This should have surprised no one; the Western Bulldogs losing against a top-eight team. This is the team that flatters to deceive like no other.
And yet we, or many of us, did fall into believing the Dogs would be different this time. They were playing at Marvel Stadium. And they were playing Fremantle. That was a combination to inspire confidence.
OK, firstly there is a caveat here, the Gold Coast could still lose to Essendon and so the Dogs could squeeze into the eight. But I mean, Essendon, they are so beaten up that surely not even the Suns could choke like that two weeks in a row. Surely not.
Were they to make it, regardless of their ridiculously high percentage, they would still be undeserving. The Bulldogs have beaten only GWS – twice – of top eight teams.
The Suns, in contrast, until Wednesday night are outside the eight, but they have beaten four of the top five. The Dogs smashed sides outside the eight – hence their imposing percentage – but folded against the best teams who have midfields that can match it with them and forward lines that can hurt their weak defence.
Skipper Marcus Bontempelli leads the bedraggled Bulldogs off Marvel Stadium, with their finals prospects hinging on the slim hope Essendon can beat Gold Coast.Credit: Getty Images
The moment of the game, the moment the momentum completely shifted and the idea of change took seed in both teams’ minds came when Dockers’ sprite Murphy Reid kicked one of the goals of the year. Matt Kennedy had missed a goal on the run. From the kick-in to half-back, Reid smuggled the ball out of the back and scuttled forwards. He had a one-two handball with Sam Switkowski and just kept running. He ran three quarters of the length of ground and kicked the goal. It was the fourth of the Dockers seven unanswered goals for the quarter.
For all of that, the Dogs still had to be admired. They kept coming when they could have folded, knowing that the pain of that second-quarter burst, salted when the Dockers kicked the first of the second half, would surely see their season falling short again.
That they twice got back to within 15 points in the last quarter from Joel Freijah goals (the first one gave them a sniff, but by the time he kicked the second one, they were done) was testament to the fact they didn’t surrender. So credit for that.
Freijah is one of the finds and most improved players across the competition for the season. The first of those rallying goals came from the industrious Oskar Baker.
Ultimately, the Dogs’ stars can blind you to realities about them. Against the best sides they fall short. Against the poor sides they dazzle. They are an unbalanced side that needs depth.
Jordan Croft’s excellent second game has put the AFL on notice that he is coming, and the Dogs will have a formidable attack with him, Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton. The problem is, we already know they have a formidable attack. We also know they are keen on recruiting Jack Silvagni. They should double-down on him now. He is far from a proven defender, but he would be an improvement on what they have.
Suns’ shame
Home town umps were a thing again in Adelaide, but Damien Hardwick’s team played bruise free footy and deserved to lose.
Inspired by Travis Boak in his final game, the Power’s intensity proved too much for Gold Coast.Credit: Getty Images
The whole of Friday night was about the feels. It was genuinely emotional farewell for Travis Boak, and the crowd, many of whom started the night lukewarm about Ken Hinkley, finished it misty-eyed about his departure. The send-off for Boak was as classy as you will see. Although the Power have had nothing to celebrate this year, it was due recognition of one of the most important figures in their history.
The Suns thus played the compliant fall-guy role. Hardwick felt the umpires got caught up in the emotion of the night. He was not wrong, but his team deserved more criticism.
“We gave away too many, there’s no question about that,” Hardwick acknowledged of the 50-metre penalties – two coming from a het-up Wil Powell.
“It’s one of those things, unfortunately. The emotion of the game ... all of a sudden, you’re giving territory that’s very, very hard to earn and giving it back free of charge.
“I thought the umpires got caught up in the emotion of the game. (It) can happen.”
Further quizzed about umpiring calls, he added: “(You’re) asking the wrong bloke the wrong question. Maybe ask the umpiring department.”
Should he have gone there? Probably not? Was he wrong? Probably not.
He was asked a question and answered, and frankly the frees did run Port’s way. The home town factor in umpiring is undeniable in every sport played around the world. Last week in Adelaide it was Crows getting away with throws.
The free kick to Mitch Giorgiades against Mac Andrew for diving forward that offered the goal that put Port in front was poor.
The free kick count – which logically has no reason to be equal but normally roughly is – saw double the frees for Port as Gold Coast (33-16). As ever, the unpaid frees were as important as the legitimacy of the ones paid.
There was no doubt the Suns had the worse of the umpiring rub. But let’s be clear, Damien, Gold Coast were playing for a spot in the top four against a side that was in the bottom six. Your side played bruise-free, safe, arrogant footy, thinking they could get through to the finals without trying too hard.
And Zac Butters and Connor Rozee beat your side up around the ball. And the oldest man on the ground, Travis Boak, given licence by Ken Hinkley to play on the ball in his last game and just get the footy and have fun, did exactly that.
You, Damien, picked Alex Sexton and Jy Farrar.
Your side deserved to lose. Your side, which has beaten four of the top five, is more deserving than most in the eight to be there, but plays with a burden.
An emotional home crowd or not, this game should never have been close. Your Suns kicked 3.6 in the first term when they should have shut the game down and silenced the home crowd. Instead, they left them in touch for the entire game.
The Suns lack grit and maturity in games like these, which is why even when they do beat Essendon this week (he said with his heart in his mouth), every possible finals opponent will go in feeling they are fragile and beatable.
Dees do it their way
The narrative of Friday night was that Collingwood was poor again and stumbled unconvincingly into the top four after being lucky to get over the Demons, then getting a helping hand from the callow Suns.
And it is true.
The other truth is this was such a Melbourne game.
They have beaten Brisbane this season, and lost twice to Collingwood, by margins of one and six points. They lost to the Bulldogs and St Kilda, both games by six points, to Carlton by eight points and GWS by three. Throw in, for good measure, that they lost to the top side by the close-ish margin of 13 points.
Kysaiah Pickett and Max Gawn have been shining lights for Melbourne in a disappointing 2025 season.Credit: Getty Images
They should be so much better than where they have finished the season. But they are not.
This is a side with the All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn (we’ll call it now, it’s as bold a call as saying Jeremy Cameron will be the All Australian full-forward, we are really going out on a limb) and he played like it. Clayton Oliver had one of his better games. Christian Petracca had good moments, but not enough of them, Trent Rivers proved he can be a midfielder and Harvey Langford enhanced his draft rating.
But this was another Melbourne-like performance. They have endured a season where they’ve sacked their coach, been without a permanent chief executive officer, endured uncertainty over changes in their footy department, and a year-long planned presidential succession. That is no one’s idea of a strong leadership and stability. The results on the field, then, are unsurprising.
Like Sydney, they will rue what might have been in 2025. Those six losses under 10 points will have them asking how they missed out on finals.
Sydney at least knows the answer to that question. They missed finals because of injuries in the first half of the year, but later in the year when they got their best players back, they finished the season cussing themselves for what they missed out on. Right now, they are the unluckiest side not playing finals.
The Bulldogs will say “oh, what about us?“. Bollocks to that. The Bulldogs missing the eight was not down to luck like the Swans. Yes, they didn’t have Sam Darcy and Marcus Bontempelli in the same team for much of the first half of the year but, as noted above, they also couldn’t beat a good team. The Swans could.
Nicks speaks truth
The best line of the week from a coach came from Matthew Nicks as all the world was seemingly losing its minds over Izak Rankine and his four-match ban.
“He’s not the victim here,” Nicks said.
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