If there was any doubt in Easton Wood’s mind that the lift had returned to his left leg after off-season ankle surgery, that was put to rest late in Friday night’s match against the Eagles. 

With the clock ticking down and the Dogs in desperate need of a goal, Wood launched himself almost over the top of Eagle Josh Hill to drag down one of the marks of the year.

It set up one final Bulldogs surge, albeit to no vail as West Coast were able to hang on by eight points, but the sight of Wood flying around Domain Stadium was as good a sign for Dogs fans as it was for Wood himself, whose full athletic gifts are back on display.      

“I had ankle surgery at the end of last year and it’s taken a little while to get the power back in my leg that I jump off," Wood told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“I’m feeling 100% fit now so it’s nice to be able to launch at a few.”

It’s not every day a defender is able to run at a mark like Wood did on Friday but with the game on the line, the stand-in skipper was prepared to take the risk.

“You see the ball go up and the you think, ‘All right, I’ve got the sit here,’ and you just hope you can hold onto it, particularly playing in the backline, because if you stuff those ones up you can look really silly.”

“It was just nice to hold on to it.  

“But the game was so frantic at that point, as soon as I got it I kind of had to play on and try and get the ball back up the other end because we just needed to score – that’s all I was thinking at the time.”