS. TEAM

6

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

2

Sydney Swans

36 32

3

Geelong Cats

28

4

GWS Giants

28

5

West Coast Eagles

28

6

WESTERN BULLDOGS

28

7

Hawthorn

28

8

Adelaide Crows

24

9

Melbourne

20

10 Port Adelaide

20

11 Carlton

20

12 Collingwood

16

13 St Kilda

16

14 Richmond

16

15 Gold Coast Suns

12

16 Brisbane Lions

4

17 Essendon

4

18 Fremantle Dockers

0

JOB DONE: Easton Wood leads his team

up the race after a hard-fought victory.

82 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

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1/10/2016 6:10 pm

SURVIVING A SCARE 111

ROUND ROUND

v WEST COAST EAGLES ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs survived a late comeback from West Coast to win and move back into the top four.

The Dogs looked home, leading by 21 points and in control with eight minutes to go, before three goals in four minutes to the Eagles suddenly turned the contest into a thriller.

It took some class from skipper Marcus Bontempelli – who led the team in the absence of Easton Wood, out late due to hamstring tightness – to create a snapped goal from Tom Liberatore to steady the ship.

A REVELATION:

Mature-aged recruit Marcus Adams kept Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy to just five touches.

The Bulldogs would have been kicking themselves to lose as they missed three set shots in the final quarter that would have put the result beyond doubt.

Even the normally reliable Tory Dickson missed a set shot in the last term.

The Bulldogs dominated territory and had 122 more disposals than West Coast.

Lachie Hunter performed brilliantly, gathering 38 touches.

Marcus Adams restricted Eagles Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy to five touches and one late goal.

LADDER POS. TEAM

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 4.1 6.6 10.7 12.11 (83) West Coast Eagles 4.4 5.4 8.6 11.9 (75) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Hunter, Macrae, Redpath, Boyd, Liberatore. West Coast Eagles – Priddis, Shuey, Hurn, Gaff, Redden.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Liberatore 3, Stringer 2, Campbell 2, Redpath 2, Hunter, Dunkley, Picken. West Coast Eagles – LeCras 2, Yeo 2, Hill 2, Darling 2, Hutchings, Kennedy, Masten.

Brownlow votes: 3 Hunter (WB), 2 Bontempelli (WB), 1 Macrae (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 Bontempelli (WB), 6 Hunter (WB), 5 Liberatore (WB), 5 Macrae (WB), 3 Stringer (WB), 2 Boyd (WB), 1 Suckling (WB).

Umpires: C. Donlon, M. Stevic, A. Stephens.

Crowd: 28,769 at Etihad Stadium.

ROUND ROUND

121

HOLDING THEIR NERVE v PORT ADELAIDE ADELAIDE OVAL

ÃÃThe Bulldogs survived a challenge from Port Adelaide, holding their nerve to win a classic, see-sawing battle.

A three-goal burst by the Dogs to start the final term forced the Power on to the back foot and, while they attacked relentlessly, the Bulldogs had the answers.

Kept quiet for most of the day, Jake Stringer snapped the first goal in the final term.

After Mitch Honeychurch added another, Stringer pounced again, this time bombing his third goal from inside the centre square.

After Luke Dahlhaus failed to return after quarter-time with a knee injury, the Power began to own possession in the second term and held a nine-point lead at the final change.

Marcus Bontempelli was brilliant again with 30 disposals and two goals, including the sealer. Mitch Wallis (27 disposals, six inside 50s) and Matthew Boyd (27, seven rebound 50s) were important.

Jack Redpath booted four goals, including a crucial major from a strong contested mark in the final term.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 6.1 7.3 10.6 15.10 (100) Port Adelaide 4.3 6.7 11.9 14.13 (97) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Honeychurch, Daniel, Macrae, Boyd, Morris. Port Adelaide – R. Gray, Wines, Pittard, Polec, Neade, Young.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Redpath 4, Stringer 3, Dickson 2, Bontempelli 2, Liberatore, Honeychurch, Dahlhaus, Biggs. Port Adelaide – Wingard 2, Dixon 2, Neade 2, Young 2, Impey, Howard, Hines, R. Gray, Boak, Ebert.

Brownlow votes: 3 Bontempelli (WB), 2 Gray (PA), 1 Wines (PA).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 R. Gray (PA), 4 Pittard (PA), 3 Boyd (WB), 3 Morris (WB), 2 Liberatore (WB).

Umpires: S. Meredith, L. Fisher, T. Pannell.

Crowd: 40,096 at Adelaide Oval.

4

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

40

2

Sydney Swans

36

3

Geelong Cats

32

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS

32

5

Hawthorn

32

6

GWS Giants

28

7

West Coast Eagles

28

8

Adelaide Crows

28

9

Port Adelaide

24

10 Carlton

24

11 Melbourne

20

12 Collingwood

16

13 St Kilda

16

14 Richmond

16

15 Gold Coast Suns

12

16 Fremantle Dockers

4

17 Brisbane Lions

4

18 Essendon

4

ON THE WARPATH:

Jack Redpath celebrates one of his four goals.

LADDER POS. TEAM

4

TH

PTS

1

North Melbourne

40

2

Geelong Cats

36

3

Sydney Swans

36

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS

36

5

Hawthorn

36

6

GWS Giants

32

7

Adelaide Crows

32

8

West Coast Eagles

28

9

Port Adelaide

24

10 Melbourne

24

11 Carlton

24

12 St Kilda

20

13 Richmond

20

14 Collingwood

16

15 Gold Coast Suns

12

16 Fremantle Dockers

8

17 Brisbane Lions

4

18 Essendon

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS | 83

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PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

INACCURACY COSTLY 131

ROUND ROUND

v GEELONG CATS ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs suffered their worst loss for the season as Geelong scored an emphatic 57-point victory.

The Dogs trailed by 48 points at the major interval and their score of 1.9 was their lowest first-half total since round four, 2013, against the Crows at AAMI Stadium.

After the Cats extended their lead to 49 points early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs kicked four of the last five goals in the term – and were denied another when Liam Picken was ruled out of bounds when he converted a running banana

OUT-GUNNED:

Jack Macrae worked hard, but the Dogs were no match for the Cats.

late in the quarter – to cut Geelong’s lead to 28 points at the final break.

But the Cats quickly quelled the Dogs’ uprising.

Matthew Boyd (28 possessions) tried to turn the tide all night by generating counter-attack from defence, while Marcus Bontempelli (22), Jack Macrae (31) and Tom Liberatore (22) battled hard through the midfield.

Marcus Adams held Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins to one goal in the first three terms before conceding three last-quarter goals.

LADDER POS. TEAM

Geelong Cats 5.3 10.3 11.4 16.4 (100) Western Bulldogs 0.5 1.9 5.12 5.13 (43) BEST: Geelong Cats – Dangerfield, J. Selwood, Henderson, Bartel, Enright, Motlop, Menzel. Western Bulldogs – M. Boyd, Suckling, Adams, Daniel, Macrae.

GOALS: Geelong Cats – Menzel 4, Hawkins 4, J. Selwood 2, Motlop 2, Dangerfield 2, Caddy, Murdoch. Western Bulldogs – Redpath, Wallis, Picken, Suckling, Jong.

Brownlow votes: 3 Dangerfield (Geel), 2 Bartel (Geel), 1 J. Selwood (Geel).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Dangerfield (Geel), 8 Selwood (Geel), 5 Enright (Geel), 4 Henderson (Geel), 2 Blicavs (Geel), 1 Motlop (Geel).

Umpires: L. Farmer, J. Dalgleish, B. Rosebury, R. Chamberlain.

Crowd: 41,725 at Etihad Stadium.

ROUND ROUND

151

LAST-SECOND HERO v SYDNEY SWANS SCG

ÃÃReturning defender Jason Johannisen was the hero, booting a goal in the dying seconds to give the Bulldogs a four-point win over the Sydney Swans.

Johannisen, playing his first game since round four after suffering a severe hamstring injury, kicked a set shot from 45m out straight in front to give the visitors a memorable victory.

Matthew Boyd (32 disposals), Lachie Hunter (31), Marcus Bontempelli (29), Liam Picken (28), Mitch Wallis (25) and Caleb Daniel (21) were fantastic,

while Jake Stringer finished with three goals.

Stringer and Bontempelli had just four touches between them in the opening term as the Swans led by nine points at the first change, but the star duo sparked their team early in the second quarter.

Stringer booted two quick goals and Bontempelli one in the space of four minutes to put their side in front.

Jordan Roughead and Will Minson held sway in the ruck, kicking a goal apiece and winning 44 hit-outs between them.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 1.2 5.3 11.4 13.5 (83) Sydney Swans 2.5 6.7 8.9 11.13 (79) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Hunter, Bontempelli, Roughead, Johannisen, Picken, Daniel. Sydney Swans – Parker, Franklin, Kennedy, Hannebery, K. Jack, McVeigh.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 3, Liberatore 2, Bontempelli, Roughead, Redpath, Minson, Jong, Johannisen, Hunter, Biggs. Sydney Swans – Franklin 5, Parker 3, Sinclair, McVeigh, Hewett.

Brownlow votes: 3 Franklin (Syd), 2 Parker (Syd), 1 Bontempelli (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Parker (Syd), 5 Franklin (Syd), 5 Kennedy (Syd), 2 M. Boyd (WB), 1 Hunter (WB), 1 Liberatore (WB).

Umpires: L. Fisher, M. Stevic, J. Schmitt, R. Findlay.

Crowd: 33,386 at the SCG.

84 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

PR16 p75-93 Round by Round_WB.indd 84

TH

PTS

1

Geelong Cats

40

2

Sydney Swans

40

3

North Melbourne

40

4

Hawthorn

40

5

GWS Giants

36

6

WESTERN BULLDOGS

36

7

West Coast Eagles

32

8

Adelaide Crows

32

9

Port Adelaide

24

10 Melbourne

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã

6

24

11 Carlton

24

12 St Kilda

20

13 Richmond

20

14 Collingwood

16

15 Fremantle Dockers

12

16 Gold Coast Suns

12

17 Brisbane Lions

4

18 Essendon

4

DASHING DOG:

Jason Johannisen celebrated his return from injury with the match-winning goal.

LADDER POS. TEAM

6

TH

PTS

1

Hawthorn

44

2

Geelong Cats

40

3

GWS Giants

40

4

Sydney Swans

40

5

Adelaide Crows

40

6

WESTERN BULLDOGS

40

7

North Melbourne

40

8

West Coast Eagles

36

9

Port Adelaide

28

10 Melbourne

24

11 Collingwood

24

12 Richmond

24

13 St Kilda

24

14 Carlton

24

15 Gold Coast Suns

16

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

4

18 Essendon

4

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1/10/2016 6:11 pm

CLOSE CALL

ROUND ROUND

161

v RICHMOND ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs survived a big scare from Richmond to escape with a 10-point win, which catapulted them back into the top four.

The victory was all the more meritorious as the Dogs were without Tom Liberatore in the second half after he suffered a rib injury late in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs trailed by 14 points midway through the third term before being inspired

by Jake Stringer, who shook off a slow start to kick four second-half goals, including three in the final term.

The lead changed five times in a gripping final term.

Jack Redpath redeemed two botched scoring attempts in the quarter to level the scores before Stringer kicked the sealer.

Marcus Bontempelli (25 possessions) was instrumental in the strong finish and Matthew Boyd (28 possessions) provided drive from defence all night.

Lachie Hunter (24 possessions) was a tireless midfield runner and acting captain Easton Wood and Dale Morris were steadying influences in the backline.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 3.3 5.9 6.11 12.13 (85) Richmond 3.1 6.2 8.6 11.9 (75) BEST: Western Bulldogs – M. Boyd, Hunter, Bontempelli, Stringer, Wood, Suckling.

Richmond – Martin, Cotchin, Rance, Edwards, Vlastuin, Hampson, Markov.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 4, Bontempelli 2, Redpath 2, Suckling, C. Smith, Dickson, Johannisen. Richmond – Castagna 2, Riewoldt 2, Edwards 2, Griffiths, Cotchin, Lloyd, B. Ellis, McBean.

Brownlow votes: 3 Bontempelli (WB), 2 Martin (Rich), 1 Boyd (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Martin (Rich), 4 Wood (WB), 3 Macrae (WB), 2 M. Boyd (WB), 2 Hunter (WB), 1 Cotchin (Rich).

Umpires: L. Farmer, J. Bannister, R. Chamberlain.

Crowd: 39,679 at Etihad Stadium.

MR RELIABLE:

Matthew Boyd provided his usual drive from defence.

LADDER POS. TEAM

4

TH

PTS

1

Hawthorn

48

2

Sydney Swans

44

3

Adelaide Crows

44

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS

44

5

West Coast Eagles

40

6

Geelong Cats

40

7

GWS Giants

40

8

North Melbourne

40

9

Port Adelaide

28

10 Melbourne

28

11 Collingwood

28

12 St Kilda

28

13 Richmond

24

14 Carlton

24

15 Gold Coast Suns

20

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

4

18 Essendon

4

INSPIRATIONAL: After a slow

start, Jake Stringer kicked four second-half goals.

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ROUND ROUND

171

COASTING UP NORTH v GOLD COAST SUNS CAZALYS STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs continued their unbeaten record in far north Queensland with a 48-point win over an injury-depleted Gold Coast.

But they had to do it without Jake Stringer for most of the second half after he injured his shoulder in a collision with Suns defender Steven May. Aided by a strong breeze, the Bulldogs set up the victory in the first term when they kicked six goals, with Clay Smith and Koby Stevens booting two apiece.

They extended their lead to 42 points by the main break.

The Bulldogs dominated the clearances (36-26) and contested ball (132-115) with Stevens finishing with 34 disposals (seven clearances).

Mitch Wallis and Smith kicked three goals apiece.

Tom Boyd made an encouraging return from a club-imposed suspension and was mobbed by teammates when he kicked a 50m set-shot goal to start the third quarter.

Easton Wood and Shane Biggs led a solid defence and Marcus Bontempelli, Lachie Hunter and Jack Macrae were busy.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 6.5 11.9 12.5 15.17 (107) Gold Coast Suns 3.2 5.3 6.8 8.11 (59) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Wood, Stevens, Biggs, Bontempelli, C. Smith, Macrae, Hunter. Gold Coast Suns – Lynch, Kolodjashnij, Miller, Ah Chee, Shaw.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – C. Smith 3, Wallis 3, Picken 2, Stevens 2, Stringer, Redpath, Jong, T. Boyd, Dickson. Gold Coast Suns – Lynch 3, Ah Chee 2, Matera 2, Davis.

Brownlow votes: 3 Wallis (WB), 2 Stevens (WB), 1 Wood (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 7 Stevens (WB), 5 C. Smith (WB), 4 Bontempelli (WB), 4 Wood (WB), 3 Macrae (WB), 3 Picken (WB), 2 Wallis (WB), 1 Biggs (WB), 1 Lynch (GCS).

Umpires: C. Deboy, S. McInerney, J. Mollison.

Crowd: 8509 at Cazalys Stadium.

INJURIES STRIKE AGAIN 181

ROUND ROUND

v ST KILDA ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs’ injury toll continued to grow as they went down to a fired-up St Kilda.

Mitch Wallis and Jack Redpath suffered season-ending injuries, Wallis breaking his left leg and Redpath rupturing the ACL in his right knee.

To add to the Bulldogs’ woes, Dale Morris didn’t reappear after half-time because of a hamstring complaint.

When Redpath and Wallis went down in the final term, the Dogs were reduced to only one rotation, the carnage prompting coach Luke Beveridge to move down

to the bench to manage his depleted team.

The Bulldogs trailed by only five points at three-quarter time but were unable to score in the final term.

Marcus Bontempelli stepped into the void left by the injured Jake Stringer to kick 3.3 from 25 possessions and often threatened as a potential match-winner.

Supporting Bontempelli was Lachie Hunter, who continued his prolific season. Jack Macrae, Jason Johannisen and Matthew Suckling were always dangerous with their run and ball use.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã St Kilda 3.3 7.4 10.5 11.9 (75) Western Bulldogs 4.2 6.4 9.6 9.6 (60) BEST: St Kilda – Steven, Riewoldt, Hickey, Newnes, Dempster, Weller.

Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Hunter, Macrae, M. Boyd.

GOALS: St Kilda – Riewoldt 4, Membrey 2, Weller, Armitage, Steven, Gresham, Wright.

Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli 3, Dickson 2, C. Smith, Redpath, Suckling, Jong.

Brownlow votes: 3 Riewoldt (St K), 2 Dempster (St K), 1 Steven (St K).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 9 Steven (St K), 6 Bontempelli (WB), 6 Dempster (St K), 5 Riewoldt (St K), 2 Geary (St K), 2 Weller (St K).

Umpires: R. Chamberlain, D. Harris, J. Mollison.

Crowd: 26,532 at Etihad Stadium.

DAMAGING: Mitch

Wallis capped his midfield work with three goals.

LADDER POS. TEAM

3

RD

PTS

1

Hawthorn

52

2

Adelaide Crows

48

3

WESTERN BULLDOGS

48

4

GWS Giants

44

5

Sydney Swans

44

6

West Coast Eagles

44

7

Geelong Cats

44

8

North Melbourne

40

9

Port Adelaide

32

10 St Kilda

32

11 Melbourne

28

12 Collingwood

28

13 Richmond

28

14 Carlton

24

15 Gold Coast Suns

20

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

4

18 Essendon

4

BALL MAGNET:

Lachie Hunter continued to rack up the possessions.

LADDER POS. TEAM

7

TH

PTS

1

Hawthorn

56

2

GWS Giants

48

3

Sydney Swans

48

4

Geelong Cats

48

5

West Coast Eagles

48

6

Adelaide Crows

48

7

WESTERN BULLDOGS

48

8

North Melbourne

44

9

St Kilda

36

10 Port Adelaide

32

11 Melbourne

28

12 Collingwood

28

13 Richmond

28

14 Carlton

24

15 Gold Coast Suns

24

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

8

18 Essendon

4

WESTERN BULLDOGS | 87

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PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

ROUND ROUND

191

CATS CAUSE MORE PAIN v GEELONG CATS SIMONDS STADIUM

ÃÃOn a night of big milestones for Geelong, there was more injury pain for the Bulldogs as they lost by 25 points.

Already ravaged by injury after losing Dale Morris (hamstring), Jack Redpath (knee), Matthew Boyd (achilles), Matthew Suckling (achilles) and Mitch Wallis (broken leg) from the previous week’s team, the Dogs lost Tom Liberatore to an ankle injury before half-time and Jack Macrae to a hamstring complaint in the final term.

Liberatore, who had been one of the Dogs’ best with

17 disposals, was on crutches with his ankle in a moon boot and Macrae had ice around his leg.

Tom Boyd played one of his best games for the Bulldogs and booted three goals. Tory Dickson also kicked three.

Luke Dahlhaus, returning from a knee injury, had 21 disposals and was busy all night, Caleb Daniel’s poise was important (20 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (23 disposals) battled hard and Jason Johannisen (26 disposals) provided dash off half-back.

FINDING TOUCH:

Tom Boyd provided a target, kicking three goals.

LADDER

7

POS. TEAM

TH

PTS

1

Hawthorn

60

2

GWS Giants

52

3

Sydney Swans

52

4

Geelong Cats

52

5

Adelaide Crows

52

6

West Coast Eagles

48

7

WESTERN BULLDOGS

48

8

North Melbourne

48

9

Port Adelaide

36

10 St Kilda

36

11 Melbourne

32

12 Collingwood

32

13 Richmond

28

14 Gold Coast Suns

24

15 Carlton

24

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

8

18 Essendon

4

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Geelong Cats 5.2 9.2 13.5 16.7 (103) Western Bulldogs 5.1 8.2 8.8 11.12 (78) BEST: Geelong Cats – Dangerfield, Stanley, Enright, Smith, Mackie, Motlop, Ruggles. Western Bulldogs – Dahlhaus, T. Boyd, Daniel, Bontempelli, Johannisen.

GOALS: Geelong Cats – Stanley 5, Dangerfield 3, Motlop 3, Hawkins 2, Menzel, Duncan, Bartel. Western Bulldogs – Dickson 3, T. Boyd 3, Dunkley, Stringer, C. Smith, Jong, Cordy.

Brownlow votes: 3 Dangerfield (Geel), 2 Stanley (Geel), 1 Enright (Geel).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Dangerfield (Geel), 7 Stanley (Geel), 4 Bontempelli (WB), 3 Enright (Geel), 2 Duncan (Geel), 2 Mackie (Geel), 1 Dahlhaus (WB), 1 Picken (WB).

Umpires: M. Nicholls, C. Kamolins, S. Meredith.

Crowd: 24,331 at Simonds Stadium.

TOUGHING IT OUT 20 ROUND

v NORTH MELBOURNE ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs struck a psychological blow by defeating likely fellow finalist North Melbourne in a spiteful clash.

After North scored the first two goals of the game, the Bulldogs conceded only five more for the night, transforming the encounter into the defensive grind they thrive on.

After struggling to convert their opportunities in the first quarter, the Bulldogs dominated the second term. With Tom Liberatore, Mitch Wallis and Jack

Macrae missing, Luke Dahlhaus (28 possessions), Lachie Hunter (21) and Marcus Bontempelli ably picked up the on-ball slack.

Bontempelli, who was roughed up before the first bounce and found himself in the middle of melees at quarter-time and half-time, responded with a best-afield performance.

Jason Johannisen (22 touches) gave the Dogs plenty of drive, while Matthew Boyd and Easton Wood resembled a two-man blockade across half-back.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 1.4 4.5 7.7 9.7 (61) North Melbourne 2.2 2.4 4.5 7.5 (47) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, M. Boyd, Daniel, Johannisen, Dahlhaus, Morris, Hunter. North Melbourne – Macmillan, Wells, Goldstein, Cunnington, Dal Santo, Thompson.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Dickson, Daniel, Bontempelli, Hrovat, Johannisen, Hunter, Cordy, Roughead, Stringer. North Melbourne – Brown, Harvey, Daw, Thomas, Wells, Ziebell, Goldstein.

Brownlow votes: 3 Bontempelli (WB), 2 Johannisen (WB), 1 Wells (NM).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 M. Boyd (WB), 5 Bontempelli (WB), 5 Wood (WB), 3 Dahlhaus (WB), 3 Johannisen (WB), 2 Dickson (WB), 2 Macmillan (NM), 1 Cunnington (NM), 1 Roberts (WB).

Umpires: M. Nicholls, S. Ryan, J. Mollison.

Crowd: 30,740 at Etihad Stadium.

88 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

PR16 p75-93 Round by Round_WB.indd 88

UNRUFFLED: Marcus Bontempelli was best afield, despite the Roos’ attempts to unsettle him.

LADDER

7

POS. TEAM

TH

PTS

1

Hawthorn

60

2

Sydney Swans

56

3

Adelaide Crows

56

4

GWS Giants

56

5

Geelong Cats

56

6

West Coast Eagles

52

7

WESTERN BULLDOGS

52

8

North Melbourne

48

9

St Kilda

40

10 Port Adelaide

36

11 Melbourne

36

12 Collingwood

32

13 Richmond

32

14 Gold Coast Suns

24

15 Carlton

24

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

8

18 Essendon

4

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1/10/2016 6:12 pm

ROUND ROUND

211

ANOTHER PIE FIGHT v COLLINGWOOD ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃScores were level 11 times throughout the night before the Bulldogs won a thriller against Collingwood.

On several occasions the Dogs appeared headed for defeat, but Luke Beveridge’s men stuck to their guns to secure victory.

Marcus Bontempelli stood up when his team needed him, gathering 26 disposals, two goals and six inside 50s.

Luke Dahlhaus (31 disposals), Lachie Hunter (27), Matthew Boyd (24) and Jason Johanissen (22) were important, while Liam Picken was close to best

OPPORTUNIST:

Nathan Hrovat bobbed up with two goals, much to the delight of Jake Stringer.

afield with 20 disposals and nine tackles.

Picken was moved on to Magpies midfielder Steele Sidebottom in the second half and shut down the prime mover.

Collingwood got out to an 18-point lead midway through the third quarter before the Bulldogs hit back, kicking four goals in seven minutes, including two to Lin Jong.

Nathan Hrovat booted two goals, including one in the last quarter that put the Dogs six points in front. Tory Dickson and Zaine Cordy also booted two apiece.

LADDER POS. TEAM

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 3.3 7.6 11.7 14.11 (95) Collingwood 2.4 7.5 11.7 14.8 (92) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Picken, Dahlhaus, Jong, Hunter, Johannisen, M. Boyd. Collingwood – Treloar, Sidebottom, Aish, Moore, Goldsack, Grundy.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Jong 2, Dickson 2, Bontempelli 2, Hrovat 2, Cordy 2, Dunkley, Stringer, Smith, Hunter. Collingwood – Moore 3, Sidebottom 2, De Goey 2, Oxley 2, Treloar, White, Phillips, Greenwood, Maynard.

Brownlow votes: 3 Bontempelli (WB), 2 Treloar (Coll), 1 Dahlhaus (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Treloar (Coll), 3 Dahlhaus (WB), 3 Picken (WB), 2 Grundy (Coll), 2 Moore (Coll), 1 Hamling (WB), 1 Goldsack (Coll).

Umpires: D. Margetts, C. Kamolins, S. Meredith.

Crowd: 35,010 at Etihad Stadium.

7

TH

PTS

1

Hawthorn

64

2

Sydney Swans

60

3

Adelaide Crows

60

4

Geelong Cats

60

5

GWS Giants

56

6

West Coast Eagles

56

7

WESTERN BULLDOGS

56

8

North Melbourne

48

9

Melbourne

40

10 St Kilda

40

11 Port Adelaide

36

12 Collingwood

32

13 Richmond

32

14 Gold Coast Suns

24

15 Carlton

24

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

12

18 Essendon

8

HARD NUT: Liam Picken shone with 20 disposals and nine tackles.

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PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

EDGE IN CLASS 221

ROUND ROUND

v ESSENDON ETIHAD STADIUM

ÃÃThere were more injury woes for the Bulldogs as they romped to a 40-point win over Essendon.

Acting captain Easton Wood injured his left ankle, but missed only one match before returning for the elimination final.

Jordan Roughead went down into the Bulldogs’ rooms midway through the first quarter with an ankle injury, but returned to the ground soon after and played out the game despite moving gingerly at times.

The Dogs started strongly with six goals to one in the first quarter and, despite dogged

resistance from the Bombers, had a clear edge in class.

Jason Johannisen (32 possessions) was outstanding in defence, pumping the Dogs inside their forward 50 eight times.

Lachie Hunter (30), Liam Picken (33) and Marcus Bontempelli (27) were prolific ball-winners through the middle of the ground.

Veteran Matthew Boyd was typically resolute in the defensive 50 and Caleb Daniel (23 possessions and two goals) was lively in attack.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 6.2 9.5 12.8 14.9 (93) Essendon 1.2 5.7 5.9 7.11 (53) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Johannisen, Daniel, Bontempelli, Picken, Jong, Hunter, M. Boyd. Essendon – Z. Merrett, Stokes, Daniher, Kelly, Zaharakis, Leuenberger.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Dickson 3, Daniel 2, Jong, T. Boyd, Wood, Picken, Cordy, McLean, Roughead, Hunter, C. Smith. Essendon – Daniher 2, Leuenberger, J. Merrett, Cooney, Fantasia, Z. Merrett.

Brownlow votes: 3 Picken (WB), 2 Johannisen (WB), 1 Hunter (WB).

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 8 Picken (WB), 7 Johannisen (WB), 7 Z. Merrett (Ess), 6 Daniel (WB), 2 Boyd (WB).

Umpires: L. Fisher, A. Stephens, R. Chamberlain.

Crowd: 25,308 at Etihad Stadium.

ROUND ROUND

231

WAKE-UP CALL v FREMANTLE DOCKERS DOMAIN STADIUM

ÃÃIn Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich’s farewell game, the Dockers upset the Bulldogs with a gritty victory.

By half-time, the Dogs knew they were consigned to a seventh-place finish and an elimination final against West Coast after Hawthorn’s win over Collingwood.

But it was a disappointing lead-in to the finals, although it provided the Dogs with the chance to play at Domain Stadium, the venue for their first final.

The Bulldogs’ poor ball use proved costly against Fremantle, kicking at 46 per cent.

Matthew Boyd stood tall down back with 35 disposals, while Luke Dahlhaus and Liam Picken fought hard around the packs.

Tory Dickson was one of the few Dogs to take his chances up forward with three goals.

Marcus Bontempelli had 27 disposals, but had his effectiveness quelled by Tommy Sheridan.

Key big man Tom Boyd landed awkwardly on his left ankle in the first term and had to be helped off for treatment, but came back on and played out the game.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Fremantle Dockers 4.1 7.2 9.3 10.9 (69) Western Bulldogs 2.4 4.9 6.12 6.13 (49) BEST: Fremantle Dockers – Neale, Ibbotson, Hill, Weller, Tucker, Silvagni.

Western Bulldogs – M. Boyd, Picken, Johannisen, Dahlhaus, Bontempelli, Dickson.

GOALS: Fremantle Dockers – Walters 2, Neale, D. Pearce, Hill, Mundy, de Boer, Pavlich, Apeness, Yarran. Western Bulldogs – Dickson 3, Smith 2, Dahlhaus.

AFL Coaches Assoc. votes: 10 Neale (Frem), 8 Hill (Frem), 6 D. Pearce (Frem), 4 Ibbotson (Frem), 2 Boyd (WB).

Brownlow votes: 3 Neale (Frem), 2 Ibbotson (Frem), 1 Boyd (WB).

Umpires: J. Dalgleish, R. O’Gorman, R. Findlay.

Crowd: 34,765 at Domain Stadium.

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PR16 p75-93 Round by Round_WB.indd 90

POCKET ROCKET:

Caleb Daniel was lively in attack with two goals.

LADDER POS. TEAM

7

TH

PTS

1

Sydney Swans

2

Adelaide Crows

64 64

3

Geelong Cats

64

4

Hawthorn

64

5

GWS Giants

60

6

West Coast Eagles

60

7

WESTERN BULLDOGS

60

8

North Melbourne

48

9

St Kilda

44

10 Melbourne

40

11 Port Adelaide

36

12 Collingwood

36

13 Richmond

32

14 Carlton

28

15 Gold Coast Suns

24

16 Fremantle Dockers

12

17 Brisbane Lions

12

18 Essendon

8

STANDING TALL:

Matthew Boyd was resolute in defence, but to no avail.

LADDER POS. TEAM

7

TH

PTS

1

Sydney Swans

2

Geelong Cats

68 68

3

Hawthorn

68

4

GWS Giants

64

5

Adelaide Crows

64

6

West Coast Eagles

64

7

WESTERN BULLDOGS

60

8

North Melbourne

48

9

St Kilda

48

10 Port Adelaide

40

11 Melbourne

40

12 Collingwood

36

13 Richmond

32

14 Carlton

28

15 Gold Coast Suns

24

16 Fremantle Dockers

16

17 Brisbane Lions

12

18 Essendon

12

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1/10/2016 6:13 pm

A WIN FOR THE AGES

SECOND ROUND ELIMINATION v WEST COAST EAGLES FINAL

1

DOMAIN STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs produced one of the greatest finals wins in the club’s history, stunning West Coast at home.

The upset victory was the Dogs’ first in an interstate final, having lost their previous three on the road.

They ended the Eagles’ season with an extraordinary execution of pressure, team defence and counter-attack.

The Bulldogs applied ferocious pressure on West Coast from the opening bounce and never relented.

They wasted early opportunities, kicking three

XXXX XXX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX: XXXXX

XXX XXXX

behinds to the Eagles’ two goals in the opening 10 minutes, but kicked nine of the next 10 goals, including seven in a row.

Lachie Hunter ignited them in the opening term, and Tom Liberatore and Luke Dahlhaus did a power of work inside.

Liam Picken was outstanding all night and kicked two goals from excellent contested marks.

Matthew Boyd was phenomenal in defence, but the entire defensive unit deserved praise.

The Bulldogs had 11 goalkickers and kicked their highest score since round 17.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 4.4 7.6 11.9 14.15 (99) West Coast Eagles 2.3 3.6 5.9 7.10 (52) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Dahlhaus, Daniel, M. Boyd, Picken, Hunter, Johannisen.

West Coast Eagles – Hutchings, Gaff, Shuey, Butler, Hurn.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Picken 2, Dickson 2, Dunkley 2, Dahlhaus, Hunter, Daniel, Liberatore, Smith, Roughead, Bontempelli, Stringer.

West Coast Eagles – Darling 2, Kennedy 2, Hill, Brown, LeCras.

Umpires: L. Farmer, B. Rosebury, J. Schmitt.

Crowd: 42,079 at Domain Stadium.

DYNAMIC:

Luke Dahlhaus was dominant in the clinches.

OUT OF MY WAY:

Star forward Jake Stringer shrugs off Eagle Josh Hill.

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PREMIERS 2016 ROUND BY ROUND

FAIRYTALE CONTINUES

ROUND SECOND SEMI- FINAL v HAWTHORN

1

MCG

ÃÃThe Bulldogs ended Hawthorn’s triple-premiership reign and advanced to their first preliminary final since 2010.

In a stunning performance that continued a fairytale September, the Bulldogs outmuscled and outran their more experienced opponents, clearly winning the clearances (42-34) and dominating the contested-possession count (161-111).

They landed a series of body blows in a six-goal run in the third quarter before Tory Dickson landed the knockout punch in the opening minute of the final term, opening up a 32-point lead.

RISING SUPERSTAR:

Marcus Bontempelli enhanced his already glowing reputation with a superb display.

Marcus Bontempelli further enhanced his reputation with a best-on-ground performance, controlling the stoppages and finishing with 27 possessions, eight clearances and two goals.

There were heroes all over the ground for the Bulldogs, with Jake Stringer kicking two clutch third-quarter goals to burst back into form.

Jack Macrae (39 possessions), Liam Picken (24 and three goals) and Clay Smith (10 tackles and two goals) stood tall and helped turn the match in their team’s favour.

Luke Dahlhaus and youngster Josh Dunkley also impressed.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 1.5 6.10 12.11 16.11 (107) Hawthorn 3.4 7.5 8.9 12.12 (84) BEST: Western Bulldogs – Bontempelli, Macrae, Picken, C. Smith, Dunkley, Dahlhaus. Hawthorn – Shiels, Hodge, Mitchell, Smith, Duryea.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – Stringer 3, Picken 3, C. Smith 2, Bontempelli 2, Wood, McLean, Dunkley, Roughead, Dickson, Daniel. Hawthorn – Shiels 2, Hodge 2, Sicily, Gunston, Puopolo, Rioli, Hill, Breust, Fitzpatrick, Burgoyne.

Umpires: C. Donlon, M. Stevic, M. Nicholls.

Crowd: 87,823 at the MCG.

SURPRISE PACKET:

Liam Picken set the Dogs alight with three goals up forward.

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1/10/2016 6:14 pm

GIANT-KILLERS

ROUND FIRST PRELIMINARY v GWS GIANTS FINAL

1

SPOTLESS STADIUM

ÃÃThe Bulldogs qualified for their first Grand Final in 55 years with a thrilling victory over Greater Western Sydney.

In a pulsating, action-packed and nerve-racking preliminary final, the Bulldogs – who had lost nine of their 10 previous Grand Final qualifiers and their past seven in a row – edged the competition’s youngest club.

It was a final for the ages.

After falling behind by 14 points early in the final term, the Bulldogs dragged themselves back and regained the lead

XXXX XXX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXX: XXXXX

XXX XXXX

with a running goal to Marcus Bontempelli 16 minutes into the quarter.

Jack Macrae, who had kicked one goal all year, took a mark and kicked a clutch major to put the Dogs up by a goal. The Giants scored a behind before Tory Dickson’s set shot at goal as the final siren sounded hit the post.

Dickson and Clay Smith kicked four goals each for the Bulldogs, a product of an organised defence headed by Jason Johannisen, Easton Wood and Matthew Boyd.

ÃSCOREBOARD Ã Western Bulldogs 2.3 6.5 9.6 13.11 (89) GWS Giants 2.1 5.2 9.7 12.11 (83) BEST: Western Bulldogs – C. Smith, Dahlhaus, Dickson, Morris, Wood, Johannisen, Macrae, Picken. GWS Giants – Kelly, Scully, Patton, Coniglio, Wilson, Greene.

GOALS: Western Bulldogs – C. Smith 4, Dickson 4, Cordy 2, Daniel, Bontempelli, Macrae. GWS Giants – Patton 4, Greene 3, Lobb 3, Smith, Shaw.

Umpires: M. Nicholls, J. Schmitt, S. Meredith.

Crowd: 21,790 at Spotless Stadium.

SPIRIT OF THE DOGS:

Injured skipper Robert Murphy salutes the Bulldog fans after the preliminary final.

WE’RE INTO THE BIG ONE:

Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Clay Smith let their emotions out at the final siren.

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PREMIERS 2016 STATISTICS

PLAYER LIST 2016 GAMES BALL USE

Name

DISPOSALS

Lachie Hunter Matthew Boyd Marcus Bontempelli Jack Macrae Liam Picken

719 653 633 607 594

No. Hgt. Wgt.

DOB

Debut Acquired Previous club/s

2015

2016

GOALS

Total This club 2016

Total

ADAMS Marcus

33

193

98

30/6/1993

2016

35/2015 Upper Swan (WA)/West Perth (WAFL)

0

11

11

11

0

0

ADCOCK Jed (N)

44

183

84

15/11/1985

2004

RD/2016 Maryborough (Vic)/North Ballarat U18/Brisbane

21

7

213

7

1

60

BIGGS Shane

TR/2014 East Ringwood (Vic)/Bendigo Bombers (VFL)/Sydney

10

26

42

36

4

7

21

26

63

63

26

58

24

187

84

5/8/1991

2013

BONTEMPELLI Marcus 4

192

85

24/11/1995

2014

4/2013 Eltham (Vic)/Northern U18

BOYD Matthew (V)

5

184

88

27/8/1982

2003 RE/2003 Narre Warren (Vic)/Dandenong U18/Frankston (VFL)

19

24

282

282

0

83

BOYD Tom

17 200

104

22/8/1995

2014

TR/2014 Norwood (Vic)/Eastern U18/GWS Giants

14

15

38

29

13

37

KICKS

CAMPBELL Tom

15 200

106

2/11/1991

2012

RE/2012 Wesley College (Vic)/Sandr U18/Old Scotch (Vic)/Bendigo (VFL) 6

9

35

35

5

21

Matthew Boyd Lachie Hunter Shane Biggs Marcus Bontempelli Liam Picken

COLLINS Kieran

32

193

94

14/12/1997

2016

26/2015 Langwarrin (Vic)/Haileybury College (Vic)/Dandenong U18

0

1

1

1

0

0

CORDY Zaine

12

191

83

27/10/1996

2015

62/2014 Ocean Grove (Vic)/Geelong College (Vic)/Geelong U18

2

9

11

11

8

8

CRAMERI Stewart

8

190

97

10/8/1988

2010

TR/2013 Maryborough (Vic)/Bendigo Bombers (VFL)/Essendon

18

0

97

40

0

165 95

407 391 334 301 300

MARKS

Matthew Boyd Lachie Hunter Easton Wood Liam Picken Shane Biggs

161 146 127 121 116

HANDBALLS

Jack Macrae Marcus Bontempelli Lachie Hunter Luke Dahlhaus Liam Picken

336 332 328 318 294

OTHER CLEARANCES

Marcus Bontempelli Tom Liberatore Mitch Wallis Luke Dahlhaus Liam Picken

109 95 73 71 63

TACKLES

Marcus Bontempelli Tom Liberatore Luke Dahlhaus Liam Picken Josh Dunkley

123 114 113 107 98

DAHLHAUS Luke

6

178

77

21/8/1992

2011

70/2011 Leopold (Vic)/Geelong U18

23

21

115

115

9

DALE Bailey

31

182

70

22/7/1996

2015

45/2014 Edithvale-Aspendale (Vic)/Dandenong U18

10

4

14

14

3

9

DANIEL Caleb

35

168

68

7/7/1996

2015

46/2014 Edwardstown (SA)/South Adelaide (SANFL)

10

24

34

34

11

17

DICKSON Tory

29

184

85

26/9/1987

2012

57/2011 B'field (Vic)/Frankston (VFL)/Noble Park (Vic)/Bendigo (VFL) 23

22

79

79

40

138

DUNKLEY Josh

20

189

82

9/1/1997

2016

25/2015 Sale (Vic)/Gippsland U18

0

17

17

17

9

9

GOETZ Luke #

40

201

90

3/12/1997

----

RD/2016 Altona Vic/Western U18

0

0

0

0

0

0

39/2014 Gaza (SA)/Port Adelaide (SANFL)

HAMILTON Declan

26

182

68

18/3/1996

----

0

0

0

0

0

0

HAMLING Joel

30

194

88

9/4/1993

2015 DFA/2014 Cable Beach (WA)/Claremont (WAFL)/Geelong List

11

12

23

23

0

0

HONEYCHURCH Mitch 22

176

68

2/3/1995

2014

60/2013 Vermont (Vic)/Eastern U18

11

2

16

16

1

11

HROVAT Nathan

175

78

7/6/1994

2013

21/2012 Mill Park (Vic)/Carey Grammar (Vic)/Northern U18

7

4

30

30

3

14 26

13 7

183

79

13/12/1994

2013

49/2012 Williamstown Jnrs (Vic)/St Kevin’s College (Vic)/Western U18

13

26

62

62

10

JOHANNISEN Jason

HUNTER Lachie

39

180

79

8/11/1992

2012

RE/2012 Willetton (WA)/East Fremantle (WAFL)

20

17

64

64

6

18

JONG Lin

46

188

89

4/6/1993

2012

RE/2014 Mulgrave (Vic)/Oakleigh U18

13

16

39

39

13

25

LIBERATORE Tom

21

182

83

16/5/1992

2011

41/2010 St Bernard’s (Vic)/Calder U18

0

21

98

98

14

32

LYNCH Brad #

36

187

70

11/7/1997

----

RD/2016 Mandurah (WA)/Swan Districts (WAFL)

0

0

0

0

0

0

MACRAE Jack

11

191

83

3/8/1994

2013

21

22

77

77

2

19

McLEAN Toby

16

180

72

31/1/1996

2015

26/2014 Narre Warren (Vic)/Western U18

4

15

19

19

14

16

MINSON Will (V)

27

199

106

11/4/1985

2004

20/2002 St Andrew’s Primary School (SA)/Norwood (SANFL)

10

2

191

191

1

81

MORRIS Dale (V)

38

190

91

29/12/1982 2005 RE/2005 Doutta Stars (Vic)/Werribee (VFL)

14

23

230

230

0

3

2

187

84

9/6/1982

2000

21

3

295

295

0

173

PICKEN Liam

42

184

81

1/8/1986

2009 86/2009 Hamilton (Vic)/North Ballarat U18/Williamstown (VFL)

21

26

176

176

17

63

PRUDDEN Josh

28

182

80

6/9/1994

2015

50/2012 Seymour (Vic)/Assumption College (Vic)/Murray U18

4

0

4

4

0

0

REDPATH Jack

43

194

100

13/12/1990

2014

RE/2014 North Kyneton (Vic)/Kyneton (Vic)

12

10

25

25

20

41

ROBERTS Fletcher

18

196

90

3/6/1993

2012

PD/2012 Murrumbeena (Vic)/Melb Grammar (Vic)/Sandringham U18

12

18

37

37

0

0

ROUGHEAD Jordan

23 200

101

3/11/1990

2010

31/2008 Lake Wendouree (Vic)/North Ballarat U18

16

25

113

113

8

24

3

13

47

47

18

35

1

1

2

2

0

0

12

12

74

63

5

34

MURPHY Robert (V)

6/2012 Kew Rovers (Vic)/Carey Grammar (Vic)/Oakleigh U18

13/1999 Warragul (Vic)/Gippsland U18

SMITH Clay

14

181

85

11/5/1993

2012

SMITH Roarke #

37

181

74

11/9/1996

2015

RD/2015 Sunbury (Vic)/Calder U18

STEVENS Koby

25

189

87

18/6/1991

2010

TR/2012 Lucknow (Vic)/Gippsland U18/West Coast

INSIDE 50s

STRINGER Jake

9

192

91

25/4/1994

2013

Marcus Bontempelli Lachie Hunter Liam Picken Luke Dahlhaus Shane Biggs

SUCKLING Matthew

1

187

80

25/7/1988

2009 UFA/2015 East Wagga-Kooringal (NSW)/Wagga Tigers (NSW)/Haw

WALLIS Mitch

3

185

84

24/10/1992

2011

WEBB Lukas

19

186

80

4/3/1996

WILLIAMS Bailey

34

187

77

WOOD Easton

10

186

84

112 97 90 83 81

17/2011 Lucknow (Vic)/Gippsland U18

5/2012 Eaglehawk (Vic)/Bendigo U18

22

23

73

73

42

136

25

17

119

17

7

58

22/2010 St Bernard’s (Vic)/Calder U18

20

17

93

93

11

41

2015

27/2014 Lakes Entrance (Vic)/Caulfield Grammar (Vic)/Gippsland U18

10

5

15

15

0

1

10/10/1997

2016

48/2015 Brighton District & Old Scholars (SA)/Glenelg (SANFL)

0

6

6

6

0

0

4/9/1989

2009

43/2007 Camperdown (Vic)/Geelong Grammar (Vic)

22

20

107

107

3

15

WESTERN BULLDOGS USED 39 PLAYERS IN 2016 PLAYER

MT

Adams, Marcus Adcock, Jed Biggs, Shane Bontempelli, Marcus Boyd, Matthew Boyd, Tom Campbell, Tom Collins, Kieran Cordy, Zaine Dahlhaus, Luke Dale, Bailey Daniel, Caleb Dickson, Tory Dunkley, Josh Hamling, Joel Honeychurch, Mitch Hrovat, Nathan Hunter, Lachie Johannisen, Jason Jong, Lin

11 95 63 84 179 16.27 13 7 0 2 25 0 7 50 24 51 101 14.43 4 6 1 1 14 0 26 334 116 212 546 21.00 9 12 4 2 54 0 26 301 99 332 633 24.35 38 25 26 17 123 66 24 407 161 246 653 27.21 17 14 0 1 49 0 15 82 49 98 180 12.00 24 13 13 12 39 127 9 55 33 51 106 11.78 10 4 5 8 24 186 1 4 2 0 4 4.00 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 51 25 32 83 9.22 5 4 8 1 22 8 21 228 67 318 546 26.00 25 20 9 8 113 0 4 23 14 30 53 13.25 3 4 3 4 7 0 24 279 89 239 518 21.58 13 14 11 9 79 0 22 166 92 132 298 13.55 14 16 40 17 57 0 17 152 76 136 288 16.94 17 8 9 12 98 18 12 67 43 59 126 10.50 12 11 0 0 16 0 2 20 8 18 38 19.00 2 4 1 1 8 0 4 40 19 37 77 19.25 2 2 3 2 10 0 26 391 146 328 719 27.65 40 24 10 14 66 0 17 283 112 130 413 24.29 12 9 6 8 37 0 16 113 48 155 268 16.75 13 13 13 7 71 24

K

M

HB

D

AV.D

FF

FA

G

B

T

HO

PLAYER

MT

Liberatore, Tom Macrae, Jack McLean, Toby Minson, Will Morris, Dale Murphy, Robert Picken, Liam Redpath, Jack Roberts, Fletcher Roughead, Jordan Smith, Clay Smith, Roarke Stevens, Koby Stringer, Jake Suckling, Matthew Wallis, Mitch Webb, Lukas Williams, Bailey Wood, Easton

21 172 46 257 429 20.43 17 18 14 3 114 0 22 271 104 336 607 27.59 30 18 2 4 96 1 15 135 60 125 260 17.33 32 5 14 11 38 0 2 9 1 5 14 7.00 4 4 1 0 6 32 23 129 104 178 307 13.35 20 9 0 2 54 0 3 55 19 29 84 28.00 1 0 0 1 6 0 26 300 121 294 594 22.85 29 26 17 11 107 2 10 79 58 27 106 10.60 7 5 20 10 16 7 18 72 47 92 164 9.11 5 8 0 0 25 2 25 148 86 126 274 10.96 20 24 8 10 87 382 13 100 43 94 194 14.92 10 17 18 11 77 1 1 8 5 4 12 12.00 1 0 0 0 1 0 12 107 40 161 268 22.33 11 9 5 5 60 6 23 182 77 141 323 14.04 19 21 42 23 48 4 17 218 79 128 346 20.35 12 10 7 9 30 0 17 155 45 233 388 22.82 21 12 11 6 57 5 5 23 7 40 63 12.60 3 2 0 1 13 1 6 39 18 54 93 15.50 0 6 0 1 10 0 20 180 127 146 326 16.30 15 14 3 0 29 0

K

KEY: MT (matches); K (kicks); M (marks); HB (handballs); D (disposals); AV.D (average disposals); FF (frees for); FA (frees against); G (goals); B (behinds); T (tackles); HO (hit-outs).

M

HB

D

AV.D

FF

FA

G

B

T

HO

Stats provided by Champion Data

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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OVERALL RECORD: 1894 games – 851 wins, 1021 losses, 22 draws GRAND FINALS: 3 PREMIERSHIPS: 2 RECORD AT THE MCG: 204 games – 82 wins, 121 losses, 1 draw HEAD-TO-HEAD v

P

W

L

D

Adelaide

42 23 19 0

Brisbane Lions

51

Carlton

143 52 87 4

Collingwood

153 46 106 1

Essendon

158 62 94 2

Fitzroy

MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES

BROWNLOW MEDALLISTS

FINALS

John Schultz (169) Tony Liberatore (165) Rohan Smith (153) David Thorpe (127) Scott West (114)

Allan Hopkins (1930, tied), Norman Ware (1941), Peter Box (1956), John Schultz (1960), Gary Dempsey (1975), Kelvin Templeton (1980), Brad Hardie (1985), Tony Liberatore (1990), Scott Wynd (1992), Adam Cooney* (2008)

49 games – 18 wins, 31 losses, 0 draws

AFL GAMES RECORDS HELD IN GUERNSEY NUMBERS

126 72 54 0

3 Ted Whitten (321) 6 Brad Johnson (355) 7 Doug Hawkins (329) 13 Daniel Giansiracusa (265) 24 Gary Dempsey (329 – Foots & NM) 38 Dale Morris* (229) 49 Brian Cordy (124) 51 Michael McLean (95)

Fremantle

28 15 13 0

MOST GAMES AS CAPTAIN

Geelong

157 55 100 2

Ted Whitten Scott Wynd Arthur Olliver Brad Johnson Doug Hawkins Gary Dempsey Chris Grant

Gold Coast Suns GWS Giants

29

22

0

8

6

2

0

6

4

2

0

Hawthorn

159 76 81 2

Melbourne

162 76 85 1

North Melbourne

157

77

77

3

Port Adelaide

26

13

13

0

Richmond

152 72 78 2

St Kilda

158

74

81

3

Sydney Swans

157

80

76

1

University

0 0 0 0

West Coast Eagles

50

18

31

1

(212) (139) (127) (126) (86) (80) (76)

MOST GAMES AS COACH Ted Whitten Charlie Sutton Rodney Eade Terry Wallace Mick Malthouse Arthur Olliver

(228) (162) (162) (148) (135) (131)

MOST GOALS

1.8 (14) v Geelong, R12, 1965, Western Oval

Simon Beasley Brad Johnson Chris Grant Kelvin Templeton Jack Collins Alby Morrison Ted Whitten

GREATEST WINNING MARGIN

TOP GOALKICKING PERFORMANCES

HIGHEST SCORE 33.15 (213) v St Kilda, R13, 1978, Western Oval

LOWEST SCORE

120 points v Melbourne, R15, 1985, Western Oval

BEST WINNING SEQUENCE 9 games – R1, 1946 to R9, 1946

WORST LOSING SEQUENCE 14 games – R20, 1979 to R11, 1980

MOST GAMES Brad Johnson Chris Grant Doug Hawkins Scott West Ted Whitten Rohan Smith Robert Murphy*

(364) (341) (329) (324) (321) (300) (295)

(575) (558) (554) (494) (385) (369) (360)

15 Kelvin Templeton (v St Kilda, round 13, 1978, Western Oval) 12 Simon Beasley (v Geelong, round 16, 1982, Western Oval) 12 Simon Beasley (v Richmond, round 18, 1985, Waverley Park) 12 Simon Beasley (v Melbourne, round 15, 1985, Western Oval) 11 Simon Beasley (v Richmond, round 1, 1984, Western Oval)

AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBERS LEGENDS: Ted Whitten (also coach Foots), Royce Hart (coach Foots, also Rich) INDUCTEES: Allan Hopkins (also coach Foots), Norm Ware (also coach Foots), Arthur Olliver (also coach Foots), Syd Coventry (coach Foots, also Coll), Bill Goggin (coach Foots, also Geel, coach Geel), Bob Rose (coach Foots, also Coll, coach Coll), John Schultz, Bernie Quinlan (also Fitz, coach Fitz), Charlie Sutton (also coach Foots), Gary Dempsey (also N Melb), Barry Round (also S Melb/Syd), Doug Hawkins (also Fitz), Chris Grant, Scott West, Brad Johnson, Jason Akermanis (also Bris Lions)

AFL TEAM OF THE CENTURY Ted Whitten (centre half-back)

INDIGENOUS TEAM OF THE CENTURY Nicky Winmar (half-forward), Michael McLean (interchange)

LEADING GOALKICKER MEDALLIST 1954: Jack Collins (73)

JOHN COLEMAN MEDALLISTS 1957: Jack Collins (74) 1978: Kelvin Templeton (118) 1979: Kelvin Templeton (91) 1985: Simon Beasley (93)

NORM SMITH MEDALLIST

MOST FINALS GAMES Brad Johnson Matthew Boyd* Chris Grant Tony Liberatore Will Minson* Rohan Smith Scott West Nathan Eagleton

(21) (16) (15) (13) (12) (12) (12) (12)

MOST GOALS IN FINALS Chris Grant Brad Johnson Tory Dickson* Paul Hudson Dale Morris* Jack Collins Danny Del-Re Simon Beasley

(30) (18) (15) (14) (14) (13) (13) (12)

HIGHEST SCORE IN A FINAL 19.23 (137) v North Melbourne, 1SF, 1985

LOWEST SCORE IN A FINAL 5.7 (37) v Geelong, PF, 1953

GREATEST WINNING MARGIN IN A FINAL 70 points v West Coast, 3QF, 1998

GREATEST LOSING MARGIN IN A FINAL 93 points v Hawthorn, QF, 1985

MOST GOALS IN A FINAL 8 Danny Del-Re, v Geelong, QF, 1992

BEST FINALS WINNING STREAK 4 matches (2016-)

WORST FINALS LOSING STREAK

Jason Johannisen (2016)

6 matches (1938-51)

JOCK McHALE MEDALLISTS

PRE-SEASON/NIGHT SERIES

Charlie Sutton (1954), Luke Beveridge (2016)

MICHAEL TUCK MEDALLIST Barry Hall (2010)

AFL PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION MVP AWARD Luke Darcy (2002)

PREMIERSHIPS 1954, 2016

RUNNERS-UP 1961

WOODEN SPOONS 1959, 1967, 1982, 2003

112 games – 54 wins, 58 losses Premierships 1963, 1964, 1967, 1970, 2010

CLUB MEMBERSHIP 1984 (6491), 1985 (8030), 1986 (8433), 1987 (3452), 1988 (5351), 1989 (5168), 1990 (10,983), 1991 (9598), 1992 (9311), 1993 (11,478), 94 (9339), 1995 (12,212), 1996 (10,650), 1997 (15,064), 1998 (20,064), 1999 (20,491), 2000 (18,056), 2001 (19,085), 2002 (20,838), 2003 (21,260), 2004 (19,295), 2005 (21,975), 2006 (26,042) 2007 (28,725), 2008 (28,306), 2009 (28,215), 2010 (32,077), 2011 (29,710), 2012 (30,007), 2013 (30,209), 2014 (31,538), 2015 (35,222), 2016 (39,459) * denotes current player and coach

WESTERN BULLDOGS’ 2016 GRAND FINAL TEAM, MCG, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 STANDING (from left): Joel Hamling, Toby McLean, Jack Macrae, Liam Picken, Clay Smith, Tom Boyd, Jordan Roughead, Fletcher Roberts, Zaine Cordy, Tom Liberatore, Shane Biggs, Jake Stringer, Josh Dunkley. SEATED (from left): Luke Dahlhaus, Tory Dickson, Dale Morris, Marcus Bontempelli, Luke Beveridge (coach), Easton Wood (captain), Caleb Daniel, Lachie Hunter, Matthew Boyd, Jason Johannisen.

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2016 TOYOTA AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON FIXTURE AND RESULTS ROUND 1 THURSDAY, MARCH 24 Rich 14.8 (92) vs. Carl 12.11 (83) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, MARCH 26 Melb 12.8 (80) vs. GWS 10.18 (78) (MCG) GCS 17.19 (121) vs. Ess 9.6 (60) (MS) Syd 18.25 (133) vs. Coll 7.11 (53) (SCG) (N) NM 16.11 (107) vs. Adel 14.13 (97) (ES) (N) SUNDAY, MARCH 27 WB 15.13 (103) vs. Frem 5.8 (38) (ES) PA 20.13 (133) vs. StK 15.10 (100) (AO) WCE 26.10 (166) vs. BL 15.12 (102) (DS) (T) MONDAY, MARCH 28 Geel 18.8 (116) vs. Haw 12.14 (86) (MCG)

ROUND 2 FRIDAY, APRIL 1 Coll 13.9 (87) vs. Rich 12.14 (86) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, APRIL 2 Adel 22.12 (144) vs. PA 11.20 (86) (AO) Ess 11.14 (80) vs. Melb 10.7 (67) (MCG) BL 11.17 (83) vs. NM 17.15 (117) (G) (T) StK 5.6 (36) vs. WB 13.15 (93) (ES) (N) Frem 14.16 (100) vs. GCS 19.12 (126) (DS) (N) SUNDAY, APRIL 3 GWS 13.11 (89) vs. Geel 11.10 (76) (MO) Haw 14.15 (99) vs. WCE 7.11 (53) (MCG) Carl 10.11 (71) vs. Syd 20.11 (131) (ES) (T)

ROUND 3 FRIDAY, APRIL 8 PA 17.10 (112) vs. Ess 7.9 (51) (AO) (N) SATURDAY, APRIL 9 StK 18.11 (119) vs. Coll 14.6 (90) (MCG) Rich 13.14 (92) vs. Adel 19.14 (128) (ES) Syd 14.9 (93) vs. GWS 10.8 (68) (SCG) (T) GCS 13.17 (95) vs. Carl 5.11 (41) (MS) (N) WCE 12.20 (92) vs. Frem 8.11 (59) (DS) (N) SUNDAY, APRIL 10 NM 21.10 (136) vs. Melb 20.11 (131) (BA) WB 13.12 (90) vs. Haw 14.9 (93) (ES) Geel 18.17 (125) vs. BL 7.14 (56) (SS) (T)

ROUND 4 FRIDAY, APRIL 15 WCE 18.17 (125) vs. Rich 9.3 (57) (DS) (N) SATURDAY, APRIL 16 Ess 6.6 (42) vs. Geel 9.18 (72) (MCG) Haw 13.9 (87) vs. StK 13.6 (84) (AU) BL 14.23 (107) vs. GCS 14.10 (94) (G)(T) Carl 7.7 (49) vs. WB 13.7 (85) (ES)(N) Adel 16.17 (113) vs. Syd 15.13 (103) (AO)(N) SUNDAY, APRIL 17 GWS 22.19 (151) vs. PA 9.11 (65) (MO) Coll 9.13 (67) vs. Melb 16.6 (102) (MCG) NM 20.12 (132) vs. Frem 14.17 (101) (ES) (T)

ROUND 5 FRIDAY, APRIL 22 Haw 17.10 (112) vs. Adel 17.7 (109) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, APRIL 23 Syd 12.16 (88) vs. WCE 7.7 (49) (SCG) GCS 11.15 (81) vs. NM 18.11 (119) (MS) (T) WB 17.18 (120) vs. BL 10.7 (67) (ES) (N) PA 8.11 (59) vs. Geel 16.11 (107) (AO) (N) SUNDAY, APRIL 24 StK 12.7 (79) vs. GWS 19.12 (126) (ES) Frem 9.14 (68) vs. Carl 10.12 (72) (DS) Melb 20.9 (129) vs. Rich 14.12 (96) (MCG) (N) MONDAY, APRIL 25 Coll 22.10 (142) vs. Ess 11.7 (73) (MCG)

ROUND 6 FRIDAY, APRIL 29 NM 9.7 (61) vs. WB 6.9 (45) (ES) (N) SATURDAY, APRIL 30 Melb 15.6 (96) vs. StK 20.15 (135) (ES) Adel 14.13 (97) vs. Frem 8.16 (64) (AO) GWS 24.14 (158) vs. Haw 12.11 (83) (SP) (T) Geel 25.18 (168) vs. GCS 7.6 (48) (SS) (N) Rich 8.11 (59) vs. PA 13.16 (94) (MCG) (N) SUNDAY, MAY 1 BL 14.10 (94) vs. Syd 15.7 (97) (G) Carl 10.12 (72) vs. Ess 8.9 (57) (MCG) WCE 18.16 (124) vs. Coll 9.8 (62) (DS) (T)

ROUND 7 FRIDAY, MAY 6 Rich 13.12 (90) vs. Haw 21.10 (136) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, MAY 7 Coll 12.12 (84) vs. Carl 15.9 (99) (MCG) Geel 18.15 (123) vs. WCE 12.7 (79) (SS) Syd 20.15 (135) vs. Ess 7.12 (54) (SCG) (T) GCS 14.3 (87) vs. Melb 24.16 (160) (MS) (T) WB 18.15 (123) vs. Adel 17.6 (108) (ES) (N) Frem 11.11 (77) vs. GWS 14.11 (95) (DS) (N) SUNDAY, MAY 8 StK 11.9 (75) vs. NM 11.16 (82) (ES) PA 21.10 (136) vs. BL 7.17 (59) (AO) (T)

ROUND 8 FRIDAY, MAY 13 Adel 11.6 (72) vs. Geel 13.20 (98) (AO) (N) SATURDAY, MAY 14 Ess 8.12 (60) vs. NM 10.14 (74) (ES) Haw 17.14 (116) vs. Frem 11.9 (75) (AU) GWS 22.17 (149) vs. GCS 9.4 (58) (SP) (T) Rich 14.17 (101) vs. Syd 15.10 (100) (MCG) (N) BL 10.5 (65) vs. Coll 20.23 (143) (G) (N) SUNDAY, MAY 15 Carl 14.9 (93) vs. PA 13.13 (91) (ES) Melb 12.10 (82) vs. WB 17.12 (114) (MCG) WCE 20.12 (132) vs. StK 3.11 (29) (DS) (T)

ROUND 9 FRIDAY, MAY 20 Haw 7.13 (55) vs. Syd 10.9 (69) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, MAY 21 Coll 16.8 (104) vs. Geel 11.14 (80) (MCG) GCS 11.8 (74) vs. Adel 22.17 (149) (MS) PA 13.8 (86) vs. WCE 14.10 (94) (AO) (T) Frem 6.9 (45) vs. Rich 11.17 (83) (DS) (N) NM 17.11 (113) vs. Carl 6.10 (46) (ES) (N) SUNDAY, MAY 22 Melb 19.17 (131) vs. BL 9.14 (68) (MCG) GWS 15.8 (98) vs. WB 10.13 (73) (SP) StK 16.13 (109) vs. Ess 9.9 (63) (ES) (T)

ROUND 10 FRIDAY, MAY 27 Syd 14.7 (91) vs. NM 9.11 (65) (SCG) (N) SATURDAY, MAY 28 BL 13.9 (87) vs. Haw 21.9 (135) (G) Melb 10.16 (76) vs. PA 18.13 (121) (TP) StK 15.11 (101) vs. Frem 10.7 (67) (ES) (T) Ess 10.7 (67) vs. Rich 16.9 (105) (MCG) (N) Adel 15.17 (107) vs. GWS 13.7 (85) (AO) (N) SUNDAY, MAY 29 Carl 16.8 (104) vs. Geel 12.13 (85) (ES) Coll 7.11 (53) vs. WB 11.8 (74) (MCG) WCE 20.12 (132) vs. GCS 7.13 (55) (DS) (T)

ROUND 11 FRIDAY, JUNE 3 NM 18.16 (124) vs. Rich 7.12 (54) (BA) (N) SATURDAY, JUNE 4 Haw 11.16 (82) vs. Melb 10.4 (64) (MCG) Carl 16.6 (102) vs. BL 9.10 (64) (ES) Geel 14.14 (98) vs. GWS 14.4 (88) (SS) (T) Frem 20.6 (126) vs. Ess 6.11 (47) (DS) (N) GCS 6.5 (41) vs. Syd 11.13 (79) (MS) (N) SUNDAY, JUNE 5 Coll 7.16 (58) vs. PA 19.11 (125) (MCG) WB 12.11 (83) vs. WCE 11.9 (75) (ES) Adel 19.19 (133) vs. StK 6.9 (45) (AO) (T)

ROUND 12 FRIDAY, JUNE 10 Ess 6.7 (43) vs. Haw 23.13 (151) (ES) (N) SATURDAY, JUNE 11 PA 14.13 (97) vs. WB 15.10 (100) (AO) BL 9.10 (64) vs. Frem 23.9 (147) (G) (T) Geel 15.15 (105) vs. NM 12.2 (74) (ES) (N) WCE 11.10 (76) vs. Adel 15.15 (105) (DS) (N) SUNDAY, JUNE 12 StK 17.8 (110) vs. Carl 12.6 (78) (ES) Rich 17.12 (114) vs. GCS 15.7 (97) (MCG) GWS 15.15 (105) vs. Syd 9.9 (63) (SP) (T) MONDAY, JUNE 13 Melb 16.8 (104) vs. Coll 8.10 (58) (MCG)

ROUND 13 FRIDAY, JUNE 17 NM 11.18 (84) vs. Haw 14.9 (93) (ES) (N) SATURDAY, JUNE 18 BL 12.10 (82) vs. WCE 20.11 (131) (G) Frem 12.14 (86) vs. PA 9.15 (69) (DS) (T) WB 5.13 (43) vs. Geel 16.4 (100) (ES) (N) SUNDAY, JUNE 19 Syd 12.14 (86) vs. Melb 4.7 (31) (SCG) Ess 12.18 (90) vs. GWS 17.15 (117) (ES) (T) Byes: Adelaide Crows, Carlton, Collingwood, Gold Coast Suns, Richmond, St Kilda

ROUND 14 THURSDAY, JUNE 23 Adel 12.28 (100) vs. NM 10.7 (67) (AO) (N) FRIDAY, JUNE 24 Coll 12.13 (85) vs. Frem 5.7 (37) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Rich 17.15 (117) vs. BL 11.9 (75) (MCG) GWS 18.19 (127) vs. Carl 9.11 (65) (SP) (T) StK 14.9 (93) vs. Geel 13.12 (90) (ES) (N) SUNDAY, JUNE 26 Haw 12.14 (86) vs. GCS 8.12 (60) (AU) Byes: Essendon, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Sydney Swans, West Coast Eagles, Western Bulldogs

ROUND 15 THURSDAY, JUNE 30 WCE 20.10 (130) vs. Ess 7.10 (52) (DS) (N) FRIDAY, JULY 1 PA 14.10 (94) vs. Rich 8.8 (56) (AO) (N) SATURDAY, JULY 2 GCS 15.18 (108) vs. StK 8.20 (68) (MS) Syd 11.13 (79) vs. WB 13.5 (83) (SCG) (T) Carl 6.9 (45) vs. Coll 8.9 (57) (MCG) (N) SUNDAY, JULY 3 Melb 15.8 (98) vs. Adel 18.12 (120) (MCG) Byes: Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Geelong Cats, GWS Giants, Hawthorn, North Melbourne

ROUND 16 THURSDAY, JULY 7 PA 12.7 (79) vs. Haw 15.11 (101) (AO) (N) FRIDAY, JULY 8 Geel 9.6 (60) vs. Syd 15.8 (98) (SS) (N) SATURDAY, JULY 9 GWS 14.9 (93) vs. Coll 19.11 (125) (SP) GCS 22.7 (139) vs. BL 17.11 (113) (MS) (T) WB 12.13 (85) vs. Rich 11.9 (75) (ES) (N) Melb 12.15 (87) vs. Frem 8.7 (55) (TIO) (N) SUNDAY, JULY 10 Carl 7.5 (47) vs. Adel 16.11 (107) (MCG) WCE 16.8 (104) vs. NM 11.6 (72) (DS) Ess 14.14 (98) vs. StK 17.7 (109) (ES) (T)

ROUND 17 THURSDAY, JULY 14 Syd 10.10 (70) vs. Haw 11.9 (75) (SCG) (N) FRIDAY, JULY 15 Frem 9.7 (61) vs. Geel 11.12 (78) (DS) (N) SATURDAY, JULY 16 Rich 16.6 (102) vs. Ess 11.17 (83) (MCG) NM 10.17 (77) vs. PA 16.9 (105) (ES) (T) WB 15.17 (107) vs. GCS 8.11 (59) (CS) (N) Adel 14.13 (97) vs. Coll 10.9 (69) (AO) (N) SUNDAY, JULY 17 Carl 11.9 (75) vs. WCE 12.10 (82) (MCG) StK 15.20 (110) vs. Melb 11.8 (74) (ES) BL 9.13 (67) vs. GWS 22.14 (146) (G) (T)

ROUND 18 FRIDAY, JULY 22 Coll 12.12 (84) vs. NM 18.16 (124) (ES) (N) SATURDAY, JULY 23 Syd 10.14 (74) vs. Carl 10.8 (68) (SCG) GCS 16.9 (105) vs. Frem 12.9 (81) (MS) WCE 10.6 (66) vs. Melb 8.12 (60) (DS) (T) Geel 12.13 (85) vs. Adel 7.13 (55) (SS) (N) WB 9.6 (60) vs. StK 11.9 (75) (ES) (N) SUNDAY, JULY 24 Ess 12.19 (91) vs. BL 20.8 (128) (ES) Haw 16.18 (114) vs. Rich 5.14 (44) (MCG) PA 9.6 (60) vs. GWS 11.13 (79) (AO) (T)

ROUND 19 FRIDAY, JULY 29 Geel 16.7 (103) vs. WB 11.12 (78) (SS) (N) SATURDAY, JULY 30 GWS 17.9 (111) vs. Rich 3.5 (23) (MO) Haw 10.14 (74) vs. Carl 7.13 (55) (AU) Coll 13.13 (91) vs. WCE 11.6 (72) (MCG) (T) NM 12.13 (85) vs. StK 8.14 (62) (ES) (N) BL 11.13 (79) vs. PA 25.23 (173) (G) (N) SUNDAY, JULY 31 Melb 9.12 (66) vs. GCS 9.10 (64) (MCG) Frem 7.5 (47) vs. Syd 21.11 (137) (DS) Adel 22.11 (143) vs. Ess 9.7 (61) (AO) (T)

ROUND 20 FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 Rich 14.8 (92) vs. Coll 11.11 (77) (MCG) (N) SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 Syd 14.16 (100) vs. PA 4.9 (33) (SCG) Melb 17.8 (110) vs. Haw 11.15 (81) (MCG) GCS 13.6 (84) vs. GWS 14.8 (92) (MS) (T) WB 9.7 (61) vs. NM 7.5 (47) (ES) (N) Adel 27.15 (177) vs. BL 6.3 (39) (AO) (N) SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 Carl 7.9 (51) vs. StK 19.8 (122) (MCG) Geel 15.10 (100) vs. Ess 4.10 (34) (ES) Frem 9.10 (64) vs. WCE 17.8 (110) (DS) (T)

ROUND 21 FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 WB 14.11 (95) vs. Coll 14.8 (92) (ES) (N) SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 BL 15.9 (99) vs. Carl 13.17 (95) (G) Haw 14.12 (96) vs. NM 8.9 (57) (MCG) GWS 14.12 (96) vs. WCE 14.13 (97) (SP) (T) StK 11.10 (76) vs. Syd 23.8 (146) (ES) (N) PA 8.6 (54) vs. Melb 13.16 (94) (AO) (N) SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 Ess 11.9 (75) vs. GCS 9.15 (69) (ES) Rich 12.6 (78) vs. Geel 10.22 (82) (MCG) Frem 11.4 (70) vs. Adel 21.16 (142) (DS) (T)

ROUND 22 FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 WCE 13.14 (92) vs. Haw 10.7 (67) (DS) (N) SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 NM 10.16 (76) vs. Syd 12.13 (85) (BA) Rich 6.10 (46) vs. StK 7.13 (55) (MCG) GWS 19.15 (129) vs. Frem 5.7 (37) (SP) (T) Coll 16.22 (118) vs. GCS 6.11 (47) (ES) (N) PA 14.10 (94) vs. Adel 15.19 (109) (AO) (N) SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 Carl 11.12 (78) vs. Melb 7.16 (58) (MCG) BL 10.9 (69) vs. Geel 19.15 (129) (G) Ess 7.11 (53) vs. WB 14.9 (93) (ES) (T)

ROUND 23 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 Adel 10.11 (71) v WCE 14.16 (100) (AO) (N) SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 Geel 24.11 (155) v Melb 6.8 (44) (SS) Ess 15.13 (103) v Carl 10.19 (79) (MCG) Syd 25.14 (164) v Rich 7.9 (51) (SCG) (T) NM 9.9 (63) v GWS 14.16 (100) (ES) (N) GCS 9.12 (66) v PA 13.11 (89) (MS) (N) SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 StK 25.11 (161) v BL 15.13 (103) (ES) Haw 17.10 (112) v Coll 17.9 (111) (MCG) Frem 10.9 (69) v WB 6.13 (49) (DS)

2016 TOYOTA AFL FINALS SERIES SEPTEMBER 2-4 Bye Round – Final Eight clubs SEPTEMBER 8-10 WCE 7.10 (52) v WB 14.15 (99) (DS) (N) Geel 12.13 (85) v Haw 12.11 (83) (MCG) (N) Syd 7.13 (55) v GWS 12.19 (91) (ANZ) (T) Adel 21.15 (141) v NM 12.7 (79) (AO) (N) SEPTEMBER 16 & 17 Haw 12.12 (84) v WB 16.11 (107) (MCG) (N) Syd 18.10 (118) v Adel 12.10 (82) (SCG) (N) SEPTEMBER 23 & 24 Geel 8.12 (60) v Syd 15.7 (97) (MCG) (N) GWS 12.11 (83) v WB 13.11 (89) (SP) (T) OCTOBER 1 Syd 10.7 (67) v WB 13.11 (89) (MCG)

© 2015 Australian Football League. Reproduction of the AFL schedule of matches (AFL Fixture) in whole or in part is permitted only with prior written approval of the AFL. The AFL Fixture is subject to change without notice. The AFL will not be liable for changes made to the AFL Fixture. This version of the AFL Fixture is correct as at October 29, 2015. For the latest information, visit AFL.com.au.

(T) Twilight match; (N) Night match; (AO) Adelaide Oval; (AU) Aurora Stadium, Launceston; (BA) Blundstone Arena, Hobart; (CS) Cazalys Stadium, Cairns; (DS) Domain Stadium, Perth; (ES) Etihad Stadium, Melbourne; (G) The Gabba, Brisbane; (MCG) Melbourne Cricket Ground; (MO) Manuka Oval, Canberra; (MS) Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast; (SCG) Sydney Cricket Ground; (SP) Spotless Stadium, Sydney; (SS) Simonds Stadium, Geelong; (TIO) TIO Stadium, Darwin; (TP) TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs.

96 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

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CELEBRATE GLORY IN

OCTOBER

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WESTERN BULLDOGS

WESTERN BULLDOGS

STANDING (from left): Joel Hamling, Toby McLean, Jack Macrae, Liam Picken, SEATED (from left): Luke Clay Smith, Tom Boyd, Jordan Dahlhaus, Tory Dickson, Roughead, Fletcher Roberts, Dale Morris, Marcus Bontempelli, Zaine Cordy, Tom Liberatore, Luke Beveridge (coach), Shane Biggs, Jake Stringer, Easton Wood (captain), Josh Dunkley.

Caleb Daniel, Lachie Hunter, Matthew Boyd, Jason Johannisen.

01 Seated Team Print

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PREMIERS 2016 XXXXXX XXX XXX XXXXXX

THIS IS FOR YOU:

Matthew Boyd, Luke Dahlhaus and Clay Smith present the premiership cup to their adoring fans.

THE 2016 SEASON 1 AFLPremierships Smith Medal (Jason Johannisen) 1 Norm All-Australians (Marcus 2 Bontempelli, Matthew Boyd) Premierships won 2 by the club since 1925 by 50 points or more 3 Wins winning streak (rounds 2EF-GF) 4 Longest 98 | WESTERN BULLDOGS

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BY THE NUMBERS

(rounds 3, 6, 9, 13, 18, 19, 23) 7 Losses from 26 matches 19 Wins Greatest winning margin versus 65 FremantleinroundoneatEtihadStadium The Bulldogs’ 73 winning percentage votes received

by Western Bulldogs players 81 Brownlow score in 26 matches 86 Average

score versus Adelaide in round seven at Etihad Stadium 123 Highest kicked 297 Behinds Goals 324 kicked Total 2241 points for crowd at the club’s games 36,711 Average who attended the club’s 26 matches 954,503 People

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