Round 7 (ANZAC Appeal Round)

Western Bulldogs v Sydney Swans
Thursday 23 April | 7:30pm AEST
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne • Wurundjeri
Broadcast: Channel 7/7Plus, Kayo/Fox Footy (check your local broadcast guide)

LAST MEETING

Round 16, 2025
Sydney 14.12 (96) def. by Western Bulldogs 16.9 (105)

The Bulldogs were victorious in skipper Marcus Bontempelli's 250th game, edging Sydney by nine points in an SCG thriller.

The Dogs had control early before the Swans fought back nearing half-time, but the Dogs pulled clear late in an entertaining second half.

Bontempelli was at his imposing best back at the coalface as he finished with 18 disposals, while rising star Joel Freijah gathered 23 of his own as well as four majors in a career-best outing.

THE LINE-UP

WHAT IT MEANS

The Western Bulldogs (4-2) navigated a tough fixture to start the season as it made an early statement by becoming the last remaining undefeated team just two weeks ago. A pair of chastening defeats and a mounting injury list, now including the loss of Sam Darcy due to a serious knee injury and Tom Liberatore to concussion protocols, have left the Bulldogs' top-four hopes hanging by a thread.

GAME SHAPER

Aaron Naughton has made a strong start to the season with 18 goals in six matches but will now shoulder a heavy load as the Bulldogs face up to a campaign without fellow key forward Darcy. The high-flying 26-year-old has had to find fresh ways to hit the scoreboard while averaging fewer than five marks a game, but expect to again be the focal point as the Dogs try to revive their finals hopes. 

It was another tough night for the Western Bulldogs, with a nasty injury to forward Aaron Naughton mirrored by a big performance from Sydney key forward Charlie Curnow.

Curnow kicked seven goals in Sydney's 18.18 (126) to 9.6 (60) win in the open air of Marvel Stadium on Thursday evening, consolidating their top of the table position.

It came as Naughton was stretchered off the ground after a dreadful fall onto his neck in the third quarter, adding to the Bulldogs' injury woes in recent weeks.

It was a somewhat sloppy start for Sydney, sending handballs high on transition and opening up teammates to become victims of the Dogs' desperate pressure.

That willingness to close space and worry the ball carrier was particularly evident in the Dogs' defensive arc, not allowing the typically slick Swans to move the ball around to higher percentage opportunities.

Knowing it was young and inexperienced, the home side equalised the contest through pure physicality. It's something that doesn't necessarily require talent or experience, simply endeavour and effort, and was certainly an area of the game in which the young Dogs excelled.

When things clicked for the Swans, however, they scored, and scored heavily. Quick ball movement through the corridor, hitting up tall duo Curnow and Joel Amartey made life tough for a Dogs defence that was without important duo James O'Donnell and Rory Lobb.

They owned the corridor ball, both when in possession and when defending the Bulldogs' movement. 
Marcus Bontempelli (29 disposals, two goals) looked especially slick despite heavy strapping on his right knee, but his cleanliness at the ground ball wasn't something many teammates could replicate.

Debutant Lachie Smith, in tandem with third-gamer Louis Emmett, worked Brodie Grundy well in the first half. Although the veteran Swan dominated hitouts early, he struggled to have his typical impact after the ball up, held to just six disposals and zero clearances to the main break.

But he burst out of the blocks in the second half, kicking Sydney's first two goals of the term, and doubled his disposal count to ask questions of the Bulldogs' young ruck brigade.

A scary sight
Important forward Aaron Naughton was doing absolutely everything he could to generate a Bulldogs fightback in the third quarter. Part of that was bringing his signature leap at the footy. As young ruck Louis Emmett kicked an errant set shot at goal, Naughton flew, but came down on his neck in an ugly sight. Naughton continued to move on the deck in what was an encouraging sight, but needed to be stretchered from the ground in a neck brace to the warm applause of the crowd. Hearteningly, he was able to give the thumbs up before heading into the race.

What injury?
Dogs captain Marcus Bontempelli entered Thursday’s clash under a heavy injury cloud. Having hyperextended his right knee in last week's 75-point loss to Geelong, he was still named in the side to take on the ladder-leading Swans. Heavily strapped, he took to the field, and immediately set his young side off on the right foot, moving smoothly through the middle and spreading forward to set up teammates close to goal. Remarkably, despite the sore joint, his capacity to find space and cover the ground was ever-present, helping him to an eventual 29 disposals, two goals, and six clearances for the game.

WESTERN BULLDOGS   4.2   6.3   8.5   9.6 (60)
SYDNEY                        3.4   7.10   12.15   18.18 (126)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 2, Naughton, Lewis, Dolan, Richards, Hynes, Williams, Baker}
Sydney: Curnow 7, Amartey 3, Warner 3, Grundy 2, Papley, Lloyd, Cootee

BEST
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Dale, Williams, Bramble
Sydney: Blakey, Curnow, McCartin, Papley, Mills, Warner

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Naughton (neck)
Sydney: Nil

Crowd: 29,523 at Marvel Stadium